Almost every believer in your body will have questions, struggles, or need wisdom in at least one of these areas. As much as your congregation cares about your subtle knowledge of the Greek, they are likely more concerned with how to honor God with their work this next week. Or when to schedule dinner with their neighbors. Or how to structure family worship each evening.
Growing up, I expected the older I got, the less advice I would need. How wrong I was. I find myself constantly trying to glean as much practical wisdom from other believers as I possibly can. Books, podcasts, and online sermons are all helpful, but there is nothing like talking with a fellow Christian about how to live out your faith in Christ. With that said, I would say there are 4 under-discussed aspects of the Christian life. Aspects which I always crave more wisdom on than I can get.
Why do I call them under-discussed? These are topics which almost every Christian has to think and live through each week. No matter how different an individual week is, most Christians need to go to work, have to figure out how much or little to open up their home, interact with other people (both believers and non-believers), and function within a family unit.
Even though these are weekly contexts in which Christians live, I find they are not discussed enough. These topics are not taught on or even talked about in proportion with the amount of time Christians spend living within these contexts. In this post, I want to introduce the four under-discussed aspects of the Christian life I have in mind.
The Christian at Work
This might be the single most under-discussed area Christians need wisdom and teaching on. There are dozens of Christian books on how to study the Bible better and how to function within the local Church. And that’s great; all those books are good and necessary and beneficial. However, most of my week is not spent within the local Church. It normally isn’t even spent in front of a Bible. Most of my week is spent pouring myself into some sort of vocation.
Therefore, most of my practical questions I need answered, most of the interactions I need prayer for, and the context where I am called to glorify God most frequently is at work. In a secular office with a mix of believers, professing believers, and non-believers. You would think there would be more books on what the Bible says about work than there are.
Anyone who has read Scripture through knows God cares greatly about work: how you do work, why you do work, principles for effective labor. Your vocation is a fundamental part of who God has called you to be. As such, there is a lot of daily wisdom needed on how to work in a God-glorifying way.
Biblical teaching on work is especially important because of the temptations which often accompany it. You can idolize work, find your identity in it, work dishonestly, or use your vocation as a way to pursue worldly riches.
Christians everywhere need sound, Biblical teaching to clarify how to do their 9 to 5 to the glory of God and for the fame of Christ.
Pretty much every week I wish I had more Biblical wisdom for interacting at work. I don’t think I’m the only one.
Hospitality
Another task everyone does each week is scheduling. What the family is going to do, what events they are going to attend, and what things will they say “no” to. What normal Christian families do, don’t do, or plan to do each week ties into this idea of hospitality. I agree with Rosaria Butterfield’s emphasis on the importance of ordinary hospitality. But it is another under-discussed aspect of the Christian life where wisdom is needed.
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