Dedicate Your Work to God

adult
D O W N L O A D E D
Sunday School That Clicks
Lesson 7
/
July 14, 2013
Dedicate Your Work to God
for use as
STEP
1.
Lesson 7
Focus:
We dedicate our
work to God.
Lesson 7
Bible Basis:
Ezra 6:13-22
By Richard Lentz
Students will discuss the importance of dedicating their work and service
to the Lord and honoring Him in what they do.
OPENING ACTIVITY: Your Work Ethic
A
sk students what thoughts, words, or pictures come to mind
when they hear the phrase work ethic. Usually this phrase
is thought of in positive terms—having a good work ethic
means a person is committed to honesty, integrity, and consistent labor (“a full day’s work for a full day’s pay”). Some
people’s work ethic, however, may be based more on deception, greed,
and self-promotion instead of positive values. You may want your students to share what kind of work ethic they have.
You can tell a lot about the character of a person by his or her work
ethic and also about the character of a company, as this week’s article
points out.
OPENING STORY [read it aloud to your class, or make copies and
pass it around]:
COMPANY COMMITS TO FOLLOW BIBLICAL VALUES
You may have seen this company’s full-page ads in your local newspaper. It’s nearly certain that an ad will show up on Easter. Sometimes the
ads include a picture of a cross or a likeness of Jesus. Nearly all contain
a Bible verse. This year’s Easter ad prominently displayed a picture of
the actor who played Jesus in the History Channel’s series The Bible.
You have to hunt to find the name of the company in the ad, however. It
typically is found in fine print at the bottom of the page. The company
is Hobby Lobby, and it has been purchasing these full-page ads in hundreds of newspapers since 1997.
Hobby Lobby’s origins date back to 1972 when David Green, the
company’s founder and current CEO, opened a small retail store to sell
some of his own manufactured picture frames. What started as a small
business eventually grew to a corporation with over 500 stores and
$1 billion in annual sales. What stands out regarding the company is not
the number of stores or its gross sales, however, but Green’s commitment
Lesson 7
/ July 14, 2013 / Step 1
Lesson 7
Memory
Verse
Then the people of
Israel—the priests, the
Levites and the rest of
the exiles—celebrated
the dedication of the
house of God with joy.
—Ezra 6:16
D O W N L O A D E D
Sunday School That Clicks
2
to run the company based on Christian values. According to its website,
the foundation of the business “has been, and will continue to be strong
values, and honoring the Lord in a manner consistent with Biblical
principles.”
One of those principles is servant leadership. Green understands the
importance of employees seeing themselves as servants of their customers. For this to work successfully, Green knows that those in the corporate office have to be committed to be servants of the stores and of the
employees. One way Green does this is by demanding that stores stay
closed on Sundays and stay open only until 8 P.M. the rest of the week.
Though it probably costs Hobby Lobby over $100 million in sales to do
this, Green knows that the shorter hours give employees more time to
spend with their families.
Green also strives to be an example of the character traits he wants
his own employees to exhibit. “You should not expect something from
someone you are not willing to do yourself,” Green said in an interview.
He added, “All the things we do, all our behavior, should let others
know that we are living by, and operating in, Biblical principles.”
Green was the recipient of this year’s John M. Templeton Bible Values
Award, an honor given out annually by the National Bible Association
to a company that exemplifies what it means to practice biblical values
in the marketplace. In his acceptance speech Green said, “I am humbled
to join the ranks of other leaders who are committed to the Bible to
guide their spiritual and religious beliefs as well as their business.” In
an interview with Forbes magazine a short time after announcing plans
to reward his full-time employees by raising their minimum wage to
$14 per hour, Green said, “As a family-owned business, we want our
employees to feel like they are part of a family. This is one way we can
show our appreciation for their work and make them feel like part of a
team.”
Green also said, “If you have anything or if I have anything, it’s
because it’s been given to us by our Creator … I don’t care if you’re in
business or out of business. God owns it. How do you separate it? Well,
is it God’s in church and it’s mine here? I have purpose in church, but
don’t I have purpose over here too? You can’t have a belief system on
Sunday and not live it the other six days.”
The values Green has instilled on Hobby Lobby are perhaps summarized best on his company’s website. Among these are to honor the
Lord in everything they do, offer their customers exceptional selection
and value, and serve employees and their families. They serve by establishing an environment and policies that build character, strengthen
individuals, and nurture families, in the process producing a return on
the owners’ investment to share the Lord’s blessings with its employees
Lesson 7
D O W N L O A D E D
Sunday School That Clicks
/ July 14, 2013 / Step 1
Lesson 7
Memory
Verse
Then the people of
Israel—the priests, the
Levites and the rest of
the exiles—celebrated
the dedication of the
house of God with joy.
—Ezra 6:16
3
and community. “We believe that it is by God’s grace and provision that
Hobby Lobby has endured. He has been faithful in the past, and we
trust Him for our future.”
[Now form small groups and have your class discuss the following
questions.]
..What work ethic should characterize a company or person whose
work is dedicated to the Lord?
..How could dedicating your work to God help or hurt you?
..What gifts and talents has God given you?
..Have you always dedicated those gifts and talents to Him? Explain
your answer.
[When you are finished with the questions, go on to Step 2 in your
Adult Teacher’s Guide, where you read the Scripture and begin to discuss
it.]
News Sources:
You can read or watch an interview with Hobby Lobby president Steve
Green at this website:
http://www.christianpost.com/news/interview-hobby-lobby-president-on-birth-control-mandate-lawsuit-religious-freedom-and-newbible-museum-98140/
http://hobbylobby.com/
http://christiannews.christianet.com/1096289115.htm
http://www.christianpost.com/news/hobby-lobbys-president-honored-for-practicing-biblical-values-in-marketplace-89462/
http://www.christianpost.com/news/hobby-lobby-raises-minimumwage-to-14-for-full-time-employees-94233/
adult
D O W N L O A D E D
Sunday School That Clicks
Lesson 7
/
July 14, 2013
Dedicate Your Work to God
for use as
STEP
4.
Lesson 7
Focus:
We dedicate our
work to God.
Lesson 7
Bible Basis:
Ezra 6:13-22
Lesson 7
Memory
Verse
Then the people of
Israel—the priests, the
Levites and the rest of
the exiles—celebrated
the dedication of the
house of God with joy.
—Ezra 6:16
THE LORD’S WORK
W
hether you work for an employer, for yourself, or are
retired, God has given you gifts and talents. What you
do matters to others and, most importantly, to God. His
values should be your values. He wants all your work
dedicated to Him and done in ways that honor Him. As
Paul said, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working
for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving”
(Col. 3:23-24).
[Activity]
Have your class return to the small groups they formed in Step 1 and
then share responses to the following:
..How will you dedicate your work to the Lord this week?
Close the session in prayer. Thank God for the gifts and talents He
gives each one of us. Ask Him to help us dedicate our work to Him and
honor Him in all we do.
(David C Cook is not affiliated with and does not endorse any website listed on these pages. At the time of writing, David C Cook editors
carefully review the referenced material and non-referenced web page
content. However, due to the nature of the Internet, non-cited content
on the website [including pop-ups, links, and ads] changes frequently
and is beyond our control. Please review carefully before showing links
in the classroom.)
THE BIBLE IN THE NEWS
A New Jersey school district fired a substitute teacher for giving a student a Bible in answer to a question, and the teacher’s claim of religious
discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
has been denied:
http://www.christianpost.com/news/teacher-fired-for-giving-bible-tostudent-appeals-denied-claim-98511/
A DRAMATIC
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Includes questions designed for
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SOME SONGS INCLUDE:
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My Hope
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I Surrender All
The Power Of The Cross
Rising Sun
There Is A Redeemer
Be Unto Your Name
Mystery Of Faith
All I Have Is Christ