Work or Gift

How do you feel about work? Do you like to work? Would you rather get what you need without working for it? Is there a way to get what you need by merely believing it will be given to you? What if there is?

We all work to earn a living. There is nothing wrong with working hard. In fact, it is looked upon favorably by employers and co-workers. We often hear that you need to work hard to accomplish your dreams. From a human perspective, that is true.

On the other hand, we can get what our heart truly desires and everything we need by believing in Jesus Christ. We may not achieve our dreams. Instead, we will get something far better than our dreams. We will be gifted eternity with God.

When we work at our jobs, our pay is not a gift. It is something we are owed, something we have earned. Despite what some may believe and our general behavior, we cannot earn our way into eternity with God. It is a gift of His wondrous grace. The only requirement is that we believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. But that is the tricky part, isn’t it? We can’t merely say we believe. We can’t fake it. We can’t fool God. It must be a real, heartfelt belief.

When we believe with our entire heart, we become changed. God comes to live inside us in the form of the Holy Spirit. He begins changing us from the inside out. When we believe in Jesus with our whole heart, we will never be the same again. And…that’s a good thing.

I pray we all continue to work for a living. I pray we accept the gift God is willing to give us. I pray each one of us allows the Holy Spirit to change us from the inside out. Work for a living. Accept God’s gift. Accept eternity with God. Believe in Jesus with your whole heart. Be changed by the Holy Spirit.

Romans 4:4-8 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

“Blessed are those

whose transgressions are forgiven,

whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the one

whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”

Act Where You Are

Do you sometimes wonder what God is doing in your life? Have you looked at your situation from God’s perspective? Have you asked what God wants you to do where He has put you?

God has a plan for each one of us. Our part is to go where He wants us to go and do what He wants us to do. If we know we have gone where He wants us to go, we must then do what He wants us to do. That can be where the rub is, can’t it?

Sometimes we don’t know what God wants us to do. Sometimes it may be a hard thing we don’t want to do. That’s when we balk. That’s when we procrastinate. That’s when we may outright refuse.

We might want to take a look at Esther as an example of how to do the hard thing. No, she didn’t really want to do it. She faced potential death. She could have been banished. But she took on the task of doing what needed to be done in the face of it.

We must remember that God will see us through the task He puts before us. He will provide what we need to complete it. When we trust God to get us through it, He provides us with strength, courage, wisdom, and any other resources we need.

So, what has God put before you to do? Are you willing to trust Him to carry you through it? How do you know He hasn’t put you where you are to carry out the hard task before you?

I pray we all take on the tasks God puts before us. I pray we trust Him to provide what we need to complete the task. I pray each one of us asks God to reveal what He wants us to do. Do want God wants you to do. Trust Him. Be courageous. God has put you right where He wants you. Act where you are.

Esther 4:14b “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

Courage By Faith

What does it mean to be courageous? Does it mean to be bold? Does it mean you are never afraid? Would you like to be courageous? Do you want to know how to be courageous? Do you know you can be courageous?

We hear of the courage of those who go to battle. We hear of the courage of a co-worker who stands up to the boss. We hear of the courage exhibited by someone who takes down a prospective robber in a convenience store.

Being courageous often includes bravery. Courage is facing difficulty despite, perhaps, being fearful. It is doing what needs to be done even if it is challenging. It is doing the right thing despite facing the possibility of being ridiculed. But being courageous doesn’t start with courage. It starts with being on guard.

Now, that sounds a bit odd, doesn’t it? Being on guard sounds a little hesitant or standoffish. But that isn’t what it is. It is being observant, being prepared, being ready to act. The next contributor to courage is faith. Again, that sounds a bit out of place. What does faith have to do with courage? When we have faith it will all work out as God has planned, we can then take action without fear. Not only that, but our faith also reinforces God is in control. Our faith feeds our courage.

When we act with courage, having been prepared and trusting God, we are strong. Strong enough to do the right thing, regardless of the consequences. Strong enough to stand up to the evil we see all around us. Strong enough to perform the good works God has prepared for us in advance. Oh, and remember this, do it all in love. It makes all the difference in how we go about doing the good works.

I pray we all are courageous. I pray we are prepared, and trust God is in control. I pray each of us act on our faith, being strong in the Lord, and go about doing the good works God has prepared for us. Be on guard. Stand firm in your faith. Be courageous. Be strong. Do everything in love.

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.

Do Good Without Fear

Are you hesitant to step out in faith? Would you like to do good works but fear exposing yourself to ridicule? Do you feel threatened by others? Are you afraid of being ostracized for speaking out about your faith?

We are called to do good for others, even if it means suffering in the process. Doing good does not always mean spending money. It may require us to invest our time. We may be called to go to places we would prefer to avoid.

Carrying out the work of God can be uncomfortable. Working with people who are different may require us to step out of our comfort zone. We may need to go into an environment that is different than we are used to. When working with the less fortunate, people with mental disabilities, or in crime ridden neighborhoods is a challenge for many of us.

We may find ourselves in a situation that requires us to help someone we do not care for. We may prefer to allow them to suffer or do without. We may be afraid they will strike out at us rather than accept our assistance.

Yet we are called to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, helping those who need our assistance. We are told not to fear. When we are going about doing the work God wants us to do, if we suffer for it, God blesses us. It seems counterintuitive. But God doesn’t work by human standards. God rewards those who work in the name of Jesus.

I pray we all go about doing the good works God has put before us. I pray we do the right thing without fear. I pray each one of us revere Christ and follow His example of doing good for those who need it. Do good works for God. Give your fear to God. Be blessed by God. Revere Christ.

1 Peter 3:13-15a Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord.

God’s Thoughts

Do you want to know what the right thing is for you to do? Are you uncertain about the next step to take? How can you know what is right for you? Will you seek guidance from the One who will provide you with the answers?

We make a lot of decisions throughout our lives. In fact, we make several decisions each day. Some decisions are more important than others. Some decisions have a bigger impact on our lives. Those big decisions are the ones we fret over.

There are decisions that have a lifelong effect on our lives. It is those decisions for which we need to reach out to God for guidance. The means of seeking His guidance is prayer. We have heard this before. In fact, we may have prayed for guidance on multiple occasions and not received the guidance we were seeking. Why does this happen?

When we seek God’s guidance, we must be honestly seeking it. We may think we are, but still be holding on to our preferences. We may ask for God’s guidance but be unwilling to accept an answer that doesn’t fit our desires. If we are in that situation, we won’t receive the answer we need. Not because God isn’t willing to answer, but because we are unwilling to listen.

Being in tune with God’s Spirit is the secret to hearing His guidance. Our spirit knows our inner thoughts. God’s Spirit knows His thoughts. To know God’s thoughts, to hear His guidance, we must submit our spirit to God’s Spirit. This will allow us to hear Him provide us with the guidance we seek for those life-changing decisions. How will we know we are following His guidance? We will be at peace and have a calmness about us that only comes from Him.

I pray we all choose to hear God’s guidance. I pray we submit our spirit to God’s Spirit. I pray each one of us are willing to forgo our desires to follow God’s guidance for our lives. Seek God’s guidance for your life. Be willing to hear Him. Be in tune with God’s Spirit. Submit your spirit to God’s Spirit. Get to know God’s thoughts.

1 Corinthians 2:10b-11 The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

Made Well By Faith

Have you been struggling with your health? Is your emotional well-being in question? How is your spirit? Would you say it is well? Or is it a train wreck waiting to happen? Would you like your life to better, be well?

We struggle with mental, physical, and spiritual wellness from time-to-time. We see various doctors for mental and physical healing. Physical healing is often the easiest to tackle, even when dealing with serious illnesses or diseases.

Mental healing can be a significant struggle. It may take years of therapy to overcome our past experiences. Sometimes, we never fully heal them. The memories keep coming back. We relive the incidents. But we can heal enough to be able to live a relatively normal life. We may also need to continue to seek therapeutic help for the rest of our lives.

Unfortunately, we often neglect our spiritual well-being. We may not even be aware our spirit is suffering. The outward signs we experience or see are often attributed to stress at work, a physical ailment, having too much to do, or a relationship gone sour. We fail to focus on the foundation that may be crumbling.

To experience the abundant life Jesus promised in John 10:10, all three areas of our life need to be well. But our spiritual life is the foundation. When our spirit is well, our emotional well-being is better. When both are in good shape, our physical well-being is better. This doesn’t mean we don’t need to work on both of the others, focusing only on our spirit. It does mean we can work on our emotional and physical well-being and still not experience the abundant life due to our spirit being in poor shape.

I pray we all spend some time focusing on our spiritual well-being. I pray we strive to strengthen our foundation. I pray each one of us will improve our relationship with Jesus Christ. Fix your foundation. Improve your spiritual well-being. Strengthen your relationship with Jesus. Increase your faith. Experience the abundant life.

Luke 17:19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

Practice Patience

How do you handle waiting? Do you wait patiently? Or are you impatient, continually complaining about the requirement to wait? Have you been captured by the instant access to information on the internet and overnight shipping, now wanting everything immediately?

Our culture has become impatient. We have become used to getting answers immediately. It simply takes a quick Google search, and we have our answer. We can order an item on Amazon and receive it within a day or two. Waiting to be served at a restaurant tries our patience. We want to be served now.

With the shortages of personnel at many businesses now, some of us are having to learn patience. We are learning to do a little planning that accounts for waiting. It is causing us to adjust to a new way of planning (or going back an old way that few of us remember).

Waiting is not always a bad thing. It can provide us time to think or think more thoroughly about our decisions. Knowing we will need to wait causes us to take a pause to make the best decision rather than rashly making a choice in the belief we can change it and our direction if we do not like the outcome.

The Apostle’s had to wait. Jesus told them to wait a few days for the Holy Spirit to baptize them. I’m not sure they fully understood what Jesus meant, though they would experience it in a few days. There might have been a lot of questioning and discussion about what and how it would happen. But what they experienced turned out for the best. After all, when that baptism came, three thousand were converted on that day after hearing Peter’s amazing sermon.

I pray we all exercise a little patience. I pray we patiently wait for God’s blessing. I pray each of us are patient with one another and spend a little time in prayer and planning as we follow the path God as prepared for us. Be patient. Learn patience. Practice patience. Learn to plan. Train yourself to think before acting. Trust God has the best in mind for you.

Acts 1:4-5 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

The Great Commission

Ever wonder what you are to do with your life? Would you like to know what God wants you to do today? What about tomorrow? Do you wish each days’ task list was written out for you? Unfortunately, God doesn’t work that way.

It would be nice to have a schedule posted for us each day. It would also be nice to know we would successfully accomplish each task. We could simply go from one task to the other without a worry in the world.

But we don’t have a task list from God. We don’t have a guarantee any task list we devise will be successful. We don’t always know in great detail what God wants us to do. We feel as though we are left to figure it out on our own. So, we go about our lives without a plan to work for God’s purposes.

Take a look at today’s passage. Jesus didn’t leave us without a mission. The details of how we carry it out will vary from person-to-person. Each of us live in a different situation, even if we live in the same house. We interact with different people in our jobs. Each person we interact with has a different personality, different preferences, different modes of communication.

In order to carry out the mission, Jesus must be our number one priority. We must be filled with His teachings. We must accept the guidance of the Holy Spirit, being in tune with Him. When Jesus fills us from the inside out, we will carry out the mission in whatever situation we are in.

It can be challenging to speak of Jesus to some people. But when we rely on Jesus to provide us with the strength, courage, and the right words, we can be sure we are doing the work He wants us to do. We may not always be the one who sees a specific person baptized into the kingdom, but we can rest assured we planted the seeds that may grow later.

I pray we all choose to go about God’s work each day. I pray we look for opportunities to plant seeds. I pray each one of us relies on the Holy Spirit to guide us in every situation. Seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Plan to go about God’s work. Leave the growth to God. Depend on God in all situations. 

Matthew 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Mary’s Example

What do you know about Mary, Jesus’ Mother? Do you know she continued with the apostles? Do you know she followed the Law of the Jews? Do you know she enticed Him to perform His first miracle?

Mary was a woman of amazing faith, submissiveness, and flexibility. Her faith and submissiveness allowed her to speak the words in today’s passage. Her words are very near the same words Jesus spoke in the Garden of Gethsemane.

She was flexible and submissive in following the path God laid out before her. She did as He told her and Joseph to do. She went where God told her and Joseph to go. Her willingness to follow God is an example for all of us.

She raised four other boys besides Jesus. She juggled being a fulltime mother while keeping tabs on her first son. She followed Jesus at times and was blessed by others because of what He did. Though Mary could not always be where Jesus was, she would catch up with Him from time-to-time.

Mary is a wonderful example for us to follow. We should have the faith, submissive attitude, and flexibility Mary had. Being willing to do as God tells us and go where He tells us brings about awesome blessings. But first, we must set aside our own desires, putting God’s desires for us first.

I pray we all decide to follow Mary’s example. I pray we are strong in faith, submissive to God, and flexible to follow. I pray each of us follow Mary’s example of following where God leads us. Have faith in God. Be submissive to God. Be flexible to follow the path God has for you.

Luke 1:38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

From Grief To Joy

Do you like surprises? What about surprises that first seem to be bad, but then turn out to be extraordinary? Do you like feeling sorrowful about something only to have it turn into the sweetest joy? Do you like being completely startled?

We get surprised by the unexpected throughout our lives. Those surprises come in various forms. It may be the unexpected sorrow that turns to grief and may turn to depression. Those can have a profound effect on our lives. Especially if the source is a close family member.

We may have an unexpected joyful surprise. One that turns our world upside down in a positive way. We may be lifted out of near destitution to having a wonderful job that pays well. We may have nearly given up on finding the perfect mate and suddenly he or she appears right before our eyes. It is magical.

Rarely do we experience some type of grief that turns into ecstatic joy. In fact, we may never experience that reversal of feeling in our lifetime. But that is what happened on that Easter weekend nearly two-thousand years ago.

The women who went to the tomb on that Easter day were shocked, afraid, sorrowful, and joyous all within a span of a few minutes—perhaps a few seconds. The range of emotion they felt would be unlike anything we will ever experience. It requires us to cobble together multiple experiences to begin to understand what they went through in those moments. That’s how amazing our God is. He can turn sorrow to joy with the snap of His fingers. He can turn our world upside down in a breath.

I pray we all come to know God’s awesome power. I pray we hold on to the hope Jesus came to give us. I pray each one of us trust God is in control and reach out to Him in times of sorrow. God is omnipotent. God is all-powerful. Trust Him. Reach out to God. Hold on to your hope. Jesus will answer you.

Matthew 28:5-7 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”