Praying For The Troubles Of Others

Psalm 86:1-8 KJV; Troubles will hopefully send us to the Lord in prayer.

WORK WITH INTEGRITY!

One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys. (Prov 18:9 NIV)

I and many others (but, not all) of my generation were taught by our parents to put our all into the work that we do. Whether we volunteered or were hired to do a job, it was about integrity and honor; it was a lot about keeping a good name. 

Today, I do not get to witness that integrity in the work place so much. There is often no loyalty to the one who has hired you. It is just a job after all; something necessary to help you to exist in this world. Why, one might wonder, should I do a great job at something when a good enough job will get me by? To do a "just so" job; to not even attempt to complete it to the expectations of the one we are serving, is the same as stealing from them. We are stealing our wages when we do not work for it; but, sit around thinking of ways to get out of doing everything we are asked to the best of our ability. We are destroying their livelihoods while we sit around and steal ours. 

The same goes not just for the business world; but, for the church and any other charitable non-profit as well. Whether we are employed and drawing a wage or volunteering and garnering recognition do it for the love of God and for the love of others, not half-heartedly because it is an obligation that you have made. 

But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. (1 Sam 12:24)

I was taught and taught my sons that work is such a part of our lives that we should enjoy it. We ought to put our whole hearts into what we do, so that we might our whole lives lives most fully. From what I see of the way my sons work, they both learned that lesson well.

May the work of your hands be blessed, as well.

God's Peace - Pr. J

We Do Not Serve Alone

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:3-6 NIV

There are times when we can get very weary. I may seem that we are serving the Lord alone and to very little avail. Paul was alone in a prison cell when he wrote the letter to the Philippians. But, he knew that although separated from the Christians at Philippi; separated from the world outside of the prison, he was not alone. As a Christian, he was in a partnership with every other Christian in the world doing the work that Lord had begun in each of them.  

Paul served faithfully, in and out of prison; but, he did not serve alone. We do not serve alone, either. Though we may not always see it with our eyes, we know that God works in and through every member of the Body of Christ to complete the good work that He has begun in all of us. No matter what kind of bondage the world would put us in; whether in prison or out; we will serve the Lord.

God's Peace - Pr. J 

Transparency

"Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Heb 12:13

Transparency... That word has been used an awful lot lately. The problem is we often apply it to someone else's attempts to cover up their true motivations. It makes me weary spending so much time attempting to discern the truth when people work so hard to hide it. I am of the nature that when I feel I am being lied to, I take the time to confront the lie so we can get to the bottom of it and get on with what we are called to do: live life in Christ. I need the truth to live and Jesus, by the way, is the truth.

We cannot be of any real help to anyone if we don't know what the problem really is. Half-truths (which are lies) just compound any issues that need to be dealt with. "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." 1 John 1:8

As Christians, we are to be transparent and that goes for politicians who claim to be Christians. The people whom are actions will affect deserve to know the truth. Transparency with the people we are called to serve is a good thing. It is the honest thing. It is the godly thing.

We can hide our real motivations and even think that no one knows. But, God knows. The one to whom we will give account knows all of those secret motivations and actions that we think we've been able to cover up. Not only does God know; but, the actions of those who attempt to hide their evil plans are in reality known by others who have a sincere desire to seek the truth.

May God help us all to be more transparent in what we say and do so that we might be able to serve God and all of His people more faithfully, to the glory of God.

God's Peace - Pr. J