Do You Worship The Work?

We are God’s fellow workers . . . —1 Corinthians 3:9

 

Beware of any work for God that causes or allows you to avoid concentrating on Him. A great number of Christian workers worship their work. The only concern of Christian workers should be their concentration on God. This will mean that all the other boundaries of life, whether they are mental, moral, or spiritual limits, are completely free with the freedom God gives His child; that is, a worshiping child, not a wayward one. A worker who lacks this serious controlling emphasis of concentration on God is apt to become overly burdened by his work. He is a slave to his own limits, having no freedom of his body, mind, or spirit. Consequently, he becomes burned out and defeated. There is no freedom and no delight in life at all. His nerves, mind, and heart are so overwhelmed that God’s blessing cannot rest on him.

But the opposite case is equally true–once our concentration is on God, all the limits of our life are free and under the control and mastery of God alone. There is no longer any responsibility on you for the work. The only responsibility you have is to stay in living constant touch with God, and to see that you allow nothing to hinder your cooperation with Him. The freedom that comes after sanctification is the freedom of a child, and the things that used to hold your life down are gone. But be careful to remember that you have been freed for only one thing–to be absolutely devoted to your co-Worker.

We have no right to decide where we should be placed, or to have preconceived ideas as to what God is preparing us to do. God engineers everything; and wherever He places us, our one supreme goal should be to pour out our lives in wholehearted devotion to Him in that particular work. “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might . . .” (Ecclesiastes 9:10).

http://utmost.org/do-you-worship-the-work/

Trash Talk

“The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil . . . . It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” James 3:6

One morning when I was pulling out of our driveway on my way to work, I noticed that someone had thrown a beer can on our lawn. I picked it up, tossed it into our garbage can and drove away without giving it much thought.

A little further down the road, the thought hit me: What will the garbage man think when he sees a beer can tumble out of the minister’s trash can? I suppose, if my trash can could have talked, it would have set the garbage man straight. But unfortunately, trash cans don’t say much these days. So, my reputation was left to whatever the sanitation engineer would conclude. And while beer cans in your trash may not be the worst thing that could happen, I wondered what would have been the conclusion if a neighbor boy had dumped his porn magazines into our garbage?

We have all jumped to a conclusion about somebody without knowing all the facts, only to hear the rest of the story and then feel terrible about what we have said about that person to others. To make matters worse, there is no way that we can retrace all our false information to rescue the victim’s reputation. No wonder James warns, “The tongue is a fire, a world of evil.”

When we draw conclusions quickly—without careful consideration of the consequences and risks, we stoop to the level of tabloid reporting. We carelessly trash valued reputations and do irreparable damage. This lethal habit of our tongues is called the sin of beguilement—the sin of drawing wrong conclusions and then passing them on.

Avoiding this kind of “trash talk” means that we refuse to make any firm conclusions until the facts are in. When in doubt, go to the person for clarification. If your conclusions are true, you can help them repent and lead them lovingly to recovery. If they are not true, you can stick up for them if others are spreading beguilement about them. And, when someone comes to you with some “trash talk” about another person, be quick to ask, “Do you know that for sure?” Tell them that you really don’t want to know about the situation until you both can be certain about the facts. Encourage them to go directly to the person before they say anything else to others.

Reputations are too important to throw in the trash. I’m a raving fan of protecting people in love rather than getting some sort of sick joy out of speaking poorly about others. After all, Scripture tells us that “Love covers over a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8)!

http://getmorestrength.org/daily/trash-talk/

My Brother Keeper

“Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’ does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?”—Proverbs 24:11–12

Raoul Wallenberg came from a wealthy and famous Swedish family. When the Nazis started rounding up Jews in Hungary, Wallenberg went to Budapest as a diplomat to hand out Swedish citizenship papers to thousands of Jews. More than 400,000 Jews had already been deported to Auschwitz, but 200,000 remained in Budapest, so Wallenberg acted swiftly and fearlessly.

He even chased down deportation trains, pulled Jews off, and declared them Swedish subjects under his diplomatic protection. The Nazis weren’t sure how to stop him. The Swedish embassy in Budapest could not accommodate all the new citizens, so Wallenberg purchased thirty-one buildings to use as “safe” houses and declared them Swedish property, protected by international law. Wallenberg may have saved as many as 100,000 Jews from a deadly fate.

Wallenberg’s decisive action, at great personal cost and even greater personal risk, is a model for all of us. Whenever we see injustice, whether small or great, we should take action. It’s easy to see something and think, “That doesn’t affect me,” but the principle of being accountable for our fellow human beings goes all the way back to the early chapters of Genesis. After Cain killed Abel, God asked Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9).

Later, in Genesis 9:5, God said “And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man.” So the answer to Cain’s question is:  yes, you are your brother’s keeper. Each one of us has a responsibility to those around us. God desires that we serve as guardians for one another.

People tend to ask, “Where was God during the Holocaust?” but it’s also appropriate to ask “Where was man?” More than six million lives were lost during the Holocaust, not only at the hands of perpetrators, but also at the hands of bystanders who did not prevent or stop it.

According to Proverbs 24:11–12, ignorance is no excuse because we cannot tell God “we knew nothing about this.”

We must do more than just remember the atrocities of the past. We must also accept responsibility for preventing such tragedies in the future. The timeless truth calls each of us to action:  “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4). In what ways can we look out for the interests of others today? How can we stand up for someone today?

It may not be as earth-shattering as buying 31 buildings, but even the small, ordinary steps are important to God.

http://www.holylandmoments.org/devotionals/my-brothers-keeper

On Making Allowances

The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak–Mat 26:41

To Forgive When Hurt Is Hard

There are times when it is very hard to make allowances for other people. To forgive them seems a counsel of perfection. Even if we do forgive we are haunted by a lingering resentment. Gusts of bitterness invade the soul when we remember how deeply we were wronged. To trust again when we have been deceived, with the simple and sweet trust of long ago, seems a victory beyond our powers. Love may abide through bitterest disappointment, for love is strong as death. But the love which has been hideously wronged is seldom quiet as a resting place. Flashes of suspicion visit it; harsh thoughts come surging to the surface; memories, sharp and anguished, break their blighting way into the soul. To make allowance when someone dear has failed us, to forget judgment in a great compassion, to go on trusting hopefully, after the shock of discovered infidelity, that, which falls to the lot of many people, though they very seldom speak about it, is one of the hardest tasks in human life.

He Remembered It Was Past Midnight

Now it was such a task that met our Saviour in the Garden of Gethsemane. The hearts on whose fidelity He counted in one blinding flash were found to be unfaithful. Who could have wondered if our blessed Lord had turned from these three men in stern revulsion? Who could have wondered if His instant thought had been that He never could trust them any more? In swift and righteous condemnation might He not have judged them unworthy of His love, and so barred them from His heart forever? That is the first swift impulse, let me say, of every woman who has been deeply wronged. She says (little knowing what she says) I may forgive, but I never can forget. And the beautiful thing is that our Master, pierced to the quick by dear ones’ infidelity, rose to a loftier attitude than that. Judgment was submerged in pity. Compassion took the place of condemnation. The love that had been so terribly wronged wove the garment of mercy round the sinners. And so doing it saved their souls alive and led them onward to that brighter morrow, when infidelities were all to be redeemed.

It Would Have Been Human to Be Done with Them, But It Was Heavenly to Continue Trusting Them

To understand that magnificence of attitude ponder a moment on the sleep of these disciples. It was not a venial fault of drowsiness; it was a heinous sin of infidelity. It is always a very grave offence if a sentry be found sleeping at his post. Often the penalty for that is death. And these men were not only there in comradeship; they were sentries at the post of duty; they were there to watch as well as to keep awake. I shall not say that had they watched they might have saved the Lord, for it was not the will of God that He be saved. But would not Jesus crave to be forewarned that He might have a last quiet moment with His Father. And He never got it–the armed rabble broke on Him, suddenly, with shouting and with torches, because these sentries were sleeping at their posts. A disloyal soldier is like a disloyal friend–it is supremely difficult to make allowance for him. The heart that has been wronged by infidelity haunts the margins of despairing bitterness. Yet Jesus, towards His disloyal soldiers, who were also His weak disciples, maintained a pitying love that was redemptive. It would have been easy to have done with them. It was very hard to trust them still. To condemn them would have been entirely natural. To keep them still within His heart was heavenly. So our Saviour points the better way for all who find their Garden of Gethsemane in the disloyalties of someone who is dear.

Their Lack of Vigilance Was a Sign of lngratitude

And then, mingling with disloyalty, think of the ingratitude involved. “What, could ye not watch with Me?” For a moment put the accent upon Me. Have not I been the best of friends to you? Have not I toiled for you and prayed for you? Have not I watched many an hour for you? Have not I lavished the riches of My love on you? All that they owed to Him in love and sacrifice, and in the uplift of unrecorded intimacies, was forgotten in that disloyalty of sleep. That is what makes infidelity so bitter. At the heart of it lies rank ingratitude. All the patient ministries of years are forgotten because the flesh is weak. And no one could have blamed our blessed Lord if, in the sudden flaming of disgust, He had torn these disciples from His breast.

He Remembered It Was Past Midnight

But He did not do that, however terrible the provocation. The others might forget, but He remembered. He remembered it was long past midnight; He remembered the awful strain of the past days; He remembered the sorrow that consumed them, and their burden of unintelligible mystery. And the condemning wrath that might have ruined them was swallowed up in an infinite compassion–the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Never was there kindlier allowance. It was the consummate handling of heaven. It issued not in tragedy, but in the richer loyalties of resurrection days. So may like grace be given to all in perplexity through infidelites, that they may find a budding morrow in midnight.

http://devotionals.ochristian.com/george-h-morrison-devotional-sermons-devotional.shtml

 

You Cannot Reach Paradise Without a Cross

You Cannot Reach Paradise Without a Cross.

How the Mighty Fall by Mark D. Roberts

Ezekiel 28:1-26

Through your shrewd trading you multiplied your riches. But then you became proud of your riches.

Ezekiel 28:5

About a decade ago, Jim Collins published one of the most influential business books in recent memory, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Others Don’t. Then, in 2009, Collins published a sequel of sorts, How the Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In. An interviewer once asked Collins to summarize the findings of this second book. Why did once-great companies fall? Collins answered, “What happened in all the great companies that fell is they made a shift from a humble drive to an arrogance, the belief they somehow magically deserved all that success—’We’re just really better than everybody else, and we always will be.’ “

These companies might have avoided such deadly hubris if they had only studied the history of ancient Tyre. The book of Ezekiel devotes three chapters to this city, once known for its maritime dominance and vast riches. Yet, the very success of Tyre led to its downfall. As the Lord said: “Through your shrewd trading you multiplied your riches. But then you became proud of your riches” (28:5). I love the way Eugene Peterson puts it in The Message: “You used your head well, worked good deals, made a lot of money. But the money has gone to your head, swelled your head—what a big head!” Indeed! Sound familiar?

The example of Tyre can serve as a valuable warning to those of us who are leaders of companies, churches, volunteer organizations, schools, cities, and families. Though we strive for our institutions to be successful, there is danger in accomplishing our goals, the danger of undue pride, even arrogance. We can begin to think of ourselves as better than we are, as privileged, as invulnerable. We can stop learning because we think we have all the answers. We can plug our ears to criticism. We can get so impressed with ourselves that we fail to come humbly before God, seeking his wisdom and glory.

What happened to Tyre, and what happened to the mighty companies described by Collins, can also happen in our personal lives. Yes, we can think of CEOs, politicians, and athletes whose arrogance has ruined their lives. But even if we’re playing for smaller stakes, we too can walk the path of Tyre. We too can take such pride in our success that we set ourselves up for a fall.

The case of Tyre reminds us that all of our success comes ultimately from God, the giver of all good gifts. Though we might rightly enjoy his gifts, we must receive them humbly. Moreover, we must remember that we are stewards of these gifts, not owners. They are given to us, not only for our delight, but also so that we might use them well for God’s purposes in the world.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: When are you tempted to think too highly of yourself and your accomplishments? What helps you to see yourself rightly, to be humble?

PRAYER: O Lord, the example of Tyre reminds me that I am not invulnerable to the snares of pride and arrogance. You know how easy it is for me to own my successes as if they are truly mine, and to think of myself too highly. Forgive me, Lord, for my “Tyre-like” attitudes. Help me to humble myself before you and to serve others in the mode of Jesus.

I pray for the organizations of which I am a member—my family, my workplace, my church, my community—that we will receive your good gifts with humility, not with pride. May we devote all that we are to your purposes and your glory, delighting to be your servants. Amen.

http://www.thehighcalling.org/reflection/how-mighty-fall

All Day With God

Brother Lawrence (1614–1691) felt intimately close to God as he humbly scrubbed pots and pans in the monastery kitchen. Certainly Brother Lawrence practiced specific times of devotional prayer. But what he found more life-transforming was prayer during the workday. In his devotional classic Practicing the Presence of God, he says, “It is a great delusion to think our times of prayer ought to differ from other times. We are as strictly obliged to cleave to God by action in the time of action as by prayer in the season of prayer.” In short, he advocated that we “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17).

That’s a helpful reminder, because sometimes we tend to compartmentalize our lives. Perhaps we pray only during church worship, small-group Bible study, family devotions, and personal quiet times. But what about during our workday? To pray on the job does not mean we have to fall to our knees with clasped hands and pray aloud. But it does mean that work decisions and relationships can be brought to God throughout the day.

Wherever we are and whatever we’re doing, God wants to be a part of it. When prayer enters every aspect of our lives, who knows what God might do for His glory!

Let’s always keep the prayer lines open, Knowing God is always there; For we upon His name may call Anytime and anywhere. —D. De Haan

True prayer is a way of life, not an emergency detour!

http://odb.org/2012/04/23/all-day-with-god/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+odb%2Ffeed+%28Our+Daily+Bread%29

Tozer Devotional-Avoiding Spiritual Deformity

Avoiding Spiritual Deformity

There are areas in our lives where in our effort to be right we may go wrong, so wrong as to lead to spiritual deformity. To be specific let me name a few: 1. When in our determination to be bold we become brazen. Courage and meekness are compatible qualities: both were found in perfect proportion in Christ and both shone in beauty in His conflict with His enemies. Peter before the Sanhedrin and Paul before Agrippa demonstrated both qualities, though on another occasion when Paul’s boldness temporarily lost its charity and became carnal he said to the high priest, “God shall smite thee, thou whited wall.” It is to the credit of the apostle that when he saw what he had done he immediately apologized (Acts 25:1-5). 2. When in our desire to be frank we become rude. Candor without rudeness was always found in the man Christ Jesus. The Christian who boasts that he always calls a spade a spade is likely to end by calling everything a spade. Even the fiery Peter learned that love does not blurt out everything it knows (1 Peter 4:8) 3. When in our effort to be watchful we become suspicious. Because there are many adversaries the temptation is to see enemies where none exist. Because we are in conflict with error we tend to develop a spirit of hostility to everyone who disagrees with us on anything. Satan cares little whether we go astray after a false doctrine or merely turn sour. Either way he wins.

http://www.cmalliance.org/devotions/tozer?id=528

God is For You · Max Lucado

God is For You · Max Lucado.

The Daily Spurgeon: What He says He means

The Daily Spurgeon: What He says He means.