Work - A Gift from God

Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work - this is a gift of God. Ecclesiastes 5:19

I enjoy my days off from work, whether on the weekends or during a vacation. I am grateful for these times for rest and recharging. I also use this time to get projects done at home and to complete items on my wife's current honey-do-list.

A new desire has been building in me over the years, however. It is a fire that has not always burned so brightly. I am referring to a love and a passion for work. Yes, work! Solomon said it is a gift from God that we could find delight in, and Paul said we should work as unto the Lord. We can taste fulfillment in a day done well. We also receive God's blessings as we diligently apply ourselves to the work He has given us.

I am grateful to have a job. I work as a Director of Marketing for a Caregiving agency. If you are unemployed at this time, know that the Lord will enable you to find work. Looking for a place of employment must now become your full-time endeavor. God will reward you for your diligence and faith in His promise to meet your needs.

I am learning to delight in hard work. I am not always as diligent as I would like to be, but the Lord is transforming me. He is teaching me to use my time wisely. He is helping me to achieve daily goals for His glory. I take joy in the work He has given me. How about you? Are you allowing Jesus to fill you with a passion for productivity? Let's invite Him to work alongside us. Let's endeavor to give Him our very best every day. The Lord will satisfy us with contentment as He blesses us with His rewards. "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might (Ecclesiastes 9:10)."

Joseph

Joseph is a fruitful vine
Near a spring
Whose branches climb over a wall

High are the walls about you
Oh Joseph
Your brothers sold you as a slave

You served Potiphar faithfully
The Lord brought you success

Then Potiphar's wife seduced you
But you ran away
Into the arms of God

Yet into the confines of prison
But the Lord was with you
Even there
You prospered by His hand

Time passed in that dank, dark place
Then Pharoah found you
You interpreted his dream
God brought you to a place of honor
The place He had ordained

God granted you wisdom and skill
You saved a nation from famine

You blessed those that cursed you
Even your brothers

Your years of suffering
Gave way to blessing
To you, your family,
To multitudes

Joseph is a fruitful vine
Near a spring
Whose branches climb over a wall

A Fresh Word for a New Year

But when he, the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is to come. John 16:13

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 1 Corinthians 13:12

With the new year comes the promise of new terrain – a roadway for us to trod on. God definitely has new and great things in store for each of us. He has promised to bless us; He longs to equip us and use us for His kingdom pursuits. But we must slow down enough to hear Him. We must listen to the stirrings of the Holy Spirit.

The Lord promises to show us things to come. He will enlighten us. He will set borders about the pathway He has for us. He will lead and guide us in the right direction. One thing the Lord will not do, however, is to outline every detail to us. He will not write out our future like the penning of a novel. No, we see through a glass dimly. We only know in part. God desires to reveal to us just enough to stir us on to obedience, but not so much that we forget to trust Him. God is teaching us to walk by faith, and He knows that we will not need to depend on Him if we know every inch of the terrain He has laid out for us.

So let us seek the mind of God, let us get alone with Him and receive all He has for us. But let us also learn to trust Him when we do not have all the answers so we can forge ahead as we follow the One who knows everything.

Looking in the Mirror

Looking in the mirror of Your word
I see some things that make my heart disturbed
When traces of the darkness hide your unfeigned light
And choices I have made filter out your holy life

I call upon a God who's been made man
And tempted in all points as I am
You prune me like a tree to bear more fruit for You
In Your discipline I'm made to bear your truth

Thank you for Your word that sometimes points at me
And shows me how much better I can surely be
Thank You for the truth that tries my sullied soul
Letting in the light, making me whole

You love me as I am
But Your compassion runs much farther
You challenge me and spur me on
To be like my Heavenly Father

Love Incarnate

Centuries before the prophets foretold
Of the coming of the King
When the time arrived, on that blessed night
The angels began to sing

The shepherds were thrilled with the news that filled
The cold, crisp air that first Christmas
A Baby born to save the world
This suffering, Servant, witness

Behold the Lamb lying in a manger
Love incarnate
He comforts the lost stranger
Bethlehem's Savior

Ruler of every king
To Jew and Gentile freedom rings
He came to give us all we need
This Baby boy we worship

Emanuel, God with us
We live to honor You
You are the Life and the Way
And yes, You are the Truth

We worship You O God-Child
You soon will come again
In power and in glory
To judge the living and the dead

Help us to spread Your message far and wide
The true tale of Love personified
Teach us each to sincerely love
To view each one as God does

Let us worship the Lamb
Love incarnate
The Great I Am

God Uses a Humble Servant

In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Luke 1:26-28

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

“This is the one I (the Lord) esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” Isaiah 66:2 Parenthesis mine

“God opposes the proud but gives grace (favor) to the humble.” James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5 Parenthesis mine

Our wonderful Messiah entered into this world through a humble servant. Mary received the word of the angel with meekness. Mary was not perfect, but her pure and lowly heart pleased God. Because she was humble, God found favor with her. He was able to use Mary in a most unusual and splendid way.

We too find favor with God, when we allow the Holy Spirit to work His humility within us. Humility is a fruit of the Spirit, and when we yield to the Lord in this way, He bestows on us His favor and His blessing. It is those that learn to be meek who bear the most fruit for the kingdom. We will never be perfect this side of heaven, but we can grow as servants of the King. As we do, God will entrust us with wonderful things.

Let's remember the little child who came to save us. He was meek and mild. Jesus, the Master, humbled himself even to the point of death, and then God exalted Him to the highest place. Yet in all his glory, Jesus still stoops down to pick us up when we fall and to wipe the tears from our eyes. The Sovereign Lord of the Universe is still meek and mild just as He was when He came as a baby.

This Christmas let's worship Jesus with a humble and pure heart. Let's remember the child who became King, and let's yield to Him and to His word. As we do, God will surely find favor with each of us.

Let me pray a Christmas prayer for you....

Dear Father God,

Thank you for my friends who read this blog. I know that the Christmas season can often be hectic and full of care. Dear Lord, I ask that you would bless my friends in a special way this season. Help them to pause to find your heart. Let them sense your peace. Enable them to reach out to others and carry the light of the Savior to them. Father, minister your grace to every heart. Bring healing to the sick and restoration to families that have seen difficulty. Thank you Lord for those that read this blog, may you find favor with each of them as they look to you. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Let Me Not Forget

Lord, let me not forget
How much she means to me
The day our eyes met
We glimpsed eternity

By her side I'm walking
At Your door I'm knocking
Strengthen, Lord, our holy bond

Forgive me for a heart sometimes divided
When I hold my dreams higher
Then the one You guided, me to

She has helped me see so many things
Things I could not perceive on my own
She gives me council, the kind that heaven brings
This wisdom I would not find alone

Even when the tempest rages
And we don't see eye to eye
Even there Your mercy changes
This unchanging heart of mine

I am a better man because of her
Lord, let me not forget how much she means to me
You cause my heart to stir
In remembrance of all she is to me