Tag: Work

Present yourself

“And as for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes and my rules,”

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

Psalms 78:72  With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand.

Psalms 101:1 I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O LORD, I will make music.  I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house;  I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.  A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil.  Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure.  I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me.  No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes.  Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the LORD.

Isaiah 11:2    And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.  And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear,  but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

In Psalm 101 David says he will ponder the way that is blameless, he will not set his eyes on anything worthless, and he will hate the work of those who fall away. Why does he want to choose to live this way?  Because of the place God has in His heart, mind, and soul.  If we choose to live this way we will need to have God’s wisdom, knowledge, discernment,  and understanding. To walk with God each day and desire and purpose to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey is not something that comes easy to us.  Placing God first in all we do and think takes discipline and commitment.     Fighting the sinful nature of self purpose and choosing to replace it with God’s purpose will give meaning, hope, peace, love, joy, strength, power….. this side of eternity.

Be Strong and Courageous

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

Zechariah 8:9  Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Let your hands be strong, you who in these days have been hearing these words from the mouth of the prophets who were present on the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.

Joshua 1:6    Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.

1 Chronicles 22:13    Then you will prosper if you are careful to observe the statutes and the rules that the LORD commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Fear not; do not be dismayed

1 Chronicles 28:20    Then David said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the LORD God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.

Isaiah 35:4    Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”

Haggai 2:4   Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. Work, for I am with you, declares the LORD of hosts,  according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not.

Ephesians 6:10    Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

Being strong in the Lord requires us to have faith.  To not have Fear requires us to have faith. To be courageous requires us to have faith. Doing what the Lord would have us do requires us to rely in, cling to and trust in Him.  No matter what our circumstance is God is bigger.  No matter how big the problem is God is bigger.  No matter how tough the situation is God is mightier.  Our God reigns.  Think about what is in this verse from Jeremiah 29:11  For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD,

Who is more Blessed?

“Blessed is the one who considers the poor!”

“It is more blessed to give than to receive”

Psalms 41:1  In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him; the LORD protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land; you do not give him up to the will of his enemies. The LORD sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health.

Deuteronomy 15:10 You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’

Isaiah 58:7  Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?  Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.  Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,  if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.  And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

Proverbs 19:17    Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed.

Ecclesiastes 11:1  Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.  Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.

2 Corinthians 9:8  And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.  As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”  He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.  You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.

Acts 20:35   In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’

Luke 14:13  But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

Matthew 25:34  Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,  I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’  Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?  And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

Learn to Give out of a generous heart.  Learn to Help out of a generous heart.  Giving is an act of obedient responsibility but to many it is missing from their lives.  There is blessing given deep into the heart of a generous giver.  This blessing comes from God and it is knowing He has given to you and allowed you to be used by Him to share.  He honors a generous heart with Joy in giving that can not be easily explained but it is very real in the lives of those who learn to listen to God and give generously and with purpose.

Gladness and Satisfaction

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

“Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.”

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”

Psalms 90:14  Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

Psalms 90:16  Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.

Psalms 90:17  Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!

Psalms 36:7  How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.  They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights.

Psalms 63:3  Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.  So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.  My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,

Psalms 65:4    Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!

Psalms 103:5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

1 Corinthians 3:7    So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

Proverbs 16:3    Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.

2 Thessalonians 2:16  Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,  comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

What gladdens your soul?  What satisfies your heart, soul and mind?  What do you see as blessings in your life?  I have been blessed with colleagues who come from other corners of our globe.  They have seen so much more about life outside of the United States.  The struggles of existence, lack of means, minimal opportunities, and disparity are all familiar to them.  When they see the culture of the US and what people complain about they are put back and see much of these complaints as foolishness.  This should not surprise us.  When our eyes are on what the world can offer, what we can take, and what others have these outcomes of thought are manifested in our lives.  However, scripture is always pointing us to be thankful to God, trusting in God, hoping in God, believing in God, relying on God, clinging to God, loving God, serving God, honoring God, glorifying God, praising God, obeying God, and praying to God.   Our culture and natural focus on the “here and now” robs us of a fulfilling, abundant, and purposeful life.  Do you want to satisfaction, blessings, and gladness in your heart, mind, and soul?  Choose to focus on Him alone who can – God

Spirit fill me

“And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.”

Judges 17:6
Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Judges 21:25
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Deuteronomy 12:8
“You shall not do according to all that we are doing here today, everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes, for you have not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance that the Lord your God is giving you.

Proverbs 12:14
From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good,
and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him.
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
but a wise man listens to advice.

Proverbs 21:1
he king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;
he turns it wherever he will.
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
but the Lord weighs the heart.
To do righteousness and justice
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
Haughty eyes and a proud heart,
the lamp of the wicked, are sin.

John 16:7
Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.

During the time of Samson it was recorded that the people did what was right in their own eyes because there was no leadership in the ways of God.  When they had a leader who purposed and desired to follow God they had peace but when that leader and people lost focus and fell away from serving God there was punishment, exile, slavery, death, famine, floods, wars, destruction, drought, no blessing, no hope, no faith.  I am not sure we truly grasp just how much blessing we are living in since the time of Christ.  Before Christ died He told the disciples that He must go away because if He didn’t the “Helper” would not come. The Helper is the Holy Spirit and would be ever present in the world to convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.  No longer would it depend on a prophet, king, or someone else – God would be omnipresent.  We live in a time where the Spirit of God is speaking to our hearts, minds and souls to lead us on paths that glorify and honor God.  If we choose to listen and obey we find peace.  If we choose to “do what is right in our own eyes” we find unrest, hopelessness, no peace or at best temporary peace without any satisfaction.  Choose to be a vessel for God, listening to and being guided by the Holy Spirit.

Not as I will

My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work

When I read this passage and along with other scriptures, where the disciples all say they will never leave or deny  Jesus even until death – I have the same thoughts as the disciples.  I will not deny Jesus and not my will but as God wills for my life.  The reality is that there is a battle that goes on everyday with fulfilling these thoughts of fully living for and doing what God purposes.  Throughout each day there are times of being selfish, unkind, greedy, proud, unthankful, lacking faith, not obeying, self seeking …….. My food is more to do with my will than God’s.  I am so thankful for His grace and mercy, for his forgiveness, for never leaving me in this state but rather leading me closer and closer to Him.  Do you know what also helps me in my walk to stay closer to Him? – The encouragement and examples I witness in the walk of my brothers and sisters in Christ.  We all have times of being weak, lacking faith, helpless, proud, self serving, but God does not leave us and He allows us to see His work in others as encouragement and examples – Living to honor and glorify God is also showing hope, love, peace, humbleness, kindness, faith, joy, to those needing encouragement to do His will.  Be a living example today.

Matthew 26:39
And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will

Isaiah 50:5
The Lord God has opened my ear,
and I was not rebellious;
I turned not backward.
I gave my back to those who strike,
and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard;
I hid not my face
from disgrace and spitting.
But the Lord God helps me;
therefore I have not been disgraced;
therefore I have set my face like a flint,
and I know that I shall not be put to shame

John 4:34
Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work