Sunday, January 29, 2012

WHY WORK?

"For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread." - (2 Thess. 3:10-13 NKJV)

Jesus probably spent most of His life working in His family's carpentry business. We know almost nothing of His youth from adolescence until He began His public ministry at about age 30. But we know that His father was a carpenter (Matt. 13:55) and that Jesus also practiced the trade (Mark 6:3). Carpenters worked with wood, metal, and stone to produce furniture and farm implements, and constructed houses and public buildings.
Jesus may have continued His occupation even after He began to teach and travel. Rabbis (or teachers) of the day commonly spent anywhere from one-third to one-half of their time working (most likely with their hands) to provide for themselves. And while Jesus' opponents, many of them rabbis, attacked Him on numerous grounds, they never accused Him of laziness or freeloading. Indeed, He was known to them as a carpenter.[1]
That reputation passed on to the early church. Paul tells the Thessalonians that anyone who has an ability to work should do so. It is God's mandate for every believer and is the place where we can best express the nature of God in everyday life.
Our work allows us to demonstrate integrity. Our work allows us to provide for our families and others in need. Our work allows us to often connect with non-believers. Our work allows us to live out His calling upon our lives. Our work allows us to experience His power in the midst of daily challenges. Our work can be a place of worship when we do it with a motive to glorify Him.
Today, view your work the way God views your work. It is your primary call.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work" - (2 Cor 9:8).

Have you ever been given an assignment at work that was beyond your perceived ability? Read Os Hillman testimony; When I was in my late twenties I made a career change which necessitated a job change. I decided to apply for a job that involved selling advertising on golf score cards. Usually this meant going into small towns and making sales calls to small business owners in that community. Not an easy job for a rookie in his first sales job.
At first the two non-Christian owners refused to hire me because my answers to their questions led to me discussing my faith in Christ. They felt I should be in the ministry, not sales. However, they reluctantly decided to take a chance on me and sent me to small towns in Kentucky to sell golf scorecards in the middle of winter. Little did I know that they were trying to set me up for failure and did not think I had any chance of success.
I got into my Volkswagen bus and headed for the hills of Kentucky. As I took on my new job I told the Lord I was not qualified for this and He would have to help me to be successful. After a week of selling and sleeping in my car at night, I returned with a full inventory of sales from several cities. When I walked into the office and met with the owners, they looked at me with total surprise. They could not believe I had been successful. I would go on to work two years at this company, become an executive with them, and play a key role in leading one of the partners to Christ.
Do you have a major challenge in your work life? Ask God to help you be successful in your assignment. God delights in showing His children His power so you can abound in your good work.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

GREEK VS HEBRAIC

"I will bend Judah as I bend my bow and fill it with Ephraim. I will rouse your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and make you like a warrior's sword" - (Zech 9:13).

In the early church there was an emphasis on developing a heart toward God. This was the Hebraic way. The scriptures were not accessible like they are for us. So, the relationship with God was the key focus. God related to his people on a personal and intimate level. And obedience was the key to a healthy relationship with God. Decisions were not made based on reason and analysis, but by obedience. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom" (Ps. 111:10).
This is why many of the miracles performed in the Bible went against natural reason, (i.e. feeding five thousand, crossing the Red Sea, retrieving a coin from a fish's mouth, walking around Jericho to win a battle, etc.) God constantly wanted to check the leader's obedience, not his knowledge. Knowledge and reason came into the early Church with the Greek scholars in subsequent centuries. This is when the church began to affirm oratory skills among Church leaders. Gradually, over many centuries the focus on knowledge and reason has become more accepted in the Church.
Loss of intimacy with God has been the fallout as a result of the influence of the Greek spirit. The primary focus has been teaching and discipleship instead of the development of a personal and intimate relationship with God. This has resulted in a form of religion, but one without power.
In the early church, the rabbi was there primarily for quality control, not as the primary teacher and speaker. He did not even address the people from an elevated platform. The whole congregation was in a more circular format, each sharing what they believed God was saying. The focus was on the power of God working through each individual, not one individual (1 Cor. 14:26).
Is your focus on gaining more knowledge or growing in intimacy and power with Jesus? He desires to know you intimately.

Monday, January 23, 2012

NO MORE REPROACH

..."Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you".... - Joshua 5:9

Joshua and the people had just crossed the Jordan River. They were camped at Gilgal. But before they could proceed they were required to circumcise all the males, because a whole new generation had grown up while living in the desert. This is where Israel, like a worm in a cocoon, was transformed. Circumcision is bloody, personal, and it exposes all that you are. God was saying that before you can become His army, you must roll away the reproach of the Egyptian way of life. You are no longer a slave to the ways of Egypt. It is a time to put aside the old way of life. Many are walking around as goats in sheep's clothes, practicing a form of religion without the true source of truth and power.
Sin in our midst testifies against us. It keeps us in Egypt and never allows us to enter the Promised Land. Our lives must be circumcised in order for us to come out of Egypt into our own Promised Land of spiritual blessing with God. This transformation marks the first time Israel begins to taste the fruit of the Promised Land. No more manna from Heaven. The manna stopped the day after they were circumcised. There was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate produce from Canaan.
God is turning our plowshares into weapons of love to usher in a new generation of workplace warriors. But we will not be effective if we have the reproach of sin in our lives. Ask God to show you what needs to be confessed this day so that no reproach exists. The cross of Jesus takes away all reproaches. Enter the Promised Land with power.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

GOD'S CHOSEN FEW

"But those who suffer He delivers in their suffering; He speaks to them
in their affliction." - Job 36:15

He was born with cerebral palsy in South Africa. He barely survived his
birth. He did not walk until he was four years old. One leg was longer
than the other and he could not speak well. For most of his life, his
hands shook and he had little control over them. Feelings of rejection
and bitterness at his plight were common occurrences during his
growing-up years. During his school years, he was chastised by kids and
generally rejected by society.
At age 17, his father felt led to take his son to a healing service.
That night, the young boy's leg divinely grew two inches. He no longer
walked with a limp. Bradley met the Savior and began to grow in his
intimacy with Him. God began to speak to him and show him things. Prayer
became his source of comfort and strength. God gave him insights about
people and situations, bringing blessing to all who encountered him.
Today, this young man travels around the world as an internationally
known intercessor and founder of a school of intercessory prayer.
Literally hundreds of hours of knowledge about the way God speaks to His
children have been birthed in and through this young man.
One evening Bradley walked forward in a meeting of about 40 workplace
believers and handed a note to the leader during a Christian business
conference. The note was for someone in the room, but Bradley did not
know whom it was for. It was the last day of a 40-day fast for this
writer. The message gave a specific description of what I had been
experiencing the two years leading up to that night. Nobody would have
known such details. I knew it was for me. It was a miraculous "telegram
from God" that provided confirmation and encouragement of where God was
taking me. God used one broken man to speak to another broken man.
God's ways are not our ways. His preparation of His warriors seems cruel
and hurtful at times. His ways are much higher than ours. Trust the God
of the universe that He can orchestrate the events of your life when
they seem the darkest.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

WORKING WHOLEHEARTEDLY

"In everything that he undertook in the service of God's temple and in
obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked
wholeheartedly. And so he prospered." - 2 Chronicles 31:21

Hezekiah was a godly king. He was also a very talented businessman and
builder. He was responsible for many noteworthy projects that are
described in detail in the Old Testament. We discover from the passage
above that King Hezekiah had two major attributes that contributed to
his success and prosperity: He sought God, and he worked wholeheartedly
upholding God's laws.
Godly success involves a partnership between you and God. Success in
God's economy means achieving the purpose for which God made you. That
purpose can never be discovered without seeking Him with a whole heart.
You may achieve great things without seeking God, but you will never
achieve the things God set out for you to achieve without seeking Him.
Unless you seek Him, you may find yourself one day climbing to the top
of the ladder only to find it leaning against the wrong wall.
What does it mean to seek God? It means creating time to sit before His
throne in quiet places. It means reading His Word in order to know Him
more intimately. It means developing an ear to hear His voice so that we
know when to turn to the right or to the left. God desires to know you.
Are you willing to take the time to know Him? If so, you can be sure He
will guide you into those things that will bring success to every aspect
of your life.

Monday, January 9, 2012

WRESTLING WITH GOD

"The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because
of his hip." - Genesis 32:31

Jacob was a man who was a controller. He connived and manipulated his
way to get what he wanted. It was a generational stronghold passed down
through his mother, who encouraged her son to play a trick on his
father, Isaac, by pretending to be Esau. This trick led Isaac to give
the family blessing to Jacob, which meant Jacob would eventually inherit
the land God had promised to Abraham's seed. Jacob also learned control
from his uncle Laban who caused Jacob to work for 14 years to take
Rachel as his lifelong mate. One must ask which was more ugly in God's
sight, the self-centered nature and worldliness of Esau, or the control
and manipulation of Jacob?
Control is a problem for men and women. Many women use sex to control
their husbands. Many men use power and force to control their wives.
Control is at the core of that which is opposite the cross-self-rule.
What delivers us from this fleshly nature of control? A crisis. Jacob's
crisis came when he was faced with the prospect of meeting a brother who
said he would kill him the next time he saw him. Esau had built his own
clan and was about to meet Jacob and his clan in the middle of the
desert. Jacob was fearful, so he retreated. There he met a messenger
from God who wrestled with him. Jacob clung to God and refused to let go
of this angel. It is the place where Jacob was given a painful but
necessary spiritual heart transplant. From that point on, Jacob would
walk with a limp, because God had to dislocate his hip in order to
overcome Jacob's strong will.
For workplace believers, God often has to "dislocate our hip" through
failure and disappointment. Sometimes it is the only way He can get our
attention. Our nature to control and manipulate is so strong that it
takes a catastrophic event to wake us up. Yet God did not reject Jacob
for these character traits. In fact, God blessed him greatly because He
saw something in Jacob that pleased Him. He saw a humble and contrite
heart beneath the cold and manipulative exterior of Jacob's life, and it
was that trait that God needed to develop. He did this by bringing about
the crisis in Jacob's life that led to total consecration. This event
was marked by Jacob getting a new name, Israel. For the first time,
Jacob had a nature change, not just a habit change. What will God have
to do in our lives to gain our complete consecration to His will and
purposes?
"Beware of the Christian leader who does not walk with a limp."
Bob Mumford (Used by permission.)

Friday, January 6, 2012

THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM

"This, then, is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be
Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in
heaven." - Matthew 6:9-10

Imagine that you have never driven a car. You are not aware of all the
features of a car. Up to this point, you have had to walk everywhere you
go. All you are told is that you are about to receive something that
will get you anywhere you need to go. The day arrives and you are given
a brand new car. You get in and drive the car. However, the emergency
brake is on, preventing you from going faster than 20 miles per hour. No
one tells you that you should unlock the brake. Regardless, you are
excited because you no longer have to walk to your destination. You are
not told that the car has lights, which would allow you to drive at
night. Neither are you told about the many other wonderful features of
the car. You just know you have a new car that will get you anywhere you
want to go at 20 miles per hour. For the rest of your life, you drive
this incredible car during the daytime only at 20 miles per hour.
Why would Jesus pray that things in earth would be like they are in
Heaven if it were not possible? When Jesus came to earth, He came in
order to penetrate the very kingdom of darkness with light. He came to
bring healing to sickness, replace sadness with joy, and fill
meaninglessness with purpose. He came to change things for the better
for a world that had no hope outside of God.
Using the illustration above, Jesus did not come to merely give us a
ticket to Heaven (a car that you drive only in the daytime at 20 miles
per hour). He came to bring us much more-the Kingdom of God on earth.
Nowhere in the Bible will you find the term, gospel of salvation. The
Church does not exist for Heaven, but for earth. If it existed only for
Heaven, then each of us would immediately be taken to Heaven. There
would be no reason for us to remain on earth. So why has God allowed us
to receive this new birth and remain on earth? It is so that we might
bring the Kingdom of God into our world-our families, our workplace, and
our communities.
God wants you to bring the Kingdom of God into the territory He has
given you so that His will can be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Your
domain is your workplace, family, and community. Ask God to show you how
He wants to penetrate the darkness of your domain with His light. Then
you will see and experience all the features of this gift that has been
given to you.

Monday, January 2, 2012

HEARING GOD'S VOICE

"Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet
been revealed to him." - 1 Samuel 3:7

Samuel was born to Hannah, a woman who had a deep commitment to God. She
was barren, but she cried out to God for a son. The Lord gave her
Samuel, whom she completely gave to the Lord for His service. After
weaning him, she took him to the house of the Lord to be reared by the
priests. Eli was the priest of Israel, but he was not a godly leader. He
had allowed much corruption, including the sins of his sons, in God's
house. God was not pleased with Eli and later judged him and his
household.
Samuel grew up in the temple serving God. He also grew up seeing the
hypocrisy of Eli's household, yet this did not change the young man. God
was with him. We learn that even though young Samuel had a belief in
God, he had not yet experienced a personal relationship with Him. God
called to Samuel three times, but Samuel thought it was Eli, the priest,
calling him. Finally, Eli told him to say, "Speak Lord, for your servant
is listening" (1 Sam. 3:9b). This is what Samuel did, and God began
telling Samuel important things to come.
Many of us grow up in religious environments. We go to church every
week. We have a head knowledge of God, but we do not recognize God's
voice in our lives. There comes a time when we must recognize God's
voice for ourselves. God does not want us to have a religion; He wants
us to have a two-way relationship with Him. Samuel was never the same
after this encounter. He would know God's voice and would respond to Him
in obedience.
Do you know God's voice? Can you recognize it when He speaks? In order
to hear God's voice, you must be clean before Him and listen. Listen to
God's voice today and follow His plans for you.