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.

RECOGNIZING THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES

 

Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him" (Matt 2:1-2). God is looking for leaders who recognize the signs of their times. Such was the case of the three wise men who were so in tune with their times they were able to pinpoint when the long awaited Messiah was born. They recognized God had come in their midst. These three men were philosophers, priests, or astronomers and lived chiefly in Persia and Arabia. They were marketplace ministers of the Eastern nations devoted to astronomy, to religion, and to medicine. They were held in high esteem by the Persian court, were admitted as counselors, and followed the camps in war to give advice.[2] They came from the professional ranks in society and were sought out by the kings of the nation. They would be the authorities in their field of expertise. This is why they were able to meet with King Herod. (v7) They were likely aware of the prophecy of Balaam, Num 24:17, "There shall come a star out of Jacob," etc. They came and gave three distinct gifts - each represented a prophetic significance. They were gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Frankincense is a white resin or gum. It is obtained from a tree by making incisions in the bark, and suffering the gum to flow out. It is highly odoriferous or fragrant when burned, and was therefore used in worship, where it was burned as a pleasant offering to God. Myrrh was also a production of Arabia, and was obtained from a tree in the same manner as frankincense. The name itself denotes bitterness, on account that it is significantly bitter. It was used chiefly in embalming the dead, because it had the property of preserving dead bodies from putrefaction. [3] Like the men of Issachar, who ‘understood the times and knew what Israel should do," (1 Chron 12:32) the three wise men knew what they were to do because they were aware of  God’s activities in their times. Are you recognizing God’s activity in your times? [3] (from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft) [2] (from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)

UNLOCKING THE POWER

 

"I in them and You in Me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me." - John 17:23 There have been certain breakthroughs in the world that have changed the course of history: electricity, the automobile, the atom, and the telephone, to name just a few. If we never recognized the applications of these inventions, we would still be sitting around in the dark, riding horses, and communicating by pony express. However, we have seen the opportunities and the applications, so the world is a different place now. Jesus made a profound statement that has the potential to change the world if we simply apply the truth. What if I told you that this one truth would allow people to see Jesus and respond to the gospel like nothing we have ever experienced? It is the key to unlocking the door of salvation to so many that remain lost. Yet it is the one thing we, as His children, fail at the most. What is this one thing? It is unity. Lack of unity among His Body of believers prevents Christ from being revealed to so many. Efforts have been made, but our Body remains fragmented and weak. Consider that there are more than 24,000 Christian denominations in the world today and five new ones beginning each week, according to the 1999 September issue of Moody Magazine. Does this sound like unity? God has called each of us individually and corporately to represent Christ to the world, but our independence, pride, and ego prevent us from becoming unified in the purposes of Christ. Are you a catalyst for unity in His Body, or an instrument of division? Are people seeing Jesus because of the unity they see in your family, your church, and among your workers? The old adage, "United we stand, divided we fall," is not just a good battle cry; it is a spiritual truth that will determine the fate of many souls. Pray that God will allow you to be an instrument to unify His Body.

MAY IT BE

 

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her (Luke 1:38). Have you ever had a boss come to you and give you an assignment which had rules never before used? Not only were the rules different, he was asking you to agree to them not knowing the outcome or impact it would have on your life. That must have been the way Mary, the mother of Jesus felt. God was about to do something so extraordinary that it required a face to face meeting with the subject, Mary, and his key angel, Gabriel. What God was about to do was so foreign that it needed detailed explanation. Mary had been handpicked to give birth to the Christ-child. Can you imagine!? However, in order to do so she was going to be pregnant while yet unmarried, something totally taboo in her culture. In fact, women were stoned to death if found to be fornicators. So, when Mary heard the assignment and responded by saying, "May it be," this tells us what a courageous woman of faith she must have been. She did not understand the implications of what she was about to do. However, she placed her total trust in God and knew that if God chose her for such an assignment, she could trust the outcome to Him. She would even have to trust the explanation to Joseph, who was not going to understand. In fact, when he discovered Mary was pregnant, he immediately considered divorce proceedings. However, when God saw Joseph’s response, He sent an angel to explain the situation through a dream. I am sure the time between her telling him and his dream must have been difficult to explain.  She did not know God was going to solve the problem. This is another example of her faith and courage. I would imagine most women might have responded to the angel like this, "I won’t do it unless you tell my husband!" Do you have an assignment from God that seems impossible on the front end? Is God calling you to trust Him for the outcome? Take a lesson from Mary and release the outcome to God.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD

 

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.

HIS PRESENCE

 

And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not (Mal 3:18). "Good morning," I said to the woman behind the counter as she asked if she could take my order. "You’re a Christian, aren’t you?" "I can see Him in you!" I boldly proclaimed. "Yes, I am," she replied with a beaming smile. I could literally see the presence of God in her countenance in the way she related to me and others. When Moses led the people out of Egypt he had several crisis moments during those forty years. His greatest crisis was when he came back from the mountain and discovered the people had made a golden calf. It was after this he came to a profound conclusion. "Then Moses said to him, ‘If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.’ What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?"  (Ex 33:15,16). The difference between a Christian in the workplace and a non-believer should be that the Christian brings the presence of God with him to work. However, this is not always the case. A Christian can shut out the presence of God by his behavior. Like the Israelites who experienced great miracles in their lives but began to worship idols, we can move away from God. Sin separates us from God. His presence moves away from us. Moses realized, he too had to have the presence of God with him to lead such a people. The prophet Malachi was saying a day is coming when you’ll be able to recognize a clear difference between the righteous and the unrighteous. Would your co-workers be able to recognize a difference in you from others? Ask God to fill you with His overflowing presence in all you do today.

SPIRITUAL HARRASSMENT

 Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8-9).

In the spiritual realm, we deal with spiritual harassment from Satan and his legions. The Bible says "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Eph. 6:12). It is important to recognize when we are coming against these forces. Satan attempts to distract us from our calling and destiny in life. We often trivialize the reality of the spirit realm of evil.
Paul tells us we must set our minds to deal with the spiritual realm of evil when it impacts our lives. "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (Eph 6:13).
The next time you feel obstacles have been placed in your life designed to distract you from your God-ordained mission, remember Paul’s words and stand firm in Christ.

LEARN FROM GOD'S CREATION

 

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse (Rom 1:19-20). Have you ever had someone say, "I don’t see any evidence of God. How can a person believe in someone you can’t see or see any evidence even exists?" The Bible tells us that God is revealed in His creation everyday. Look at the human body and consider the likelihood of how thousands of body parts that must work together. Someone created it to work this well. If it were a manufactured product, it would be in the repair shop all the time because of all the moving parts required to make it work. Consider the wonderful order and balance of nature and how the seas know their boundaries, the beauty of the mountains, and the balance of rain and oxygen needed to balance the ecosystems. Consider God’s signature, the rainbow. The 12th century Scottish Christian mystic, Richard of St. Victor said, "The whole of this sensible world is like a book written by the finger of God." Look at nature and wonder at the creative design of the hundreds of thousands of species of animals like the tiger, the elephant, the great whales, and the millions of species of birds, just to name a few. Consider the planet we live on. "The Earth is a rough sphere about eight thousand miles in diameter, which means that it's about four thousand miles straight down to the center. We're accustomed to thinking of it as a ball of rock, but that's not so: the great majority of the Earth is liquid—molten rock called magma swirling, incredible slowly, beneath our feet. The solid part of the earth that we live on, and in whose hollows the sea sits, is called the crust, and on average it's only a few miles thick—maybe ten miles. That's like a layer a third of a millimeter thick coating a football. We live on that incredibly fragile, thin layer of plates floating on the subterranean sea of magma."[1] Yes, God has revealed Himself in His creation. [1] http://www.miketaylor.org.uk/xian/omni.html

AVOID THE ESCAPE MENTALITY

 Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle (Ps 144:1).

One of the best-selling American books of all time is a fiction series that focuses on the end times called Left Behind. It deals with the rapture of Christians from the earth before the final end-times crisis takes place and the anti-Christ rules.
If we are not careful we will fall into a mindset that we are simply buying time until Jesus calls us home. No matter what the end-times scripture teaches, it is clear that believers should model a behavior that is more like a soldier in battle desiring to take the land, than a person awaiting an airlift.
When God placed man on earth, He desired man to rule the earth. "God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground" (Gen 1:28). The intent was not dictatorship, but to express the love and care of God throughout all of creation in order to know and experience the creator in all things.
Today, we often have a cruise ship mentality in the Church of Jesus Christ instead of a battleship mentality designed to engage the enemy of our souls. Our army is often ill-equipped to know how to take the land that God has provided through His Son. This is why believers in the workplace must see their work and calling as an assignment from God to demonstrate His power in all of society in order to restore His rule upon the earth. That is the key reason Jesus died on the cross—to restore that which was lost (Lk 19:10).
Are you engaged in the battle?

A HEAVENLY STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION

 "And the Lord said, 'Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?' One suggested this, and another that. - 1 Kings 22:20

There are few times we get a glimpse of what goes on in Heaven. Here is one instance when the angels were conferring with the Lord about the judgment of King Ahab for his sin and who was going to set up Ahab for this judgment.
If God wanted to use you to impact your world for Jesus Christ, what circumstances would have to be created in order for you to respond to His call? Would prospering you materially encourage you to this end? Would a major change in what you are presently doing be necessary? What would your response be should God and the angels conclude that the only way to move you into a position of fulfilling God's purposes was to remove some things that might be very dear to you? Would you agree with their plan if you knew this would be the only way you would achieve the purposes for which God made you? Hard questions, aren't they?
This is the very thing God does in many who have been called for a special mission. Moses had to be stripped of his royal position in the family of Egypt and sit in the desert for 40 years. The apostle Paul had to be knocked off his horse, blinded, and receive a personal visitation from Jesus. The 12 disciples had to leave their jobs for three years to follow Christ. Imagine what kind of disruption this had on their lives. There are many examples of God bringing major upheaval in the lives of those He called for His purposes. Why?
The reason is that we do not seek God with a whole heart in times of prosperity and comfort. Prosperity and comfort tend to breed complacency and satisfaction. It is rare to find the man or woman who seeks God with a whole heart who does so simply from a grateful heart. We often must have pain or crisis to motivate us. Eventually, that crisis bridges us to a new calling, and we embrace that calling if we are open to the Holy Spirit's work in us. We can actually thank God for the change that was required to get us to this place, but it is not without anguish of heart.
Would you be willing to sit in the strategic planning session for your life and agree with the plans God has for your life? Could you give God complete freedom to implement that plan, no matter the cost? Ask God to give you the grace and trust in His love for you to say "yes."