Thursday, September 30, 2010

Shamgar's secret (2)



Thursday, 30 September 2010

'...Shamgar...killed six hundred...Philistines with an ox goad...' Judges 3:31 NKJV


Shamgar lived in dangerous times. Philistine gangs roamed the countryside, robbing people: 'In the days of Shamgar... people avoided the main roads; and travellers stayed on...pathroads.' (Judges 5:6 NLT) Shamgar's only weapon was an ox goad, a long wooden staff with a steel tip used to prod oxen. But it wasn't until he came under attack that he discovered its full potential.
Understand this: God has given you an 'ox goad', something you can use to win in the situation you're facing. If you seek Him, He'll show you what it is. Like the boy with the five loaves and two fishes, God will take something small, bless it, then multiply it to bless others. The Bible says we are to '...be instant in season, out of season...' (2 Timothy 4:2 KJV) The Greek words for 'be instant' could be translated 'be prepared'. The Greek word for 'season' means 'opportunity'. You need to be preparing yourself now, when it looks like nothing is happening, because your season will change and the opportunity to act will suddenly present itself. When it does, you must be ready. In life, opportunities are either coming towards you, or passing you by. In college, a professor told Dr Martin Luther King Jr that if he kept using such lofty words, he would never be a very effective public speaker. You have to wonder what that professor thought as he listened to Dr King's 'I have a dream' speech, and watched him go on to champion civil rights.
What's your ox goad? Use it, and God will bless it!

*** God has been knocking my heart. Once twice, thrice this week. Still, I'm not sure where to start. And it's a good reminder; what is my ox- goad. That thing that God gave me so that I can bless others? What are my raw talents, my gifts, what do I have right now? God will use a stick, a stone or a broom so just that I would know that the power doesn't lie in me. The power is from God and HE CAN TURN MY NOTHING INTO SOMETHING AND MAKE MY ANYTHING TO BE FASCINATING.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

12 Steps To Identifying Your Functional Saviors

Whatever we direct our affections, energies, and hopes towards is our object of worship. Our heart needs Jesus; our flesh craves idols. This is why growing in love for Christ requires daily execution of idols. But how do we know what our idols are?

In The Bookends of the Christian Life Jerry Bridges offers twelve “fill-in-the-blanks” to help us identify our functional saviors:

1. I am preoccupied with ________.
2. If only ________, then I would be happy.
3. I get my sense of significance from ________.
4. I would protect and preserve ________ at any cost.
5. I fear losing ________.
6. The thing that gives me greatest pleasure is ________.
7. When I lose ________, I get angry, resentful, frustrated, anxious, or depressed.
8. For me, life depends on ________.
9. The thing I value more than anything in the world is ________.
10. When I daydream, my mind goes to________.
11. The best thing I can think of is ________.
12. The thing that makes me want to get out of bed in the morning is ________.

[HT: Harbor Hawaii and Milton Stanley]


**** Read this on Tumblr today wants to answer this..^_^

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Is there someone you need to forgive?



Saturday, 4 September 2010

\'...forgiving one another... even as Christ forgave you...\' Colossians 3:13 NKJV

The greatest power you have over anyone who hurts you is the power of forgiveness. When you say, 'I forgive, and no longer hold it against you', both sides are set free from the negative bond that exists between you. But there's more: we also free ourselves from the burden of being the 'offended one'. As long as we don't forgive those who've wounded us we take them with us, or worse, carry them like an albatross around our neck. One of our great temptations is to cling in anger to our enemies, then define ourselves as being wounded by them. Forgiveness, therefore, not only liberates the other party, but it also liberates us! It's the way to true freedom. Now, forgiving doesn't always mean forgetting. Though we forgive somebody, the memory of what they did might stay with us a long time. We can carry it in our emotions as a scar, or even in our bodies as a physical sign. But forgiveness changes how we remember. It turns the curse into a blessing. When we forgive our parents for their divorce, our children for their lack of love, our friends for their unfaithfulness in times of need, our counsellors for their bad advice, or our boss for treating us unfairly, we no longer have to experience ourselves as the victims of events over which we have no control. Forgiveness allows us to take back our power and not let the events embitter, limit or destroy us. Is there someone you need to forgive?



*****

Friday, September 3, 2010

Your work matters to God (3)



Friday, 3 September 2010

\'Work...as...for the Lord...\' Colossians 3:23 NLT

Dr Adrian Rogers said, 'God takes ordinary people and gives them power to do extraordinary things. Whether you put hub caps on tyres... key in data... dig ditches or wash dishes, \"Work...as...for the Lord...\" (Colossians 3:23 NLT) Jesus' home was the cottage of a working man. Mending ploughs or mending souls, Jesus was doing God's work because people need houses and furniture. Knowing you're serving the Lord puts dignity in running a machine, greasing cars, carrying mail, painting houses, or cutting grass. Tell God, \"I'm doing this for you and I'll do it with all my might\"... That kind of attitude puts a spring in your step... You're a priest of God... in full-time service, and if that doesn't ring your bell - your clapper's broken!' As Leigh Priebe Kearney says, 'No job's perfect... there'll always be things you aren't thrilled about. See the big picture: find out where the company's heading and how you fit in. Reach out: ask what's important to your co-workers and how you can help them.' You can have almost anything you want, if you help enough other people get what they want. Remember the three Cs: 1) commitment. Workers who get ahead share a sense of commitment: they're fully engaged in their work 2) control. They're proactive, not passive 3) challenge. They see stressful situations as opportunities for growth. Don't wait for your ship to come in - swim out to meet it! Management won't suddenly recognise your potential, pluck you from obscurity and rocket you to the top. Draft a plan, then talk to your boss. A game plan shows you're open to professional growth. Keep learning: talk to people from other departments, take classes, and tackle projects outside your comfort zone.


**** I want to do better after reading this devotion It's as if I am not doing very well in my work. I hope I could be better. I need commitment, control and challenge. I need to grow and i want to do it. I need to be positive about it too..

If I do my work according to what God wants and intends me to I can please Him more than I can imagine..

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Your work matters to God (2)



Thursday, 2 September 2010

'God cares about honesty in the workplace...' Proverbs 16:11 TM

The Human Resources Director was taken aback when he heard what the job applicant asked to be paid. 'You certainly expect to be compensated well for a beginner.' The applicant replied, 'Well sure, work is a lot harder when you don't know what you're doing.' A cute story, but 'God cares about honesty in the workplace; your business is His business.' (Proverbs 16:11 TM) You should give an honest day's work for an honest day's wages. Eric Harvey says, 'Think about somebody you know who's of good character, and reflect on the characteristics that make them a role model... Chances are that high on the list is commitment - an unwavering dedication to being a good family member and friend - to doing their best on and off the job... to doing what's right, noble and decent. Committed people... have their heads and hearts in the right place. They keep their priorities straight... stay focused on what's important... What they believe drives how they behave, and how they behave determines their character... their reputation... and the legacy they leave.' Abraham Lincoln observed, 'Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality. It's the words that speak boldly of your intentions, and the actions which speak louder than the words. It's making time when there is none... it's coming through time after time, year after year. Commitment is the stuff character's made of... the power to change the face of things... the daily triumph of integrity over scepticism.' An admirer approached the world-renowned pianist Van Cliburn after one of his concerts and said, 'I'd give my life to be able to play like you.' Smiling, Cliburn replied, 'I did!'


*** The devotion today is about commitment and how work with passion and dedication pleases God. It is good to be honest in the workplace but the best etiquette we can ever have is commitment. It's what drives us to do better, strive greater and determine our character. Committed people have straight priorities.

I know I haven't given my commitment and best in anything yet and it doesn't make me a good steward of my talents. I feel guilty and ashamed of myself being like this. I can feel that I am bad in all sort of ways and I want to make it right but I don't know where to start. I am afraid but I want to pass this hurdle and continue on with my life. I want my attitude to be changed that in whatever work I have I can always glorify God. Am I pleasing God? In my judgement I know I am far from perfect but I believe in God's grace and direction.

I want to have commitment, passion and love for my work.

I want to love my work.

I want to be worthy of the job and talent God has given me.

I don't want to waste my energy in things that doesn't please God. In a way being a complainer is one thing I should get rid off. I know I don't like my job but by giving it to God it makes all the difference. Being committed (stop being lazy and working as if working for the Lord) makes the work a lot more easier and worth the effort.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Your work matters to God (1)



Wednesday, 1 September 2010


‘...’My Father never stops working, and so I keep working, too.’ John 5:17 NCV


A salesman stopped to visit a client and was amazed to find a big dog emptying wastebaskets. ‘All part of the job!’ the dog said cheerfully. ‘Does your boss know how fortunate he is to have a talking dog?’ the salesman asked. ‘No,’ replied the dog, ‘and don’t tell him – or he’ll have me answering phones next!’ The Bible says, ‘...there is nothing better than to…find satisfaction in work…these pleasures are from…God.’ (Ecclesiastes 2:24 NLT) Max Lucado says, ‘Before God gave Adam a wife or child… He gave him a job in ‘the garden… to cultivate… and keep it.’ (Genesis 2:15 NAS) God deems work worthy of its own engraved commandment: ‘You shall work six days, but on the seventh… you shall rest...’ (Exodus 34:21 NAS) But emphasis on the day of rest can make us miss the command to work… your work matters to God… and society… Cities need plumbers. Nations need soldiers. Traffic lights break. Bones break… Someone has to raise children, raise cane, and manage the kids who raise Cain! Whether you log–on or lace–up… you imitate God… Jesus said, “...My Father never stops working… so I keep working too.” (John 5:17 NCV) Your career consumes half your life. Shouldn’t it broadcast God? Don’t those 40–60 hours belong to Him too? The Bible never promotes workaholism as pain medication, but God calls the physically able to till the gardens He gives. So use your uniqueness (what you do), to make a big deal out of God (why you do it), every day of your life (where you do it).


**** Today I've realized that what I'm doing today, whatever that is, must be a God glorifying all the time. The best way to worship God is by giving those six days of my life not just the day of rest. God doesn't want me to be a workaholic rather he wants me to honor what he intended and designed for me to do.

i can say I am not doing very well in this aspect. As a domestic cleaner and fill-in activity coordinator in a caregiving institute I could never be more tired, stressed and grumpy as I can get. I hate my job. I hate the smell of old people. I hate myself for continuing doing something I detest. But today it made me realize that whatever I do I an still glorify God so always have a good and positive attitude towards it.

Anything worth doing is worth doing good as Daphne says. So I will truly try to do my best to be happy about it, never to complain and be thankful for the opportunity of glorifying God in my work.