“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”  1 Corinthians 15:58

Does your work make a difference?  Do you ever end the day feeling that all of your efforts were a waste of time?  How often do you wonder what you are really accomplishing in life?

The Bible gives a simply stated solution to living a life that counts.  We find it in many places, including the verse above.  The problem, as in many Biblical truths, comes in the application.  It is easy enough to read a command, “always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord”, but it is a completely different thing to actually live it out each and every day.  We read along in our Bibles and see the word “always” and assume that this must only apply to those who work in full time professional ministry.  However, the context of this verse indicates it is meant for all believers who have the hope and assurance of a ressurection of the dead.  That is the “therefore” part of the verse.  Since death has been defeated and we have the assurance of life eternal with Jesus, we know our work is never in vain when it is the work of the Lord being done.

Teaching, serving, giving, sharing, cleaning, etc., are all things that are very necessary to the work of the Lord continuing within the local church.  The work of the Lord is also done wherever you are when you take seriously the Lord’s command to make disciples.  When you devote your life to making disciples, you truly “lay up for yourself treasure in heaven”.  As you live a life committed to sharing the gospel of Jesus, you will have found work that really pays. 

May God bless your work for Him.

“A new command I give you:  Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”  John 13:34

How’s your love life?

Our society paints a picture of love that is all about romance and emotion.  There are times that you may look at your relationships from that view and feel a great need for  help in the “love life” department.  Yet, how often do you measure your love against the true standard?

The great news is that real love can be obtained and practiced by all!  Did you notice the wording in the verse above?  Command.  Must.  These words  would indicate that this type of love Jesus is talking about is not an option for His disciples, but a requirement.  He could have said He had a suggestion to make.  He could have said this is something to think about or have a discussion group decide if it would work.  But He didn’t.  He said, “. . . command I give you. . . . You must . . . “.  One of the great things about this type of wording is knowing the faithfulness of God.  If He gives the command and states something we must do, then we can be certain that He will give us the wisdom, strength, courage, and power to accomplish it.

So, how about you?  Do you love people as Christ has loved you?  Do you sacrifice yourself for the things others need?  As you consider your love for others, I pray that you will look at your attitudes from God’s standard and seek to share His love with others.  For, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)

“Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”  Ephesians 5:15 – 16

How are you living?  These verses have great application for today because we do live in days that are evil.  Because of the evil around us, we are told to make the most of every opportunity.  How can we do that? 

These verses tell us that one key to making the most of every opportunity, is to be very careful of how we live.  Your lifestyle, your actions, and the decisions that you make, have a direct impact on your effectiveness for the kingdom of God.  Realizing that the days we live in are evil, do you give great consideration to how God would view all aspects of your life?

A second aspect that we see involves living with wisdom.  It is only by wisdom that our careful living can be aligned with God’s will.  It is interesting that we look down to verse 17 and find the instruction to ” . . . not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”  In Romans 12:1 – 2, we find that as we present our bodies as living sacrifices to God, we are transformed by the renewing of our minds.  This transformation allows us to test and prove, or know, the will of God.  True wisdom involves allowing God to transform our way of thinking.  As our thinking is changed through the working of God’s Spirit in our life, our actions are changed also.

Are you living according to the wisdom that comes from God?  Are you making the most of every opportunity that God brings your way?  I pray that as you live for God, you will be wise.

“Who is wise and understanding among you?  Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”  James 3:13

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”  Luke 6:46

The story of the wise and foolish builders is a common one.  For many years, kids have been singing about the wise man building his house upon the rock.  Sometimes I fear that we become so familiar with the story and the song that we fail to look at the context around it.  Jesus is concerned about people who address Him as Lord but do not do the things that He says.

People want stability in their life.  You want to know that your life will not fall to pieces when faced with hardship.  Jesus teaches that many people who want to claim Him as Lord have failed to put into practice the Word of God that gives stability.

Do you call Jesus, Lord?  Are you living the words of Jesus?  How are you doing with the basics?  I believe that Jesus defined this as, “Love the Lord your God” and “Love your neighbor“.  Does every detail of your life show a love for God and a love for the people around you?  What are you doing in your daily life?  It should be obvious, even to a lost world, that your life is lived under a higher authority than that of the world.

As you reflect on the actions of your life, I pray that you are in the world doing the things of Christ.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”  Philippians 4:8

So, what do you think?  How often do we hear this phrase?  A discussion is taking place and someone may turn to us and ask, “So, what do you think?”  Often the emphasis is just that, on our individual ideas and opinions.  The person asking may be looking for input and other ideas, but more often than not are only interested in finding agreement with what they already believe.

May I suggest that whenever we hear that question asked of us, we stop and mentally change the focus onto the word “think“.  Otherwise, our answer is often given without any real thought.  As Christians, when we stop and think, our answer should contain much more wisdom and understanding because we serve a God who is generous in His giving of these qualities if we would but ask.  When we stop to think, it gives us time to focus on a Christ-like response.  It no longer becomes our opinion that matters, but God’s opinion takes first place.

Philippians 4:8 gives quite a list of things we should think about.  When our life is consumed with thinking on the things that Paul lists for us, we will be a different person.  The world needs people who are different from the ordinary.  Thinking on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy will begin a process in our lives that will completely transform us.  This transformation continues when we follow up with verse 9, an admonition to put into practice the things we have learned.

May you live a life thinking on the things of God so that your answers to a lost and searching world will bring people to Jesus Christ.