You're being watched!

"Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord, and not for people" v22                                                              Colossians 3:22-24   CSB 

'Great, the boss isn't in today, so we can have an easy time and then go home early'. This can be the type of thing said by some who have no respect for their boss, the work they do or, for honouring God.

As Christians, we work for God not man. Therefore, our work should be spot on and first class in all we do. He is faithful to us and we should be the same. We need to remember that, we are being watched by the people we work with. They see and hear what we do and say and, even if they do not comment, it is stored away in their, 'My opinion of Christians' box; and when they need it, out it comes and we are compromised.

We are also watched by God. He sees when we turn up late for work or leave early without permission. He sees when we take stationery home, even if it is only a paperclip. He is also watching when we only do half a job instead of what is required. Verse 22 says, 'Slaves, obey your human masters in everything. Don't work only while being watched, as people pleasers, but work wholeheartedly fearing the Lord.' 

CFD Moule adds to this: 'He must not be the kind of servant who does not dust around the ornaments or sweep under the wardrobe'.    William Barclay commentary on Colossians

It is the same with Company vehicles. Do we treat them as we would if they were our own and, we had to pick up the bill?

We are called to work wholeheartedly for the Lord. We may think that God doesn't see all we do, but we are wrong. He sees all and also knows our motives. Whether we agree or not, He has placed us in the field of work we are in and expects us to carry it out properly. If we cut corners on our job, what about if He places us in full time ministry?

It all comes down to faithfulness and respect. If we work to display these two values, we are well on the way to honouring God. So, be a God-pleaser not, a people-pleaser.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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An opportunity to accept Jesus

"The wicked are not like this; instead they are like chaff that the wind blows away."    

                                                                                          Psalm 1:4-6  CSB

Wherever there is a good side, there is always a not so good side and we read about this in these three verse.

As Christians, we have asked Jesus into our hearts and He has come and forgiven our sin as we have repented. Sadly, there are many people who still have not heard about Jesus and, this is why men and women of God are going around the world preaching about Jesus. There are many people who flatly refuse to accept Jesus as their Lord and, these are the one's the Psalmist is referring to.

As swiftly as the Word enters their minds, they turn it away. Actually, Satan does this because he doesn't want people saved. Therefore, he steals the Word away. The Psalmist describes these people as chaff, which is so light, it is easily blown away in the wind. Chaff is the light shell around the kernel of grain. It must be stripped away before grinding of the grain into flour begins.

The people referred to as chaff, are the 'wicked' or 'sinners'. They are described as unstable in their ways, very much the opposite of the people who accept Jesus. Many have no staying power and are whisked away like chaff, as soon as they begin to show an interest in Jesus.

Spurgeon comments on chaff: 'Intrinsically worthless, dead, unserviceable, without substance and easily carried away.' Tough words indeed but, aptly described. Dr David Jeremiah comments further on verse 5 and standing up in the judgement: 

'To stand up in the judgement v5, is a desired outcome here, a symbol of divine approval. The assembly of the righteous, refers to God's people - those whose faith is reflected by their delight in God's Word (1:2) and who live according to it. In the day of judgement, they will not be left standing  with those who love God and strive to obey Him; they will be separated and sentenced to eternal punishment'.                                                         Dr David Jeremiah

It is therefore, so very important that people know about Jesus and have the opportunity to accept Him as Lord. Why not send this commentary to someone you know, who needs Jesus:

'Lord Jesus Christ, I give my life to You today. Please forgive my sins and fill me with You Holy Spirit and, be my Lord and Saviour. Amen.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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This is how you benefit

"He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers."            Psalm 1:3   CSB

A tree firmly planted in rich ground will usually prosper, especially when it is continually refreshed and watered by being planted next to water. The tree will be fruitful, producing its fruit in the right season of the year. Notice it has to be in the right season. This is rather like us, we have seasons of success in our work and ministry - we have good and not so good times, but as long as we remain rooted into good ground - Jesus, we will succeed.

We will have times when we begin to wither, rather like leaves which do not receive enough moisture. We must always ensure that we continue to delight and meditate on the Lord, thus being refreshed by the Holy Spirit. We will then begin to prosper in all we do - notice that the text above says, 'Whatever he does.' not, 'Most of the things he does.' This is important. 

When we speak of being 'rooted' it is linked to meditation that we discussed yesterday. To reinforce this, meditation means to think deeply and continuously about something - to ponder; in this case, about Jesus. This may mean memorising scriptures or words God gives us. We ponder them and place them into our memory bank. We then allow them to take root within our spirit until they are part of us. As we own them in this way, they become a life-force that operates inside of us as the power and authority of God takes control of every situation. When we live in such a way, there is no stopping us.

We begin to have true fellowship with Jesus just as the early disciples did after His ascension Acts 2:42-43. The word 'fellowship' in v42 in the Greek is Koinonia. In this, the individual shares in common an intimate bond of fellowship with other Christians. Koinonia cements the believers to the Lord Jesus and to each other. 

When we live in such a way, we will prosper in all we do and we will receive the benefits God wants to pour upon us.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Receving God's goodness

"Instead, his delight is in the LORD'S instruction, and he meditates on it day and night."   

                                                                                                Psalm 1:2   CSB 

The person who sees things the way God sees them, is the person who delights in the Lord's instruction - the Word of God. The word, 'Delight', means to take great pleasure in something, it is enjoyment and the person who we have mentioned above, takes the greatest of pleasure in Him. 

Pleasure and enjoyment can be found all around, the world is good at doing this. But the world's pleasures, lead to loss - loss of the Kingdom of God on Judgement Day. The delight or pleasure we are addressing is, the delight a believer takes in knowing Jesus.

The person who delights in Jesus, is the one whose mind is fixed on Him. Day and night, he fills his mind with the Word of God. He does this by meditation. Jewish people call this, 'Davening', and it includes reciting scriptures, praying intense prayers and 'getting lost in communion with God.' Many Jewish people can be seen doing this at The Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. As they do this, they rock to and fro with occasional bowing. We as Christians do a similar thing when we are engrossed in worship and fellowship and calling out to God with praise.

To meditate is to train the mind to be emptied of all irrelevant things as we focus on the main object - Jesus. As we shut out distractions this way, we are able to reach out to Jesus and have communion with Him - deeply. As we delight in God, our heart becomes filled with the love of God and the Holy Spirit begins to minister to us. To neglect delighting in God, our heart can be filled with unwholesome thoughts, disappointments and sinful desire. We either live and walk in blessing or, we walk in the curse.

You can tell what is in your heart by the way you act and speak. Therefore, make some changes in your life and determine that, from today you are going to delight in the Lord's instruction. Then, begin to meditate on this - daily

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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See it how God sees it

"How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers."        Psalm 1:1   CSB 

'The Godly man, however, does not

consider first how the world regards

a thing, but how God looks at it.'

                                   Charles Spurgeon 

The word 'Blessed' means 'Happy', and this is the way God wants us to be. In fact, He desires us to be happy in doing whatever we do. But are we?

Take any given day and assess it. How many times do we look at something and see it as the world wants us to see it - doom and gloom? Take for instance the present media statements: energy prices going through the roof; people not being able to manage; Covid, Monkey Pox' people having to work beyond their original retirement age and the threat of recession. Now does that make you happy? Of course it doesn't.

But this is looking at things the way the world sees it. However, God looks at it in a very different way indeed, and so should we because, He is our Father and we are His children. The world is creating major problems for everyone but, God is the creator and what He has created, will stand no matter what the world tries to do. God has already addressed such a thing. Read what Jesus says in Matthew 6:25-34. He tells us not to worry about our life, what we will eat or drink and not to worry about clothes:

'So don't worry saying, "What will we eat?" or "What will we drink?" or "What will we wear?" v31 'But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be provided for you.' v33

The bottom line is, Jesus is in control. Recession cannot stop Him, harsh governmental decisions can't stop Him either. Jesus looks at things the way His Father looks - Our Father - and no matter what, Jesus wins and if He wins, then so do we!

Now doesn't that make you feel happy? Why then, are you worrying about energy prices going through the roof and not being able to manage? This is not putting our head in a bucket, I'm talking about faith in God here and, Jesus said, 'Don't worry'. Now what part of that is difficult to understand? Hard times may come but for us, who walk with Jesus, we are well looked after. So be happy!

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Better times are ahead

But I trust in You, LORD, I say, 'You are my God." 15 The course of my life is in Your power."                                                                      Psalm 31:14-15   CSB 

You may have been through a rough time just lately; a time where it's hard to realise the way forward. Well-meaning people may have tried to offer counsel and advice but sadly, it has not helped. You may feel alone and unwanted. This is what grief and other hurtful things, put upon us. Probably all you want to do is crawl into your shell and rest there, forever.

All of this is understandable; when hurt visits us with its pain and sorrow, it is difficult to know what to do. You may be feeling numb and unable to make sense of what has happened. Whether you are bereaved; suffering a broken marriage, bankruptcy or other great loss in your life, you have entered the world of loss and with this, comes emptiness. The loss has brought change and you didn't want change and can't cope with the change. The loss of a loved one is possibly the hardest to negotiate because it is so final. Things may be said such as, 'Why has this happened to me; why now? It is so unfair."

Can I say that you are not alone with this sentiment. Right at this moment, many people are asking the same questions. Why?' Colin Murray-Parkes a leading psychologist on bereavement writes in his papers, 'Grief is the price we pay for love.' And this is so true. We give everything to the one's we love and when they are no longer there, there is a great void.

There is no quick fix for grief. There's a process that we all must go through whether we like it or not. Some can sail through the grief stage very swiftly; others can't and have a great struggle. We are all different. One thing you can be sure of, is God's help. He is there to offer you all the love and strength you need to make it through. Note in our text the words, 'You are my God'. No matter what we may go through, it is all in God's hands. Whether it be trouble or triumph, if we have put God in the driving seat, He will bring us through to victory.

Don's try to rush things; go at your own pace. You are in God's hands and He will get you though this pain and loss. Better things are ahead, but for now, take each step carefully. You need a little time to allow God to mend your heart. Just keep saying to Him, 'You are my God.'

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Sacrificial giving

'Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.'  

                                                                                    Mark 12:41-44  CSB

Jesus sat opposite the collection boxes observing the people placing their money into them for support for the temple. Many loved the ritual of giving large amounts and making a show of it all. But, just then, a widow came and put in two mites. 

Now a mite, was the smallest coin to be found; it was made of very thin copper and had a value under a penny. The Greek interpretation of this coin was Lepta or Lepton which means 'the thin one.' 

Jesus stated that this widow had given far more than the Pharisees and other dignitaries had given. They had given out of their vast wealth and still had plenty left to enjoy. She had given all she had and was left with nothing. It was a sacrificial gift. 

Real giving must be sacrificial; William Barclay said, 'Give until it hurts - this is true generosity'. It must be noted that there are many people who won't give anything at all unless, they are certain that they will receive something back in return. This widow could have held one of the coins back, they were hers anyway and proportionally she was giving more than the others were. But she didn't. How often do we hold things back - things that we know God wants us to let go of, or stop doing but we don't?

The collection boxes - 13 in all, were called 'Trumpets' because of their shape. The contributions were used for the cost of temple sacrifices and general expenses. The shape and description of the boxes - 'Trumpets', were aptly named, because many had demonstrated their love of 'blowing their own trumpets', with the amount that they gave.

It is interesting to note the widow's faith in God. She had nothing but, she knew God well enough to know He would take care of her every need. She didn't give to receive man's praise - she couldn't, the gift was so small. However, to God, it was worth more than the others had given. She had given everything, a sacrificial gift. When we give like this, from our heart, Jesus takes notice.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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