The Blessing at Work

On January 21, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Genesis 39: 4 – 5

Joseph naturally became quite a favorite with him. Potiphar soon put Joseph in charge of his entire household and entrusted him with all his business dealings. From the day Joseph was put in charge the Lord began to bless Potiphar for Joseph’s sake. All his household affairs began to run smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished.

We saw, yesterday, how the blessing, which was on Joseph, prospered Potiphar. In fact, that blessing saved Egypt through the famine and eventually Joseph’s family in Canaan. The same story plays out in Jacob’s service to his uncle, Laban. Laban’s household prospered because the blessing was on Jacob (Genesis 30: 27). Laban’s flocks and herds increased because the blessing of God was on Jacob who served Laban.

The same thing is happening today. Businesses, even ungodly businesses, are enjoying growth and blessing because of one employee whose life is dedicated to God. You may be that worker. Maybe you wonder why you are stuck in a place that isn’t very godly. The answer may well be that you are Joseph. But for you, the business would suffer and perhaps even fail.

Everywhere you go, the blessing follows you and you should expect it to. Wherever you work should prosper just because you are there. If you are suffering where you are, pray to the Lord, but instead of asking him to remove you, ask Him what you can do to be a blessing. Ask Him if you are in the right place. If the answer is yes, then serve that business as if you work for the Lord, because you do. Joseph certainly spent some unpleasant days but, in the end, he reigned in Egypt. Only Pharoah had more influence than he. Keep your eyes on the Lord and let the blessing do its work.

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The Blessing Works

On January 20, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Genesis 39: 2 – 3

The Lord was with Joseph and blessed him greatly as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did.

This passage is astounding because Potiphar not only noticed the blessing on Joseph, but he also knew to ascribe the prosperity and success to the Lord, our God. Here we have a heathen Egyptian. They didn’t worship Yahweh or even know Him and yet when Joseph came to his household, Potiphar recognized that the God of the Hebrews was blessing his household.

I have had a couple of friends over the years that I have tried to help share in the blessing. These two, in particular, would see the blessing on my life. One of them consistently called me lucky. I’m not lucky. I’m blessed. There is a big difference. The other one saw things happening for me often. At the same time, the same kind of matter would not work out for her. I, of course, gave God the glory, but there were many times I thought, “Can’t she see how this walk with Jesus is fruitful? Can’t she see how living with him is a blessing?” I thought for sure the blessings in my life were such a big testimony that she would dedicate her life to the Lord too. It never happened though. The funny thing is, she confessed herself as a Christian. The truth is, she is what I call a “cultural Christian.” That’s a person who follows the forms, but the truth of the gospel doesn’t quite reach down to the heart. She went to church regularly, even volunteered there, but the gospel never had a transformative impact on her life because she never honestly embraced the Word or the Lord. It’s sad to me.

I wish that people would see the great things God is doing in our lives and let it testify to their hearts that there is a better way. I don’t know what they fear or if people are just lazy. It is hard to be in my position and understand what prevents a person from drawing closer to God. I know we are distracted but we are also self-serving, and I expect that to motivate them.

You and I will continue to seek the face of God and live in this blessing. We will continue to give God the glory for all the great things He is doing. Sooner or later, it’s bound to sink in. Even if people don’t follow, they will not be able to legitimately deny the greatness of our God.

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Rooted

On January 19, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Ephesians 3: 17

And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love.

This verse is the very thrust of this ministry. Our slogan is “Intertwined with Jesus.” I pray for you to be so interwoven in the fabric of Jesus and of God’s love that you can no longer discern a separation between you. Your thoughts are His thoughts, His are yours. I pray for His heartbeat to throb in all of our chests.

Truly, today’s Word of the Day is a thematic continuation of yesterday’s. Seek God so that He may be found and when you continue to seek Him, daily, you become more and more intertwined with Him. Finding Yahweh is not a one-time thing. It is daily pressing in and demanding more and more of Him. Never be satisfied. Always ask for more of Him. That is what He wants of you. He wants you to live in Him and to allow Him to live in you.

All the little things of the day are part and parcel of the life lived in Christ. I know some people think it is funny that I pray when I grocery shop, pump gas or ride my bike, but that is where life happens. So, if God is to be intimately intertwined in all of life, then He will be at the board meetings and the dinner table. He helps with the laundry and the cleansing of our souls.

I pray that the tendrils of your heart will become inextricably intertwined with Jesus and will, indeed, root themselves in the rich soil of God’s love.

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Seek and Go Find

On January 18, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 Chronicles 28: 9

If you seek Him, He will let you find Him.

We have a lot of different ways we worship God. There are many different religions and even in Christianity there are many different beliefs and denominations. Be that what it may, the real crux of the whole thing is embraced in today’s passage. Whether you are Jewish, Baptist, Pentecostal or any of a myriad of belief systems, it all comes down to this quite simple principle. It is all about you finding Him. That is what it has always been about to God. All He has ever wanted is to be our God and for us to be His people. He has chased us from one end of this globe to the other seeking to have a personal relationship with each and every one of us. It really doesn’t matter what faith, religion or belief system you claim. What matters is that you seek God with your whole heart and with honesty. If you do, you will find Him.

Don’t go around looking for a church that believes like you do, or friends that will agree with you. It is not about the church. It is about God. Seek Him, not religion. It really doesn’t matter if you are Methodist or Lutheran to God. That is all stuff and non-sense to Him. These churches are for our comfort zones, not God’s. And guess what! There will only be one church in Heaven so you might as well get used to the idea now.

So many people have failed because they look from church to church and religion to religion seeking satisfaction and comfort. You were never supposed to do that. You were supposed to seek God and then He will lead you to a worship center that is right for you. Right for you, by the way, does not always mean the one that is most comfortable for you. He didn’t want you sitting on your laurels in the first place. He wants to feed and nurture you. He will, therefore, lead you to a place that will do just that, if you will listen.

And even if you believe you have found the right type of worship for yourself let me tell you that it is subject to change as you grow. But it was never about the kind of church you go to. It was always about your heart seeking God with all your might. That is what matters. If you have a good church home, congratulations. But don’t stop in your seeking. Don’t get so comfortable that you stop reaching out to God. Stir up that passion that you had when you were first saved and go after God with all your strength. He has already promised to let you find Him.

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Public Defenders

On January 17, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 31: 8 – 9

Open your mouth for the people who cannot speak, for the rights of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Well, this is the last of the proverbs; just enough for one every day of the month. So, this will end Proverb Monday. I have enjoyed it and hope you have too.

This proverb was written by King Lemuel and is the advice he received from his mother. Among other things, she told him that as a leader, his job was to look out for the needs and rights of the less fortunate, the poor and the needy. In other words, he, and we, are the voice of those whose voice may be hard to hear, or muted.

That is a sobering thought. I suppose most of us think the job of looking out for the needy, for speaking up for them, is really the job of the government. Those of us, though, who are in favor of small government must accept that the responsibility then falls upon us. We are obligated to make sure that everyone in our society is cared for. As countries grow and populations become more diverse, that becomes harder and harder.

The church had the responsibility for caring for the widows, orphans and aliens. Perhaps the job became too big for the church, or maybe the church became too small for the job. Only 3 – 5% of Christians tithe and the number of church goers has diminished. So, the church is not as able to meet community needs as well as it once was.

We find ourselves in a difficult situation. We have the same responsibility to speak for and defend the needy and the poor. We can do that through town and city councils and with our votes. There are no easy answers when it comes to the poor, the needy and the homeless but when we sensitize ourselves to the need, perhaps it helps us perceive opportunities and maybe even some solutions.

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Morning Devotion

On January 14, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 63: 1         KJV

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee.

To rise early in the morning,
While all is quiet and still,
Gives me time to mediate;
Time to seek His will,
Time to read the Bible,
Time to plan my day,
Time to let God cleanse my heart,
And throw the trash away.
Time for asking blessings,
Time to offer praise,
Time to ask forgiveness
For other wasted days.
The yoke is then much lighter;
I’m more refreshed and strong,
Ready to do the task at hand –
Knowing I’m not alone.

Jeanne Duren

In our putting away and cleaning up from Christmas, my roommate found this little poem that her grandmother cut out of the newspaper and saved. What a blessing. Her grandmother passed away in 2000 and yet she is still contributing to, not only our lives, but hopefully yours as well. Enjoy your morning devotional, courtesy of Mildred Perry.

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This Love

On January 13, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 6: 16

There are six things that the Lord hates, even seven that are disgusting to him.

Hate is not something Christians talk about or dwell in. However, even God hates a few things and I fear I have experienced a similar emotion.

A couple of weeks ago I was riding a bicycle class at the gym. These classes are set to music. The last song of the ride was What’s Love Got to Do with It by Tina Turner. It is a well known song but definitely has a dark side.  Most of the song consists of this lyric:

Oh-oh, what’s love got to do, got to do with it?
What’s love but a second-hand emotion?
What’s love got to do, got to do with it?
Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken?

Now, this is not a criticism of Tina Turner or even the songwriters but what kind of society do we live in that over 30 years after its release we are still singing such a horrid lyric? The person leading the bike class said, “Oh, I love this song.” Wow, that’s kind of oxymoronic, isn’t it? How can we believe in love at any level and accept such a denunciation of it?

You can empathize with someone who has been hurt and thus can relate to the song, but hopefully that person heals and comes to understand the soullessness of the song, even to despise the lack of faith and belief in love or even the possibility of love.

The song is about having sex with another person and the imperative not to let love enter into the exchange. How many things are wrong in that? I can say, I really do hate this song. It has a good beat and lures you into singing it but that day I wanted to get off my bike and leave the room. I simply cannot stand this song any longer. What does love have to do with it? Absolutely everything and that is what I answer, aloud, when I hear the song. And I did that day as well. You don’t want to be around me because I am going to push back. I am not going to let songs and lyrics like this poison my spirit, a spirit which, by the way, is sanctioned in love. The spirit which is within me was born in love, created by love.

We all get hurt and probably more of us than would like to admit can relate to Tina Turner’s song, but I hope she has found reason to sing a new song, a better song as I know we have. Love sent Jesus to earth for us. The more you intertwine your life with Jesus, the more the world becomes a strange place to live. It becomes harder to turn a deaf ear to language and ideas that are in direct contradiction with everything our Father is.

Let me get theological for just one moment. If that song is diametrically opposed to what our God is and what our Lord teaches, what is its source? Obviously, God had nothing to do with the writing of this song. Was it just damaged people expressing worldly ideas? Or is there more to it? I don’t know the answer, but it does make one wonder because this song undermines so much of what we believe in. Generations of children have grown up with this lyric. What has it done to their impressionable spirits? It has sown seeds of promiscuity and for denying the importance and power of love.

Love is the greatest force in the universe. He, Love, created this earth and all the stars in the heavens. He sent His beloved to this broken, decaying world to save all the silly little humans who live here so that we would not spend eternity in the lake of fire. There is so much more though. He, Love, is alive and well right now here on planet earth. He is here to live with us, to heal our broken hearts and to help us live better lives. He mends our spirits and restores us simply because that is what love does. Whatsmore, love is doing just that every day of the year. He will move into any heart that will have Him and heal the broken parts. He will give us as much healing and love as we will allow.

What’s love got to do with it? Absolutely everything . . . and everything meaningful is born of love.

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