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Friday, September 30, 2022

Being Faithful With the Work I’ve Been Given

In Luke 16:10-11 I read, “For unless you are honest in small matters, you won’t be in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?” (TLB)

If I think I’m going to be bored in heaven, think again.


I won’t be sitting around on a cloud doing nothing in heaven. God wired me and knows what I’m interested in. All my hobbies, skills, and talents come from him. He shaped me with my own spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences. God didn’t make me extraordinarily unique just for Earth. He’s going to use my shape in eternity.


I will work in heaven, but here’s the difference between work in heaven and work on Earth: In heaven, I’m guaranteed to enjoy my work. I won’t experience any heartache or stress over my work. It will be meaningful, enjoyable, and fulfilling all the time. I’ll have my dream job forever!


While I may not yet know what my specific roles or responsibilities will be in heaven. I do know that they will be based on how faithful I am with the roles and responsibilities God has given me on Earth


God is watching and testing me. Life is a temporary assignment, and God wants to see how responsible, faithful, and trustworthy I am with the responsibilities I have now.


What am I doing with what I’ve been given? If I make the most of what I’ve been given, then God is going to give me more in heaven. I’ll make it into heaven because of God’s grace, but my rewards and responsibilities once I get there will be based on how faithfully I served God on Earth.


The Bible explains: “For unless you are honest in small matters, you won’t be in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?” (Luke 16:10-11 TLB).


God is watching to see how I manage my finances, time, relationships, health, and opportunities


The way I manage my money is a test of my faithfulness, and it’s going to help determine what I do in heaven. If God can’t trust me with worldly wealth—if I’m always in debt, I can’t afford to tithe, and I’m not generous—then what do I think he’s going to trust me with in eternity?


God is watching how I handle my responsibilities too—not because he wants to make me feel guilty but because he wants me to enjoy all the wonderful things heaven has to offer.


When I choose faithfulness in everything God has entrusted to me on Earth, then I will be entrusted with much more in heaven.


In summary, I won’t be bored in heaven. I won’t be sitting around doing nothing. God wired me and knows what I’m interested in. All my hobbies, skills, and talents come from him. He shaped me with my own spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences. God didn’t just make me extraordinarily unique just for Earth. He’s going to use my shape in eternity. I will work in heaven, but here’s the difference: In heaven, I’m guaranteed to enjoy my work. I won’t experience any heartache or stress. It will be meaningful, enjoyable, and fulfilling all the time. While I may not yet know what my specific roles or responsibilities will be, I do know that they will be based on how faithful I am/was with the roles and responsibilities God gave me to do on Earth. God is watching and testing me. Life is a temporary assignment, and God wants to see how responsible, faithful, and trustworthy I am with the responsibilities I have now. So what am I doing with what I’ve been given? If I make the most of what I’ve been given, then God is going to give me more in heaven. I make it into heaven because of God’s grace, but my rewards and responsibilities will be based on how faithfully I served God on Earth. God is watching to see how I manage my finances, time, relationships, health, and opportunities on earth. The way I manage my money is a test of my faithfulness, and it’s going to help determine what I do in heaven. If God can’t trust me with worldly wealth, then what do I think he’s going to trust me with in eternity? God is watching how I handle my responsibilities too—not because he wants to make me feel guilty but because he wants me to enjoy all the wonderful things heaven has to offer. When I choose faithfulness in everything God has entrusted to me on Earth, then I will be entrusted with much more in heaven.


My integrity is often put on the line in money matters. God calls us to be honest even in small details I could easily ignore. Heaven's riches are far more valuable than earthly wealth. But if we are not trustworthy with our money here (no matter how much or little I have), I will be unfit to handle the vast riches of God's Kingdom. See that I maintain my integrity in all matters, whether big or small.

Thursday, September 29, 2022

I Am Called to Serve Others

In Romans 14:12 I read, “Each of us will give a personal account to God." (NLT)


At the end of my life on Earth, I will stand before God and he’ll evaluate how well I served others with my life. The Bible says, “Each of us will give a personal account to God” (Romans 14:12 NLT).


Think about the implications of that. One day God will compare how much time and energy I spent on myself compared with what I invested in serving others.


At that point, all my excuses for self-centeredness will sound hollow: “I was too busy” or “I had my own goals” or “I was preoccupied with working, having fun, and preparing for retirement.”


To all excuses, God will respond with something like this: “Sorry, wrong answer. I created, saved, and called you. Then I commanded you to live a life of service. What part did you not understand?”


The Bible warns unbelievers, “He will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves” (Romans 2:8 NLT). And Believers who live for themselves will lose eternal rewards


The Bible says that I’m only fully alive when I’m helping others. Jesus said it like this: “If you insist on saving your life, you will lose it. Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live” (Mark 8:35 TLB).


Then he repeats a similar truth twice in the book of Matthew and twice in Luke:


If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give it up for me, you will save it” (Matthew 10:39 TLB).

For anyone who keeps his life for himself shall lose it; and anyone who loses his life for me shall find it again” (Matthew 16:25 TLB).

Whoever loses his life for my sake will save it, but whoever insists on keeping his life will lose it” (Luke 9:24 TLB).

Whoever clings to his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life shall save it” (Luke 17:33 TLB).


Did you catch that? This truth is so important that it is repeated five times in the Gospels. If I am not serving, I’m just existing—because life is meant for ministry.


What does God expect from me? He wants me to learn to love and serve others unselfishly


In summary, at the end of my life, I will stand before God and he’ll evaluate how well I served others with my life. Consider the implications. One day God will compare how much time and energy I spent on myself compared with what I invested in serving others. All my excuses for self-centeredness will sound hollow. To all excuses, God will respond with something like this: “Sorry, wrong answer. I created, saved, and called you. Then I commanded you to live a life of service. What part did you not understand?” The Bible warns unbelievers, “He will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves”. And Believers who live for themselves will lose eternal rewards. The Bible says that I’m only fully alive when I’m helping others. Jesus said “If you insist on saving your life, you will lose it. Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live”. Then he repeats a similar truth twice in the book of Matthew and twice in Luke. This truth is so important that it is repeated five times in the Gospels. If I am not serving, I’m just existing, life is meant for ministry. God wants me to learn to love and serve others unselfishly


Each of us will be accountable to Christ, not to others. When I stand before God and give a personal account of my life, I won't worry about what others have done. It doesn't matter how much or how little I have. What matters is what I do with what I've been given and if God can trust me with more. God has entrusted me with certain assets to manage while I'm here. He's watching, testing and wants to see how I handle them. I can decide what I want my life to be about. When I use the resources he's given me to make an eternal difference, I will hear God say to me, Well Done.

 

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

God Has Work for Me

In Ephesians 2:10 I read, "It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives helping others." (TLB)


God calls me to a service far beyond anything I could ever imagine. I was put on Earth to make a contribution.


God designed me to make a difference with my life. I wasn’t created just to consume resources—to eat, breathe, and take up space. I was created to add to life on Earth, not just to take from it. God wants me to give something backto help other people.


The Bible says, “It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others” (Ephesians 2:10 TLB).  


Whenever I serve others in any way, I am actually serving God. As Colossians 3:23-24 says, “Do your work willingly, as though you were serving the Lord himself, and not just your earthly master. In fact, the Lord Christ is the one you are really serving, and you know he will reward you” (CEV).


In one of his parables, Jesus said, “The king will answer, ‘Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me’” (Matthew 25:40 CEV).


And the apostle Paul shared the same message: “Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people” (Ephesians 6:7 NLT).


God said it this way to the prophet Jeremiah in the Old Testament: “Before I made you in your mother’s womb, I chose you. Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work” (Jeremiah 1:5 NCV).


When most people think of this “special work,” they think of pastors, priests, and professional clergy. But God says that he expects every member of his family to minister. In the Bible, the words “servant” and “minister” are synonyms; “service” and “ministry” are synonyms too. As a Christian, I am a minister. And when I’m serving, I’m ministering.


Why didn’t God just immediately take me to heaven the moment I accepted his grace? Why did he leave me, his children in a fallen world? He leaves me here to fulfill his purposes.


Once I am saved, God intends to use me for his goals. God has a ministry for me in his church and a mission for me in the world.


In summary, God calls me to a service far beyond anything I could ever imagine. I was put on Earth to make a contribution. God designed me to make a difference with my life. I wasn’t created just to consume resources. I was created to add to life on Earth, not just to take from it. God wants me to give something backto help others. Whenever I serve others in any way, I am actually serving God. God says that he expects every member of his family to minister. I am a minister. And when I’m serving, I’m ministering. He leaves me here to fulfill his purposes. God intends to use me for his goals. God has a ministry for me in his church and a mission for me in the world.


I became a Christian through God's unmerited grace, not as a result of any effort, ability, intelligent choice, or act of service on my part. Out of gratitude for this free gift, I should seek to help and serve others with kindness, love, and gentleness, and not merely to please myself. While there is no action or work I can do that can help me obtain salvation, God's intention is that my salvation results in acts of service. I am not merely saved for my own benefit but to serve Christ and build up the church. I am God's work of art and workmanship. My salvation is something only God could do. It is his powerful, creative work within me. If God considers me his workmanship, then I dare not treat myself or others with disrespect or as inferior work.

Monday, September 26, 2022

God’s Goal for Me Is Character, Not Comfort

In Ephesians 4:22-24 I read, “Take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you." (The Message)


Many religions and philosophies promote the old lie that people are divine or can become gods. Let's be absolutely clear: I will never become God or even a god.


That prideful lie is Satan’s oldest temptation. Satan wanted Adam and Eve to follow his advice and promised them this if they would: “You will be like God . . .” (Genesis 3:5 NIV).


This desire to be a god shows up every time I try to control my circumstances, my future, or the people around me. But I’m a creature; I will never be the Creator. God doesn’t want me to become a god; he wants me to become godly, taking on his values, attitudes, and character.


I am meant to “take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into my conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in me” (Ephesians 4:22-24 The Message).


God’s ultimate goal for my life on Earth is not comfort but character development. He wants me to grow up spiritually and become like Christ.


Becoming like Christ does not mean losing my personality or becoming a mindless clone. God created my uniqueness, so he certainly doesn’t want to destroy it. Christlikeness is all about transforming my character, not my personality.


Every time I forget that character is one of God’s purposes for my life, I become frustrated by my circumstances. I’ll wonder, “Why is this happening to me? Why am I having such a difficult time?” One answer is that life is supposed to be difficult! Difficulty enables me to grow. Remember, Earth is not heaven.


In John 10:10, Jesus promises: “I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (KJV). Many Christians misinterpret this promise of abundant life to mean perfect health, a comfortable lifestyle, constant happiness, full realization of dreams, and instant relief from problems through faith and prayer.


In a word, expecting the Christian life to be easy. Expecting heaven on Earth.


But God is not my genie or my servant. If I fall for the idea that life is supposed to be easy, I will become severely disillusioned and live in denial of reality.


Life is not about me! I exist for God’s purposes, not vice versa. Why would God provide heaven on Earth when he’s planned the real thing for us in eternity?  


God gives me my time on Earth to build and strengthen my characterso that I’ll be ready for an eternity in heaven.


In summary, many religions and philosophies promote the old lie that people are divine or can become gods. That prideful lie is Satan’s oldest temptation. This desire to be a god shows up every time I try to control my circumstances, my future, or the people around me. But I’m a creature; I will never be the Creator. God doesn’t want me to become a god; he wants me to become godly, taking on his values, attitudes, and character. I am meant to “take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into my conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in me. God’s ultimate goal for my life on Earth is not comfort but character development. He wants me to grow up spiritually and become like Christ. God created my uniqueness, so he certainly doesn’t want to destroy it. Christlikeness is all about transforming my character, not my personality. Every time I forget that character is one of God’s purposes for my life, I become frustrated by my circumstances and wonder, “Why is this happening?” Life is supposed to be difficult! Difficulty enables me to grow. Earth is not heaven. Many misinterpret the promise of abundant life to mean perfect health, a comfortable lifestyle, constant happiness, full realization of dreams, and instant relief from problems through faith and prayer. Expecting the Christian life to be easy. Expecting heaven on Earth. But God is not my genie or my servant. If I fall for the idea that life is supposed to be easy, I will become severely disillusioned and live in denial of reality. Life is not about me! I exist for God’s purposes. God gives me my time on Earth to build and strengthen my characterso that I’ll be ready for an eternity in heaven.


My old way of life before I believed in Christ is completely in the past. I should put it behind me like old clothes to be thrown away. When I decided to accept Christ's gift of salvation, it was a one-for-all-time decision along with daily conscious commitments. I am not to be driven by desire and impulse. I must put on a new nature, head in a new direction, and have a new way of thinking that the Holy Spirit gives me.