Workday Prayer

Our Father in Heaven;

Thank you that I can rest in Your Holy presence through the shed blood of your Son.

May my life and work honor Your Holy name.

Help me to keep my eyes focused on You and Your kingdom as I go about my work.

May my work, my attitudes, and my speech be pleasing in Your sight, and in accordance with Your will.

May everything that my employer and colleagues do and say be in accordance with Your will.

Thank You for giving me the skills, energy and creativity to earn my daily bread.

Thank You for this job and employer which provides for my daily bread.

Forgive me when my actions or attitudes or words are not pleasing in Your sight. 

Fill me with Your love for my coworkers and customers so that I am able to forgive. 

Keep me from temptation at work so that I might not sin before Your Holy presence. 

Deliver me from people and situations who wish to harm me or bring evil into my life. 

Enable me to be a bearer of grace, hope, joy, and peace, in even the most stressful of situations. 

May I go about my work in such a way that my coworkers and customers glorify Your Holy Name.

Amen

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“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17 NIV)

Anxiety Meets Humility

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6-7 NIV)

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Humility and Anxiety sat down one day to have a conversation. Anxiety, with his brow wrinkled, sat there fretting and wondering if he would be allowed to speak first, and if he could communicate his thoughts clearly. Humility looked at Anxiety with kindness, and graciously asked, “So what is on your mind?” Without hesitating, Anxiety replied,

• “I am not being noticed”
• “My work is not appreciated”
• “I am not receiving the praise I deserve”
• “I don’t have enough time”
• “I don’t have the right skills”
• “I am not good enough”
• “God made a mistake, I am not enough”

Pausing to take a breath, Anxiety asked, “Am I making myself clear?”

Humility smiled and gently said, “Yes.”

Anxiety retorted, “But what about you; you sit there so peacefully, like nothing gets under your skin. What’s your secret?”

Humility replied softly,

• “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want”¹
• “God knows when I sit and when I rise” ²
• “God is familiar with all my ways” ³
• “God made me just right for this time and for this place” ⁴
• “I am using the gifts and talents God has entrusted me with to the best of my ability” ⁵
• “God fearfully and wonderfully made me, I am enough” ⁶

“Don’t you ever have doubts or fears?” wondered Anxiety.

“Of course I do,” said Humility. “The devil never ceases whispering into my ears. But I have become really good at throwing.”

“Throwing?” asked Anxiety.

“Yes,” said Humility. “It has taken years of practice, but now when Satan whispers doubts or fears into my heart, I take them and throw them with all my might into the deep, deep sea of Jesus’ grace⁷. And you know something, no matter how bad my aim is, they never come back to haunt me again. And the best part of all is the harder I throw them, the larger the splash of joy and peace that washes over my soul!”

Prayer

God of all grace, who called us to your eternal glory in Christ, we thank you that we can throw all our anxieties into your deep, deep sea of grace. Restore us, make us strong, firm and steadfast so that we can resist the devil. To you belongs all the power for ever and ever. Amen.

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[1]– Ps 23:1;[2] – Ps 139:2; [3] – Ps 139:3; [4] – Esther 4:14; [5] – Matt 25:14-30; [6] – Ps 139.14; [7] – 1 Peter 5:7

Choose Your Attitutde

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in as much as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. (1 Peter 4:12-13 NIV)

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What is your attitude when people react positively or negatively upon learning of your faith in Christ? Are you surprised? Or are you filled with joy, rejoicing in your continued fellowship with your Savior who also suffered and yet was without sin? Is fear of how people might treat you,keeping you from courageously walking forward into the next phase of your life or making an important decision?

Victor Frankl a brilliant doctor whom the Nazis imprisoned in a concentration camp learned that “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way¹.” You can choose to respond to people in ways that glorify God.

God’s Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might and knowledge rests upon you. This is a present reality, not just a future hope. Today God offers you the wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge and strength to respond with grace when people react to your faith and Christian worldview.

Your faithful creator holds the future and knows what your future holds. Your hope does not rest on what people think of your worldview, or what people say about you. Your hope rests in the one who created you and this world. Entrust your life in every moment and in every circumstance to God’s gentle, protective care for safekeeping. God is faithful, he is worthy of your trust. Demonstrate your trust by doing good, by following Christ’s example. Remember that the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their prayer². Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, then your heart will be filled with joy!

Prayer

Gracious father we commit our lives to you, our faithful creator. Fill us with your joy when we participate in the sufferings of Christ so that we may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. Amen

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Scripture– 1 Peter 4:12-19 NIV

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in as much as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

Memoirs of an Apostle

Now to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore – Jude 25

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Imagine sitting with one of the apostles near the end of their life as they reminisced.

I am an old man now, but I still remember that evening. The evening hadn’t gone the way we had expected it to go. Earlier that week the crowds had celebrated with us shouting ‘Hosanna,Blessed is He who comes in the name of The Lord” as we came into Jerusalem. We had thought that this evening might be the beginning of a revolution, that Rome would be overthrown and that we would be set free. In hindsight we should have known better. The evening began with Jesus kneeling down and washing our feet. Then we sat together eating the Passover meal. I always enjoyed meals with Jesus, there was something relaxing and peaceful about sitting at a meal and listening to Jesus. That evening he told us that this would be the last Passover meal he would eat with us before he suffered. Then Jesus did something he had never done before, he took a sip of wine from his cup, and passed it around the table, saying “take this and share it among yourselves. For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God has come."¹ Afterwards he took a loaf of bread, broke off a piece and passed it around for us to eat. He said “this is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me."² He told us he was going to His Father and he promised us that we would never be alone. For when he left the Holy Spirit would come. None of us fully comprehended what he was saying. Jesus talked about many other things that evening including emphasizing that we needed to continue to love each other the same way he loves us.

After we finished the meal, Jesus started to pray for us. What a privilege it was to sit with Jesus and hear him pray. It was like he was talking to his father who was sitting right next to him. As Jesus prayed my mind drifted to when I first saw Jesus. He was coming out of the water, after John the Baptist had baptized him I saw a dove descend on his head, and I heard this voice from heaven say “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy!"³ Shortly after that he personally stopped to talk to me, and invited me to follow him. I thought back on the meals, the laughter, the tears and the miracles we shared together. As I listened to Jesus pray that evening, I heard him ask that we would not be taken out of the world. Too be honest, at that moment in time, if Jesus was leaving, I wanted to leave to.

But now many years later, I can truly say that I am glad that I have remained here in this world. It hasn’t been easy, the world does hate me. I have spent time in jail; I have been,beaten, mocked and misunderstood. But I have never, ever, ever, for one moment been alone. I continue to cherish the growing oneness I have with other Christians who walk beside me. Each and every day I have had the joy of experiencing God’s love. I know that my redeemer lives, that he has protected me and kept me time after time from stumbling.

Do not lose heart, for by our faith we have overcome the world. I know that one day soon we will stand before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy! Now to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord,before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen⁴.

[1] Luke 22:17-18 NLT

[2] Luke 22:19 NLT

[3] Luke 3:22 NLT

[4] Jude 25

A Life Marked by Grace - 1 Peter 4:1-11

Prepare yourself mentally for action – For the act of walking away from your past life and satisfying your own desires. Make a clean break from sin, even as Christ’s finished work on the cross dealt once and for all for sin.

Boldly walk into a new life marked by grace– A life that desires to do the will of God.

1. A life framed by prayer;
2. A life of generosity and hospitality;
3. A life of service where you use your gifts in the workplace as faithful stewards of God’s grace. Serving with the strength God provides.
4. A life of gracious speech where in every situation you only speak the words of God, words of life, words of hope, words of joy, words of peace, words of love.
5. A life rooted in deep love for all other believers. For together we are being built up into a spiritual house, a holy royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession. Our love for each other needs to be as constant and enduring as the word of God that lasts forever. When you love other Christians you enable them to be a reconciling presence in their workplace, you enable them to love, you enable then to offer hospitality – you enable them to serve with the gifts God has blessed them with.

When you are willing to suffer for the good of others; when you are willing to put the interest of others before your own; before your career interests, before your financial interests; then you become a reconciling presence in the workplace. Then you are done with sin in your life.

Choose to live this way so that God may be praised through Jesus Christ. Choose to live a life marked by grace for God’s glory. You are able to live this way because God has filled you with the power to live this way.

Prayer

Gracious Father, thank you for your grace. Help us to live our lives today to your glory and honor so that in all things you may be praised. Amen

Scripture– 1 Peter 4:1-11 NIV

Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result,they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you. But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body,but live according to God in regard to the spirit.

The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.