God's Redeeming Power

Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this? (Esther 4:14)

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Along the path of your life, in each circumstance you find yourself in; continue to listen to God’s voice and be obedient. God is not surprised by where you are today. God remains faithful! God hasn’t stopped fulfilling his promises! God will not be surprised by where you are tomorrow. In every situation, through the power of the Holy Spirit, choose faithfulness and obedience to God. Keep your eyes focused on Christ. When you find yourself faced with temptations of any sort – stand firm in the grace of God. Stand firm where God has planted you because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of your Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.

According to his loving, wise and good pleasure God is bringing to your situation redemption, healing and provision in ways beyond what your finite mind can grasp or imagine. Quietly trust and obey, knowing that God’s redeeming power is actively at work in the midst of the sin and darkness around you. You are not the savior of your workplace, but you know the Savior of this world. It is God’s redeeming power that restores and heals lives, families and relationships broken by sin. God redeems the harmful actions of those around you according to his good pleasure. By remaining faithful, you may be God’s chosen instrument for such a time as this at your workplace. Watch patiently and rejoice as you see the powerful, redeeming hand of the Lord of heaven and earth accomplish more than you ever imagined or dreamed. 

May the Almighty bless you with blessings from the skies above, and blessings from the deep springs below. 

A Canopy of Grace

When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices;

Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted (Prov 11:10a, 11a)

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Your righteousness is making a difference in your workplace! Your Godly behavior is bringing a blessing to the people where you work! Your honesty has been noticed not only by your employer, but by the people you work with. The fact that you don’t make excuses, but do the work you are asked to do, and do it with a smile is appreciated. The fact that you go the extra mile, to make sure that things are in the right order, and the right place, so that work is easier for your colleagues, hasn’t gone unnoticed. 

Many people find it remarkable that you quietly avoid the griping about your boss, and the complaints about the way the company is being run. In fact when people ask your opinion, they are amazed that you always have something positive to say. When you speak, people know that you are speaking the truth motivated by love, with a desire to see things improve, rather than to see someone being belittled or hurt. In fact nobody can remember you ever stabbing somebody in their back, or saying hateful things about somebody. Your righteous behavior is making a difference in your organization. Within your sphere of influence (however limited that might be), by being Christ’s living presence in your workplace, by having the Lord’s favor rest upon you, you are a ‘canopy of grace’ for your co-workers. Your words, your smiles, your peaceful demeanor bring joy and gladness to people’s hearts. Because you delight in the law of the Lord, God has planted You like a tree by streams of water, that brings a cool shadow of protection, and beauty within your workplace. 

The Lord has promised, that as you continue to trust in the Lord with all your heart, that He will make your paths straight. He hasn’t said that your paths will be easy. But he has promised that wherever your paths may lead, that he will be with you, that he will be a lamp unto your feet, that he will delight over you and that he will bring blessings through you to those around you. Wherever you go, by your righteousness, by your faith in your living savior, by your obedience to your risen Lord, you bring a canopy of grace to those in your sphere of influence. 

Prayer 

Lord, may the meditations of our heart, the words from our mouths, and the work of hands be pleasing in your sight. Amen 

Who is your neighbor?

We love because he first loved us – 1 John 4:19

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Neighbors come from surprising places. Your neighbor is different from my neighbor. Neighbors could be down the street, in the office, on the team, or halfway across the world. Neighbors could be from the same race or a different race. Neighbors might even support different political parties. Whoever your neighbor may be, they are people created in the image of God, people like you and I with hopes and dreams, people who need to know that they are precious, that they are important and that they are loved. In the hope that ‘some’ people might not be your neighbor Do you catch ourselves asking the question ‘who is my neighbor?’

Are your neighbors at work just the friendly customers with smiles on their face, and the out-going coworkers who go the extra mile to make your job and the workplace a fun place to be? Do your neighbors include co-workers who are living pay-check to pay-check wondering if they are next on the lay-off list. Is the new employee who is struggling to learn the ropes and do his job or the employee who is creating more work for you also your neighbor? Is your supervisor your neighbor?

Out of love for the Lord your God, when you see that person who desperately needs a neighbor, choose to love him or her as yourself even as Christ first loved you. You have been filled with the Holy Spirit, the Comforter who will guide you in all truth and wisdom so that you can discern who your neighbor is, and how best to love them. As you rest in your Father’s love you will find the strength today, this moment, to love your co-workers. He will give you the grace to hear their hearts, hopes and dreams, if you only ask him. Truly you can love your neighbor because Christ first loved you. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your great love for us. You ask us to love others as we love our selves. We know that we cannot do this on our own strength, and so we ask you to walk beside us, and fill us with your love for our co-workers, for those who desperately need a neighbor. Amen.

Thanksgiving

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, 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 4:4-8) 

The Lord is near. Christ is the anchor of your life. Christ is the source of your strength. Christ’s power has overcome all principalities and powers. Christ is sufficient for you to have a peace that transcends all understanding. As one who has been richly blessed by divine grace are you able to bow down in thanksgiving today? Lay out before God what has been bottled up in your heart. Then in gratitude make room for God in your life and your workplace by giving thanks that Jesus is Lord of your life and Lord of your workplace. 

By giving thanks you center your life in Christ. When you humbly adopt a posture of thanksgiving you cannot keep your eyes on yourself and what is going on around you. For thanksgiving takes you outside of yourself, outside your circumstances, and orients your focus on your loving heavenly Father. Through thanksgiving you acknowledge that God has created you and blessed you with the skills to do your work. Through thanksgiving you acknowledge that everything you have is a gift from God. Through thanksgiving you acknowledge God’s goodness and generosity. Thanksgiving acknowledges by faith that Jesus is Lord of your workplace; that Jesus placed you there, and that Jesus is in control of what is happening at your workplace. 

At times when life is going well, thanksgiving can keep you from idolatry by keeping you focused on the one who has blessed you in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing. At times when the waves of life seem to overwhelm you, and it is hard to see God in the midst of the storm, thanksgiving can keep you from idolatry by keeping you focused on the one who has promised never to leave you or forsake you. Thanksgiving gives you the opportunity to see your circumstances through your Father’s eyes. When you are thankful to God, you can see God’s hand in all that is true, all that is noble, all that is right, all that is pure, all that is lovely, and all that is admirable in the midst of the blessings, darkness and sin that is around you. When you are thankful you will see things that are excellent and praiseworthy. 

May your life be filled with thanksgiving! 

May your heart rejoice in the Lord! 

May he who began a good work in you carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus! 

May your love abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.