Offering Our Weaknesses To God As His Weapons
"He never received a formal education. His numerous letters, many of which still exist, are filled with grammatical errors. His physical appearance is not particularly impressive. His voice is high-pitched and nasal. Yet, these obstacles did not hinder God from using him to shake two continents."
A journalist was sent by his newspaper to write about the gospel campaign organized by D.L. Moody in England and to find out what the secret was behind his ability to bring so many people to Christ, those from both the nobility and the common people. After careful observation, he reported, "I cannot see anything in Moody that can explain his astonishing work."
When Moody read the report, he purportedly chuckled and said,
"That is precisely the secret of the spiritual revival that has taken place. The power of God has worked in [me]. The work is God's, not mine.'"
The way God works is beyond human comprehension. He uses those who surrender themselves and allow Him to work more than they can think or imagine.
J.S. Stewart wrote,
"It is that God always builds His kingdom on the very things that are weak and humble in man, and He can not only use us in our ordinariness and helplessness, with weaknesses that render us seemingly useless, but precisely because of those weaknesses ... there is nothing that can overcome a congregation or a soul that is taken, not by its strength, but by its weaknesses, offering those weaknesses to God as His weapons.'"
Today, as you look at your life and the "work" that is set before you (in your career, your child rearing, your ministry, or whatever), remember the "work" is not yours to do. It is God's to do through you. Surrender yourself to Him and His purposes.
Offer up your weaknesses to Him as His weapons!
"'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
The Dignity of Work
CNN reports that Geoffrey Owens "has found a silver lining after being thrust into the spotlight for simply doing his job." Owens, who played Elvin Tibideaux on "The Cosby Show" was recently photographed bagging groceries at a New Jersey Trader Joe's.
"I got to the point that I needed to take a job to pay my bills, to support my family, it was basically that," Owens said. Owens income took a hit after reruns of "The Cosby Show" were pulled due to Cosby's conviction of sexual assault last spring.
"I lost a lot of money from that," Owens said. "I don't feel sorry for myself about that. But the fact is that was another contributing factor, along with everything else everyone has to deal with -- medical bills, car issues, kids in college, you name it.
"What I hope continues to resonate is the idea that one job is not better than another," Owens said. "A certain job might pay more, it might have better benefits, it might look better on paper, but that essentially one kind of work isn't better than another kind of work, that we reevaluate that whole idea and we start honoring the dignity of work and the dignity of the working person."
I recall the story of two men who were discussing the TV programs they had watched the previous evening. One man mentioned his remote control device, which he used to change channels from his easy chair. “That is one luxury I can get along without,” said the other man. He continued: “It’s a sad day when I get so lazy that I can’t tell my wife or daughter to get up and change the channel.”
It is Scripture that reminds us of the dignity of work and the dignity of the working person. In the very first book of Scripture, Genesis, we read: “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it" (Genesis 2:15). Paul, in his letter to the Colossians, tells us “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters" (Colossians 3:23).
Working For The Man
Fox News Reports:
A new study out of England shows that there is an exact time each week that people feel unhappiest.
According to an online article by the DailyMail, most people are most miserable at 11:17 a.m. on a Monday morning. The study by Plusnet says that only a quarter of those polled feel good before midday on Mondays.
What the article doesn’t discuss is why Monday morning at 11:17 is the moment when so many people feel “most miserable." The obvious answer would seem to be that it’s the beginning of the work week, so we feel the full burden of our weekly responsibilities. The fact is, few of us really enjoy our vocation and fewer still would choose to do what we do if we didn’t need the money. So we slog though our weeks, anxious for Friday to come.
What can be done about those Monday morning blues? Well, if you’re one of those who pine away at work, here’s the good news: You don’t have to do that anymore—you have a choice. Rather than feeling “the most miserable,” you can choose to meet God at 11:17 am every Monday morning. Instead of being overburdened by a job you resent, you can take all you do out of obligation and commit to doing it for God out of joy.
Why be miserable when you don’t have to be? Choose to do that same old, tired, mundane job, “hardily, as unto the Lord?”
Why work "for the man" when you can work for the Man?!?
“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).
"You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand" (Psalm 16:11).