“I have also learned why people work so hard to succeed: it is because they envy the things their neighbors have. But it is useless. It is like chasing the wind.”
Ecclesiastes 4:4 (GNT) We can come up with many excuses for overworking. Sometimes we blame it on needing to provide for our family. Other times we insist our work is so important that to slow down would be negligent. But usually, it’s a values problem. We start valuing the wrong things. Specifically, we value the acquisition of stuff above all else. The Bible says, “I have also learned why people work so hard to succeed: it is because they envy the things their neighbors have. But it is useless. It is like chasing the wind” (Ecclesiastes 4:4 GNT). God says we have two options: We can either spend all our time keeping up with the Joneses, or we can forget them and reduce our stress level—but we can’t have both. That’s how this becomes a question of values. Do you want more stuff, or do you want less stress and more time with your family and friends? The choice is yours. Jesus said it like this: “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Mark 8:36 NIV). Or, “What good is it to become president of your company but lose your kids or your spouse?” The simple answer? It’s not good at all. Your work and your worth are two different things. Maybe you grew up being told you’re worthless, and you’re out in the workplace trying to prove everyone wrong. In the back of your mind, you’re telling yourself, “I’m going to show them. I’m going to prove them wrong.” You work harder and harder, but no matter how hard you work, it’s never enough. Just about the time you start to relax, you hear a haunting voice telling you, “Keep pedaling. Somebody’s catching up!” You need to get rid of the voice. It’s feeding you a lie. A pastor sat by many bedsides as people died. He's seen many people take their last breath, sometimes at a hospital, sometimes in a home, and sometimes at the scene of an accident. Among all of the people he's watched die in his life, he's never heard anyone say with their dying breath, “I wish I’d spent more time at the office.” Not one. Don’t you think it’s time to adjust your values? Get out of the rat race.
0 Comments
“Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves."
Romans 12:3 (NLT) The Bible says that God wants you to listen to your heart. To know what he wants you to do, he wants you to look at what you’re made to do. But most people these days are moving so fast that they don’t have time to listen to their hearts. We’ve got to slow down! We’re all in such a hurry, stressed with too much to do, not realizing until later that we didn’t have to do so much. That describes most people today in America. They’re speeding with no direction. But God wants you to slow down and listen to your heart. Romans 12:3 says, “Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves” (NLT). I suggest you get alone with God and ask these questions: What do I love to do? What do I dream of doing? What fascinates me? What can I talk about, think about, and study all day and not get bored? Where have I been most effective in my life? An 80-year-old woman was baptized. She wanted to be a small group host. That’s pretty cool—an 80-year-old small group host! She said, “I just wish I had learned years ago that we serve God out of our design, not out of duty.” It would be great if everybody could learn that truth. That’s what SHAPE—your Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences—is all about. We serve God out of our design, the way he shaped us. We serve God not out of duty but because we love him. When you do what God has wired you to do, it brings him glory. That’s the way to live. Don’t serve God out of force or design or guilt. Serve him out of delight and gratitude. Start by making a careful exploration of who you are and the work you’ve been given. In other words, discover what God put you on earth to do. Then go do it with joy! “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.”
Mark 8:35 (NLT) How do you know if you are living for your dream or God’s dream? You may think you were created to get up, go to work, come home, watch TV, and go to bed, to make a little money, retire, and die. Really? You think that’s all God put you here for? If your dream is truly from God, it will somehow be connected to his church and his plan for the world. Why would God give you a self-centered dream, unconnected to what he wants to do in the world? He wants to use you for his dream. He wants to use you for his plan. God is building a family, and he’s collecting family members from every nation, tribe, language, and people group. When everybody’s in the family that he knows will be in the family, it’s over. We’re going into phase two, which is eternity. That’s God’s big plan. Right before Jesus went back to heaven after the resurrection, he gave the disciples a great dream. It’s called the Great Commission: “Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20 NLT). The Great Commission is your commission. We’ve had 2,000 years of God building his family. It’s the whole purpose of history. And when God gives you a dream for your life, it is somehow going to be connected to his overarching plan. It’s connected to the growth of his kingdom and his family until the day it’s completed and we all go to heaven. Mark 8:35 says, “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it” (NLT). You weren’t put here on earth to live for yourself. Ask God to give you his dream for your life so that you can be part of the biggest, best, and most important story. “Since we are God’s coworkers, we urge you not to let God’s kindness be wasted on you.”
2 Corinthians 6:1 (GW) When God gives you another chance to fulfill your mission in life, seize it. Don’t waste it. It’s the time to focus on God’s unique calling for your life. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 6:1, “Since we are God’s coworkers, we urge you not to let God’s kindness be wasted on you” (GW). God’s done so much for you. He’s forgiven your sins. He’s given you more than one second chance. He will give you another opportunity to serve him. Take a look at Paul. He was killing Christians because he thought they were heretics who were following a dead and disgraced leader. But then Jesus confronted Paul on the road to Damascus—and offered him a second chance to fulfill his real mission on earth. Paul accepted his assignment and did a 180-degree turn—and he never forgot the second chance God gave him. Later in his ministry, Paul said: “I don’t care about my own life. The most important thing is that I complete my mission, the work that the Lord Jesus gave me—to tell people the Good News about God’s grace” (Acts 20:24 NCV). Because Paul was so grateful God was using him, nothing else mattered to him. No matter how badly you’ve messed up, God hasn’t changed your mission. Maybe you’ve started to drift just a little bit. God still hasn’t changed your mission. So get back to it. Get started today. When God gives you another chance, don’t delay—obey. God’s second chances reflect his grace and his love for you. “Joseph went from Nazareth, a city in Galilee, to a Judean city called Bethlehem . . . Joseph went there to register with Mary. She had been promised to him in marriage and was pregnant. While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to have her child.”
Luke 2:4-6 (GW) God’s plan for your life is good. It’s for your benefit. It’s a loving plan. But it doesn’t mean it’s painless, and it doesn’t mean it’ll always be convenient. This was particularly true with Jesus’ birth. The circumstances were hardly convenient for Mary and Joseph. The Bible tells us, “At that time, the Emperor Augustus ordered a census of the Roman Empire . . . So Joseph went from Nazareth, a city in Galilee, to a Judean city called Bethlehem . . . Joseph went there to register with Mary. She had been promised to him in marriage and was pregnant. While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to have her child” (Luke 2:1, 4-6 GW). As they prepared to face their role as parents to the Son of God, Mary and Joseph heard that Caesar issued a census, and everybody had to go back to their ancestral town. Let’s put that in perspective: If tomorrow the government made a rule that required every single person to go back to the town they were from—all at the same time—it would cause chaos! Every plane, train, and automobile would be booked. Every highway would be filled. It would be incredibly frustrating and remarkably inconvenient. Now try navigating that chaos nine months pregnant. Imagine how inconvenient it would be to travel by donkey to another city when you’re ready to give birth at any moment. That’s what Mary did. Then, when she finally got to Bethlehem, she had to deliver her baby in a barn, surrounded by a bunch of animals. None of the circumstances around Jesus’ birth were convenient. But they were part of God’s plan. It had been long foretold that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. The inconveniences to get them there were part of a bigger plan for Joseph and Mary, one that was better than they could have ever dreamed. Joseph and Mary trusted God through their discomfort and fear. You, too, can trust that all the things God does in your life are because he knows best. He might use some inconveniences to get you where you need to be, but he is always working for your good and working out his purposes in your life. “Do you remember how the Lord led you through the wilderness for all those forty years, humbling you and testing you to find out how you would respond, and whether or not you would really obey him?”
Deuteronomy 8:2 (TLB) Dreams are never fulfilled immediately. There is always a waiting period. The Israelites were brought out of Egypt and then wandered around for 40 years before they went into the Promised Land, even though their journey shouldn’t have taken more than a few weeks. Just like the Israelites, sometimes you are delayed by God’s design. Every dream has difficulties, and God uses delays to prepare you to face those difficulties. God also uses delays to test you. The Bible says in Deuteronomy 8:2, “Do you remember how the Lord led you through the wilderness for all those forty years, humbling you and testing you to find out how you would respond, and whether or not you would really obey him?” (TLB). So when your dream is delayed, how should you respond? Don’t fear! Embracing fear is the first mistake the Israelites made. Deuteronomy 1:28 says, “Why should we go there? We are afraid. The men we sent tell us that the people there are stronger and taller than we are” (GNT). The Israelites had enough faith to move out of Egypt, but they didn’t have enough faith to move into the Promised Land. They were afraid. The problem with fear is that it keeps you in the wilderness. It prolongs the delay. Many of your dreams have never been fulfilled, not because of God but because of you--because you wouldn’t step out in faith. The antidote to fear is focusing on God’s presence. You remember that God is with you. He says, “Fear not, for I am with you” (Isaiah 41:10 TLB). He’s with you now, he always has been, and he always will be. Maybe you’re in the delay phase right now. You’ve been praying about something, and it hasn’t happened yet. You may start to think that God has forgotten you. God will never forget you! This is a delay by design. God knows what you’re going through. He wants to build your character, and he wants you to learn to trust in him. You can count on him for his help. Don’t fear. “A man is a fool to trust himself! But those who use God’s wisdom are safe.”
Proverbs 28:26 (TLB) Nothing happens with your dream until you move forward in faith! God gave Moses the dream of leading the children of Israel out of 400 years of slavery—but Moses had to make the decision to confront Pharaoh. God gave Noah the dream of saving the world from the flood—but Noah had to make the decision to build the ark. God gave Abraham the dream of building a new nation—but Abraham had to make the decision to leave everything and go out into the unknown. Just like these people in the Bible, you’ll never realize God’s dream for your life until you come to the stage of decision-making and choose to step out in faith. There is a simple, workable plan for making wise decisions that will keep you on track pursuing God’s dream for your life. 1. Pray for guidance. Before you do anything else, get God’s perspective on the issue. “A man is a fool to trust himself! But those who use God’s wisdom are safe” (Proverbs 28:26 TLB). 2. Get the facts. There is no contradiction between faith and fact. Find out everything you can before you make a decision. Proverbs 13:16 says, “All who are prudent act with knowledge” (NIV). 3. Ask for advice. Talk to somebody who’s made a similar decision and to friends who know your weaknesses. “The more good advice you get, the more likely you are to win” (Proverbs 24:6 GNT). 4. Calculate the cost. Every decision has a price tag; it may cost you time, money, energy, reputation, talents, or resources. Proverbs 20:25 says, “It is a trap to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider one’s vows” (NIV). When people pressure you to make a decision, it’s okay to say, “I’ll get back to you.” It’s more important to make a wise decision than a quick decision. 5. Prepare for problems. In faith, expect the best. Expect God to work in your life. But also prepare for the problems that are part of every decision. Solomon said in Proverbs 22:3, “A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences” (TLB). 6. Face your fears. Perfectionism paralyzes potential. God has always used imperfect people in imperfect situations to accomplish his will. Ecclesiastes 11:4 says, “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done” (TLB). In spite of your problems, doubts, or fears, trust God and start moving in the direction of your dream. “I have learned that everything has limits.”
Psalm 119:96 (GNT) If you want to build margin in your life so that you can do the work God meant for you to do, you have to remember that you are only human. You are not a god. You are not invincible. You have limits! Psalm 119:96 says, “I have learned that everything has limits” (GNT). God is the author of your limitations. He put them there for your good—because he loves you. So rather than fighting your limits, you need to accept your limits. Sadly, as human beings we’re not very adept at recognizing our limits. We constantly overestimate our abilities and underestimate obstacles and how much time it will take to do something. On top of that, we live in a culture that constantly tells us, “You can do it all! You can have it all! You can be whatever you want!” But it’s not true. You can be all that God wants you to be, but you cannot be whatever you want to be. There are limits in your life. In the first place, you have physical limits. You can’t go six months without food, no matter how much you talk yourself into it. Even the most powerful positive thinking can’t overcome your physical limits. You also have emotional limits. These are much harder for you to recognize in your own life. Many people try to carry both their own problems and the problems of people around them. But how many people can you carry emotionally? How many of their problems can you handle? Probably not as many as you think. You have mental limits too. The problem is that the media constantly pumps new information into your mind through radio, TV, and the Internet. As a result, many people around the world are mentally on overload. They can’t handle any more. And, of course, you have time limits. No matter how many time-management seminars you attend, you’ll never have more than 24 hours in a day. And you’ll always have to sleep for part of that time. You might be thinking, “It would really be nice if God would warn me when I’m reaching my limit.” God has given you a warning light! It has different names: pain, fatigue, stress, loss of joy, irritability. When you feel any of these things, you’re on overload; you have exceeded some kind of limit in your life. So how do you build margin in your life? The starting point for building margin is to realize you need margin because you have limits. You cannot just keep cramming your life full of things that are not important and do not help you accomplish your purpose. Ask God to give you the wisdom to recognize your limits. Then start building margin into your life—and experience the joy that comes when you’re not living on overload. “I think you ought to know, dear brothers, about the hard time we went through in Asia. We were really crushed and overwhelmed, and feared we would never live through it. We . . . saw how powerless we were to help ourselves; but that was good, for then we put everything into the hands of God, who alone could save us, for he can even raise the dead.”
2 Corinthians 1:8-9 (TLB) Everyone experiences problems at work. But sometimes those problems keep growing to the point that they become overwhelming, and you feel like they’re about to swallow you up. What do you do then? You do what Paul did when he was overwhelmed. Remember, Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ, and he traveled throughout the world to share the good news. He says in 2 Corinthians 1:8-9, “I think you ought to know, dear brothers, about the hard time we went through in Asia. We were really crushed and overwhelmed, and feared we would never live through it. We . . . saw how powerless we were to help ourselves; but that was good, for then we put everything into the hands of God, who alone could save us, for he can even raise the dead” (TLB). When you’re experiencing a problem at work that is so overwhelming that you think you’re going to hit the wall, you need to do three things. First, turn the problem over to God through prayer. You can say like Paul does, “God, I’m overwhelmed. I feel helpless. I’m confused. I feel like I’m not going to make it through.” Cry out to God and surrender the problem to him. Second, make sure you’re in a small group. In the 2 Corinthians passage, the word “we” is used six times, and the word “us” is used twice. When Paul was going through an overwhelming circumstance in his job, he was not alone. Like Paul, you need fellow believers you can count on. Specifically, you need to have a small group of friends who will study the Bible with you every week, pray with you and for you regularly, and encourage you when you’re going through a tough time at work. Third, remember that God uses people at work to teach you how to love. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 16:14, “Do all your work in love” (GNT). At work—and in every area of your life—as you learn to get along with other people, you’re actually learning how to love. And learning how to love is what life is all about. What are some practical ways to learn to love at work? Treat your coworkers how you want to be treated in your job. Show your coworkers that loving them is more important to you than any job skill. And, no matter how difficult work gets, be mindful of loving others like Jesus. Remember, when work gets overwhelming, you should pray, lean on your small group, and do all your work in love. “If by continuing to live I can do more worthwhile work, then I am not sure which I should choose. I am pulled in two directions. I want very much to leave this life and be with Christ, which is a far better thing; but for your sake it is much more important that I remain alive. I am sure of this, and so I know that I will stay. I will stay on with you all, to add to your progress and joy in the faith.”
Philippians 1:22-25 (GNT) When you stay focused on your purpose instead of your problem you can have joy, even when life seems to be falling apart. Paul is an old man when he is in prison in Rome. He is a long way from home. He is awaiting execution. Everything has been taken from him—his friends, his freedom, his ministry, and even his privacy, with a guard chained to him 24 hours a day. It isn’t exactly a happy time for Paul. But there is one thing they could not take away from Paul: his purpose. Paul makes the choice to stay focused on his purpose, even when he has lost everything else. What is his purpose? Serving God by serving others. Paul says in Philippians 1:22-25, “If by continuing to live I can do more worthwhile work, then I am not sure which I should choose. I am pulled in two directions. I want very much to leave this life and be with Christ, which is a far better thing; but for your sake it is much more important that I remain alive. I am sure of this, and so I know that I will stay. I will stay on with you all, to add to your progress and joy in the faith” (GNT). In Viktor Frankl’s book, Man’s Search for Meaning. Frankl was a Jewish psychiatrist who was taken to one of the death camps in Nazi Germany. All of his family and friends were gassed and murdered. He writes in his book about one day when he stood in front of the Gestapo, stark naked. They’d taken away the prisoners’ clothes and even Frankl’s wedding ring. As he stood there with nothing at all, he suddenly realized there was one thing the Nazis could not take away from him: his choice in how he would respond. You cannot totally control what other people do to you. You cannot control what other people do around you. But you can control how you respond. Choose to serve others, even when you are hurting. Choose to forgive. Choose to focus on God’s promises and not your circumstances. Those are the kind of choices that lead to greater faith. Then, your faith will produce greater joy. |
AuthorTaken from Daily Hope by Rick Warren. Categories
All
Archives
July 2024
|