Work heartily, as for the Lord

Praise: God the Liberator. "I will praise You because 'you are my help and my deliverer, O LORD'" (Psalm 70:5)

Scripture: 'Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men .. You are serving the Lord Christ.' [Col 3:23-24] This is a good reminder for me this morning that my whole life belongs to the Lord. He is interested in everything I do and knows that whether I am home with my family, at work with business colleagues, or playing with friends, I am a Christ-follower and a Christ-'glorifier' (if there is such a word) ... or at least I have the chance to be such. This is because being a Christian is primarily about who I am, my identity. I am not meant to have multiple identities depending upon who I am with or what I am doing.

As I seek to develop this consistency and integrity in my life, by the grace of God and the inner working of the Holy Spirit (i.e. renewing my sense of 'sonship'), then I am most free and God is most glorified. That is important - to me and to Him. This is our worship and this will bring the greatest blessing into the lives of my family at home, my colleagues at work and my friends at play. That is also important to God.

Prayer: Pray for the strengthening of marriages. Pray that couples will honor and care for one another in the love of Christ. Ask God to bless and heal those whom he has joined together, that nothing would drive them apart.

When it's better for Jesus to leave

Praise: God my Shepherd. "I bless Your name and praise You as my Jehovah-Rohi (the Lord my Shepherd), who will shepherd me and guide me in the paths of righteousness for Your name's sake." (Psalm 23:1-3)

Scripture: "it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you." (John 16:7) There came a time in the growth and development of Jesus' disciples, when it was becoming detrimental for Jesus to stay around. Jesus (of Nazareth), though the Son of God, was not going to be as effective in their lives as the Spirit (of Christ) would be. It was only to be after his departure that Jesus was going to be able to send the Holy Spirit upon his followers. Yet in doing this, God was depositing in their lives something of immense worth and power - his Spirit, his very presence. They were going to do even greater things than Jesus because of the indwelling Spirit in each one of them. The Spirit (of Christ) was better for them than Jesus (the Christ).

Why was this? I think, in part, it was because Jesus of Nazareth was just that, a man from Nazareth. Still God, put limited by his human frame and his choice to 'empty himself'. Jesus was teaching them how to depend not upon the man who had walked with them at times, but upon his Holy Spirit who would dwell within them at all times, 'Christ in you, the hope of glory'.

Still today we need to keep learning this lesson and growing into those who would learn to live by the Spirit. Yet we have a strong tendency to look to other men or women whom we think have been given something we don't have. We look to human personalities and even depend upon them because that is what our culture (church and secular) often promotes. But this is not good for us, nor does it facilitate our growth. What does that, is the working of the Spirit of Christ within us and our learning to listen to and relate to him. It is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and it is at work within YOU! Maybe it is time to release the place some people or person has in your life and yield to the leading and empowering of the Spirit within.

Prayer: Pray that we are giving birth to a new and living hope within our communities that is an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. Pray that as we hope in God, our strength will be renewed, we will soar with wings like eagles; we will run and not grow weary, walk and not faint. Proclaim our hope in God alone!