Grace Place
The War For Your Worship Consumed, Part 1
Anything we do that brings pleasure to God is an act of worship. At this point, we may need to broaden our understanding of worship. It is far more than music, healing, and euphoric experiences; it’s a lifestyle. Still, the choice is ours whether to withhold it, or to give to God what He wanted from us the most. The option to choose is there because there has been a war for our worship. (giving and receiving) Pleasure is one of the greatest gift from God, we have our five senses for that. Worship on the other hand is an in-built need to connect with God, a universal urge. He himself hard wired it into our bodies. Now, if we fail to give pleasure to God (that’s worship), most often than not, we find a substitute for this longing; and this is where the tug-o-war for our worship comes in. The question is, where and to whom do you spend most of your time, efforts, money, and thoughts? Is it God, or your family, work, status, our bodies, hobbies ( habits, maybe?) What do you worship? So much ado about worship, why is it so important?
You are a worshipper. “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself idols…You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God” Exodus 20:3-5 We were made to give pleasure to God, He chose to create us for His own enjoyment. Sounds selfish? NO. It works like this: when we truly give our worship to God, we follow His words, and when we do, we live our lives in accordance to His will. Now, how can you go wrong when you follow the most powerful, most intelligent of all. Bottom line is, God wants us to worship Him so we can be happy. And He wants everybody to enjoy this life, so much so that He made each one of us to be a true blue worshipper, we just didn’t know it.
You will become like what you worship. What you behold you become! If we adore money, our lives will be spent; If we focus our full attention to clothes, we’ll be worn out; love our work too much, and our lives will be tedious, give our undivided attention to our loved ones, and we’ll feel unloved because somehow they will disappoint us. Albeit these things are not bad, too much of it is intoxicating. “But their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men…Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.” Psalm115: 4,8 Try praising God - In worship, God will slowly mold us, to be like Him – understanding, patient, loving, faithful, kind, and joyful.
The secret to a lifestyle of worship is to do everything as if you’re doing it for Jesus. Praise Him in work, at home, in our joys and pains, in bed when we wake up and before we sleep. As we do, carry it out with the audience of One, for He alone is worthy of our praise. Worship is the natural response to God’s love. It is the only reasonable response to His unwavering affection for us, and in view of who God is and what He has done, let us bring an offering, and we are the offering. Give God our heart, our mind, our body and soul, all that we have. Let this be our hearts desire, because after all He owns it all.
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship.” Romans 12:1
As we are confronted by our own unpleasant traits, we often succumb to this line as our means in dealing with our guilt, or as a reason for doing it again. The thing is, this statement is one of the most deceitful thing the identity theft (which is satan by the way) has embedded in our minds. It means we can never change. The devil has several strongholds in us for this matter – Financial stronghold (when we worry about sustenance or when we can’t balance our whims to our means); Habitual stronghold (any means of addiction); Spiritual stronghold (inconsistent spiritual discipline, like reading the bible and quiet time); Relational (when there’s difficulty in maintaining a relationship); Mental (pessimism); Physical (bodily insecurities).
Believing this lie is an insult to God, because it’s like saying that He cannot help us. It is, at the same time, a waste of His efforts for us, for He created us in His likeness, His image. This is a great privilege and gives us dignity (contrary to the lowly self that the devil made us think about ourselves). Albeit we do not know the extent of this statement, at least we know some aspect of it includes – like God, we are spiritual beings- our spirits are eternal; we are intellectual – we can think and reason; like God we are relational – we can give and receive love, and we have moral consciousness – our ability to discern right from wrong. This is how God made us.
Empowered as we are, God provided us with strategies to combat this lies from satan. “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight are not weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” 2Cor. 10:3-4
Capture wrong thoughts. Everything starts in the mind. The moment the thought of injustice, pride, jealousy, unloving sets in, seize it! Instead of dwelling on it, do things the Paul way : “…whatever is true.. noble…right…pure…lovely…admirable – If anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Philippians 4:8
Release rights words. Proverbs 18:21 says, “The tongue has the power of life and death…” By our tongue we can hurt someone, and when we hurt someone through words, we could kill that person’s soul. This is hard to do at the heat of an argument, so let our prayers be that of King David’s – “May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” Psalms 19:14
Attack and win. After capturing the wrong thoughts and releasing the right words, we need to work hand in hand with God, cooperate with Him. This last strategy is the most essential of the three, because it shows who God is in our lives. Most often we fail, even after doing the first two because, (1) we do it with our own will power. Let us not focus on the “I”, that’s being a big show-off with God as the audience. (2) “I’ll give everything to the Lord.” It’s good to be dependent to God, but not lifting any effort at all is another thing, it’s laziness, big time.
All of us are enforcers of God’s power. We have that strength to fight the strongholds of the enemy within us. When the enemy of God is trying to pull us down, just think that God is living in us, and it’s no longer us but Him.
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
Mark 2 tells about the story about 4 friends whose love and faith was remarkable. When these guys learned that Jesus was in town they hurriedly brought their paralytic friend so he can be cured. When they got there, the place was jam packed, with unwavering faith, they went up to the roof and dug a hole, so they can lower their friend down to Jesus. In this story, there are four points to ponder on what it costs to bring someone to the feet of God. Foremost, these men recognized their friend’s need for Jesus.
Being a friend entails to be sensitive to each others needs and hurts. God created a vacuum in our hearts so we will be forever longing for His love, forever wanting, forever looking, and not until we lead them to Jesus will they be satisfied. We may have been unaware, but God holds us responsible for the unbelievers who live around us. (see Ezekiel 3:18) We may be the only Christian some people will ever know, they need Jesus and it’s our mission to share Him to them.
It took 4 people to bring the paralytic man to Jesus. Inviting someone to church is not an easy job, how much more sharing about Jesus to an unbeliever friend. Yes, it can be a tough job, if you do it alone. But just like in the story, we have friends who can help us fulfill our mission, because it’s everybody’s mission too. We all have a role in bringing someone to Jesus, and we should all do our part. These friends cared enough to get involved. Again in the story, they had a choice to just linger and enjoy Jesus’ message, and yet they chose to take matters on their hands and find a way so their crippled friend could also benefit from the experience of having Jesus around. Imagine the discomfort of digging up a hole, the humiliation, the pain of carrying a quarter of your weight for a period of time. Yet, they did it, all for the sake of a friend who needs Jesus. They did the very uncomfortable and nearly impossible thing. The problem with us Christians is we have many excuses in doing what God has commissioned us to do. We watch, but we don’t touch; we listen, but we don’t say much; we love, but we don’t want to act. Though the happiness we have with having God in our lives is overwhelming, it is still expected of us to tell someone about Him. Happiness held is just the seed, but happiness shared is the flower. If going out of our comfort zone and taking the extra mile for someone else’s salvation is a big responsibility, it is also an incredible honor.
They had a faith that overcame barrier. When Jesus saw them, He was moved by their boldness, courage and confidence that the Lord will heal their friend. This made the difference. “When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic,” son, your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:5 In bringing a friend to Jesus, we’ll meet a lot of problems. There will be a lot of distractions, because satan would rather have us doing something else than to share our faith. He doesn’t want us to take anyone with us to heaven. The Lord knows, and He is very much pleased as we work our way in overcoming these adversities.
All of us were made for a mission, and that mission is to introduce people to God! For most Christians, accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior is the highlight of our love story with Him, well He is happy about it but it’s not enough. Even our ministry in the church will not augment what God has been longing for us to do - because that is our service to believers, our mission is our service to unbelievers, the people whom God cares about. The great commission was given to every follower of Jesus, it’s not just limited to the pastors and other leaders of the church, it’s for you and me. All of us have been sent to speak for Christ. These are the words of Jesus, and it’s not optional. Nothing else that we do will ever matter as much as helping people establish an eternal relationship with God. Heaven is an awesome place, beyond words. Still, wouldn’t you want everyone that you love, everyone that you knew, to enjoy that wonderful place with you? The clock is ticking down on your life mission, so don’t delay another day.
We must be wondering why God created hell, despite the fact that He wanted us all to be in heaven. To start, we must understand that God is a righteous God, and anything that go against that should be punished. For that, God created hell, so He can deal righteously with Satan. This place is custom made for satan and his disciples, because his whole being is in opposition to God’s goodness and beauty. “… Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Matt. 25:41 Hell exist for God to deal righteously with the unbeliever. “He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shout out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power…” 2 Thessalonians 1: 8-9 All of us are sinners, and we should be punished for what we have done and what we have failed to do, that is to trust God to be our saviour, (but there’s a disclaimer) unless someone else’s righteousness will cover our transgressions so we sinners will be able to enter heaven.
So, what will hell be like? Hollywood movies made an illustration of hell as a party place with bikini clad women prancing here and there. So much for people in denial. The bible says that hell is a place where there is an unspeakable sorrow (Matt 8:12, Rev 14:10-11), there you will hear people say, “I heard about Jesus dying for me, how could I missed that?”, yet it’s too late; Unsatisfied cravings (Luke 16:24) Think of something important, say the air we breath or water to drink, anything that comforts us, hell is the absence of all that. No joy, no hope, not even a moment of peace; Unquenchable flames of fire (Matt 13:41-42, 49-50). This one’s a classic, at least the movies didn’t go wrong with this one. Eternal separation from loved ones (Luke 13:28; 16:19-31). Imagine being away from your spouse, your kids, parents, siblings forever ( forever here doesn’t mean our earthly lifetime of 60, it means unending). No one’s gonna be there, not even your pesky neighbor. Worst is that you will be away from God, the source of all happiness, love and beauty. Again, contrary to popular Hollywood illustration, there’ll be no partying in hell, there’s no one to talk to, it’s just going to be YOU & YOU. Hell is forever (Rev. 20:10) The most horrible thing about hell is that it’s absolute damnation. As in, add everything that has been said about this place, and then think that you can’t die while enduring all of it, do the math and that’s hell. Yes, God created it (again, not for us), but He prepared another home for us, a place so wonderful beyond words, and that is heaven. God doesn’t want anyone to go to hell.
God created us to have a relationship with Him. In the process He gave us free will so we have a choice whether or not to love Him back. The problem is we don’t want to. We reject Him, it doesn’t take one to be an atheist to do so. Still, He never stop loving us, the Word became flesh just so He can save us. He died on the Cross so we can be His. We just have to believe, that’s all.
We want to believe in heaven, but not in hell. Hell is real and it’s for real people, like you and me. We have a choice, think about it.
Life is full of uncertainties, and the only thing that is certain is death. According to statistics, 10 out of 10 people dies, that means all of us will die and there’s no use evading the topic because it is better to be prepared when our time comes than to be caught off guard. “…man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…” Hebrews 9:27
Most, if not all are uncomfortable as far as death is concerned, for the reason that we don’t know what happens after we die. Time and again, people are plagued with this issue. As a result the certainty of it led them into confusion and denial, thus the place called purgatory was weaved. This purgatory tale started during the middle ages, according to the story Jesus’ death is not enough for us to go to heaven. Because of our sins we still need to earn our salvation. In the hour of our death, our relatives need to pray for us in order to purge our souls. And in doing so, these people shall pay the church. The truth is, there’s no where in the bible that says something about that place. It’s just heaven and hell, period, and the minute we die our destination is final.
So, what really happens after we die? The bible tells us that when we die, first, the soul and the body separate. Our body will rot, and our soul will proceed immediately into God’s presence for some , or to the place of eternal despair for others. And then, there will be a great divide between the righteous and the wicked. “And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.” Malachi 3:18 Whatever we do here on Earth has a great impact on where we will spend our eternity, it’s not a cliché, nor is it a product of our parents imagination to scare us. Heaven and hell are real. God is the source of life, joy & happiness, and hell is the absence of all that. It’s pretty scary, but those who believe in God need not be anxious about death because those who trusted Christ go immediately to God’s presence. “ We are confident. I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:8
Insurance companies are present around the globe, to give people the assurance they need in times of accident, illness, and in death. We forgot Jesus, who cares for us from cradle to grave. He is the best insurance we could have, and the best part is that, it won’t cost us a penny, we just have to believe. His offer of salvation is perfect, no hidden charges; the bonus plan of eternal happiness is superb, it’s zero interest. If it sound too good to be true, go ahead and scrutinize the One, better yet establish a relationship with Him. Read the bible.
Death, for many of us is the end – of life, career, and happiness; on the contrary it’s when we start to live LIFE. For those who love Christ, it’s the time when we live side by side with our creator, a time when there’s nothing more to worry, no illness to endure and no loved ones to lose. When we believe in Christ and His offer of salvation, just like that criminal in Golgotha, we can take His words as He says, “…I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43
That’s Jesus reply to that criminal, who on last hour of his life repented and entrusted his life to Him.
The story of the crucifixion is bloody and savage. It’s a sad story for many, but on the contrary it’s one of the most beautiful love story of all time.
“Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they struck him in the face … as soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!” John 19: 1-3, 6 The thing with the Roman soldiers is that they won’t kill you
with their whipping. Jesus was flogged 39 times, only, because they want Him to suffer more in the cross. Crucifixion is an agonizingly slow death by asphyxiation. At Golgotha, the soldiers nailed his wrists (between the bones .radius and ulna), and His feet as well. He was hanging there, gasping for breath and agonizing in pain Still, He never ask for help, nor did He ask them to stop, He just let them. This is His moment. When the final hour came, He called out to His Father, but there was no answer. The sins of the world have fallen upon Him and the sin-hating Father has to look away. The pain was great but going through it alone was much harder. He must have wept as He performed His task. There He breathed His last. The air was still, then the curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom, lightning pierced the sky, and thunder shook the earth, Heaven was bankrupt!
When Adam and Eve gave in to the goblet of poison, the liquid burned their innocence; they came to know death and sufferings. It’s the cup of sin. The Son of man came to taste the same poison. Like any one of us, He was anxious to go through something like this. “ Does it have to be this way?”
“It does.”
“Is there no one else who can do it?”
“None but you.”
“Do I have to drink from the cup?”
“ Yes, my Son. The same cup.”
“I am afraid, but let your will be done.”
No words can describe the sufferings Jesus had to go through, no amount of words could express the feelings of a Father who has to let go of His Son in order to suffer and die in the hands of malicious men. Why do the Father and Son did it then? God can spare Jesus of the trouble and go about the day in its daily course. God did it for LOVE. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 In the course of His decision He must have been torn between His reverence to His own Son and His great love for us, but still, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 What about His friends and followers, don’t you think they feel disappointed seeing Jesus hanging there? “I thought you will save us?” “You’re the Messiah, aren’t you?” Again, God’s way is better than ours, He rests His insight not on the here and now, and His love is not just for one but for everyone.
Come home to the Father. The opportunity to love and live with God caused Him His Jesus, let’s not put it to waste. We may feel silly going back after all that we have done, “What’s the use?” “What chance do I have?” Honestly, He will always take us back, the cross can attest to that - He opened His hands and stretched out His arms that it hurts. And to make sure that His hands will never close and His arms will never fold, He had it nailed it open.
Have you ever tell a lie to impress a girl, or your boss? Have you ever live beyond your means? Have you ever bad mouthed someone just so you would look better than him? Are you a liar? If you did not fit in to any of these, well you’re a one big fat liar. All of us have told a bunch of lies, because it is something inherent to each one of us. Sometimes this sickness becomes second nature to us that we pretend it’s not a sin, we categorized it even– lying occasionally (we do this when we want to make our presence felt), I lie often (when we project something we are not so they will look up to us), or living a lie (when we become a different person living a different life in front of others).
But the truth here is that GOD HATES LYING, in whatever degree it is. Proverbs 12:22 says, “The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in men who are truthful.” This is because “…(Satan) was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44 This is Satan’s ploy: to get us to believe in his lies – about yourself, others, our relationship with God and God’s love for us. Afterwhich, we ourselves will tell a lie, and then eventually live a lie. Provoking us to lie is Satan’s agenda, it’s his job. Yet, the choice is still ours. For every lie we tell, we take a step away from God, because He is the TRUTH. His word is alive. He gave us life through the Word of truth, and the truth is where He wants us to live. When God speaks, things change. Everything around us exists because “God said it.”
So how are we going to grow beyond it? The only way to let Jesus change us is to let Jesus deal with the root problem of lying. Search your heart, ask yourself why do you lie. All of us do it for different reasons – a desperation to be liked, face saving, to protect other’s feelings, to make yourself look better, or just in the name of having a good time. We’ve got to discover the root behind our lies so that the truth, which is Jesus, can deal with it and bring about real life change. Not just the surface.
How do we find healing? Confess to God and receive His forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, (God) is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 Jn. 1:9 It doesn’t matter how dark , ugly or pathetic, if we confess God is faithful to forgive us. He will never take it against us, nor will He keep records just to have something to throw at us when the time comes. In His eyes it never happened, a clean slate.
Confess to the appropriate people so you’ll be healed “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” James 5:16 Pretty embarrassing, and yet the bible is urging us to do so. The truth will set you free, but first it may make you miserable. Understand that God’s way exposes our motives, points out our mistakes and expects us to change. It’s pretty hard to do it but still we have to trust God on this, because healing starts when you unburden yourself to a brother, and when that person prays for you. Who could that appropriate person be? It’s the person who loves God and someone whom you trust. If you can’t think of anybody ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to the right person.
Stop telling lies. Stop living it. If you still can’t give it up, you really don’t trust God at His word, because you still believe that your lie will work better than the truth. The thing is, there’s no freedom being controlled by lies. When you know the truth, it will set you free. “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” Proverbs 28:13 It is never too early nor too late, neither is one too young or too old to change. Go free yourself from that bondage, and experience freedom…through His mercy.
Everywhere we see how people destroyed their lives, and it all started with this eeny weeny feeling of wanting something they do not have. ENVY. There are different kinds of envy – it could be physical, relational, talent, and material. The Bible has lots of stories about envious people; there’s Cain, Rachel, Leah, Saul, Joseph’s brothers, and this angel Lucifer. All of them are ordinary people (except of course from that bad angel), who knew God, but like us they were also plagued with this illness. A regular guy may say, “Oops that’s not me. I don’t kill over an iPod.” Or “Why? Is it bad to want something that you do not have?’ But this is not the point. Wanting is a part of our nature, being human with insatiable wants and needs. But if we are going to understand the true meaning of envy, in God’s point of view, we can now put boundaries as to what and how we could manage our cravings. ENVY IS RESENTING GOD’S GOODNESS IN OTHER PEOPLE’S LIVES and at the same time IGNORING GOD’S GOODNESS IN OUR OWN LIFE. As we understand this truth we’ll get to realize that there’s no small or big envy, that nevertheless, the temperature is the same whether you dip your toe or dive in headfirst. This bitter feeling is of the devil, as stated in James 3: 14-16, for a simple feeling of jealousy might lead us to stealing, lying, and eventually murder (ok, that one is too much). So, what shall we do with this sickness within us? First, we should not compare ourselves with others. 2 Corinthians 10:12 says, “We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves…” There are only 2 things that might happen to us if we compare; if we see someone better we become envious, or, if we think we are better than that person we become proud. On the other hand. if we compare one person to another, we breed contempt and hatred in their hearts.
Celebrate God’s goodness to others. If somebody else get hold of something you are hoping for, it is just right to rejoice with that person. King Saul’s son, Jonathan, has all the ingredient there is to resent David. Instead, “Don’t be afraid”, he said, “My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. 1 Samuel 23:17 As we learn to be happy for others, we leave no room for envy to linger in our hearts, for evil cannot have a grip wherever God reigns.
Embrace God’s goodness to you. “Better what the eye sees than the roving of the appetite. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. Eccl. 6:9 Not being grateful for our blessings means insulting God’s goodness to us. If we give in to each and every jealousy, you’re in to a slippery slope; the “resentments” are never-ending. But if we focus on what the Lord has given us the “thank you’s” are boundless. Let us be appreciative of God’s graciousness, His gifts are new everyday. Do you have a problem of envy in your heart? Go back then to God’s words –“…God our Savior showed us His kindness and love. He saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of His mercy. He washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit…” Titus 3:3-5– A place to live, food to eat, clean air to breath, another day to live, God gave us everything we need, to the point of sacrificing His only Son to ensure our place in heaven. What else can you ask for more?
The Bible says, after we die, we either suffer eternal separation in hell or experience eternal celebration in heaven. Just two destinations, both real places. Everybody wants to go to heaven, unfortunately, not everyone wants to have anything to do with God. It’s a shame because it is a fact that our lives are meant to be spent in eternity, but not unless we get to know Jesus this gift of salvation will be forfeited. On the other hand, there are ways if we want to keep this birth right
Acknowledge that we messed up our lives. Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” All of us are sinners. Refusing to admit it is prideful rebellion, the same sin that caused Satan’s fall – and ours too. At the Cross, all our sins were forgiven - the past, present, and the sins we are about to commit in the future. This means everyone gets a ticket to heaven, all expense paid. All we have to do is to say, “I’m sorry”. 2 short words that mean a lot to God, it means we humble ourselves and we submit to Him who is powerful and perfect. Accept that we need help. Admitting our mistakes is not enough; in fact it’s only the first step. Nobody goes to the doctor unless we accept that we need help. Ironically, Jesus said that He came not for those who thinks they are okay but for us who are sick. He is ready to support us, but unless we admit that we need help and something is wrong with our lives, we can’t be helped. Pride has a powerful way to get through our hearts that’s why some people try to project something in order to cover up their mistakes. There’s what we call the performance lie, wherein they fix their bad habits by doing something good; and the religious lie, these people will try to be very religious in order to patch up the sinful holes in their lives. But come to think of it, since all of us are sinners, everybody then needs help. Everybody is on the same boat as we are, the only difference is who will take the plunge towards Jesus and ask for His help.
Start a relationship with Jesus. All of us will face The Father one day, and everyone will be judged accordingly, but if we are friends with Jesus He will stand witness for us, that the sins we have committed have been wiped clean and the penalty we have to face have been paid for, in full. You want to be buddies with Jesus? Get to know Him. Read the bible and learn about His life and His promises to us. He’s just waiting for you. Rev. 3:20 says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. Jesus was crucified side by side with criminals, one was rebuking Him while the other asked for His forgiveness and was promised to be with Him in heaven. Between the two, whom can you identify yourself with?
Are you bored? Are you tempted to cheat? Do you blame others for your mistakes? Did you stop your efforts in developing your skills? Are you exhausted? Do you want to give up at this point? If you answered YES to at least 1 of these questions you need to learn the Principles of Work according to King Solomon:
Work with a purpose. Working without a purpose is scary, it devoid us of the happiness, the learning, and the fulfillment. For most of us we get a job just to earn cash, but the problem with working for money alone is that we’ll never be satisfied with the work we are doing – work problems are magnified, bad relationship with co-workers, boring routines. When you work with a purpose, you can bear almost anything; without it, nothing is bearable.
Insists on Integrity. In our workplace, like it or not, we are being assessed in a matter of seconds, based on how we looked. On the other hand, God looks pass our appearance, He fix His gaze into our hearts, looking for integrity. We all have our weaknesses; we may also have uncontrollable circumstances (financial or relational limitations). But these problems are not the issue; the point of the matter is how we deal with these. Are you going to give in to the easiest way out? Prov.12: 3 says. “Wickedness never brings real success…” For what it’s worth, God deliberately allowed these things in your life for the purpose of demonstrating His power through you.
Never make excuses. “The lazy man is full of excuses.’ I can’t go to work’, he says, ’If I go outside I might meet a lion in the street and be killed!” Prov.22: 13 You’ll be surprised how a lazy person can be creative with his excuses. Little does he know that he’s not short-changing anyone else but himself, because excuses makes one lose his chance of growing. Owning up to your own mistake is a sign of maturity and responsibility. Nobody gets killed in the office for accepting his own fault, you’ll get reprimanded of course, but that’s because every action has its consequences.
Never stop learning. “Intelligent people want to learn, but stupid people are satisfied with ignorance.” Prov.15:14 In this age where everybody is “wired’, there’s no reason to stop learning. It is a widely held belief that education is lifelong. Knowledge doesn’t just stop in books – we can learn from God’s word (read the bible), we got to learn from wise people (spend some time with the experts); we learn from our critics and failures (the sad thing about failure is not learning from it).
Economize your time and energy. “There is a right time and a right way to do everything but we know so little.” Eccl. 8:6 To sum it up we have a total of 168 hours in a week, with such little time in our hands we won’t be able to accomplish what needs to be done if we can’t properly manage our time and energy. Prioritize! Work wiser and not harder, any boss worth his salt would agree to that.
Resolve to stick with it. ”Do you know a hard-working man? He shall be successful and stand before kings!” Pr.22:29 Thomas Edison was not successful the first time he tried his very first commercially practical incandescent light. Michael Jordan must have shoot hoops a thousand times before he was able to master his craft. Bottom line is there’s no overnight triumph.
Never give up. One thing that defines a successful man from a loser is that the later commits a mistake and goes home, while the successful one clears up his faults and moves on. Our God is a very personal God, He ‘s not only interested in our spiritual life, but our daily work as well. No job is easy, because it’s work. Let’s be patient then, and pray that God work with us today and give us peace of mind. May He give us a happy heart to welcome each challenges as an opportunity to grow; and His love to see failures as a stepping ground. Live in faith for we do not know what God has in store for us who worship Him. 1 Cor. 2:9 “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.”