And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance for you serve the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23-24

 While employed, I had these two verses posted over my workspace to remind myself, daily, that my work was not for my employer, but the Lord. By keeping these verses fresh in my mind, I was able to excel in some of the most difficult tasks, even ones that I didn’t enjoy doing. As a child of God, everything I did at work was to be a representation of Jesus Christ’s character, values, and plan. My dependency upon His wisdom and encouragement was enough to get me through those tough days.

 Maybe you are struggling to find purpose in your employment, the satisfaction you once had has waned and it’s more of a burden, you’ve got a boss whose expectations exceed what you are capable of producing, or maybe your fellow co-workers aren’t on the same page as you spiritually, making it difficult to maintain a Christlike attitude. I’ve faced each of these circumstances and through much prayer, and focus on pleasing God, I was able to navigate any challenge that came my way. You too can find purpose, encouragement, and a faith to endure at your workplace, or any place where you have a responsibility.

 Let today’s verses be a reminder of who you really serve in your life and always be dependent upon the Holy Spirit for wisdom, guidance, and encouragement to do your best for God.

 The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and his glory is to overlook a transgression. Proverbs 19:11

 After 59 years of living life, I’ve learned a valuable lesson (actually more than one), when offended, let it go. For some of you out there, letting go of someone hurting you seems to be impossible, but let me share with you the benefits of “overlooking a transgression”.

 Not too long ago I had a run in with someone I knew and they said some negative things towards me. None of what he said was true, but it felt like a gut punch. Within minutes of the claim, I took a few deep breaths and gave it over to God to handle. I could have easily engaged, plead my case, or said some negative thing back, but I didn’t. Sometimes the best reaction is “silence”, and silent I was. Looking back and knowing new developments, it was good for me to remain silent and let it pass.

 Today’s verse provides some very sound advice on how to respond when you’ve been offended or hurt. Be slow to anger and overlook a transgression. Here are the positive things that come from this type of response:

 1.    You don’t throw gas on the fire. That person is probably looking for you to respond and wants to engage in the conflict. When you respond, you open yourself to a dialog that is usually never good.

2.    2. Your lack of responding says a lot about your character and ability to not let that person get under your skin (which is what they were intending to do in the first place). Not responding/staying calm, is like putting a blanket over their fire and pretty soon extinguishes it completely. Chances are, they won’t mess with you again.

3.    3. Letting go of it and giving it to God, opens the door for you to forgive your offender (which is what you should always do), and brings peace, even when you are faced with turbulence from the offender. You’ll sleep better and not be disturbed by their attacks. God has a larger view and is already working on your behalf to protect you and is pouring out His judgment on the offender.

 Trust me friend, when I say you’ll live a lot longer when you learn to overlook the offenses in life and let God handle your attackers. You’ll have more peace and represent the true character of Jesus Christ. God bless!

 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:45

 Have you ever heard someone say something and do just the opposite? If the truth be told, I’m sure you’ve probably done that a few times in your life. We, as humans, do a pretty good job giving lip service when needed, but deep in our heart we know and believe something completely different. Some say that what’s in the heart, comes out of the person’s mouth. I don’t believe that is the case; its more what’s in heart, comes out in a person’s actions.

 So, here’s a thought, what if your heart did the talking for you? Let that sink in for a moment and evaluate how well you’d get along with others if they heard what your heart had to say. Hopefully there would be positive things said, seasoned with grace, mercy, and love for others. On the other hand, some of you might be thinking It would be best if didn’t talk to anyone.

 But He answered and said, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God”. Matthew 4:4

 Today’s verse, Luke 6:45, speaks of both kinds of individuals, those who have a good heart and those full of evil. As a child of God, it’s imperative for you to feed your heart, mind, and soul, with the living word of God. As you read more of the bible, your mind and heart transform its beliefs into a heart after Jesus Christ.  This process can grow slowly or quickly, depending on the amount of bible reading and study you put forth. Either way, it will eventually turn pride into humbleness, hate into love, anger to peace, and revenge into forgiveness….just to name a few.

 Friend, this world needs more good hearts after Christ. When your heart is spiritually sound, you won’t say something that is opposite of what’s in your heart, you’ll be true to yourself and those around you! God bless!

 Have you found honey? Eat only as much as you need lest you be filled with it and vomit. Proverbs 25:16

 One of my favorite foods is honey. I love the taste of it on a spoon, in my coffee, on cereal, on ice cream, and even mixed with peanut butter. Besides the taste, it brings back childhood memories when I first started eating this sweetness and ever since have been in search of it everywhere I go. Being a diabetic I have to watch my intake of honey, because it will make my sugar shoot up, then I have to bring it down with insulin injections (which is no fun).

 Today’s verse pretty much sums up the old saying “too much of a good thing is not good for you”. Like me, you probably find yourself indulged in something you enjoy, such as: iced coffee, money, friendships, electronic devices, books, certain foods, well you get the point. When you invest more of yourself in your likes (or loves) then other things become less important and have very little interest. In other words, things and people get left out. Life is full of opportunities for pleasure, success, and even stardom. The one danger in it all is, do you put these things and people before your love of God?

 Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. Matthew 22:37

 Years ago, God convicted me of this very issue. When the paycheck hit my bank account, I was quick to pay the monthly payments on the things I liked, but shorted changed God with my tithe to the church. While paying bills one day, the reality of my mis-directed priorities came to light and I realized I wasn’t putting God first. From that day on, I steadily increased my tithe and God continued to pour out blessings, meeting my financial needs. After years of paying off debt, I’m debt free today and able to tithe as I should and even give to charities to advance God’s gospel. And God continues to bless me because I’ve put Him first in my life.

 Friend, God doesn’t mind you having “things”. But He wants to be first place in your life. That involves living an obedient life, praying daily, and studying His word. Once you realize how important it is to put Him first, everything else will still be important, but God will bless your pursuits even further than you could imagine. Take a few minutes today to determine where God stands with your priorities and make sure He’s first. God bless!

 

 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. John 15:13

 Today I attended the funeral of my best friend’s dad. From the time I could remember as a child, Mr. Larry Robinson was present in my life, along with his family. Although years have passed since we saw each other, today brought a sad reunion with him. It was great to see his family and friends, some whom I haven’t seen in probably 30 years. It was a wonderful celebration of his life and special time sharing memories with the Robinson family. I found out more about him during the funeral service, and was amazed at the impact his life had on so many people.

 Today’s verse came to mind as I thought about his life. Larry was a hard worker and supported his family through every chapter of his life. He gave of himself for this great nation in the Army and raised a wonderful family. God truly blessed this man and those who knew him. He lived the kind of life we as Americans should strive to do for our families and loved ones.

 Let this verse encourage you to give your all. You only have one opportunity to make a positive impact on those around you, like Larry, who lived life to the fullest. Thank you, Larry, for your service and the impact you had on my life. You’ve done well! Rest in peace!

 

 Exodus 3:5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” 

As a child of God, you are privileged to speak to Him through prayer. Until you pass and enter Heaven, it's the only method of communication with Him. The question I want to ask, how do you approach God in prayer? 

Today's verse comes from the story of Moses, who communicated with God while tending the flock. God spoke to him through the burning bush that was not consumed by the fire. God instructed Moses to take off his sandals as he was standing on Holy ground in the presence of God. 

Every day I have a quiet time with God, and when I pray, I take off my shoes and kneel. When I do this, I let God know my appreciation to speak with Him, and honestly, I feel a closeness to Him, just as Moses did, standing on Holy ground. 

I'm not suggesting you have to take your shoes off every time you pray, but when you think about the opportunity to pray, you are communicating with Him, and He's there listening. 

I encourage you to consider how you approach God in prayer. Make time to pray at the start of your day, and acknowledge your prayer time truly is on Holy ground. God bless. 

 Turn away from anger and don’t give in to wrath. Do not fret, it only leads to evil. Psalm 37:8

 Growing up on a farm, we had a concrete water tank that provided drinking water for our cattle. When my dad was younger, he put goldfish in the tank that he won at the local fair. Over the years those gold fish ate the corn that dropped from the cattle’s mouths when they came up to drink. When I came along, they were huge and I would try to poke them with a stick. The only thing I accomplished was hitting the sludge at the bottom of the tank and muddied up the water.

 You might be asking, what does me trying to torture gold fish have to do with today’s verse? If you’ve lived long enough, you have accumulated enemies, those people who’ve offended or hurt you in some way. Our natural reaction is to poke back at them with revenge. Seeking revenge against them is basically mudding up the water in our lives. If you can recall the last time you sought revenge, you were probably thinking evil thoughts and acted outside your normal character.  This is not how God wants His children to respond when hurt.

 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:15

 Jesus made it very clear that we are to forgive our enemies. As I’ve said in previous blogs, the greatest example of God’s grace and mercy is when Jesus hung on the cross and said to His Father, “forgive them for they know not what they do”. If you truly are a child of God, the love, grace, and mercy of Jesus Christ should radiate out from your being. By doing so, you remove any opportunity for Satan to poison your mind and heart with revenge or evil thoughts. In closing, what else does God expect of us, read this last verse and ask God to help you forgive when hurt and show the love of Jesus to your enemies.

 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8