Work...

With God's Help
Psalm 25:16-22

"Turn to me and have mercy on me, because I am lonely and hurting. My troubles have grown larger, free me from my problems. Look at my suffering and troubles, and take away all my sins. Look at how many enemies I have! See how much they hate me! Protect me and save me. I trust you, so do not let me be disgraced. My hope is in you, so may goodness and honesty guard me. God, save Israel from all their troubles!" (Psalm 25:16-22)

Sometimes it seems like there are so many problems, so many troubles. What are we to do? Our hope is in the Lord. I'm so glad to have Him to turn to when things are uncertain... such as ever-changing news about funding for next year and GATships. Lord, I know that I can continue to work here as long as it be Your will. I don't need to worry about how things will turn out, because though there are problems and troubles, in the great grand scheme of things which I cannot see... You are in control... and I trust in You, that Your goodness and honesty may guard me.

And Become Rich
Proverbs 10:4

"A lazy person will end up poor, but a hard worker will become rich." (Proverbs 10:4)

Poor and rich... when I think about it these terms are so loaded with different meanings. "Rich" for example can describe an extremely sweet dessert or a person with lots of money or something that is unbelievable or something that is valuable (not necessarily money). Now, you might have picked up by now that I "buy into" the last definition. I have known such richness in my life when I haven't had the most money or the biggest salary or the finest house or the nicest clothes. And though it wasn't easy, and though it was hard work, it was such a valuable, such a rich experience. And those are the treasures that I take with me in my heart wherever I go. Lord, sometimes I feel that You're calling me somewhere again. Lead me, Lord... where You lead I will follow... and I will work hard for these riches that will further Your kingdom.

For Good... Every Day
Mark 3:1-19

"Which is lawful on the Sabbath day: to do good or to do evil, to save a life or to kill?" (Mark 3:4)

Here it is, the familiar account of the healing on the Sabbath. While I am trying to keep the Sabbath, as a day that the Lord has given us as a blessing to honor our Lord and reflect on His holiness and praise His name, I am trying not to be like those legalistic Pharisees. The Sabbath is the Lord's, and just as we should keep it holy, we should do this by doing good and not evil. Jesus constantly shows us that it is not the rules but the motives, not the actions but the heart that matter the most. If our heart is not in our work... if we are not working to try to accomplish something good, what are we doing? Last night at GCF we talked about the integration of our studies and our faith. And for me it is so evident. I am how I teach. My students pick up on it right away, and as an instructor I work hard to do the best that I can... to do good for my students as an example, a source of encouragement, a writing coach, a teacher.