So, why do you work?

Do you ever ask yourself, "Self! Just why am I working here?"

I hope you're not one of the millions who go through day after day with little or no purpose for your job other than bringing home a paycheck.

All we do in life should have purpose. Otherwise, why are you and I here? The great, overarching purpose that all of us should fulfill is "To glorify God and praise Him forever." But sadly, many never come to the place where they even know how to have a relationship with God, let alone glorify him or find the purpose he has for their lives. Since most of us have to work, wouldn't it be wonderful to have a reason for that 9 to 5 other than some monotonous routine ~ or even those challenging daily tasks that we may truly enjoy?

My friend, Chuck Proudfit, was that way until he decided to bring purpose to his work. As a matter of fact, he created a way to help us all see that work can bring us joy and satisfaction as well as further the Kingdom. He calls it At Work On Purpose! The idea is to bring ministry to the marketplace. If you'd like to know more, visit his website, www.atworkonpurpose.org.

Chuck and Jeff Greer, from Self-Sustaining Enterprises, have another brainchild they call Biznistries. The name is registered, so don't get any ideas! ;=) If you use profits from your business to support a ministry, you already have a biznistry. What a great idea! Having a business with a purpose makes going to work worthwhile.

So why are you working? What are you doing with all that money? What's the purpose in it all? Consider the possibilities of being at work on purpose or of making your business a Biznistry!

The scripture that guides grace in ACTION usa is 2 Cor 9:11, "You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion." It has been my personal experience that when I purpose to be as generous as possible on every occasion ~ there's always enough in my wallet for my needs.

Why don't you try it? You'll never have to ask yourself, "So why am I working?"

Swingin!

Are you a swinger?

No ~ not the kind who really loves to dance. I'm referring to someone who hangs on to the pendulum. You know! The pendulum of thought that moves from one extreme to another and can't ever seem to come to a balanced position. That kind of swinger!

Thought pendulums occur in every area. They move slowly from one extreme to the opposite. Sometimes it takes years for more and more people to move to another side of an issue. Can't you see it? This gigantic idea with people dangling from it.....years and years of them..... holding on to one another's ankles or shirttails, trying desperately to get a glimpse of the person at the top who started the whole thing in the first place.

Don't you wonder if someone like that ever thinks for him/herself? I do.

Let's think about Worship Pendulums for a minute. "You can't worship unless you ________." (you fill in the blank). I recall years ago hearing about a well-meaning American church that sent an organ to a church in South America somewhere. The receipients wrote back, "Thank you so much for your gift of the organ. But you realize you can't worship without guitars." How shocking!!

I'm not going to go there ~ except to say I'd like to see more scripture read in our public worship times.

Think for a minute about what happens to a clock (or anything else that's pendulum driven) when the weights are off balance. Or when it stops altogether. Time stands still! That would make some folks very happy. "Let's just do it my way and never change." Now there's a formula for growth.

Since one of my passions is learning and another is changing (learning inevitably leads to change), I can't imagine a life that's stagnant. And I pray for the kind of balance that brings stability in all my thoughts and actions.

OK ~ I admit it! I'm definitely a swinger. "Lord, please lead so I'll be in step with you."

The town with no zipcode

Seventy miles from Chicago is a patch of dirt called Pembroke. It is Illinois' most impoverished community, where 55% of the residents live beneath the poverty level and 40% survive without running water. The average income is $9700 a year.

There is no bank, no drug store, no real medical facility and very few paved roads. The mayor, Reverend Jon Dyson, says, "The people here live in those kind of conditions that the people from the great city of New Orleans have just got faced with. And what's really amazing is these people have survived here all this time with little or nothing - third-world conditions in some areas."

"Why doesn't someone do something?", you ask! Pembroke can't get the help needed to provide a water and sewage system simply because they don't have a zipcode!!

We don't like to think about the fact that so many Americans live in conditions comparable to third-world countries, do we? It's sort of OK for the people of Africa to go without running water. That's what we expect in "those places." But please don't show me anymore specials on the tent cities in Louisiana six months after Katrina. And whatever you do, don't tell me there are homeless in my town. I might have to come to grips with some difficult scriptural teaching.

I haven't been able to get this and the other images from a recent Ophra show off my mind. The terrible fact is that 37 million Americans live below the poverty level. Thirty-seven million is the entire population of Canada, my friends!! I don't know how many families are represented in this dire statistic, nor have I done a study to see how many of them live in my county; I'm sure there are some. I wonder if each church sponsored one family ..... hmmm!

So ~ what can we do?

How about praying? Good idea!! "Lord, send someone to help them. After all, I'm busy raising my family, paying for my cars and house(s) and boat and . . . . Let Ophra help them. She's got more money than she'll ever be able to use."

Let's take up a donation. Another worthy thought. Pray and give money. I can probably spare twenty bucks. That will make me feel even better ~ and forget the problem even more quickly. Whew! Now I'm off the hook.

grace in ACTION usa was begun to help with just such desperate needs. Our vision is to see wholistic, that is, fully integrated churches and/or groups of believers impacting their communities through economic development. Does that sound unspiritual to you? At The Happy Church in Jackson, Kentucky, they feed those who attend almost every time the church doors are open. And they're teaching them not only to hide God's word in their hearts, but how to read it for themselves. The prayer is that when these boys and girls become adults, they'll have a sound understanding of God's word, who they are in Christ, and what it takes to become a responsible, working adult. Then, God willing, years from now, Breathitt County will no longer have the designation of being one of the poorest counties in the nation.

When GiA began, we thought of using the name Bootstrap Boost. Because people who have lost everything or are trapped in the poverty cycle, can not pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. They need our help. But Pastor Mike wisely advised that we need to preserve their dignity while helping, so we came up with another name.

Maybe we'll find a way to help in Pembrooke, Illinois one day. I hope so.

Are you going to trust me, or not?

I still remember that night distinctly, even though it's been thirty years. My husband was on an extended trip for the mission he worked for; our older son, Chris, had moved that day into his first "pad"; and Jonathan was so sick the doctor admitted him to the hospital.

As I closed the door on the empty house that night, I recall saying, "Well, it's just you and me, Lord." And he said, "That's right! Are you going to trust me with this?" What could I say? "I don't think so, Lord. I'll just handle this, thank you very much." I don't think so, Tim!!

That's the first time I remember him asking me that question. But it's certainly not the last. And what's so great about trust is the more you do it, the easier it becomes. And the less you stay out of whatever it is you're entrusting to your heavenly Father, the better. Trust is really an all or nothing arrangement. And like so many other spiritual lessons, it needs to be my first response, instead of a last resort. I'm not sure, but choosing to trust may be the single most important lesson of the Christian life.

Trust is a choice; and choices are one of two things you have control over. (The other is your response.) I choose to trust. Better yet, I choose to trust the Lord, in whom I can place complete confidence. To trust means to commit whatever it is ~ my decisions, my loved ones, my health, my money (or lack of it) to the one who knows what I need and will provide in ways I can't begin to imagine when I leave it up to him. When I say he'll provide, it's because I have already trusted him in these ways and experienced his provision. I can assure you, if you'll place your dependence in Him, you can "take it to the bank."

I have three highlighters in my Bible case; a yellow one (to mark verses about the glory of God); a blue one (which I use for trust verses); and a pink one for anything else I need to take note of. My Bible's replete with blue highlights because Scripture is full of verses that encourage ~ even command ~ us to trust!

When the Lord presented me with the challenge of helping in Jackson, Kentucky, it was definitely a way to trust him. So we move forward, trusting him each step of the way for direction, provision, and especially for the results.

What would you say if the Lord asked, "Well, are you going to trust me with this, or not?" Please choose to trust. You'll be glad you did.

Devotions, or DEVOTION??

Are you a checklist Christian? Many of us like to have a list of things we should (or shouldn't) do. That makes it easy to know if we're on track or not. But that begs the question, "Who's going to make the list?"

Our pastor's preaching through I Thessalonians. This Sunday he encouraged us to move past checklists to an attitude toward life, which Paul sets out in chapter five. The attitude we should have is one of expectant living ~ "Always be joyful." (vs 16); dependent living ~ "Keep on praying." (vs 17); and grateful living ~ "...always be thankful." (vs 18.) Good stuff, pastor!

"Doing" devotions may be very near the top of most Christian's checklists. We've been told by very well-meaning authors and speakers just how and when to "do" our devotions. Some even dictate where. You should always sit in the same place. And woe betide anyone who misses a day. These directives come right from Scripture, of course and serve as a great motivator!! ;-) (I hope by now you understand my tongue in cheek comments.)

Dear reader, I submit to you that a life of devotion (which includes "doing" devotions) should be your desire. Checklist Christians may find themselves justifying some rather ungodly attitudes and behaviors during the day because they "did" their devotions that morning. Somehow what they read didn't connect to what they said. I'm afraid that many times the time spent reading and praying has too little impact in our daily lives.

Living a life of devotion will begin to influence everything you do and say as you adopt the attitude toward life that Paul commanded. Soon you'll find yourself going through your day expectantly, dependently and gratefully! What a great way to live.

Don't just "do" your devotions anymore! Begin to live a life of devotion!

So, what's the risk?

What is risk? Taking a chance or gamble; an investment or stake in something; a pitfall, danger, hazard, or peril; threat, danger, jeopardy, or menace. Well, that's enough to make me want more! How about you?

The antonym for risk is security, immunity; a guarantee or insurance! Right!! I'll have one guarantee, please!!

Do Christians understand what it means when they say such things as, "Without risk it is impossible to please God?" Was the person who used that verse as a screen saver telling us that faith and risk are interchangeable in that verse? "I don't think so, Tim!"

Or what did the writer of this devotional thought mean when she said, "Choosing to make time to spend with God in prayer and personal devotions is a risk?" That made my devotional day!Maybe she meant to say that choosing not to make time for God is a risk. Will someone please explain to me the risk in spending time with God.

I respectfully submit, these well meaning believers are thinking in reverse! And I urge them ~ and you ~ to begin to search the Scriptures for evidence of their premises that a life of faith can co-exist with a life of risk. So far I haven't been able to substantiate the idea from scripture.

Isn't that what you'd want from placing your trust in a God who says in Deuteronomy 31, Don't be afraid of _________(you fill in the blank). The LORD your God will always be at your side and he will never abandon you. And the risk is: __________________

What risk is there in believing in a God who told Isaiah, ...enemy soldiers will cover Judah like a flood...but God is with us. He will spread his wings and protect our land. All of you foreign nations, go ahead and prepare for war, but you will be crushed. Get together and make plans, but you will fail because God is with us?

Can you entrust your future to the one who promises, I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you? Don't you believe he meant it?

Was beginning grace in ACTION usa a risk? I'm not naive enough to believe there won't be any problems. If you consider the difficulties and possibility of tough times a risk, I suppose you could say that. And if that's the way you think, you'd better stay in bed the rest of your life.

Risk is for unbelievers. On top of facing an eternity with out God, they have to face daily life without him. How sad! Why in the world would you place your faith in a God who offers salvation and eternity with him, but whom you can't trust completely each and every day?

I choose a life of faith ~ risk-free faith! Will you join me?

P.S. Here's your guarantee! Psalm 111.

Praise the Lord!

I will thank the Lord with all my heart
as I meet with his godly people.
How amazing are the deeds of the Lord!
All who delight in him should ponder them.
Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty.
His righteousness never fails.
Who can forget the wonders he performs?
How gracious and merciful is our Lord!
He gives food to those who trust him;
he always remembers his covenant.
He has shown his great power to his people
by giving them the lands of other nations.
All he does is just and good,
and all his commandments are trustworthy.
They are forever true,
to be obeyed faithfully and with integrity.
He has paid a full ransom for his people.
He has guaranteed his covenant with them forever.