I was thinking this morning as I
was checking the temperature for Wasilla at 55 our ours going to be 110 degrees
that poor Vivian – and for a few days those that go up to help her – are going
to be suffering mightily as they come down.
It is one thing to go from one
temperature to another that is slightly higher, but going from one temperature
to another that is doubled is going to be challenging!
Garden is still producing and
looking okay, despite the heat. Carla
brought up some more zucchini, yellow squash and some cukes this morning – we
will have a nice supper tonight.
1 Corinthians 7:20-24 Let every man abide
in the same calling wherein he was called.
21 Art thou called being a
servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it
rather.
22 For he that is called in
the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is
called, being free, is Christ's servant.
23 Ye are bought with a
price; be not ye the servants of men.
24 Brethren, let every man,
wherein he is called, therein abide with God.
Many Christians, particularly
those that come from an evangelical background, feel they have been called into
full-time service with God at some point in their life.
Early in my walk with God, I
felt that. I was going to go to school
full-time – but each time I felt that, each time I tried to make it happen,
something came up and the door was closed.
There was a period of confusion
– I thought I was called into the ministry, but apparently I wasn’t. But why did I feel that drawing if I wasn’t
meant to be a minister?
What I eventually realized, was
that no matter where or what I did I was still in full-time service to God.
We equate full-time service too
often with being a minister, evangelist or missionary. We believe that the vocation of a full-time
ministry is designated into a position that is expected to devote their ‘job’ to
the church.
But wherever we are, we have the
responsibility to live in Christ.
Whatever our job is, we should be serving Him as much as possible
listening to the Holy Spirit and following His lead.
I have been able to profess
Christ in all my endeavors. Not all the
time, unfortunately, that was because I faltered, not God. But I had many opportunities to give Christ
message, and while it sometimes was years before I learned there was an impact,
God knew and that was all that was important.
I realize that in this new
politically correct society Americans are finding themselves in makes it more
difficult to share our love of Christ with others.
Some businesses and most
governmental agencies forbid that sharing, even on the person’s own time, as
long as they are either on the premises or if they are representing the company
or agency in a public forum.
More and more pressure is being
applied against the Christian who wishes to share their faith and help
others. But that is what God says we
must do.
Just living our life for Christ,
focusing on Him will show in our demeanor.
I have seen too many Christians
professing their faith, when they should have been working. Not working your best does nothing to enhance
your testimony – it hurts it.
Asking the Holy Spirit to guide
you as you work, being ready to demonstrate His love and concerns for people can
open doors that will allow you to share Christ with them.
Standing strong for Christ is
going to cause you hardship, be prepared for people to set you up and try and
make you look bad to others. That seems
to be one of the latest tactics, people asking questions of a Christian and when
the answer is something they can use against us with the managers - they run as
fast as they can to share their ‘findings.’
American Christians are just
beginning to undergo the kind of persecution that Christians in other parts of
the world have been enduring for decades.
People are out to get us, condemn us and take away our ability to
proclaim Christ and get us fired.
Many are already trying to pass
laws against Christianity that will also result in our incarceration – and they
very well may be successful - soon.
Every one of us has an
obligation to work full-time for God.
Our full-time ministry for God is to live for Him, every minute of every
day wherever we may find ourselves - when we do that we find that the Holy
Spirit makes things happen.
We need to be prayed up and have
the full armor of God on every moment; satan is going to attack us at some point
during the day (if not numerous times) we need to be prepared, need to accept
that God is going to make something good happen when we serve Him.
We may recognize it immediately
– or maybe never – but when we take on Christ’s mantle, it isn’t up to us to
make things happen – that is the Holy Spirit’s job – our job is to live for Christ every
moment of every day and allow the Holy Spirit to work through us.
Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein
abide with God.
When we decide that no matter
our situation, we will live for Him and follow Him and allow ourselves to be
used by Him, then people come to Him.
Have our hands been tied, does
the rope keep getting tighter – maybe, but our love of God and His people will
be honored by God. We never know when
something happens to us, what God has in mind – but we do know – HE knows.
And no matter our vocation, our
situation we can abide therein with God.
Later, Art :-)
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