Mat 10:34-37 NRSV) “”Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; ³⁶ and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household. ³⁷ Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;”Tough words. Sometimes I think we expect God to make everything peaceful between us and our families. But actually, if we follow Christ, in all likelihood, we will have conflicts with some family members at one time or another. Perhaps you are trying to decide on a college major and feel called to ministry, but your parents think you need to do something “more practical.” Perhaps your brother or sister doesn’t understand why you don’t want to party or why you think people are more important than “things.” Maybe an in-law or parent criticizes you because you aren’t living the lifestyle they consider “the good life.” Just remember: Use Jesus as your plumbline, and no-one else. He never promised that our families would always be pleased with us. His certainly wasn’t always pleased with Him. It’s natural to want to please them, to make them proud. And it hurts when this doesn’t work out. However, Jesus has promised to always be there to help us.

(Mat 28:20 NRSV) And teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Sometimes our behavior makes impressions on them, even when it doesn’t seem evident at the time. I have one relative who will argue against what I am convicted about, but later say “you really made me think.” We may not know until we are in Heaven, how our lives impact them. So keep your eyes on Christ; focus on pleasing Him.

About where we look…

Psalms 23:5 …my cup runneth over. (2)

How we view things in life depends not upon keeping our eyes open but upon where we look. We can look at the cup we hold and look at it as half full or half empty. We can count the curses of the emptiness or count the blessings of the fullness. When we have an infinite God, pouring infinite love, infinite grace, infinite peace, infinite joy, and infinite grace into the cup of our lives, our cup runs over. When we count His spiritual blessings our cup overflows with joy. The cup of our lives cannot hold all that God has for us today nor can it hold all the treasures He has for us tomorrow. In the middle of our weeping His spirit draws close to us and pours out comfort. In the middle of our dark hours He draws close to us and gives us Light. In the middle of our depressing days He brings jokes, laughter, and goofiness.

I come to you in chains

Chains of sin and death

They’re such a weighty burden

I can barely catch my breath

No matter how much I struggle

I can’t seem to break free

A captive to the stronghold of sin

Unbind me

Unbind me with your Spirit

Unbind me with the power of your blood

Unbind me with forgiveness and mercy

Unbind me

I give into temptation

And don’t consider the cost

Once I walked with you

But now I’m alone and lost

I’ll never find my way home

With you to lead me

A wanderer in need of a guide

Walk with me

Walk with me through the desert

Walk with me to the fountain of life

Walk with me to the throne room of God

Walk with me

Walk with me Holy Spirit

Walk with me – don’t leave my side

Walk with me until I’m in glory

Walk with me

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord, ” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs….”
“Take care of my sheep…”
“Feed my sheep”… John 21:15-17

Why did Peter want to serve Jesus by taking care of his sheep? Did he need a good salary and a benefits package? Perhaps it was for a high position? Maybe he wanted to be famous? Or could it have been because he loved Jesus.

Peter loved the Lord and this love motivated him to complete the work Jesus assigned to him. He was given the responsibility to teaching and ministering to the early Christians.

Motivation in our workplace comes from either the world’s view or God’s view.

If we are motivated by the world’s goals, we are focused on ourselves, dominated by human nature and human desires. This can set us up to be manipulated by others. It will draw us away from a love relationship with God. The greatest motivation in our lives should be our love for Christ. The reason we love Christ is because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19) This motivates us to serve Him in all that we do. This love is demonstrated by our obedience to him and our love for others.

Therefore, we can love others because God empowers and directs us. Then we are motivated to minister to the people we come into contact with daily. When we are tuned in to Christ’s job task, we see opportunities to minister to others.

Motivation inspires action.
Action accomplishes goals.
God’s goals gratify.
“GO FOR THE GOLD!”

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Phillippians 4:6

Having read this verse, you are probably saying, “That’s easier said than done. If you only knew what I’m going through.” True, I don’t know your individual needs or anxious thoughts.

What I have learned during my own personal growing experiences is that God’s Word has never failed me in my greatest time of need. He doesn’t say He will answer my every need. As I child I learned that God may answer “yes”, “no”, or “wait.” As an adult, I have received all of the above answers, not understanding them, but knowing He loves me. Many times the “yes” I so desparately wanted was the “no” God knew I needed. Hind-sight is a good teacher. I was so thankful God said “no”.

I don’t know your circumstances, your anxious thoughts, or your pain, but our heavenly Father knows the yesterday, today and tomorrows of your life. Let your requests be known to Him, a burden shared is a burden halved…besides, He’ll be up all the time anyway! Let Him carry your anxieties for you so you can focus on the responsibilities of today and sleep peacefully through the night.