Daily Thought – Do you overwork to be rich?
Word: Do not overwork to be rich; Because of your own understanding, cease! Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven. Proverbs 23: 4,5
Thought: The intentions of the deed are more important in the sight of the Lord than the deed. God has set us up in a particular way for us to be fruitful, but do we tend to labor in vain only to earn more? Most of us jump from one job to the other and seek greener pastures, but do we seek the will of God or go only based on the salary offered? If our eyes are gluing only on the attractive package we receive and work hard just to keep the job at hand, we are not being fruitful the way the Lord wants us to be. One day you will realize that the money earned is also perished and you are also lost. In whatever work we are placed, let us understand what God wants us to do and when you move within the organization or outside, seek the will of God and do not lean on your own understanding. When God allows you to overwork to bring glory to Him, go ahead with it, but not on your understanding, but with His wisdom that you might magnify His name. Let us learn to be content and next time you feel you overwork and not fruitful work, stop and see what you are working for – if it is just for the reason to earn, we are toiling for the perishing and let us ask the Lord to guide us through to things which are more permanent.
Prayer: Dear Lord, grant me the wisdom and understanding from above that I might not labor in vain, but enjoy the fruit of the labor and bear good fruits abiding in you. Amen.
Daily Thought – Perfect @ work! Don’t compromise God!!
Word: Then these men said, “We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.” Daniel 6:1-5.
Thought: In most of the places we are in today, we could breathe politics in the air and there are people who do not like you going up the ladder and there are many who want to pull you down. The first people try to find out in us is our mistakes and are we able to be a testimony that people are able to see us blameless in the responsibility that God has given to us? It most matters in our work, but also reflects on family and ministry – the world is watching over us and find a mistake in us, but are we able they able to testify like the people who sought to accuse Daniel said “but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him”. The second part of it is also equally important in our lives that we do not compromise the word of God and tend to live perfect in accordance to the world – we need to be clear on not compromising in anyways that men may find fault through it. Daniel was able to serve 4 kings under 2 different kingdoms, yet unshakably on the top since he was perfect at his work and did not compromise on things of God – Let us reflect our lives and not be living to please to our boss, but do the work diligently, since your boss might change, but the one who has placed you will never change.
Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to do the work you have given to me diligently being accountable to you and not the way pleasing to man. Help me to be a testimony for you in the place where you have placed me. Amen.
Daily Thought – Meekness of wisdom!!
Word: Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. James 3:13
Thought: It is very important for us to discern that our wisdom is from God or from the world. We could discern as James explains by the way in we tend to demonstrate the wisdom – is it with the humility of the heart with all meekness or with bitter envy and strive. We deceive ourselves by saying we are diplomatic and we should handle politically, but the wisdom from above is not to be diplomatic or political, because it is pure wisdom and will always pursue what is truth with all humility and our thoughts, words and deeds should be in accordance to it. As Jesus grew in wisdom and when He was in the middle of the elders in the church, He demonstrated the wisdom with humility and yet people admired Him. Have we tried to get the wisdom, knowledge and understanding from above and able to go to the place which God has placed us and demonstrate the wisdom in purity with all humility – let us always see for ourselves and not be deceived that we are going with the wisdom from above. Let us ask and receive the wisdom from God “”If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him”. Let us not try to gain our wisdom from the gurus of the world, but from the pure word of God which gives us the wisdom which no one could fathom.
Prayer: Dear Lord, please grant us the wisdom from above and let us not be crowded with the wisdom of the world and let people around us experience the meekness of our wisdom. Amen.
Daily Thought – Where is your first love?
Word: I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Revelation 2:2-4.
Thought: These words which were spoken to the church at Ephesus applies to many of lives today. We continuously labor for the Lord with all good intentions and served Him patiently, but amidst all these we have somehow slipped and lost the first love we had for Him. Let us for a moment remember the day when the we just wanted to hear His voice and nothing else – we enjoyed His presence and wanted to walk hand in hand. Through the period of time, we have knowingly or unknowingly slipped and lost the voice in the midst of the noise of the world and there are multiple area which we focus, it could be even laboring for him, but the Lord just asks us – Return to your first love. He just wants to have the love relationship with us with nothing between, just us and Him – look around to see what separates us from the love of Christ, let us just push everything out and clear of all the noise to hear that still silent voice calling out ‘Love you my son/daughter’ – He just wants us to reciprocate His love and nothing less and nothing else. Let us return to the first love and also have Him as the first Love across everything in the world.
Prayer: Dear Lord, I love you – help me to love you more. Let me hear your voice even across all the noise of the world and cling on to you and love you more and more. Amen.
Daily Thought – Suffering to advance the Gospel!!
Word: But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel. Philippians 1:12
Thought: Many of our thoughts over the last 2 days were on Nabeel Qureshi and why did the Lord bring death on him at this young age serving the Lord. Paul writes it clearly that suffering which happen might be to advance the Gospel of Christ as he was able to extend the gospel to the prison when he was arrested. We might be going through tough situations which might be small or big (Loss of a job, no promotions, difficulty in finding a partner, not able to bear a child, diseases, loosing a loved one and the list is big and different for many of us), but in the midst of it we need to understand the plan and purpose of God in it. Many a times we just want God to release us from the situation and pray about it rather than waiting for His will to happen and glorify him in the situation. You might be a dark period of your life, but in the period seek God to ask the purpose He wanted you to pass through it and understand what He wants you to do in the situation – we might be called to be a testimony to people who are going through the same suffering, there might be people who are encouraged seeing you joyful in the midst of troubles. We are sure the life of Nabeel would not be a life of vain, but speak to a lot of people for generations to come. Let us also submit us to God in the time of Suffering that we might allow the furtherance of the Gospel of Christ through it.
Prayer: Dear Lord, grant me your strength to endure the suffering and help me to understand you plan and purpose in my suffering for the furtherance of the Gospel and the expansion of your kingdom in the place where you have placed me.
