“Hey, Jim! Where have you been?” I asked my neighbor. He was entering his apartment as I was leaving mine. “Oh, you know. Working.” “But I haven’t seen you in weeks!” “Well, I’ve been working a lot.” “Every day? I mean, you’re not even around on the weekends?” “Oh, yeah. I work every day.” “Seriously?Continue reading “What is the Purpose of the Sabbath Day? Numbers 15.”
Category Archives: WORK IS A GIFT, NOT A PUNISHMENT
Civil Engineering: All Hands on Deck! Nehemiah 3:1-31.
Image: Golden Gate Bridge by Joseph C. Filer and Jason W. Filer. Many of the biggest projects on earth are civil engineering projects. The Great Pyramid at Giza is the height of a fifty-story building and built out of “bricks” that weigh 5,000 pounds. How did they do that in 2560 B.C.? The Great WallContinue reading “Civil Engineering: All Hands on Deck! Nehemiah 3:1-31.”
The ‘Good Enough’ Work Ethic. 2 Chronicles 5:13-14.
Image: the cockpit of an airbus. The World War Two generation understood how to fight to the death. They knew what it was to live through a world at war, and to fear how things would end up, should the Allies lose. Life for the WWII generation (often called “The Greatest Generation”) must have beenContinue reading “The ‘Good Enough’ Work Ethic. 2 Chronicles 5:13-14.”
Don’t Make Your Job Complicated—Obedience is Simple. Jeremiah 22:3.
What is your job description? Some are clearly defined: ride the back of the trash truck and empty trash cans into the truck at each stop. Others are loosely defined: be my personal assistant, show up at 8 every morning and do whatever I ask until I send you home. What is the job descriptionContinue reading “Don’t Make Your Job Complicated—Obedience is Simple. Jeremiah 22:3.”
This Cellophane Life. Isaiah 65:17-25.
Image: cellophane. Cellophane is the original name for clear plastic wrap or “shrink wrap.” Our lives on earth are like cellophane: thin, see-through, and not particularly durable. C.S. Lewis argued long ago that in heaven our lives will be “made of solider stuff,” and weighty, powerful, and filled with meaning. Rather than being flimsy andContinue reading “This Cellophane Life. Isaiah 65:17-25.”
That One Distasteful Subject. Isaiah 48:17.
We don’t speak of it in polite conversation. We don’t think of it as a spiritual topic. No seeker climbs to the top of a mountain in the Himalayas to ask a Guru about it. Wall calendars with photos of sunsets and rainbows will never feature a poetic line on this theme. Yet, Jesus spokeContinue reading “That One Distasteful Subject. Isaiah 48:17.”
How Do I Get My Children to Follow the Lord? 2 Chronicles 24:24-25.
What do most immigrants to the United States want their children to do? Go to med school, of course! The idea has become such a stereotype, standup comics make millions telling jokes about it. But the stereotype is not untrue. Parents of every stripe, of every American ethnicity and culture have imagined their children asContinue reading “How Do I Get My Children to Follow the Lord? 2 Chronicles 24:24-25.”
On Races and Racism. Genesis 10:32.
“These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations; and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood” Genesis 10:32. Any thinking Christian should realize the conflicts inherent in racism. First, we know God made everyone and Jesus died for everyone. Remember the song, “JesusContinue reading “On Races and Racism. Genesis 10:32.”
WORK IS GOD’S PLAN, NOT GOD’S PUNISHMENT. Psalm 104:14,23.
I was obsessed. I woke up running and did not stop till dark. After school, I put on play clothes and was back outside. Life was adventures, tree climbing, pirates, hide & seek, baseball, bicycles, and more. I BELIEVED in play the way others believed in the Dallas Cowboys. PLAY was my team. I LOVEDContinue reading “WORK IS GOD’S PLAN, NOT GOD’S PUNISHMENT. Psalm 104:14,23.”
Put Your Heart Into Your Work.
When Moses needed men to build the tabernacle, God brought men with skill AND passion. They had a CALLING. We have many skills, but few callings. That is, you may be good at several things. But your heart will lead you to the one that is right for you. Of course, your heart can getContinue reading “Put Your Heart Into Your Work.”
Household Words: 