Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Do it Unto the Lord

Colossians 3:23-24
 
23And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
 
I had a very eye opening experience yesterday evening while sitting with a perspective student and her family. After many questions and much probing, what God told me in my spirit when I first spoke to her and her mother was confirmed. The type of work the young lady desired to do had nothing to do with why she was at the school and it was more her trying to please her mother to do something her mother actually desired to do. We are in a society where men and women have been taught somewhere along the way that if they do not have a glorious title with loads of cash that they are nothing. It is not so. Even what you think is insignificant can give God glory. How you say? I have seen God change the names and titles of many. I have seen God take someone from a "notable" profession and place them as a cashier. They think they are not giving God glory but in their time as a cashier, God is using them to minister to people, to give smiles, laughs and hugs to those who need and to be a light for Him. And they have received gifts and tokens for the joy of the Lord they bring to others. God removed me from one 9-5 profession to another. I once did not understand the purpose in it but glory to God! He has showed me time and time again about the work I do. A lot of my students hug me in the hallways and say they are grateful that I take time out for them. Seeing them happy and doing what they never thought they could do gives me joy because I know I am not looking at them as numbers but as people. I am not a teacher but I work in education. The experience I am getting where I am helps to make me better in the company God has tasked me to run which uplifts others. I am experiencing "on the job training" everyday. My favorite former choir director and now pastor of congressional care at the church where I was baptized, Rev. Caldwell, used to sing a song I so loved. It was called, "It'll be Alright if You Change My Name." God can change your name/title. Not as a punishment, but so that you may give glory to Him. Too many people give too much weight to titles and not to actually working and laboring. If you are doing your best, you give God glory. If you are doing the work not to please man but to please God, then you cannot help but to please man. And it is in that, where you represent Him and give Him glory.
 
What you do is not insignificant if you give your best in all you do. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be great but change your focus. Work for His glory not yours and you shall be blessed.

Sunday, May 31, 2015

What Makes it Good?

Matthew 13:8
 
8But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
 
Jesus gave the parable of the sower and the different types of ground that the sower sowed seed into. But what is good? Remember, Jesus even said to the rich young ruler, "Why do you call me good?" Merriam-Webster's Dictionary gives the first definition of good as
 
1: of favorable character or tendency 2: bountiful, fertile, 3: comely, attractive, 4: suitable, fit 5: sound, whole, 6: agreeable, ample, 9: full, 10: well-founded, 11: legally valid or effectual 13: adequate, 14: conforming to a standard, 15: discriminating, 16:commendable, virtuous, 17: kind, 18: upper-class, 19: competent, 20: loyal, close
There are so many definitions of good but hone in on bountiful, fertile, suitable, legally valid, competent. In Matthew 7 Jesus talked about a tree that bears "good fruit."  Again, highlight the definitions of good. It is in our nature to think that just because you or I sow something that it is good ground. But in the parable of the sower, whether it is good does not rest with you or I but where the seed is sown, meaning the type of ground. And not every sower will yield the same amount even if sown in the same ground. Ground here can mean anything from a business, ministry,  project, relationship, etc. Our society is consumed with the level of results one has over another. But in actuality, it is about what God has deemed for that sower. What makes something good? The word says that God is not a man that He should lie. Therefore; when God says something is good, then it is. You can sow until the sun sets, but if God hasn't said that where you are sowing is good ground, you cannot expect a "good" harvest. What makes it good? If the plans God has given you line up with where you are sowing, then know that a good harvest will arrive. Remember, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty means that every good ground you sow seed may not yield the same amount. Your measuring stick on what the results should be may be off. Maybe you have thought that a harvest should only be in one area or plot of land. When in fact, God may deem that it comes from multiple sources just as their are multiple plots with different crops. And if you are surrounded by multiple sowers such as yourself, do not think that you all must reap the same amount or kind of harvest. What God has for you is for you. And therefore, your measuring stick must always be according to the plans that God has for your life as in Jeremiah 29:11. How God does it with you, for you and through you will not be exactly the same as someone else. Just remember that wherever God says to sow, it will be good. Trust Him.
 
P.S. SAVE THE DATE: Are you a parent, mentor or work/care for children in any capacity? Then put July 9th from 6pm-8pm on your calendar! A flyer is forthcoming. I am hosting a Community Book Signing Event and Panel Discussion on Child Abuse Prevention at Busboys and Poets in Washington, DC Brookland neighborhood. We are entering the summer camp season and must keep children safe. There will be some great experts on the panel and hope to see you there to talk, hug necks and sign books. The event is free to attend but you must register on http://www.getyourjoyinthemorning.com/ and fill out your information on the contact page.