Tag: Work

Today’s Word Is BURDENS

Wed-Jul-15-2020

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” – Jesus (Matthew 11:28)

Another version says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened…”

The heaviest burden many people carry is the load of expectations placed on them by others. Trying to live up to an image of who others think we should be can become a weight too great to sustain.

One of the reasons people flocked to hear Jesus was because he talked more about a God who cared, than one whose heavy hand wanted to control them and punish them for not being good enough or for breaking too many rules. I wonder if a single rabbi (teacher) had ever in their lives invited them to come follow so they could rest!

But Jesus was doing just that, which essentially was an invitation to live a life of trust in the goodness of God. Those who felt hopeless, oppressed, and tired of trying and failing were intrigued by these words … “Come to me, and I will give you rest.”

Now, this was not an invitation to stop trying, nor to escape responsibility, but to receive an internal shift from dependence on the approval of others to dependence on the grace of God. Worldly living says, “I will love you if” … and then there comes the expectation.

Kingdom living (God’s Kingdom, that is), says that you are loved by your Creator and your Savior for who you are, not for what you accomplish. The first step of Kingdom living is to get rid of the baggage, the load of expectations, the fear that you might not prove to be worthy, … and in exchange receive the following reality … You are accepted because God made you and loved unconditionally because that’s who God is and what he does.

After that, there are lots of things we do to accomplish Kingdom purposes, but they are not done to prove we are acceptable, they are done out of thanks that we were “declared” to be acceptable as God’s primary gift. (We call this salvation or conversion.) We are no longer laboring and heavy laden under a load of disapproval, but rather there is rest from it.

Welcome to the Jesus life. Now, I need to complete the picture. In the beginning, I only gave you one of three verses to describe the Jesus invitation. Here’s the “rest of the story”:

Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

You may notice that after Jesus offered rest, he told us to take his yoke upon us, which is the equipment placed on the shoulders of oxen and other work animals, for the purpose of carrying or pulling loads. How about that! … Invited to rest and put to work! But that’s it! Rest, work, rest, work. Not work, work, work, work.

In the Pharisees’ world, the “working” at proving ourselves to be religious and obedient was primary. In Jesus’ world, the “resting” is primary. The Sabbath is the holy day when God rested. For God, six days was “enough” to complete creation. Get it? This faith we practice has works of righteousness involved, but not to prove our worth and not to the extent that they become a burden we can’t carry. The most important day of the week is Sabbath, meaning the most important aspect of the Kingdom life is rest.

Is this making sense? Jesus invited us to turn around, to stop thinking of religious performance as the basis of life, but rather to let rest and assurance be the focus of life, with an attitude towards works of faith that sees it as a joy, not a burden, and certainly not the way to prove anything to God.

The result is rest for our souls, because the yoke (workload) is easy, and it burdens us only lightly, because it was given to us by a Savior who is both gentle and humble.

Blessings,

Chaplain Mark

By the way … this has been my favorite passage of Scripture for 40+ years. When I was a young pastor, I had read this passage many times, but the first time I used it as a sermon text, I began preparing and spontaneously became overwhelmed with tears at Jesus’ invitation to come to him and get rid of my burdens in exchange for his rest and a yoke that was much easier than the burdens I had been carrying for such a long time.

I say this because when we are first saved, we understand our salvation as we experienced it at that point. But later on, more revelations of the nature and glory of this new life in Christ will touch us in deeper and richer ways. This passage became my best symbolism for the illustration of salvation … to give him what I have, and in return get what he has. That’s the best bargain anyone in the world will ever get!

Today’s Word Is PRIORITIES

Mon-Jul-6-2020

“When we have our priorities in order, we feel the love God intended us to feel, for Him and for our families.” – Matt Holliday, Former Left Fielder, Colorado Rockies, Now on the Coaching Staff at Oklahoma State University
“I try to spend as much time as possible with God and my family. That’s more important than anything I’m doing in baseball.” – Albert Pujols, First Baseman, Los Angeles Angels

Your work life is important, but not the most important. You will not look back at the end of your life and say, “I wish I had spent more time at my job.” You are more likely to be thinking, “I could have spent more time with my family, developed my faith more, known God better, accomplished more kingdom things, and influenced the next generation in a more positive and powerful way.”

Priorities change throughout life, and the priorities that are most important are our priorities right now. In hindsight, I have lost time over the years that could have been spent on a higher priority. I would tell myself, “I will wait until later to do that.” But right now, it is best to repent of the past, be refreshed and forgiven, then adjust our ways, and live more consistently to God’s priorities for this time in our lives.

“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)

Self-criticism has no place in this process. Lay down the old way. Pick up the new way. Don’t look back. Don’t entertain regrets. Move on in faith. God has some important things for you to do, maybe some of which you have known about for quite a while, or maybe new things. If you should have acted on certain things long ago, that’s OK, that moment is gone … not to worry … look ahead not back. Act now.

God is more concerned about “this day forward” than “what you missed.” Once you are faced forward with a renewed attitude, God may have a new direction for you, one He has yet to reveal. Perhaps God has been waiting for a day like today, when you stand up, listen, feel a passion rise up within yourself, and make a declaration: “Yes, Lord. It is time. I am ready.”

Have a blessed day!

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is STRENGTH

Tue-Mar-3-2020

After you have made it through a tough time, a stressful deadline, a challenging crisis, or maybe just made it through the day, hopefully you get a chance to relax and breathe a sigh of relief. Maybe you begin to reflect on how this all worked out, what you learned, and where  the strength came from. As believers, we should know that giving ourselves the credit doesn’t really tell the whole story.

Listen to King David after a victory against an enemy:

I love You, O Lord, my strength.

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;

My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,

And I am saved from my enemies. (Psalm 18:1-3)

When King David says, ”I am saved from my enemies,” he means the battle is over and we won! Yes, we. Through it all, the Lord is our rock, our fortress, and our deliverer.

How good are you at giving God the credit? It is much easier to quickly acknowledge and thank him when we have started out confiding and trusting in him, asking for guidance in the morning and throughout the day. I have made much progress over the years, but I still sometimes find myself seeing a problem or opportunity and just taking off with my own solution. Carrying on that day-long conversation is a great habit, which can keep me from being too hasty and disregarding my greatest source of strength. Then when the job is complete, problem solved, success achieved, victory won – I am more prone to give thanks to God my Father for the strength.

A famous Budweiser commercial shows a young colt alone in the barn beside the huge wagon that the older horses pull as a team. He steps under the harness, puts his neck in place and tries to pull. At first it doesn’t budge. He pulls harder – then suddenly the carriage moves forward, and he starts walking!

Obviously, he is thinking – wow, I’m really doing it! Then the camera angle widens and you see that the wagon is being pushed from behind by one of the huge Clydesdales, which I take to be his Dad.

So it is with you and me. Whether small or large, the things we accomplish are made possible by the God who is helping far more than we often give him credit. It is actually by his strength that we accomplished anything.

“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” – Jesus (John 15:5)

Give thanks and give credit,

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is JOB

Mon-Mar-2-2020

Many years ago, the owner of a professional sports franchise hired a consulting firm to help evaluate their employees, including job descriptions, distribution of responsibilities, and organizational chart. The purpose was to see if they could improve their sports team’s effectiveness and reputation, as well as to make things more cost effective and improve the “bottom line.”

A selection of employees at every level, from high salaries to minimum wage, and from every part of the company was brought in for interviews. These persons were to describe what their “job” was. For example, “I am in the marketing department, and my job is to arrange for large groups to come to our ball games and receive special treatment.” Another might say, “I travel the country looking for prospective athletes for our team.” While another might say, “I am in the ticket booth selling tickets.”

One of the random names picked was a cleaning lady who patrolled the bathrooms during the games and kept them “fresh.” The interviewer began by asking her, “What is your job for this organization?” And without hesitation, she said, “I’ll tell you what my job is … my job is to help our team win the Super Bowl!” She went on to explain how people are happier, buy more “stuff,” talk up the team, and stay loyal fans if they are able to go to a clean, well-kept restroom. “Furthermore,” she explained, “happy fans are more enthusiastic and yell more, and that makes our team play better and win more games, which is what gets us to the Super Bowl!”

Wouldn’t you like to work side-by-side with someone who has this attitude about their job! I would imagine that lady was fun to be around, easy to work with, and accomplished a lot, while maintaining excellent relationships with the customers as well as co-workers.

No job is insignificant, especially if you are doing it with the highest of purposes. After all, your real reward is from the Lord!

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” – The Apostle Paul (Colossians 3:23-24)

Blessings,

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Word Is REST … Plus Friday Humor

Fri-Feb-21-2020

Robinson Crusoe fell desperately ill, and just before dropping into a coma, he called for his man Friday to help him. Friday, not knowing what else to do, went outside of Crusoe’s tent and danced around and prayed for God to come and help his master.

Shortly afterwards, Crusoe awoke from his coma and groggily perceived a shape at the foot of his bed. In panic, he imagined that the angel of death had come to get him. Then the shape came into focus, and he cried out with relief, “Thank God! It’s Friday!”

According to the internet, the phrase “Thank God It’s Friday” was created in the early 1970’s by Jerry Healy, a disk jockey on radio station WAKR in Akron, Ohio. It eventually became common nationwide as an expression of relief at the end of the work week and anticipation of relaxing or partying over the weekend!

It seems to me to be an indication of the stress Americans feel overall. Perhaps there is in our culture a general lack of enjoyment at work, an expectation of excessive work hours, and a high premium on financial success.

Whatever the factors, many people seem to be starving for rest and relief from the demanding work week. Furthermore, we sometimes find our weekends so packed with activities and obligations that we don’t really get rested before it’s time to go back to work. Thus, we often find ourselves advising people to “get some rest.” Guess who came up with the saying, “Now get your rest!” Not your mother. Not your best friend. Not your doctor. It was God.

First, he set the example himself. “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.” (Genesis 2:2) God himself knew when he had done enough work, and it was time to rest. (Do you?)

His work was satisfying. What he did during the work of creation he labeled as “good.” And perhaps we should pause each day, or at least at the end of the week, and say, “That was good. What I did helped me, my family, and others in some way.” And then we should know that we have worked enough, it is time to rest.

Our standard five-day work week means two days off, yes. But there is still work to be done regarding home and family. But at least one of those days should qualify as a “holy rest” in the spirit of the Sabbath commandment. Thus, God gave us instructions to imitate him in getting our rest. “Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord.” (Exodus 31:15a)

Maybe you don’t exactly do a 24-hour continuous rest period, but you and I need a way to refresh each week. The extent of your rest is not supposed to be “however much you sleep at night.” It needs to be supplemented with the renewal of your mind, body, and spirit.

Therefore, resting doesn’t mean just sleeping. Find your way to experience the breezes of God refreshing you in these areas … emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually. Don’t leave one out. Sometimes we are taking care of one or two of those areas, and still don’t feel fully alive, rested, and energetic.

I have another saying that I use for myself, “Thank God It’s Sunday.” When I don’t worship together with others and find extra time to be refreshed in the Lord, I feel like my week is not complete.

Enjoy your weekend, get some rest, attend worship …

That’s what I’m going to do,

Chaplain Mark

Other Verses:

I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety. (Psalm 4:8)

It is in vain that you rise up early, and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved. (Psalm 127:2)

Today’s Word Is BALANCE

Tue-Feb-4-2020

In the book Work, Play, and Worship in a Leisure-Oriented Society by Gordon Dahl, he proposes a theory that life is made up of these three aspects; and we are supposed to work at our work, play at our play, and worship at our worship. He then proposes that much of American life is out of balance … and we get into a pattern of … Worshipping our work … Working at our play, and … Playing at our worship.

Starting with work … It should be fulfilling in some degree, accomplish something useful, provide for our needs, and bless others. But the word “workaholic” was created by a Canadian newspaper writer in 1947 to describe the growing concern for people who value work inappropriately and thus hurt their families, destroy their own health, and define life by the wrong measures. In other words, they worship their work.

Then there is our play. Another name is recreation … it is supposed to “re-create” us, meaning relieve stress, evoke laughter, be filled with enjoyment, and refresh us. However, I have seen folks throw golf clubs, walk out of card games, throw a tantrum over losing, get livid at the Little League umpire for a bad call, and in general become miserable trying to “play.”

When my children were preschoolers, I bought them a “bolo paddle,” a wooden paddle attached to a long rubber band with a small rubber ball on the end. You hit the ball over and over as it stretches out on the rubber band and comes back. When I got home from work the next day, I got upset because they had taken it apart!

My son was using the paddle part as a hammer with some of his building blocks. He loved it! My daughter was out back with the ball and rubber band part, slinging it around the double stranded clothesline, which made it wrap round and round and round until it was tight. Then it would reverse and unwind around and around until it was back out straight. She loved it! They were having great fun with the toy I bought, but by my standards they were not doing it “correctly.” Thankfully, I resisted the urge to spoil their play and turn it into work. It struck me that they were truly playing and enjoying it.

Now for worship. This is a time, both private and corporate, to praise and thank our Creator. But very many Americans breeze through the worship time (which for some must be completed in a defined time period, such as one hour) and do not get impacted by the awesome idea and experience of communing with the Holy God of the universe.

Many people are too embarrassed to express openly their love for God, afraid others will think less of them if they laugh, cry, shout, kneel, hold their hands out or up to God, get lost in a moment of quietness and reflection, or get so consumed by the presence of God that they are unaware of their surroundings and unashamed to express openly their love for God. It is possible, you know, to worship without singing or to sing without worshipping!

There is much more that could be said, but you get the picture. Now you can reflect about whether you are in or out of balance. We can find a sense of greater peace when our work, play, and worship become what they are supposed to be … not idolizing our work, being refreshed by our play, and being fully engaged while focusing on God in our worship.

Blessings,

Chaplain Mark

Today’s Verse:

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. (1st Corinthians 10:31)