Back to work blues

I know that I have essentially just had two weeks holiday and that in the present climate I should be happy to have a job and be earning money. But this morning I just can not motivate myself to get up and go to work. My bed feels too comfortable and warm, outside is too cold and dreary and today is my longest and most unsociable shift of the week.

I know that once I get to work I will enjoy it and that I will have a laugh with my colleges and the residents who I have not seen for a number of days. I also know that after having some time off I will have the interesting task of meeting and working with the new residents who have moved in while I have been off, which is always interesting. But like I say, this morning I am comfortable in my bed and have no drive to get up and go to work.

The truth is that we all have days like this, where we have no motivation and no drive, we feel lazy and only want to think of ourselves. But it is at these times we need to remember what it is we are living for, what it is we are working for. When you go to work yes you are working for your boos and to earn money, but you are also out there in the world working for God.

Colossians 3:23-24
    Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you'll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you're serving is Christ.

In everything we do we need to remember that God is our true master and that everything we do should be done through and for Him. In going to work we are going out into the world on to the front line, we are going into the places where God wants us to take His word. By our actions and behaviour our colleges and clients should see that we are different.

Keeping in mind that we are ultimately serving Christ should be a powerful motivator, it should bring us strength and hope when we struggle or find work difficult. It should also remind you that when you lose your motivation and drive that if you pray you will be helped. Not only that but that through the Holy Spirit, God can be there working through you if only you allow Him in.

Who are you working for right now? Are you living your Christian life out at work? I know these two questions are challenging for me and are something I need to work on setting right, but putting God at the centre of my life requires me to put Him at the centre of everything.

Message from Gramma

My Gramma recently passed away and her Bible was given to me. Well more along the lines of I asked for it first, but anyway it is now mine. It is a wonderful thing to have from my Gramma, an inheritance that is more personal than anything else, this was her guide to following God! Gramma was an incredibly organised, tidy and uncluttered lady, everything was always just so. Therefore it is no surprise that her Bible was similarly neat and organised. There was a bookmark in the Bible and when I opened it to read it a few short verses stuck out for me.

Colossians 3:1-4 (GNB)
     You have been raised to life with Christ, so set your hearts on the things that are in Heaven, where Christ sits on his throne at the right side of God. Keep your minds fixed on things there, not on things here on Earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Your real life is Christ and when He appears, then you too will appear with Him and share His glory.

Gramma was a quiet, reserved woman. She would never say a huge amount, but what she said you knew was gold. She had an amazing ability to make silence into something to be shared and treasured. There was always a stillness about her, yet power and strength was never far away. For such a tiny woman she had a huge influence on me in my life, I know she loved and cared for me as no one else could. But most importantly I know she was a Godly lady, a true and solid Christian always working in His name and following His path through life. I am glad to have been blessed with so many strong Christian role models in my life and I look forward to meeting them in the future and hope I will be able to stand amongst them sure in the knowledge that I also was the best that I could be. Thank you for everything Gramma, we will miss you always.

Embarrassed to be Christian

Right, before you guys start worrying its not like it sounds. I am not talking about being embarrassed about being a Christian in general, more that there are certain circumstances in which you are shall we say challenged. The case in point which I have is fire and brimstone street preachers, the kind who stand in city centres and shout at the passers by telling them that they must repent or go to hell. Now I don't know about everyone else but this makes me very uncomfortable because I do not see this as a Christian act and it causes a negative image of Christians in the public eye. I have a few Biblical quotes that I feel support my view;

1 Corinthians 4:15
    There are a lot of people around who can't wait to tell you what you've done wrong, but there aren't many fathers willing to take the time and effort to help you grow up. It was as Jesus helped me proclaim God's Message to you that I became your father.
Luke 6:45
    It's who you are, not what you say and do, that counts. Your true being brims over into true words and deeds.
1 Corinthians 13:13
    But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.
Ephesians 4:15
    God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do.
Ephesians 6:4
    Fathers, don't exasperate your children by coming down hard on them. Take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master.
Colossians 1:28
    We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less.
1 Timothy 4:11-12
    Get the word out. Teach all these things. And don't let anyone put you down because you're young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity.

In my opinion (Which may be wrong) the way Jesus wanted us to spread the word was in a loving way. Standing shouting at people trying to make them feel so bad they "repent" is not a loving way. I believe that we should be going out in to the world and living amongst these people, filling the needs as they appear and helping where we can. We should be living like Christ and serving those who need our help. In time people will see that we are just like them, yet there is something slightly different about us. It is when this intrigue drives them to question us why we are different we will be able to share the gospel with them. The preacher at my home Church uses a phrase quite regularly and it is a phrase that sums up my thoughts on this matter very well. He says "Preach always, and when necessary use words". If we want to save souls the way to do it is not by alienating the sinful people of the world, but by loving them. Again I may be wrong but to the best of my knowledge Jesus never stood in Capernaum, Galilee or Jerusalem lambasting passers by, instead he taught those who wished to hear and treat everyone else with love until they came seeking his message. If you disagree with me or have anything to add please leave a comment as I would be glad to discuss this with anyone, I always have more to learn.