The Master You Are Serving is Christ

The Master You Are Serving is Christ

by rebekahbeene

This week was set aside in the U.S. to honor secretaries and administrative professionals in their jobs. For having been one of those professionals for over 20 years I can tell you it’s an interesting place of service. More than any other secular job, I truly believe that secretaries must have a servant’s heart. The value of one who does the behind the scenes work is often underrated and overlooked.  All who work should be considered professionals for it is their profession after all. Whether you are paid or volunteer the job can be done in a professional manner. If you have others who work for you I hope that you thanked them for things you see and things you probably don’t see. If you are one of these clerical assistants I hope that you know how valuable you truly are.

Although I enjoy flowers, gifts and accolades like everyone else, I find that in many areas of my life God is showing me that when I am totally hidden in Him it doesn’t matter who thanks me or what honors I get.  What I have to do then is make a decision, every single day, to hide myself – in His love, in His Word and in His presence. This is where I find the greatest peace, even when things are going wild around me. I also find that it is only when I acknowledge God as my final judge of workmanship that I feel complete.

God wants you to know that you are valued. Whether you work outside the home or whether you are a volunteer, your work is important to the Kingdom of God because you are His child. You are valued because of His great love for you. In the natural God would give you flowers every single day. He would say thank you often and He would lavish gifts at every turn. In the Spiritual however, it is oh so much more wonderful!  He lavishes His Agape love on you like heavenly ointment. He showers His grace and mercy on you beyond your wildest dreams. He gifts you daily with peace, joy, contentment, wisdom, power and more.

God also wants you to know that when your life is hidden in Him you will find real success in your work, your family, your church and your ministry. God wants to be first and foremost in your life so that everything else will fall into place neatly and without turmoil. Don’t file Him away as an afterthought. He will lead you into the most wonderful career you’ve ever known – that of a blood bought priceless believer!

Oh beloved, you may be in a hard place right now, whether at home or at work. It may not be very rewarding these days. Not all situations are good. You may feel cast off, insignificant, distanced and unappreciated. You may feel as though no one cares about you or recognizes your real value, whether you are at work or at home.  God does. He loves you and He’s for you. Really, that’s all that matters as you work heartily for the Lord and live in the light of His glory and grace.

“Lord, we know you love us with an everlasting love. But sometimes we just want to hear the words that we are appreciated in our sphere of the world. Remind us often that when we come to the end of our days the greatest compliment we’ll ever have is ‘Well done good and faithful servant.’  Forgive us for complaining when we feel left out or unappreciated. We love you Lord and we give our whole life fresh and new to You, including our daily lives, our jobs and areas of service You have ordained for us. In Jesus’ Precious Name…Amen”

Colossians 3:23-24 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.  Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.

Proverbs 16:3 Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established. (NAS)

Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Psalm 90:17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; and confirm for us the work of our hands; Yes, confirm the work of our hands. ( NAS)

Let the Master Architect do His Magnfiicent Work!

We’re still working on some home remodeling and repair projects. It’s been going slow. We have wall to wall carpet, so when Danny took the wall down between the den/kitchen and the living room we now have a gap in the carpet. That gap will remain until we have time to put the new flooring down. We also have to figure out which flooring we want before we can put it down!  

Remodeling takes a lot of time and effort. Sometimes you find other things, hidden problems, along the way.  I have also discovered that, as one project is finished I can see another project I’d like us to do. 

Because we have a vision for what we’d like the house to look like inside and because we know what we want the downstairs to be for us, we can see through the construction issues. We can see the finished product because we have a plan. Someone else might come in and think “what a mess” but we know the end from the now.

God speaks to my heart: We who have been born again are under construction. Our lives at times can look like chaotic messes. We’re going from death to life, from under penalty destined for demolition to bought with a price and oh how we need “fixing up”.  As God begins the remodel process in our hearts, others might see the mess only. We too might keep looking at the mess we still are. Can God really fix us? Are we worth redeeming? What if more problems are found while He’s working on us? What if He reveals things that we have to let Him totally remove? Can we live without the walls that we have built?

And for those who watch the process, God has a wonderful plan! It does not yet appear what we will be, but He has a perfect plan for each construction process, for each redemptive action, for each renewal and regeneration. Often we feel condemned by the process because we falter in our walk, we forget God’s plan, we make our own changes and then we’re in a mess again.

Maybe you feel that your life is set for the wrecking crew. You don’t deserve to be remade. You may see no redeeming value in your situation, in your heart or in your mind. Maybe someone has tried to tear you down, demolish your life or tell you that you’re worthless and only good for the scrap pile. People will walk away, put the condemned sign on your life and leave you with gaping holes in your heart.

But God – But God!  He is the Master Architect of our lives. He has a plan and it is oh so very good! He is going to take you – take me – take us – and make us into something we could never imagine in our wildest dreams!  His plan will be fleshed out in our hearts and then after it is all done He will display us for the world to see as His!

As the song goes, “I am not who I was, I am being remade, I am new!” It’s so true! We are born again, but the process of sanctification – being remade – takes a lifetime! And even when it looks like we’re stuck in a de-struction, we are actually being perfected. One day, when Christ appears, we will be absolutely perfect!

Oh beloved, rejoice! You are being built for the King’s domain! You are loved so unconditionally and God’s plan for you is lavish and better than anything you could plan for yourself.  Let Him do the work, don’t slow Him down, don’t beg for Him to quit, for it will be all good as you let Him live His life through you!

Colossians 3:10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him.

2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

Philippians 2:13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

2 Timothy 1:9 For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time--to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.

Colossians 2:7-8 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

Let God Tend the Garden of Your Heart

Between the past droughts and the busy lives we lead, my flower beds have been neglected. There isn’t much to even call them that. The spring bulbs still bloom but otherwise there are trees in the yard and some shrubs that show color early each year. It’s a nice yard, but it’s just grass and trees. Even the grass has had its share of neglect.

I want to see more color flourishing the landscape. Working for the cooperative extension office, I know what that’s going to require. Having a yard to mow and leaves to pick up is one thing. Pretty simple. But to have flower beds requires more work. I will have to pull weeds, put down new mulch, plant fresh flowers and watch for insects. This is something that is continually done. Oh if weeds only required one attack wouldn't landscaping be easy! If the bugs would just stay away and the rains come regularly and steadily at just the right proportion.

God speaks: flower beds and the Christian life are a lot alike. We are God’s most beautiful plants in His garden. His greatest desire is that we bloom in season, keep watered, stay tender and free of weeds and insects. HE provides for everything we need to be all that we can be and to thrive not just stay alive.

In order for us to be just what He wants and to bloom and flourish in season the weeds of life must be pulled. They have to be taken out so that our roots do not get entangled with them and smother out the blooms and tenderness in our lives.

But we become upset! We often just feel the weeding and working of God in the garden of our hearts, and it hurts! But in the spirit realm God is working to achieve His best – He wants us to be blue ribbon plants. We are His most prized possessions. He even wrote a Gardening Book so that we don’t have to be surprised when we’re plucked and pruned and moved from one bed to another. We just see our dangling roots and our former place in God’s world, but He sees better soil and a more beautiful spot created just for us, free of pests and fresh and new.

Are you feeling the effects of God’s magnificent work in your life? Did you think the little bugs of life were okay but now you see that they were eating you alive? Were you surrounded by grief, worry, fear, rejection, apathy, criticism and more? Those are not good mixes with your life and God wants them gone. Sure it may feel worrisome right now, but when you are settled, refreshed and free of troublesome things you will thrive right where God plants you.

God sees your condition. He knows you worked hard to put down roots and bloom and grow. He sees that weeds came in to choke your very existence and that bugs seek to eat away at your purpose, but He is the Landscape Artist and His plans for your life are beautiful. He has spent all creation preparing life just for you, so that you will thrive in His kingdom and be used to display His glory. He even penned the Word of God so that you will know how to produce much fruit and shine in the light of His favor and blessings.

Oh beloved, Let Him prune, Let Him move, Let Him pick the weeds from your heart and destroy the insects that are eating at you. If you will let Him, He will make you a more magnificent specimen of His love and care than you could ever imagine on your own. This Gardener is no ordinary man – He won’t pluck you up just to see you discarded – He will tenderly gather you in His arms and carry you through the process until you are safely in the exact spot He wants you.

God loves you and He’s for you so you can trust every move He makes and you can trust Him when you don’t even see Him at work for He Is Faithful and True. Now aren't you glad you’re going to flower in His garden for the rest of your wonderful life!

Hosea 14:8 O Israel, stay away from idols! I am the one who answers your prayers and cares for you. I am like a tree that is always green; all your fruit comes from Me.

John 15:4 Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in Me.

Psalm 121:5 The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.

Colossians 1:10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

Mondays Not Mundane When God is With Us

It’s Monday.  For some it feels like back to the salt mine. Put your nose to the grindstone.  It’s just something you’ve gotta do. Often the American worker wakes up in their mid years and wonder how they got where they are.  There must be more than this may be muttered under the breath as each one after another goes to their vehicle and climbs in for the drive to the office or the plant.  Everyone starts out feeling so good about work and getting ahead. Yet after so many years, the clock punching can get old and the back goes out more than they do.

Life can be really monotonous.  It’s so repetitive in day to day life. No matter how many dishes you do, there’s always dishes to do. No matter how many clothes you wash or meals you prepare there’s always more.  Work, housework, repairs, bills, etc. Is this really it you may be asking yourself this morning.

It is what it is.  Unless…what if our destiny is not in our own hands? What if we don’t go to work alone? What if our paycheck is a gift? What if the money we have and the life we live belongs to someone else rather than just to us?

Your Mondays may have been mundane, but when you apply God’s Word to every day of the week, it’s bound to be Sunday in your heart! Every good gift you have is given to you by Him! Every opportunity to see another Monday is a gift as well. Every paycheck handed to you each payday is a present straight from the Throne Room, giving you opportunities to make it in this world.

Oh beloved, run to the Master Employer and read what He has to say about you! He loves you so much that He has given you something to live for beyond the everyday! Everything you have has been given you by the Lord!  Let Him love you and show you that your destiny is in His hands, not your own! Even if you’ve gotten to a bad spot where there’s more money than paycheck, run to Him! He not only gives you grace to make it, He is able to make a way where there is no way. Love the Lord and let Him show you how to be more than a worker, to be a light in the darkness wherever He has allowed you to be.

Oh how He loves you! Oh how He has plans for you! Oh how He will take your Monday and make it more than glorious because you are walking with the King! You don’t have to be anxious or downtrodden, for you are a servant of the Most High God! Seek His face, work as though He were your boss and thank Him for everything He gives you to do! Seek Him if you need help with your bills, your troubles, your fears. He is always with you! You are blessed, you are walking through the hard places into His loving care and your destiny is secure in Christ!

Colossians 3:23-24 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.

Proverbs 3:26 for the Lord is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap.

Isaiah 29:19 The humble will be filled with fresh joy from the Lord. The poor will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

Deuteronomy 24:14 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; And confirm for us the work of our hands; Yes, confirm the work of our hands. NAS

Psalm 121:2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!

God Wants to Reveal His Plan to You

Loretta Young has always been one of my favorite actresses. During the holidays Danny and I watched Come to the Stable, a movie about two French nuns who come to a small American town and involve the townsfolk in helping them to build a children's hospital.

They had a mandate given to them from God. As they began working God’s plan, they weren’t exactly welcomed everywhere they went. They were told by people, including their leaders, that it couldn’t be done. Some of the people they met along the way worked hard to stop them. But they kept going forward because they felt that was where God wanted the hospital to be. They even made people mad!  They were accused of working against people, yet all the while they were just getting orders from the Lord and expecting Him to work it out. They continued working towards the goal, never letting resentment or animosity work into their system. They never let anyone’s doomsday predictions become their focus. They just kept smiling and kept expecting God to honor His plan.  

As the deadline approached it looked like their plans weren’t going to be finished, they were told they would be relieved of their duties and sent home.  They did not retaliate, fuss, fume, insist or manipulate.  They just prayed and kept trusting God.   Guess what? God honored their fidelity and commitment and the Children’s Hospital became a reality. God used two women who were not considered to be important at all but because of their prayer life and their expectations that God would answer they fulfilled their calling. 

Oh beloved, perhaps you’re thinking, “That’s just a movie”. But God wants to reveal His plan to you!  He has a marvelous plan for your life and even if it seems small to you, His plan is out of this world! He has promised to work through your faithfulness in the face of mocking, despair, antagonism and more. He promises to work around your hurts, your brick walls and your foes.  Maybe you’re in the middle of His plan and like the nuns, you’ve run into obstacles.  Don’t walk away now! Don’t quit! Don’t throw up your hands! For God Himself is with you!  You may consider yourself to be insignificant, restricted, unable or more, but God’s plan transcends your mortal weaknesses. 

Run to the Lord this morning and seek His face, for surely He is calling you and surely He is able to perform that call all the way to its completion! He loves you and He’s on your side to work and to will His plans on your behalf for the Gospel and for your blessing.  Just pray and hang on, for what God says He will perform and that’s all that really matters!

Proverbs 16:9 We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.

Psalm 37:23 If the LORD delights in a man's way, He makes his steps firm (NIV)

Psalm 90:17 And may the Lord our God show us His approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful!

Busy Day Ahead? God Can Make it Magnificent!

I gave my son a ride to work and as we were coming into town we were both talking about what it would be like not to have to work every day. I talked about how my retirement fund is growing but not enough for me to retire yet. Jason agreed that it would be nice, some days just to stay home. And then we spied him. The middle aged man who rides a bicycle to work and home, about 5 miles, every single day. Rain or shine.  Cold or hot. He gets on that bicycle and goes to the restaurant and washes dishes and busses tables.  As I saw the bicycle man I said, “never mind”. And my son said, “yeah”.   We both knew and God had spoken. Attitudes adjusted.

When I got home that day, there was a small padded envelope on the couch. Danny asked me to open it and I realized it was probably the necklace I had ordered online.  I was so excited to see it! I opened the padded envelope and pulled out the contents.  It was indeed the necklace and I quickly wrapped it around my neck twice.  I touched the necklace to my chest and was choked with tears. I had “surfed the net” looking for one thing and came upon a website of a young woman, a YOUNG woman from America who had heard God call her to Uganda. She runs a home and helps feed children daily.  Her website says they “help to educate and empower the people of Uganda with God’s love”.  The beads are magnificent, oh they are just made of magazine pages and wire and small plastic spacers, but they are magnificent! By buying that string of multi colored beads, there are little children in Uganda who will go to bed with a full belly.  The mothers in Uganda make the beads by hand. So each time I wear this necklace I will be reminded of many things, not the least of which is to pray for the people of Uganda, especially the mothers.

Oh beloved, as you begin to perform the small things you may be asked to do this day, remember always that you are loved, you are cared for and your life can have purpose.  Whether it’s riding a bicycle to work or making beads to help feed your children, everything we do can be done for Christ. All we have to do is open our morning and give it to Him.  Run to His glorious Words of love and read: all His promises have your name written on them. He dances over you with joy and He speaks sweet words into your heart as His desire is to give you what you never knew you even needed. And look around as you return thanks to Him. For He is worthy of your praise, of your adoration, of your entire heart turned towards Him. Can you hear Him this morning as He sings over you?  It is truly a good day with the Lord now isn’t it?

Proverbs 16:3  Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed. AMP

1 Peter 5:7 Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. AMP

I Peter 1:3 For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue). AMP

Psalm 67:3 Let the peoples praise You [turn away from their idols] and give thanks to You, O God; let all the peoples praise and give thanks to You. AMP

 

(photo used with permission from Amazima Ministries/Kelsey Harrison Photography)