Why am I doing this?

I was standing over a dirty toilet, scrubbing it. Then, I began to ask myself some questions: "Why am I cleaning up after other people for a living? Why did God allow me to have such a dirty job?" As I meditated on these questions, the Lord began to reveal some things to me...... People get into a lot of dirty stuff (sin), and people sometimes make a mess of things. God wants all of us to aid people and show them how to get cleaned up, with His help. Let's read I Corinthians 1:26-27. "For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise." Your job may also seem foolish sometimes, but God can still use you for His purpose. After all, He is the one Who called you.

The big green

There it was: green, rolled up, and sitting all by itself. "Who would know anyway?" I said to myself. "The person that owned the ten dollar bill probably doesn't even know where they dropped it." As I picked it up, something inside of me (the Holy Spirit) kept saying, "Tell someone that you found it! Do the right thing!" So I did. Wow! What a release. Ephesians 6:5-7 tells us, "Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eye service, as men pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with good will doing service as to the Lord, and not to men." Something to remember: others don't always know that we are doing, but God always knows.

Receiving and doing

James 1:21, 22 reads, "Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow (abundance) of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted Word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." First of all, we are to lay aside the garbage in our lives. Then, we are to receive the implanted Word with humility. But we don't just stay there, receiving the implanted Word and getting fat. We have to exercise our faith. We should take what we have learned and apply it to our lives. We must also share it with others; being a doer of the Word.

Fall face down

My friend Steve once told me, "You either start your day on your knees, or you will end your day on your knees asking God for His forgiveness." Psalm 145:14 says: "The Lord upholds all who fall, and raises up all who are bowed down." If we fall, and we will fall; it's better to fall face down in complete surrender to God. It is God who will lift us up. When we humble ourselves to Him and bow our hearts and lives to Him, He will never turn us away.

How can you do all of this?

This was a question that I was asked one day at work. I responded, "You have to just get in there and do it!" As I thought about the question, God spoke to my heart. I found that the answer should have been, "I can't, but I can!" I can't do any seemingly impossible job on my own. But I can pray for God's help, pray for people and pray for my workplace. Philippians 4:13 puts it this way: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." This verse doesn't say, 'I can do all things by myself' either. It is through Christ. Jesus is the vehicle that we are to use to get things done!

Ready to die?

What if you were to die today? Would you be ready to die? Would you be ready to meet your maker? King Solomon gave us some great insight into life. Ecclesiastes 3:1, 2 says, "To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die;" Just like the changing of seasons comes, so death comes to every single person. The idea is that we do not know when we are going to die. Since we don't know, it is important that we live our lives like today is our last day on earth. We should be right with God at all times. We should also be involved in sharing our faith with others. We don't know if we will ever get the chance again.

Are you afraid of dying?

If there is one thing that all human beings have in common, it is the fact that everyone must die. Death is inevitable, and death comes knocking at every persons door. The bad news is that everyone must die. The good news is that if you have a personal relationship with Jesus you can live forever. Psalm 23:4 says, " Yeah though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." If you know God personally, you can be comforted. And you will live knowing that what ever happens in this life that you will live forever with God, in the life to come.

Need help?

Have you ever needed help? Do you need help right now? Everyone at some point in their life needs a little help from their friends. Psalm 46:1 says, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." If you find yourself in a time of trouble and heartache, I challenge you to call out to God and ask Him for help. If you do it with a sincere heart, I guarantee He will listen and hear your prayer.

Be comforted

We don't always know why things happen the way they do. Sometimes the most drastic things occur without warning. I think we would love to be in control of everything that takes place in our life. Unfortunately, that is not what happens most of the time. What do we do when someone we love dies? Who do we go to, to help us with the pain? Jesus! Jesus said, "Come to me all you who are weary and heavy burdened and I will give you rest." If you need God's help why not pray and ask him for Help? Jesus loves you, and he wants you to come to Him.

Be strong

Are you strong? Do you need strength? It's funny how popular strong man shows have become over the years. Shows like Ultimate Fighting Challenge, Strong Man Competition, and American Gladiators are very popular among the television audience. In the Bible, someone that comes to mind, whenever I think of the topic of strength, is Joshua. The Lord told Joshua over and over again to be strong and of good courage. Joshua 1:9 says, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." As Christians, it is important to remember that God is with us. Knowing that God is with us will provide us with all the strength we need.