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Written by Michael E. Wittmer, a contemporary theology professor and author. This is an excerpt from his book “Heaven is a Place on Earth.”

Rather than plot our next evangelical encounter, what if we ponder what it means to follow our crucified Christ as we close a deal, type a report, sort the mail, care for our employees, or prepare a lesson? For starters, one who has died with Christ will refuse to cut corners but will build houses up to code even if it means that his bid comes in higher than his shoddy competitors’.  She will always speak the truth to her clients even if it means losing their business. He will honor the promises he’s made to his employees even when it hurts the bottom line. She will resist the temptation to “phone it in” but even though she’s taught the course a zillion times, will continue to stretch for fresh insights and innovative ways to present the material. When we allow Jesus Christ to change our work, he becomes so much more than someone we merely talk about at work. He becomes the reason why we work. Perhaps best of all, when others observe our commitment, the foolish way we deny ourselves for the sake of Christ, they are bound to wonder about us. Consequently, we will likely enjoy many more quality opportunities to speak about our faith in Christ than if we had come to work with only that goal in mind.

Prayer:

Written by Rachel Dawson, a contemporary author. 

Father, I come before you thankful that you have made work a part of life and given me the opportunity to glorify you in my work. Thank you that I can work hard and go to bed tired each day. Thank you for the good days and the difficult ones, and for the gifts you have given me to help this world be a better place through my work. Establish the work of my hands by helping me to be productive, patient, focused, and insightful. Keep me from distractions and from technology hindering my work instead of helping it. May your Spirit lead me in my work and help me to be joyful, creative, and worshipful–constantly reminding me of your love and that you’re the reason I have breath in my lungs. Teach me to align my work, family, church life, and rest in a way that would maximize your glory and allow me to bear the most fruit for your kingdom. Amen.

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Today’s meditation is from the Women of Faith Bible Study “Embracing Your Strengths.”

Our lives have become incredibly fast-paced. We’re racing from work to practice to dinner with friends and back home to finish up chores and check e-mail while watching TV before hitting the bed much later than we planned. We’re exhausted and we’re too tired to do anything about it. But think back to before cell phones, online social networks, e-mail, and a dozen blogs to check daily. When you spoke to people face to face rather than online, did you feel a deeper connection? It’s easy to feel isolated in the “communication age” because we’ve become so accustomed to communicating with people that we have little relationship with. As we spread ourselves thin relationally, even our deepest friendships can feel the strain.

Prayer:

Written by Kathryn Shirey, a contemporary author.

Almighty Father, I give thanks today for the friendships in my life. Lord, this life isn’t meant to be lived alone, so I am grateful for the people who walk alongside me, supporting me, loving me, and encouraging me. For we cannot do it all alone but are better together. Help me to be more aware and gracious to my friends, appreciating them and accepting their help. Help me to be a better friend, too, supporting, loving, and encouraging others. Lord, lead me to find and cultivate deeper friendships and be a good friend in all that I do. Shower your blessings upon those I call friends, that you may ever be in our midst. Bind us together, Lord, for a cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Amen.

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Written by Paul David Tripp, a contemporary pastor, author, and speaker. This is an excerpt from his book “New Morning Mercies.”

My functional theology of my life as a child of God was that I knew that by grace I had been granted God’s forgiveness and I knew that I had been graced with an all-inclusive pass into eternity, but I thought that between now and then, my job was to just gut it out. It was my responsibility to identify sin, to cut it out of my life, and to give myself to living in a much better, more biblical way. I tried this, trust me; I tried it and found it didn’t work. I messed up again and again. It seemed that I failed more times than I succeeded. I became more and more frustrated and discouraged. I finally cried out to God, “I can’t do what you’re asking me to do!”…Then I read Romans 8. “for if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (v 13). They were like fireworks going off in my head. God knew that my need as a sinner was so great that it was not enough for Him to just forgive me. He had to come and live inside me or I would not be what I had been re-created to be or do what I had been reborn to do. I need the presence and power of the Holy Spirit living inside me because sin kidnaps the desires of my heart, blinds my eyes, and weakens my knees. My problem is not just the guilt of sin; it is the inability of sin as well. So, God graces his children with the convicting, sight-giving, desire-producing, and strength-affording presence of the Spirit.

Prayer:

Written by Jessica Van Roekel, a contemporary author and speaker. 

 Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your Holy Spirit to comfort us in our weaknesses. You give us strength when we cannot take another step. Guide us into all truth, remind us of your ways, and give us boldness to testify about what you’re doing in our lives. You shape and mold us into a purer reflection of your Son. May you guide our steps, our thoughts, and our attitudes as we partner with you in faith, in obedience, and in submission. You are wholly trustworthy, and we praise you that you sparked the flame of faith in our lives and that you keep it going by your power. Pour out your Spirit on us so that we might testify about you to those who need your transforming power in their lives. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Written by G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936), an English writer, philosopher, Christian apologist, and literary and art critic. This is an excerpt from his book “Everlasting Man The Demons and the Philosophers.”

Christianity does appeal to a solid truth outside itself; to something which is in that sense external as well as eternal. It does declare that things are really there; or in other words that things are really things. In this Christianity is at one with common sense; but all religious history shows that this common sense perishes except where there is Christianity to preserve it.

Prayer:

Written by Thomas A Kempis (1380-1471), the author of “The Imitation of Christ”, one of the most popular and best known Christian books on devotion. 

 O God, You Who are the truth, make me one with You in love everlasting. I am often wearied by the many things I hear and read, but in You is all that I long for. Let the learned be still, let all creatures be silent before You; do You alone speak to me. Amen

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Written by Dawn Wilson, a contemporary author, publisher, and director of Heart Choices Today.

If you want to change your future while greatly influencing or helping others, champion worthwhile causes. Championing a cause might include giving to a cause ourselves, raising funds to support the cause, promoting it, or even becoming an active participant or volunteer. We all have so much to share. Be proactive. Go all out; don’t hold back. It’s never too early to champion a worthy cause—like young Preston Sharp who organized the placement of more than 40,000 American flags and red carnations on soldiers’ graves. It’s also never too late. Many compassionate senior citizens volunteer for causes and ministries. Christians are never meant to retire from practicing the “one anothers” of Scripture. What captures your interest and grabs your heart? Consider becoming a champion for: a missionary or mission group, a revival-oriented ministry, a Christian school, university, seminary, or student, a rescue mission or homeless shelter, a home for the elderly, an orphanage or adoption center, or an organization combating social ills like sex trafficking or addiction. Opportunities are endless. Be compassionate and take action.

Prayer:

Written by Helen Moriarty, a contemporary writer.

Lord Jesus, you fed the hungry,

you shared your bread with all.

Your people hunger now,

and we are called to share your bread.

May rains fall upon the dry and broken earth

and quench your people’s thirst,

so seeds grow tall and flourish,

producing a bountiful harvest.

May we share the blessings you give us

and bring comfort to those in need.

May we show love through our actions

so all have enough to eat.

We ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.

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Written by L. B. Cowman (1870-1960), an American writer and author of devotional books. This is an excerpt from her book “Streams of the Desert.”

The pressure of hard places makes us value life. Every time our life is given back to us from such a trial, it is like a new beginning, and we learn better how much it is worth, and make more of it for God and man. The pressure helps us to understand the trials of others and fits us to help and sympathize with them. There is a shallow, superficial nature, that gets hold of a theory or a promise lightly and talks very glibly about the distrust of those who shrink from every trial; but the man or woman who has suffered much never does this, but is very tender and gentle, and knows what suffering really means. This is what Paul meant when he said, “Death worketh in you.” Trials and hard places are needed to press us forward, even as the furnace fires in the hold of that mighty ship give force that moves the piston, drives the engine, and propels that great vessel across the sea in the face of the winds and waves.

Prayer:

Written by Scotty Smith, a contemporary American pastor.

Dear Heavenly Father, help me to see pain and suffering with eyes of grace. Father, sometimes looking at the crucibles and crises, and cruel stories and crushing blows of life makes me want to run and hide, fix or deny. When overwhelming need is staring me down; hard things over which I have zero control; and stories which seem to contradict your goodness and sovereignty, help me to see from the perspective of eternity. Thank you, Father. I pray in Jesus’ kind and healing name. Amen.

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Written by Lewis and Sarah Allen. Lewis is a contemporary pastor and Sarah a teacher and women’s ministry leader. This is an excerpt from their work: “Resilient Faith: Learning to Rely on Jesus in the Struggles of Life.”

How are you doing? Do you get up on a Sunday morning with a “shall I, shan’t I?” dilemma, ready to make up your mind about church according to whether you’re feeling good about the faith or about yourself? How about instead, you get up, whether with a joyful or a heavy heart, and tell yourself, Jesus is calling me to assemble with the saints. He wants me to draw close to him with others and to refresh and help me. He wants to use me to bring encouragement to fellow strugglers. This is my privilege and my duty. You worship, because he is worthy and because you need to be a worshiper. Worship nurtures faith.

Prayer:

Written by Kevin Halloran, a contemporary pastor and author.

Heavenly Father, this morning—and all of history—is about you. Please help me worship you with an undistracted heart. You know how my mind wanders to my upcoming week, present worries, and thoughts of others and other things. Help me put those thoughts away and focus on you and your glory. Would your Spirit cause my heart, soul, mind, and strength to exalt your Holy Name in my singing, listening to Your Word, and interacting with your people. Amen.

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Written by Judith E. Smith, a contemporary scholar, teacher, and author.

One of the myths of our culture is that control of ourselves and others is what gives us freedom. If we are in control, then obviously we can make decisions, and that leaves us free. But that is a myth. The paradox is that as we give up control to God, we actually live in a deeper freedom. The freedom of God may call us to turn all of our most precious definitions of faithfulness on their heads. It may be that the most difficult call for us to respond to is not a call that demands of us great sacrifices but a call that offers to us great gifts.

Prayer:

Written by Sarah Nicols, a contemporary author.

 Lord, we know whatever place we may find ourselves in today is only temporary, as this is our earthly home, yet we can’t help but long to be somewhere other than where we are. We know you are the Prince of Peace, but when we can’t control where we find ourselves, we tend to feel anxious. Help us release our worry to you and find the peace only you can offer. Help us to be present even in temporary spaces, glorifying you in each place we land. Amen.

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Written by John Mogabgab (1946-2014), founding editor of Weavings: A Journal of the Christian Spiritual Life. This is an excerpt from the Editor’s Introduction of Weavings in 2000.

Tears of grief and tears of joy often mingle together in a single moment of enhanced vision, endowing us with new eyes that discern traces of the God who suffers with us silently in the pure vulnerability and power of divine love. There is comfort in such tears. They bring fresh understanding that God is nearby, sharing to the full our humanity in all its bitterness and blessedness.

Prayer:

Today’s prayer is a collect from the Church of England. A collect is a set form of prayer that brings together our thoughts on a matter.

Lord Jesus Christ,

may the tears shed in your earthly life

be balm for all who weep,

and may the prayers of your pilgrimage

give strength to all who suffer;

for your mercy’s sake. Amen.

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Written by Sheryl Giesbrech, a contemporary author. This is an excerpt from her book “It’ll Be Okay: Finding God When Doubt Hides the Truth.”

“A soul cannot seek close fellowship with God, or attain the abiding consciousness of waiting on Him all the day, without a very honest and entire surrender to all His will”  [Andrew Murray].  Most of us hate to wait. We can access technology to avoid waiting; we can order our jeans online to avoid the agony of long lines; we can ask Google our questions instead of waiting for an answer from a person; we can even hop on the internet to schedule dinner reservations to skip waiting for a seat at our favorite restaurant. We sometimes think of wait as a four-letter word. And it is, of course, but “wait” is not a cuss word. We must wait in a doctor’s office or for test results…and that makes us feel out of control. And we are. But what if our attitude was adjusted to focus on how we wait? God doesn’t move any swifter in the twenty-first century than he did in the first. We can’t rush God, but we can allow the time we spend in the “waiting room” to be a time of great personal growth. So we all have a choice: how will we wait? It helps to “invite God into the waiting room.” With this step of faith, we are allowing God to have his way and his will while we wait with him, instead of on him. To put it simply, “God’s will be done, no matter how long it takes.” When we invite God to be part of whatever or whomever we are waiting on, our dark fears, clouded doubts, and gloomy impatience can be countered with the light of his word… It helps to invite God into the waiting room with us, but we must remember that although doubt may join us there, too, we will not let it remain. When God waits with us, our faith is strengthened, our hope is renewed.

Prayer:

Written by Augustine of Hippo (354-430), an early Christian theologian and philosopher. He was the bishop of Hippo Regius (modern day Annaba, Algeria) and is viewed as one of the most important church fathers in Western Christianity.

Lord Jesus, let our minds rest in your Word, so that when doubt and grief would overwhelm us, faith will open our eyes to see your hand at work in our life and enable us to turn toward the future with hope and toward each other in perfect charity. Amen.

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