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Annual Performance Review

21 Mar

Annual Performance Review

Proverbs 16:11 Honest weights and scales are the Lord’s; All the weights in the bag are His work.

Good advice is something we all treasure. Wouldn’t a book of advice from the wisest man who ever lived be a best seller? King Solomon prayed to God for the wisdom to do a good job for God; he wanted to be the best ruler he could be. 2 Chronicles 1:10 Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?” 11 And God said to Solomon: “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life–but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king. God granted his request and made Solomon the wisest man that ever lived. Solomon filled the book of Proverbs with very simple direct words of advice from what he learned as a man of God.

As a sidebar of my business, I deal in the scrap metal industry. I am at the mercy of their scales, and the integrity of their hearts. A dealer may present a much higher payout as a lure, but the scales upon which they are weighed are dishonest. Proverbs 11:1 Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, But a just weight is His delight. The Lord knows the weights upon which the scales are measured, just as he knows the scales of our hearts. Integrity in business is becoming a thing of the past. Integrity is not a quality that you possess outside of the business world, and then let it slide to make the deal at whatever the cost. You either have integrity or you do not. Integrity is not a variable; it is not an option that you choose when it best suits your purpose. If you believe that it is, you are weighing your life and your heart on dishonest scales.

Have you ever stood your ground at work for something you believed in? Have you ever not participated in the deal that was shady to say the least? Have you stood up for what you knew was right before God, even though that decision cost you a payout? That payout will be rewarded in eternity on the Lord’s scales. He does not forget when you paid even a small price for standing up for what you knew was right in His eyes. Proverbs 16:2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the spirits. The closer your heart is to God, the easier a life of integrity comes. You will be seeking God on all these decisions in prayer and His Word. He will direct your thoughts as a result of this time invested in seeking His wisdom. Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. The Lord is the CEO that you answer to above any manager here on earth; He is the one who knows all that goes on, and why it goes on. He is the one you must answer to on a daily basis for your actions at work, and in life.

 
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Posted by on March 21, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Wake up

26 Feb

Wake up

Jonah 1:4-5    But the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up. 5 Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep.

I have openly shared of my struggles with anxiety and depression. The roller coaster of life’s emotions, the highs and lows that take us from one day to the next. You don’t even have to possess the torment of depression to possess the stresses that take you down those roads of seemingly self-pity. Of dropping into the pit of the “why” or the “what next”. So many times the best escape is to shut down; to lay your head down and escape with sleep. Anxieties may inhibit sleep, but once it moves into the depression you can lay your head down anywhere and rest. I cannot help but think Jonah felt this pressure; and escaped into the ships hull to run from it and sleep. If it was rooted in fear of God, of the sea, of his next step in life, he would have been pacing the hull, not sleeping in it.

I am at a place in my life like Jonah; feeling a call on my life to go, and trying to prepare to be obedient. I can see the storms in my life that God is using to get my attention, to steer my ship, to prepare me for what He has planned. Some days the pressure gets so great I too must escape into the hull of the ship. Where do you go when God starts pressing on you? Sleep may be a means of temporary rest, but He will be there to remind you when you awake. The captain of the ship awoke Jonah to remind him. Jonah 1:6 So the captain came to him, and said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish.” Is it possible that in your own life, that in your running from God you have them in your boat too? Are those around you suffering because of your disobedience? I have asked myself these questions.

The ships captain and crew were doing all they could do to lighten the load to keep the ship from sinking. They were trying in all their power to thwart the sovereign will of God on what He had planned for Jonah. They did not realize that God was even using their situation to draw them into the knowledge of Him. They came to know Him on the sea that day. Jonah 1:16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and took vows. God is likely at work in many areas of your life, and those he has placed in your life’s circle. It is impossible for us to understand how He even takes our mistakes and turns them into victories, but if my God can breath a star into existence, the plans and details of my life define simplicity.

 
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Posted by on February 26, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Speaking out

05 Apr

Speaking out

Luke 22:15-16   And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”

It is your last day; what would you do? Would you think only of yourself and all the things you had not done, or would you think of those you were leaving behind? Hopefully selfishness would abandon and you would seek to spend time with those closest to you reflecting and encouraging them. Christ had entered Jerusalem and was having His last meal with those closest to Him. He was speaking words of encouragement that would last a lifetime and mold them into what God had planned for their lives. His Last Supper was a model of a servant’s heart, and an example of how they were to conduct themselves. What words would you share to last a lifetime for those closest to you in your last days? Christ places in you the ability to share those impacting words that will last someone their lifetime through the Holy Spirit.

John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. Christ came and died to rescue us all from eternal punishment of our sin. When He died on the cross, arose and returned to Heaven, He provided us a way through Salvation the greatest gift; to dwell inside us as believers in Him. The Holy Spirit is the heartbeat of Christ living inside you, and you can be the encouraging words of Christ to someone near you in what may be unknowingly their last days. Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. If you proclaim Christ, share Christ, and live the day as if it is your last leading others to Him for the joy they may possess. He heart is beating inside you directing you to share Him with those around you so that all the world may hear. This Holy week brings about ears that are inclined to hear, but how will they hear if you silence His heartbeat inside of you? Share Him with someone near you today to encourage them for eternity.

 
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Posted by on April 5, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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