149. GOD AND YOUR WORK. Ecclesiastes 9:10.

Do the people at your work know you are a Christian? If not, why not? Here are some of the answers you may think of giving the above question - (1) That’s private, It’s none of their business, (2) They don’t know anything about religion so wouldn’t be interested, (3) I may be called names or classed as a “Weirdo” or “A religious Nut” or even “a Jesus Freak” or “I really need this job, so why would I jeopardize it.” First of all let me tell you, most employers respect openness and honesty, and if you are open about your loyalty to God, you will be open about your loyalty to the firm you work for. Isn’t this one of the necessary attributes he/she is looking for in an employee? Secondly, You don’t really know if anyone is interested in religion or not, or what people’s true thoughts are in this regard, or will what they may be going through, But when crises enter their lives, such as Divorce, suicide, accidents terminal illness, etc. who are they going to turn to? Certainly not to someone who can’t give them answers or lead them to a loving God; NO! They need more than a shoulder to cry on, and if people in your work environment know that you know a God who cares and possibly may help them, you will be their first port of call. Thirdly, Yes, for a little while people will be a bit wary of you, but that’s just because they don’t understand, don’t judge or label them, just give them time, and when they see your Christianity demonstrated at the workplace in your daily behaviour, believe me, they do come around, not because of what you are doing but because of what God is doing in them through you. You see, He is doing something in them at the same time that attracts them to you, your light is shining just by being a Christian; You don’t have off days, you put in an extra half hour here and there, without pay just to get a particular job done, you give someone a ride home if they missed the bus; share your fish and chips; There are thousands of ways of letting your little light shine, and the bulb gets a little brighter each time. Never be ashamed of your God, because He said, “If you stand up for me in this world before men, then, I will stand up for you before all of Heaven’s court on the day of judgement. Who could ask for a better advocate? What more do you need​? In the Bible, you will have noticed that the majority of people worked, and most of the heroes had secular vocations. Isaac developed land, Jacob was a Farmer, Joseph served God best by staying in his well-paid government job rather than starting a non-prophet faith-based organisation to do charity work. Daniel was an Immigrant who attended Babylon’s version of Oxford or Cambridge and grew to be Prime Minister of all Egypt, Lydia was a profitable businesswomen in textiles. Conceivably the ultimate expression of how much God values work is Jesus the “Carpenter” For most of His life, He occupied Himself in the Building profession, creating benches and tables, and probably was also engaged in construction work as well. The word we translate as “Carpenter” comes from the Greek word “Takton”, from which we get the word technology, and would contain the capability to do stone and masonry work. So those men who originally wrote the Bible were all workers, Fishermen, Doctors, tax Collectors and people from all areas of life., it was Penned by workers, about workers and for workers. Yes, Work was and is God’s idea as it says in (Genesis 2:15) “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” And thus the first man Adam was a landscaper. By identifying what you have been called to do in life and giving yourself fully to it, you are ‘ordained’ as any Pastor who stands in a pulpit. It’s a pity we use the word ‘secular’ when it comes to any kind of work other than the church work, because God doesn’t see it that way, He sees all honest work worthy of His smile of approval. When it comes to work, the thing He requires from you and me is wrapped up in the words of (Ecclesiastes 10:14} “Whatever you do, do it well.” Most adults spend about half their waking lives at work. Your work is a huge part of God’s plan for your life, He designed a specific vocation just for you in which you should find personal fulfilment to meet the needs of your family and help to perpetuate His purposes here on earth. The fourth commandment covers all seven days of the week not just the Sabbath {Exodus 20;9-11) tells us “Six days you shall labour and do all your work… for in six days the Lord made the heaven and the earth.” Sometimes we hear sermons designed to make us feel guilty about not keeping the Sabbath, But have you ever heard a sermon designed to make you feel guilty about not honouring the six day wok-week? The point is that just as God made and loves the Sabbath, He made and loves the work-week as well, which he arranged for our benefit, it keeps us spiritually, physically and mentally healthy, fulfilling His purposes in our lives. In (Luke 17:21) we read “The Kingdom of God is in your midst” So whether you are a Butcher, Baker or Candlestick maker, you and I need to demonstrate integrity in our place of work. It’s embarrassing when non-believers say I’ll never do business with Christians again.’ In (Psalm 8;1) we read “O Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth” It’s His name we are exposing with our attitude, behaviour, and attendance at work. Here are a few things you may like to check up with and or change;- continual lateness, clock watching, messing around, water cooler gossip, flirting, speaking badly about your boss or other members of staff, pilfering or steeling and off-coloured jokes and stories, these things have no place in your work environment or anywhere in the life of the believer, don’t take part in the conversation, just remove yourself from the area, walk away, Scripture speaks to us in (1Corinthians 4-2.) “It is required that those who have been given a trust must prove Faithful.” It’s a good thought to pray on your way to work something like this “Lord, today I want to do a good job and bring credit to your name Please send your Holy Spirit to guard my mouth, direct my steps and check my behaviour. In Jesus’ name I pray. The first person in the Bible who was said to be “Filled with the Spirit of God” was Bezalel and if his name doesn’t ring a bell, it’s because he wasn’t a Prophet, Priest, king or an Apostle. You see, God chooses whoever He wants ‘Big shot’ or not. Yet this unknown man (at least in spiritual terms) had one of the most important jobs in the old Testament. Bezalel was selected by God to oversee and manage the building of the Tabernacle. He is never mentioned again in Scripture, but God had gifted him, and he used his gifts to glorify God. And this is what God said about him, (Exodus 31:2-5) “I have chosen \Bezalel\...and\ ...filled him with the Spirit of God, and wisdom and understanding, with knowledge and all kinds of skills – to make all kinds of designs in silver, gold and bronze, to cut and set wood and stones and to engage in all kinds of crafts”. Imagine being Bezalel, From your youth you loved to work with your hands .You don’t know if God is involved in this, but He actually is – He actually placed these desires within your heart and mind. When you are working, the joy you feel is the presence of God. You have certain strengths you were born with, they will always be your strengths and you delight in them. Wonderful things happen when you discover those strengths, put them to use and focus improving on them. Trying to develop in an area where God hasn’t gifted you is futile, like instructing a rabbit to swim or a snail to run. But when you’re in your God-given slot, working with your God-given strengths, you’re at you’re best. When that happens, you are blessed, and so are those around you. In God’s plan, Bezalel is as important as Moses. And what you and I do matters very much to God. You see, God is not only interested in our prayer time, No! He is vitally interested in what we think, say and do every moment of our lives. Now, that’s a thought worth keeping in mind. Thank you for reading these thoughts on God in the workplace. If our lives truly belong to God, and we expect His continual presence, strength and protection, then we are obliged to provide a suitable place of abode for Him. OH Lord God, bless us all with Your continual presence. Phaline.

148.EXAMINE YOUR CHARACTER Proverbs 11:30

Everyone is born with talents, physical, men some cases even spiritual, these are giftings from God and should always be regarded as such. However they are vastly different from one’s Character. Character is a sustaining power of decision which each one of us develops while growing through the various stages of life. We accept or reject what we observe or take in from our five senses add it to our experiences and what we know factually. Then decide whether or not to make it part of our character. This is a very important part of our psyche You are responsible for developing your own character. And what you allow people to put in to your head. You don’t Have to accept everything people say, but you do need to know well, the people from whom you do accept wisdom. They need to have an honest reputation, not be a gossip, but one who is kind and peaceful, not given to anger or who holds on to grudges, trustworthy and prepared to stand up for what is right no matter the pressure to the contrary. Such a person is hard to come by, but when you do find one, you have struck gold, so treasure them. you have a true and precious friend for life that will enhance your principles, ethics, values and character. Abraham Lincoln said, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s Character, give him power” It’s easier to focus on our talent than our character because, generally speaking, our talents produce results that are rewarded and celebrated by others. In other words, there is an element of ego connected to our gifts. Character is built in private. Your reputation is built on what people think you are, but character is built on what only God (and You) know you are. If you want to go the distance, focus more on character than on talent. In The Bible the writer of (Proverbs 11:30/) says, “Live right and you will eat the fruit of the life-giving tree. And if you act wisely, others will follow you,” So if you are praying for greater results, Being must precede Doing, To achieve greater goals, you must become a more effective leader. To attract better people, you must become a person of great character. When you consistently display character, competence and purpose, you make a powerful statement to those around you and draw them closer to you. However, great things are seldom accomplished alone, so if you want to attract good people, you have to become a better person yourself. This is particularly true if you are a person of great ability. Your talent may lift you up before others, but your lack of character will show, and bring you down very quickly. Scripture is telling us “Godly men are growing a tree that bears life-giving-fruit and all who win souls are wise” A wise leader is willing to admit, “I’m not perfect but I know someone who is and everyday, I’m doing all I can to become more and more like Him in my professional, personal and social life. To this end, The Bible says in (James 1:12)) “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial.” Yes, it’s hard work, but hard work always produces good results that are worth it. Joseph attracted the unwanted attention of his boss’ wife. Day after day, she tried to seduce him. Now fast forward to later in his life. If Joseph encountered that level of temptation when he was just a household slave, can you imagine the level he was exposed to when he became Egypt’s Prime Minister? (Pride, bribery, extortion, theft, arrogance, playing favourites towards his own family etc.) Acting with integrity in small things, equips you to handle bigger things the same way, especially in the hour of temptation. Many times in life we are called upon to choose one of two paths; Character or compromise. And every time we choose Character we become stronger, even when that time comes at a cost, whereas when we choose to compromise we become a little weaker each time. Here are four observations worth being aware of; (1) Character is more than just talk. Do you remember the old Show-and-tell way of teaching? If you are all tell and no show, you lose credibility. (2) Talent is a gift from God, and something you are born with & have little say in the matter, but Character is a choice you get to make each day, and usually it’s made when only you & God know about it. (3) Character brings lasting success. It is said that early Stradivarius violins were made of wood taken from the sides of trees that had faced the brunt of a storm. Why was this? Because, weather-beaten wood produced the sweetest music. Are you getting the idea of what God is saying to us about fostering a good, healthy Character? (4) Temporarily you may be able to rise above your character limitations, but you wont be able to sustain it. Eventually you will be seen for what you are. So don’t work to build your life, work to build your Character. Thank you for reading these few words on “Examining your Character”. Can I suggest if you are serious about improving your Character, sit alone with God, and talk truthfully with Him about this matter. Ask Him to send His Holy Spirit to help you to uncover those areas of your life that need to be exposed to you, to show you clearly just how you can deal with them. Be honest, truthful and explicit with God. Remember, nothing is too small or too big for God to handle, in fact, sometimes when we overcome some of the small issues, the bigger ones are a “no brainer”. Your greatest ally will be God’s Holy Spirit, who is Biblically known as “The Spirit of Truth” So call on Him to help you. May God Bless you as He builds your Character. Phaline.

147. CONTROL YOUR ANGER. James 1:19.

Anger, is an emotion, and like all our emotion can and should be kept under control. However there are times when we “lose it”, and if we don’t act quickly enough to regain our composure our anger can turn to hatred, temper tantrums or worse. It is for this reason we train our children by controlling and teaching them at a young age to take control of their minds, speech and behaviour, especially in the area of self-indulgence with a “So far and no further” correction. If people have been brought up with little or no self-control then their whole emotional structure will be at risk, and in my experience, they will turn out to be very self- centred, selfish, dominating and intimidating adults, prone to anger and lashing out when things don’t turn out the way they want, or they don’t get what they think they are entitled to. I am not a Psychologist but along with my husband of sixty years have brought up seven reasonably well adjusted children who are now an asset to society and this country. We raised our family guided by Scriptural principles, daily prayer and our combined experiences of life which were always laced with the Word of God . In the Bible, the book of James gives us three keys on how to handle anger the right way, let’s look at them and see what we can learn from the Apostle James: (1:19) . 1. Be quick to listen- ie. Don’t react, and don’t rush to judgemental conclusions, slow down and try to get the correct facts in your head. Don’t put any reliance on “He said or she said” rely only on the facts of the matter that you personally know to be true. Then pray, asking the Holy Spirit to show you how to respond. This takes a little time, and that’s exactly what you need before going off on a tangent and making an idiot of yourself. 2. Slow to speak- ie If you are unsure or you don’t know then say so. There is an old Chinese Proverb that says, “It is better to say nothing and appear to be a fool than to open your mouth and confirm the fact.”!! You need to be in control of your facilities at all times. If you are not, it will show! You will look and act as though you have all the answers but in reality you wont have them: you will start tripping yourself up with your own words and those very words will come back to bite you. Remember this, What you don’t say, you wont have to explain or apologise for later. So learn to Zip it. 3. Be Slow to get angry- ie. Note, The Bible doesn’t say that you should never get angry. It says you should get angry about the right things, in the right way, at the right time. Jesus displayed His temper with the money lenders in the temple courts, also with the Pharisees, even to the point of calling them names. “snakes and vipers and sons of Satan” (the right way, at the right place, at the right time) Solomon says in (Ecclesiastes 7:9) “Control your temper, for anger labels you a fool.” That’s why it’s so important to deal with our hurts. An unhealed wound causes pain, which often manifests itself in anger. The trouble is, we carry that pain around with us and vent it on others. As a result, they distance themselves from us, or distrust us. or deny us the intimacy and closeness that we desire with them. In Proverbs (19:11) Scripture says, “The wise man restrains his anger and overlooks insults. This is to his credit.” If you want to grow a Christ-like character, you have to exercise and develop these three spiritual muscles: Patience, Love and Restraint. When someone says or does something offensive to you, I believe it’s easier, less stressful or difficult to deal with when it first happens, and not wait until you’ve had time to brood and build on it and make it into a major crime.(That’s the time when Satan enters the situation) so deal with it on the spot. How? You ask: by gently putting your hand on their shoulder or arm and stopping the conversation straight away, while saying “ excuse me, Did you hear what you just said? Did you mean to say that I was Stupid, Ignorant or Dumb or whatever.... Can we talk about this? You don’t have to be aggressive, nor do you have to let them get away with it. Keep your integrity, peace and love intact. It will stop the aggression and very likely improve your relationship . Your anger may or may not hurt the person towards whom it’s directed; but it can definitely hurt you. Prolonged anger releases toxic chemicals in to your body that elevates your blood pressure, create cholesterol and increase your risk of stroke and heart attack. Every minute given to anger, is a minute taken away from your joy. And it can also hurt you personally and professionally, it doesn’t take long for people to learn that you are an angry person, with a ‘short fuse.’ Everybody gets upset from time to time. But when you walk around with your anger barely concealed, People avoid you. Plus, you are giving whoever angers you power over your attitude, your behaviour and your responses. That’s too much power to give anybody! God wants you to live in peace. Here is how to let go of your anger (1) Recognise the main hurt and emotion at the root of your anger. (2) Become mindful of how your anger is exhibiting itself such as (surliness or profanity) (3) Restrain anger’s effect on your body and your body language by inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly and at the same time adding an affirmation to God such as “Thank you Father” or “Lord, I receive your peace right now.” Watch your tone of voice in all your communications, not just with the person who has angered you. Request rather than order. You’ll feel more in control and people will be more likely to listen and cooperate with you. (4) Decide to forgive. You will know when you are forgiven when you no longer desire to see your offender penalised. In reality, You may still hurt a bit. But remember this, feelings follow behaviour, so get your behaviour under control, God will see you’re trying and He will change your feelings and attitude to follow. your behaviour. However if you continue to reopen the wound by continually talking about it, it will never heal; That’s like taking the scab off a sore, it just starts bleeding again. So don’t entertain the thought, say a short prayer each time it comes up in your mind and just keep walking in love and your emotions will fall in to line with your decision. Thank you for reading these words on “Controlling Anger” We all need to keep our emotions in check, they are a gift from God, a release mechanism or a relief valve for our emotions, not a tool to threaten or bring hurt tos others if we don’t, Satan will use them as a springboard to get us to do whatever he wants and our pride will then drop us right into his trap. So don’t be too proud to try a few suggestions. God bless and may His Spirit go ahead of you. Phaline. ---------------------------