God has something planned for tomorrow and He wants you to be ready for it. In our world of fast motion, often we can’t find an extra moment to breathe and still, we are left with unfinished business at end of day. Pause. Fill your minds with His Word, not the world and all its empty distractions. “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 ESV.
In our busy lives and work places, there are as many different kinds of people as there are differing opinions of exactly who or what God is. In a multi-cultural establishment, we must all maintain respect for another person’s choice, whether we agree or not. The many that know me can attest that I am sold out to Jesus however, there are always those that will not hesitate to use the Lord’s name in vain. It is sad that we must be careful not to offend the offender. The hard fact is that they have no idea how great the offense is to Our Savior nor do they realize the personal penalty they will pay for it. On most occasions of such outbursts, I immediately began softly singing, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus…there’s just something about that Name.” The sound of my singing should have been penalty enough, right? The attitude usually changes, for I’ve now disrupted their frustration. That’s alright, they get it. You see, we must always stand guard and ready to defend our faith without offending the other person. I always believed that if you do offend someone in this way, then you have been successful at showing that God is greater than their frustrations. Sometimes, we are the eyes, the ears, and even the voice of the Lord Jesus.
One young girl in particular, had already become my target. I started praying for her and her young daughter whose family lived far away. She was a single mom, alone and needed to know someone cared. I needed to be a resource for her, to show love while respecting boundaries, but aware that I had been given an assignment and it was not up to me to chose the conditions. I still pray daily on the way to work that my words and actions would be in line with His, that they would be effective in letting others know that God is real, He loves us and has a plan for our lives. As you already know, anyone claiming to be Christian has immediately set themselves up for criticism. “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect..” 1 Peter 3:15 NIV.
From my own life experiences, God has shown me over and again that He will do amazing things to and through those that seek to serve Him. We should fill our minds with things from above and stand ready to accept whatever He asks, for much is the reward for your faithfulness.
Sand, Salt and Inspiration 