Prayer Log = prog?
Currently Reading Cure for the Common Life by Max Lucado
Never mind kneeling behind a pew. From now on I’m just posting my prayer requests on Xanga! Maybe it is like Moses told God that if He killed the children of Israel, people would think He couldn’t bring them into the promised land. Maybe when I post publicly that I need help, God’s reputation is on the line to come up with an answer?
Maybe God just loves me.
Anyway, shortly after my last post, I started being bombarded by answers.
First, I emailed a good friend about what motivated him at work, and he had some very sound advice. Nothing new, but rather old stuff that is good. I will summarize what he said:
Paul spoke of his death in the terms of being “poured out as a drink offering.”
What Paul said of his death, I want to characterize my life each day - to be a living sacrifice. Whether I live or die, feast or famine, enjoy my work or loathe it, have success or failure; I want to do it unto the Lord - with an intensity that corresponds to His great worth.
And I don’t think it matters if that is conveyed to other people. I just want God to look upon me and receive my worship. He can handle the collateral effects.
So when
I also count that as an opportunity to “suffer for righteousness sake.” Maybe that’s a stretch; I know it’s not at all like being flogged or having your intestines pulled out because of Christ. However, I look at it as my little opportunity to suffer *the right way* - not necessarily suffer a lot. If I suffer for disobedience there’s no honor in that, but if I suffer for obeying God, that’s a privilege.
Now he is not promoting “suffering on purpose,” but if I am 100% sure that where I am right now is where God has put me (and if I am honest with myself, I am sure of that right now), then if I suffer, I do it for Him, right? Even lack of “fulfillment” can be suffering.
I wasn’t fully satisfied with this answer at first, but I talked to my wife about it after I read it. What frustrated me is that I know if my heart is truly in my work, I do good work, and if it isn’t, then my work is mediocre. I can’t just put my heart into something by an act of my will any more than I can stop being afraid by an act of my will. Hmm, but didn’t God spend a lot of scripture telling people to “fear not?”
She pointed out Colossians 3:23 “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;” Now, doesn’t “heartily” mean “put your heart into it?” Then, before I could protest too much, she pointed out that a lot of the people he was writing to were slaves! Hmm, well, I certainly can’t say my work is as bad as slavery!
So that really got me thinking. Perhaps my feelings of heartlessness in my work are due to simply failing to do it “unto God” with my whole heart. In other words, get up, go to work, and serve my employer as unto God. Wow, you know, I think I can do that.
Now, realize, I think here God is pouring out some grace, because I don’t think you can just “put this on,” but the words rang true to me, and I feel it.
So now I have this fire burning in me, “Yeah, I’ll work for the Lord.”
Then that evening my wife and I walk into the library, and sitting on the shelf, right in front of me, like turned sideways on a display rack, is this book by Max Lucado called “Cure for the Common Life.” I pick it up, and sure enough, it is a book about finding your calling in life, and finding fulfillment in your work! Wow God! Needless to say, I checked it out.
Then on Sunday morning John preached about not worrying about “what should I do,” but rather about being the right person. Psalms 1 says that if we are the right person, then God will lead us, and we will prosper. Funny, I’ve always considered Psalm 1 my life verse, because I feel God does prosper me as I follow Him.
So there it is, 1 2 3:
1. DO pour myself into my work, as unto God. As my worship and sacrifice to Him. He does see it, and He is pleased with me when I do my work as unto Him, even if it seems meaningless and even if it goes unnoticed, I can go home at the end of the day feeling good about myself if I know I did my work as a sacrifice, with all of my heart, to God Himself.
2. DO search out what other things God may be calling me to in the future through my desires,
3. BUT, don’t focus as much on “what will I do” (don’t toil and spin), but on God and delighting in Him, and the rest will fall into place in His perfect time. In other words, if I am seeking God, I can’t miss it, and in the mean time, I might as well enjoy life as it comes.
Wow God!
Now, I won’t say “It is working!” yet, because honestly, it is only Tuesday evening. Catch me in a few weeks and see if it is for real. 
P.S. Also, if you are going to use music to get in touch with your feelings, may I suggest URGE? $9.95 per month for all the music you want, very cool! 
P.P.S. I really dislike “feel a loathing for” (I’ll have to post about cats sometime in the future) Max Lucado’s writing style. Always have. However, the book is really good, and it is an easy read.
