Prayers for Workers: God is Present in Your Workplace
“God is present in the company of the righteous.” – Psalm 14:5
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You Can Be Filled with the Spirit
The imperative “Be filled with the Spirit” implies that this is possible. There must be something we can do that will allow this to happen. What is that “something,” I wonder. How can we be filled with God’s Spirit?
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Drunkenness and the Filling of the Spirit
Paul surely knew the story of Pentecost and the charge that the believers were drunk. He also knew that many of the pagan religions of his time mixed drunkenness with mystical religious experience. Drinking great quantities of wine was thought to be a ticket to spiritual ecstasy and celebration. Paul was clear that this was not the way of Christ. His followers were not to get drunk on wine in order to be filled with the Spirit. Rather, they were to avoid drunkenness even as they were to be filled with the Spirit.
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Christianity is About So Much More than the “Don’ts”
The negatives in life are necessary. Young children need to learn, for example, not to run into the street. But sometimes we can get stuck in the “don’ts.” As parents, we can sound like a broken record with our children: “Don’t break that. Don’t touch that. Don’t talk to me that way.” At times the church has fallen into the “don’t” rut as well, emphasizing all the things people should avoid without moving on to what we should embrace.
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What’s Wrong with Getting Drunk? Part 2
We who follow Jesus Christ can avoid much of this trauma in our own lives by choosing not to abuse alcohol or put ourselves in contexts where drunkenness abounds. Yet, even more, we can help others by watching out for them. We can offer healing love to those who have suffered because of what they have done or what has been done to them. We can contribute to the establishment of wise policies to protect students and others. We can make sure people who drink too much do not drive while inebriated. We can sponsor 12-step groups that help people become free from their addiction to alcohol and other intoxicating substances.
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Am I My Brother’s Keeper?
Cain’s response to God’s question regarding Abel’s whereabouts was troubling for so many reasons. Obviously the murder of one brother by another was a violation of God’s order (as he would later outline through the law). Yet there was another subtle and destructive concept that was played out here… selfishness. After committing a transgression against his brother, Cain essentially declares, “What do I have to do with my brother’s well-being?” or put in another way “Not my problem”. What a bold assertion from a person who had taken the life of another person, even his own brother.
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Vocational Gratitude: Creation
Hope was wired to be a working dog. Her Creator gave her remarkable energy and intelligence for the purpose of herding cattle. And she was either going to fulfill that purpose, or create havoc doing something else!
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Prayers for Workers: When Your Unhappiness at Work Goes On and On
No matter what, I will trust in God’s unfailing love today.
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What’s Wrong with Getting Drunk?
We are free to receive and delight in God’s gifts.
But such gifts can be misused. We can eat so much good food that we become sick or unhealthy. We can listen to music so loudly that we damage our hearing. We can experience sexual activity in contexts in which it is superficial, hurtful, or abusive. Inebriated people are more inclined to choose such behavior because excessive inebriation clouds our ability to make wise choices.
Advice from my Grandmother
My grandmother was a strong, influential woman. She was never shy about sharing her opinions. One of these I heard consistently throughout my boyhood. Drinking alcohol, my grandmother insisted, was unequivocally wrong.
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An Unexpected Way to Know God’s Will for Your Life
As people who honor God’s wisdom and sovereignty, we want to know what God wants us to do with our lives, in order both to honor God and to choose the best course for ourselves.
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Do Not Be Foolish
“Don’t be foolish” assumed that I had a choice and that I could make the right choice if I thought carefully about my actions. “Don’t be foolish” was directive, but not debilitating. It was empowering, even encouraging. I could use my head. I could do what was right.
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A Tale of Two Healings: Part II – Life for Leaders
I wonder what went through Jairus’ mind as he had to wait for the healing of the unnamed woman? Was he distressed? Frustrated? Angry? What about the moment when, after he has to listen to the unnamed woman’s story and witness her healing, he learns that his daughter is dead? This interruption is not a simple interruption. Later he is no longer named as Jairus, but referred to as “the child’s father.”
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A Tale of Two Healings: Part I
One of the most fascinating aspects of this story within the story is that both the positionally privileged and the socially disempowered are desperate enough to approach Jesus. Jesus as a leader remains both interruptible and approachable. Nobody is too much or not enough to take up his time. Leaders must be interruptible and approachable, and Jesus is no exception.
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Prayers for Workers: Facing Flattery and Boastfulness
This is what the LORD says:
“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
or the strong boast of their strength
or the rich boast of their riches,
but let the one who boasts boast about this:
that they have the understanding to know me,
that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,”
declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 9:23-24
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