Did you know that there is a special wardrobe designed just for Christians? Yes, Christians need to wear a specialized wardrobe-one that sets us apart from others and identifies us as people who love and serve Jesus Christ. I don't mean a uniform or some strict dress code. The wardrobe that I'm talking about is found in Colossians 3:
And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful.
Let's look more closely at these inner garments which we need to "put on."The first garment is COMPASSION, which can be described as a deep feeling of sharing the suffering of another. You know, it's not hard to find suffering people these days. Undoubtedly you have suffering people all around you where you work. Are you aware of their suffering? Do you care?
It seems to me that all too often I'm quick to blame people and judge them without stopping to think of what they have endured, or why they are the way they are. Don't you think compassion would look good on your job? If you wear it, you won't be so quick to condemn or judge. You'll give people room to make mistakes. Do you pray for the people you work with? Start praying for them, and watch how much more compassionate you feel toward them.
June 10, 2008
June 9, 2008
Are You In A Rut?
So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind.
Ecclesiastes 2:17
Have you thought lately about where you're going in life?A sign on the rugged Alaskan Highway reads: Choose your rut carefully. You'll be in it for the next 200 miles.Too many of us like ruts. Predictable and familiar, ruts offer us security. Like a numbing narcotic, however, they cause us to waste a lot of our lives. It has been said that a rut is nothing more than a grave with both ends knocked out. This must have been part of the futility Solomon experienced when he wrote those words in Ecclesiastes.
Children naturally resist ruts. I had heard a child asks at least 250,000 questions growing up. No wonder they learn so rapidly...and stay out of ruts.
Maybe one reason we adults feel that we're stuck in a 200-mile rut is we don't ask enough questions. Daily we climb on the merry-go-round of life, getting up and going to work. Then we come home and collapse in front of the TV set.
Occasionally we wonder about getting out of our ruts, but we usually give in to our insecurities, and decide to stay where we are. At least we know the boundaries. Some people try to escape the sense of meaninglessness simply by accelerating the pace of their lives. But their direction doesn't change; the rut still determines where they're going.
Where is your rut going? As one man put it, "Most of us live a lifetime looking for the pot at the end of the rainbow, only to find a pot of salty liver soup.
Ecclesiastes 2:17
Have you thought lately about where you're going in life?A sign on the rugged Alaskan Highway reads: Choose your rut carefully. You'll be in it for the next 200 miles.Too many of us like ruts. Predictable and familiar, ruts offer us security. Like a numbing narcotic, however, they cause us to waste a lot of our lives. It has been said that a rut is nothing more than a grave with both ends knocked out. This must have been part of the futility Solomon experienced when he wrote those words in Ecclesiastes.
Children naturally resist ruts. I had heard a child asks at least 250,000 questions growing up. No wonder they learn so rapidly...and stay out of ruts.
Maybe one reason we adults feel that we're stuck in a 200-mile rut is we don't ask enough questions. Daily we climb on the merry-go-round of life, getting up and going to work. Then we come home and collapse in front of the TV set.
Occasionally we wonder about getting out of our ruts, but we usually give in to our insecurities, and decide to stay where we are. At least we know the boundaries. Some people try to escape the sense of meaninglessness simply by accelerating the pace of their lives. But their direction doesn't change; the rut still determines where they're going.
Where is your rut going? As one man put it, "Most of us live a lifetime looking for the pot at the end of the rainbow, only to find a pot of salty liver soup.
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