Colossians 3:23-24 is a great passage to put our work into perspective. Paul wrote to the Christians in Colossae. “Work hard and cheerfully at all you do, just as though you were working for the Lord and not merely for your masters. Remembering that it is the Lord Christ who is going to pay you, giving you your full portion of all the He owns. He is the one you are really working for.” TLB

So if God is the one we are really working for, God is the one who decides if we are promoted, and God decides how much we are paid. We need to put our faith and trust in God. The work we are doing today is what God called us to do. We need to work like we are working for Him; which we are.

Dear Lord, Thank you that we know that you control our destiny, not people on earth. Help us glorify you by our actions, and our work, and thank you for giving us all that we need and more. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

2 Corinthians 3:2 Paul describes the people of the church as “living letters”. He says to them “you yourselves are our letters, written on our hearts’ known and read by everyone.” He goes on to say “you are a letter from Christ”

We need to think about that in our daily activities. We are Christ’s letter to people we encounter. Are we sending the right message?

Dear Lord, help us remember that we are your letter to the world, known and read by everyone. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Proverbs 4:23

The author of this proverb, likely Solomon, was obviously not writing about our physical heart, but that part of our consciousness that controls our moral outlook, strongest feelings, and our passions. It is also the part of us that can be manipulated into false beliefs.

I think what the Proverb is telling us is that our heart, this moral consciousness, must be controlled by our mind, our conscious decisions and disciplines, not the other way around. By guarding or hearts from manipulation we stay in control of our lives, and even better, we direct our passions to the noble pursuits God desires.

Dear Lord, we are each beautifully and wonderfully made, but unless we follow your design for ourselves, we can be misled away from your will. Help us guard our hearts so that we will use them to bring passion and energy to your glory. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Discipline is “doing the right thing.” It is usually mentioned when doing the right thing is not what we really want to do at the time.

When we are children, our parents sometimes had to provide the discipline for us, making us do the right thing when we didn’t want to. When we mature, however, we build “self-discipline” where we will do the right thing on our own.

One challenge as we become more mature and self-disciplined is that we become more confident in our own opinions, and become resistant to correction from outside.

If we are following God, he is always there providing us discipline when we need it, and subtle correction when we need that. It is important to keep our minds attentive to his inputs that may come from our conscience, comments from others, Bible studies, or other places.

Proverbs 15:30 says, “If you reject discipline, you only harm yourself; but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding.” We need to look for God’s corrections that will improve our understanding of our situations.

Dear Lord, thank you for providing guidance to help us with the directing our lives. Help us listen for and be open to your correction. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Henry Ford is quoted as saying, “If you think you can do a thing, or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.”

I have heard the same concept said this way, “If you believe something is not possible, it is not possible, for you.”

What these quotes are emphasizing is the importance of belief; but the belief in ourselves. Belief in ourselves is important and useful in our lives, however, belief in God has unlimited power. Jesus tells us in Matthew 19:26, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible,” and when Jesus healed the blind man in Matthew 9:29, Jesus said, “According to your faith let it be done to you.”

God created everything, how can we question His ability to do anything. Sometimes it is our doubt an disbelief that puts limits on the things God wants to do for us.

Dear Lord, help us come to You with faith in Your power. Strengthen our belief in You to act in our lives and in our world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.