Tag Archives: Faithfulness

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Isaiah 44

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Day in the desert. "For I will pour water on the thirsty ground and send streams coursing through the parched earth." Isaiah 44:3a (MSG)

There are individual days within life's journey that, in and of themselves, feel like a sojourn through the desert. Yesterday was one of those days for me. I won't bore you with all the details. Let's just say that from beginning to end it was complete with organizational pain, relational pain, financial pain, and physical pain. From threatened lawsuits, to a loved one chewing me a new one, to a dental filling and extraction. By the end of it all, I felt spiritually parched. I could almost feel life draining from me. I went to bed last night feeling the life tank on empty.

Along with the verse from today's chapter in Isaiah, I am reminded this morning of the words of Jeremiah, the prophet, as he found himself in far worse circumstances than I:

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

It's a new day. Still feel like I'm standing in the desert. I'm looking for a stream.

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Daniel 1

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Sign on the dotted line.  But Daniel appealed to a steward who had been assigned by the head of the palace staff to be in charge of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: "Try us out for ten days on a simple diet of vegetables and water. Then compare us with the young men who eat from the royal menu. Make your decision on the basis of what you see." Daniel 1:11-13 (MSG)

The consulting group I work with was founded with a stated mission of applying Biblical principles in our work. We're certainly not perfect, but we do make an honest and sincere effort to apply God's word to what we do. For example, many businesses and firms who operate on a contractual basis will try to sign long-term contracts clients. The idea is that the longer the contract you can convince your client to sign, the greater security you have. However, our group does not believe that our security lies in contracts or clients. So, we have never agreed to a contract longer than twelve months. The underlying idea is that we must be good stewards of the annual contractual opportunities our clients give us and continually prove our worth if we hope to have our contract renewed.

That principle is expanded in the way our group approaches potential new clients. We typically ask a new client only to sign up for a "pilot project" that may last 60-90 days. We ask them to give us an opportunity to show them what we can do. If they find measurable value in that project, we'll ask them to commit to a broader annual offering. It's the same thing that Daniel did when he asked the king's steward to give his diet a chance and make his judgement based on the result. Give it a chance. Put it to the test. Then make the decision.

Many people will only make decisions based on the results they see, not just onthe pitch they hear.

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Flickr and macroberts

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Judges 3

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But the People of Israel made themselves at home among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. They married their daughters and gave their own daughters to their sons in marriage. And they worshiped their gods. Judges 3:5-6 (MSG)

I love being at home. I'm comfortable here. I relax here. It's a warm, loving, cozy place.

They say, "home is where the heart is." Jesus took it a step further when he said, "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Home says a lot about your heart. Home reflects who you are. Observe me in my home, and you'll get a much clearer picture of who I truly am.

I find it interesting that the people of Israel "made themselves at home." among the people of the land. They got comfortable and cozy. They even adopted their gods. There is archaeological evidence that the Israelites even worshiped the fertility goddess, Asherah, as the wife of Jehovah, who told them coming out of Egypt that they were to have no other gods.

Today, I'm contemplating where my heart is. I've always echoed the sentiment, "this world is not my home, I'm just a passin' through." But do I really believe that? Where have I made myself at home in this world and become too cozy? Where have the eyes of my heart been pulled away from God to become enamored with that which is worthless?