Held Captive

I Peter 1:18-19 says, “knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”

Before coming by faith to Jesus Christ, I was held captive by worldly ways, that is what God calls sin. I had no way of freeing myself from captivity. Self-righteousness was both foolish and unsuccessful. Fortunately, God paid the necessary ransom by sacrificing His innocent Son, Jesus Christ. With the ransom fully paid, I am now free to follow God and inherit eternal life.

Where we place our attention and efforts demonstrate what we believe is precious to us. God sacrificed what was precious to Him, His only Son, in order that we, His precious children may be redeemed from worldly pursuits and ways. Let us hold fast to that which God deems to be precious and follow Him in righteousness, putting aside empty worldly pursuits.

Praise

One day on the job, the organization may a special presentation regarding encouragement. Then they put post-it notes on each employee’s desk. The notes contained words of praise individualized to each person. I learned something very important that day. We feel encouragement when someone praises our work. But we are blessed even more, when we are praised for the type of person that we are. It is one thing to hear, “Nice work on that project,” and something even better to hear, “Your keen insight and concern for others has inspired me.” Praise has been defined as the “sincere expression of approval, admiration or appreciation for someone, often acknowledging their worth or value.”

Exodus 15:2 says, “The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” When praising God, let’s remember to praise Him for who He is and not just for what He does for us. He is our salvation, not just the one who gives us salvation. He is our strength, not just the one who gives us strength. He is mighty, majestic, full of grace, rich in mercy, and love.

Turn the Volume Up

Some sounds please us to the point that we increase the volume, if we can. A baby’s coo and the words, “I love you” fit into this category. Some sounds have the opposite effect, perhaps grating our nerves. In these cases we want to turn the volume down. I turn the volume completely off when watching baseball on TV as the announcers annoy me.

For God, some sounds are better than others, although He listens to every word that we speak. He is thrilled with words of thanksgiving and praise. But, in my imagination anyway, He turns the volume down on grumbling and complaining.

Revelation 19:6 says, “Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.'” When God’s children are gathered together in heaven, the sound of our praises will be like mighty peals of thunder, saying, ‘Hallelujah! The Almighty God reigns.’

Joy in Work

In my experience, not many people are finding joy in the work that they do. When our work involves our passion, then the work more likely leads to joy. We can and do find joy in the works of others, whether it be their craftsmanship or their ability to meet needs, we find ourselves glad in what they are doing.

Psalm 92:4 says, “For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.” Look, see, and know that we can find joy in God’s works for us and through us. We also find joy in doing the works that God has prepared for us to do.

What a Deal!

Some parents bribe their children, saying, “if you don’t do this, I will give you that” Or they may say, “we can’t go there because we will go to this place.” When we become adults, the art of the deal remains the same. Everyone will have to give up something in order to obtain the bigger prize.

In Matthew 19:29 Jesus said, “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father of mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.” Anyone who gives up something valuable for Jesus’ sake will be repaid many times over, although not necessarily in the same form.