Called

(do your thing!)

Have you ever met someone who is clearly doing exactly what they were made to do? I mean someone who effortlessly handles the ups and downs of a job with a spring in their step and a smile on their face no matter what? I’ve known some… worked with a few. Last week I had the chance to meet a woman in Los Angeles working in a transitional housing program for women and their children who fit this bill. An unhappy client once set this YMCA employee’s office on fire, with her trapped inside! But still she comes to work with a smile and clear sense that God has called her and blessing her work.

“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith…” Ephesians 4:11-13

God has equipped each person for a particular job in the work of the kingdom. The hard work is twofold. First we have to ascertain what we have been equipped to do. Second we have to be willing to accept those results even if they are not what we hoped for. Too many times we resist and try to bend the gifting to suit ourselves. But the sweet spot is found when we align our wants to the path God has laid out.

Look for the call… and follow!

Thanks for all you do.

Brian

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Volume 6, Number 30

Bounty turned bad

(bounty is not just the quicker picker upper)

The New Orleans Saints are in the news for all the wrong reasons lately. It seems one of their defensive coaches created a system of payments to players for stellar plays like interceptions and fumble recoveries. The system offered payments for “knock outs” and “cart offs” as well. These intentional injuries to other players have caused quite a stir in the court of public opinion as one might expect.

The odd thing is the NFL seems to find the largest problem not with the injurious behavior, but rather with the fact that these payments constitute an illegal bonus payment, falling outside the collective bargaining agreement. It’s not the egregious behavior…it’s the technicality that gets them.

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:31-32

I’m sure we can each find example after example of sinful behavior tripped up by a technicality. I suppose the lesson is that try as they might the organizations and governments that oversee our lives can’t really control our behavior by creating rules and regulations. They can set the boundaries, but not change the hearts and minds of the people. The heart change can only come from within and Christ gave us the gold standard as Paul pointed out so well.

Let’s strive not for technical compliance…but rather for genuine love and compassion. That’s a bounty worth having!



Thanks for all you do.

Brian
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Volume 6, Number 36