Thought for the day...

The common good
By Jason Nelson
A blessing from my early years in public school is remembering the preamble to the Constitution: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

This introduction was added after the framers outlined the most promising form of government in human history. The Constitution gets debated, interpreted by the courts, and amended by Congress. But the preamble hasn’t been touched. It stands to declare that the sacred purpose of American government is the common good.

A blessing from my later years in Christian school is remembering these words of God: “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4 ESV). The ultimate expression of faith in Jesus is concern for others that supersedes concern for ourselves. It is such a privilege to live in a nation where practicing our citizenship lines up so nicely with practicing our faith.

Agreeing on the common good is challenging in a big, diverse nation like America. We are in the process of deciding what the common good should be. Our democracy leans different directions after the votes are counted. But it hasn’t fallen. It won’t fall as long as one thing we have in common is concern for each other.

 

I hate my workplace
By Pastor Mark Jeske
I love my job. Honestly. I have never second-guessed my life’s work. But I know many people who are miserable in their jobs, not so much because of the work they do but because of the people they have to do it with. Is your workplace dysfunctional? Do you have an overcritical boss? spiteful coworkers? Does this sound like what you head into each day: “My adversaries pursue me all day long; in their pride many are attacking me” (Psalm 56:2).

Obviously if you could have left easily, you would have by now. So you need the job and have no good options at present. What to do? You can pray for God’s strength and mercy to help you be like Jesus, willing to bear abuse from other people without retaliation. You can choose not to bring that anger and stress home and take it out on your family. You can choose to confuse the mean people in your workplace and treat them with forgiveness, grace, and patience. You can do good work, and then quietly assure yourself that the problem is not you.

You can give your problems and griefs to God and ask for relief. You can find happy places to recharge, surrounding yourself with positive people and drawing affirmation and strength from them. You can do things for other people so that your world won’t close in around you and your problems.

When all else fails, take a deep breath, look up to heaven and pray, “Come soon, Lord Jesus.”

 

August 16, 2019
Verse of the Day
But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.
2 Thessalonians 3:3

 

Good ones right here.

 

August 18, 2019
Verse of the Day
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 17:22 NIV

 

Livin’ small
By Pastor Mark Jeske
What kind of life do you expect as a child of God? Do you feel you should be riding in a Porsche? Have granite countertops? Have a country club membership? Own a summer cottage? Vacation in Paris?

You may have been given some of these treats by your exceedingly generous Father, or you may never experience them. Or perhaps they still lie in your future. But even if your whole life will be Formica and Chevys, when you’re connected to Christ, life is good. It is no shame to live small. The life lessons you learn in your times of hardship and poverty teach you the true value of things, and may also teach you the true value of people.

Jesus and his disciples lived small. So did John the Baptist and Elijah. And so did David, years before he had his own palace: “David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam” (1 Samuel 22:1). David’s years in the wilderness of Judea in some ways were the best years of his life. He was totally dependent on the Lord’s protection. He had little and was running for his life. He was not distracted by luxuries or the burdens of paying for them, protecting them, and caring for them.

I will tell you from my own experience that my poorest days economically were also the times in my life when I read Scripture most avidly, prayed most intensely, and was most aware of my need for God

 

Amen brother

 

Before the heart of the human problem
is the problem of the human heart."
Allister Begg

 

August 19, 2019
Verse of the Day
Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.
Daniel 12:3 NIV

 

One of them has to be right
By Jason Nelson
As an American Christian, I unequivocally defend the right of people to practice the religion of their choosing. I am depending on non-Christian Americans to defend my constitutional right to do the same. I am comfortable with that ambiguity. I get very concerned about any political discussions that even hint at favoring one religion over another. That threatens the very religious liberty I cherish. Majorities can change, and there must always be due respect for the minority in this great land.

But religious liberty doesn’t mean all religions are right because people have a right to practice them. Religions other than Christianity have some admirable tenets. And every human being deserves respect because they are just that. But accepting a religion as valid as long as it works for the individual defies the laws of the universe and the claim of exclusivity that all world religions make. One of them has to be right. No matter how sincerely a person may believe otherwise, jumping off a cliff always ends the same. People can be sincerely wrong.

I believe Christianity is right because of God’s fearless invitation to put it to the test. “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22). With life’s great questions in mind, test the Bible’s teachings and God’s plan of salvation against all others. Nothing else compares.

 

August 20, 2019
Verse of the Day
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Matthew 6:7-8 NIV

 

August 17, 2019
Verse of the Day
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Hebrews 13:8 NIV

 

August 21, 2019
Verse of the Day
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 10:10 NIV