Devotionals for the Heart: God's opinion is the only one that matters

 

Work Unto the Lord
A devotional by Hannah Benson

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord, and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”—Colossians 3:23-24 (ESV)

As a writer, I want everyone to love what I write. My hopes are that they will be touched, moved, pointed to Jesus Christ. But the reality is when I’m focused on pleasing people, then I’m focusing on the wrong thing.

As much as I hate to admit it, no matter how hard I try, there is always going to be someone who I can’t please. If my goal is to please mankind, then I’m going to work with a short-sighted mindset. My thoughts may range from “What does [this person] think of this?” to “Did I please [so-and-so]?”

And as a result, by trying to please everyone, I’m going to find myself dissatisfied because not everyone will be pleased. But the Bible says in Colossians 3:23 to “work heartily, as for the Lord, and not for men.”

We are called by God to fulfill His calling in our life. Sure, our work is meant to build His Kingdom and to encourage other believers, but we are not to focus on finding approval from anyone other than God. When a servant does the bidding of his master, he shouldn’t worry about what those around him think. He needs to be focused on obeying his master, regardless of what other people think.

I was reminded a while ago that even though Jesus was perfect, He didn’t please everyone either. In fact, He actually had people who hated Him and His work.

We can learn from Jesus because He focused on what His Father (God) thought of Him instead of what others thought of Him. If Christ had focused on the disapproval of a few, what might’ve happened to His ministry? Instead of focusing on people-pleasing, Jesus focused on doing the will of His Father, which allowed His ministry to grow into what God had ordained it to be.

I want to encourage you today with these words: Don’t focus on pleasing the crowd but instead, zero in on pleasing Your Creator (God). He alone has called you to good works and retains the right to define you.

It can be so tempting to compare ourselves to someone else, but the truth is, we’re not to compare our best to someone else’s best. God has gifted each of us with individual talents. In the realm of writing, for example, my style of writing may be different than yours, but God can use both of us to minister to people.

When we’re following the call of God and truly giving Him our best, then that’s enough. Even if it looks different from someone else’s best.

Sometimes when I’m sitting down to write, I struggle with wondering if it is “good enough” or if it will impact anyone. I’ve learned though that when I do my best and give the results to God, He’ll do the rest. Most often when my writing feels inadequate to me, God will send someone who shares with me the impact it had on their life. This reminds me that apart from God, my work is inadequate. Only God can give my work meaning and allow it to have an impact on people.

It's hard for me, but I’m slowly learning to trust God with the outcome and to remember to always work to please God, not mankind (2 Corinthians 5:9).

Let’s Pray:

Dear Father God, please forgive me for forgetting that Your opinion is the only One that matters! Forgive me for living a life to please others when I should be living to please You. Thank You that Your opinion is the only One that matters. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Proud” by Influence Music and Melody Noel. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Hannah Benson is a Jesus-follower who’s passionate about sharing the love of Christ with others. 

From the time she could hold a pen, she was writing. But it wasn’t until she was sixteen that she began to follow God’s calling to pursue writing seriously. Hannah is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). In addition to fiction, she also writes devotionals and has been published on other websites. Her prayer is that her readers leave deeply encouraged and more in love with Jesus.

When not writing, Hannah also enjoys being involved with local theater companies, with a primary focus on Biblical theater. She wants to show the love of Jesus through the creative arts.

You can read more of Hannah’s writings on her blog or on her Instagram where she strives to write content that leaves others feeling encouraged.

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Connect with Hannah:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Hannah-Lynn-Writer/100073790792576/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannahlbensonwrites/

Devotionals for the Heart: Weakness

What’s Your Weakness?
A devotional by Amy Odland

But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. –2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

How many of us would be quick to raise our hand if we were asked the question “Who would like to have Christ’s power rest on them?”

How quick would we be to raise those same hands if it was mentioned that in order for that to happen, we need to immediately start boasting about our weaknesses? And to do it gladly? I don’t know about you, but I for one don’t like to run around “gladly” mentioning my shortcomings to everyone I interact with each day. As a matter of fact, I am not happy at all to volunteer that I have a quick temper or am short on patience most of the time. How about you? Do you enjoy confessing you struggle with anger or addiction or are eyeball-deep in pride and self-absorption?

None of us like to look bad in front of others. While some of us find it easy to not care what others think, most of us spend a great deal of time and energy keeping up appearances to those around us. We cover our sins as best we can until we can’t anymore and they sneak out. Our kids definitely do this (as we did before them); they can keep up appearances for the most part while at school or with the grandparents, but as soon as they get home with us, the “real” kid shows up pretty quickly.

We learned fairly early on as parents to use the “Ask the Teacher” trick to point out this discrepancy between public vs. private behavior: when they’ve been misbehaving at home – whether by not doing chores, fighting with siblings, or just generally not listening to me or my husband – we ask them if we should talk to their teacher about getting some advice on what we could do to get them to listen better at home. We ask, “What would your teacher say we should do? Your teacher doesn’t ever say you act like this at school, so maybe we need to get some suggestions from your teacher.”

Once the threat of tarnishing their “perfect” reputation with the teacher is out there, they shape up awfully quick at home.

The fear of what others think of us controls us whether we realize it or not. What we maybe don’t even realize is how it also affects if Jesus Christ’s power can work through us or not. If we’re listening to the opinions of those around us and spending our time worrying about our image more than we are listening to and spending time with God, the power of Christ will not rest on us as it should. If we’re focusing more on outward voices and input, we have less energy and time to focus on the inner influences of the Holy Spirit. We have less of Christ’s power to get us through our day.

So how do we boast more about our weaknesses and allow God’s grace to be sufficient in all we do? Here are a few ideas:

We should admit when we’re wrong.

Apologize when we’ve messed up.

Give the benefit of the doubt more than we do.

Be slow to judge.

Be quick to forgive.

Be able to say “I don’t know.”

Focus on the needs of others.

Find ways to make others feel important or special.

Look for opportunities to help the oppressed or hurting.

Seek counsel for help with addictions or strongholds.

We don’t have to shout our weaknesses from the mountaintops for all to hear. We can share with trusted friends or trained counselors, those we know are safe and helpful. What we definitely aren’t supposed to do if we want Christ to overlook and forgive our weaknesses, is walk around with an attitude of unwillingness to overlook and forgive the weaknesses of others. His power will rest on us in great ways if we humble ourselves, pray, and seek His ways.

Do you have a weakness you feel God calling you to gladly boast about today?

~*~
Author Bio:

Amy Odland has been serving in church ministry as a volunteer leader for over 16 years, in various worship, prayer and women’s ministry roles.

Her passion for helping women stems from her own struggles and lessons learned in her journey as a Christian since first deciding to follow the Lord in 1994.

Amy’s priorities after her faith include her family — husband Rick, and their four kids — as well as extended family who all live close in proximity and the many friends she’s made over the years.

In addition to a love of teaching and helping her husband with the bookkeeping for their many businesses, Amy has recently expanded her stay-at-home work to include leading author’s book launch teams for publishing companies like Baker, Revell, Barbour, and Lifeway.

She also enjoys teaching new authors about platform building, self-launching, and online marketing.

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Connect with Amy:
Facebook: https://facebook.com/amyodland
Instagram: https://instagram.com/amy_odland
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amy_odland
Website: https://amyodland.com

Devotionals for the Heart: Seasons

Seasons of Life

A devotional by Ginger Solomon

“To every thing there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven;

A time to be born,

And a time to die;

A time to plant,

And a time to pluck what is planted;

A time to kill

And a time to heal;

A time to break down,

And a time to build up;

A time to weep,

And a time to laugh;

A time to mourn,

And a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones;

A time to embrace,

And a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to gain,

And a time to lose;

A time to keep,

And a time to throw away,

A time to tear, and a time to sew;

A time to keep silence,

And a time to speak;

A time to love,

And a time to hate;

A time of war,

And a time of peace.”

~Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NKJV)

If I might be so bold, I might add, “A time for the sun to rise; And a time for it to set.”

As I write this, I am sitting in the corner of a cruise ship, watching the sunrise. This is something I like to do. It’s quiet, except for the workers preparing breakfast. I can get a fair amount of writing done, and then be free to spend the rest of the day enjoying my vacation with my family.

But that’s not really the point of this devotional.

Today’s society thinks they can say and do anything they want at any time, and that it doesn’t matter. But it does. We all know it. There are right and decent ways to go about making your voice heard. And it doesn’t matter if you believe in God or not; the truth is the truth.

What needs to be learned now is how to keep our mouths shut. As I mentioned in my last devotion, my son recently married a wonderful woman of God who happens to be black. And even in today’s “politically correct” society, people have said derogatory things to them. Where is the “tolerance” in this situation?

It’s my opinion that those who scream the loudest for tolerance, equal rights, and free speech refuse to allow it if it is contrary to what they believe.

I’m all for tolerance. Not everyone believes the way I do. I’m not going to condemn you if you don’t have several children or any for that matter. I’m not going to say you have to homeschool your kids if you choose to have them. I’m not even going to look down on you if you choose a lifestyle outside of my religious beliefs.

Let’s be honest, not everyone is equipped to deal with kids. I know a few people who really shouldn’t have any. I’m sure you know a few too. Nor is everyone called to homeschool (and I personally believe it must be a calling, because without God’s grace my kids would be dead). And while I would love for everyone to follow God and know His love, we all know that’s not going to happen. I can’t force someone else to believe. The old idiom, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink,” comes to mind.

What does all of this have to do with the rising and setting of the sun? Probably not much other than realizing there is a time and place to say your piece/peace, and sometimes, we (yes, I’m including myself here) need to keep our mouths shut. Shouting your beliefs won’t make people believe like you do. In truth, it makes them less likely to hear you.

Just as the sun rises every day (whether we see it or not), so truth remains truth even it’s hidden behind all the lies and shouting of the enemy. And the truth is, God wins in the end. '

The only question that remains (at least from our side) is, "How many of us will choose the winning side?"

~*~
Author Bio:

Ginger Solomon is a Christian, a wife, a mother to seven, and a writer—in that order (mostly). 

She writes or reads inspirational romance of any genre, and if she’s busy homeschooling, doing laundry, or fixing dinner, books are on her mind.

She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), president of her local writing group, and blogs regularly for InspyRomance.com and at gingersolomon.com.