Yesterday, I had the opportunity meeting with my boss and a potential employee for an interview/planning session. My boss was asking open ended questions to this person such as, how can you advance our goals and interests, how can we fulfill your needs, etc. One question caught my attention. It was “What is your passion or why would you be passionate working here, what would motivate you?” The person answered with fine answers but the question came home to me, “Why am I passionate about what I am doing; what is it that motivates me?”
This question came home to me in a week when I am talking to several schools that are trying to make me passionate about their programs. They are trying to motivate me to see their college or university as the best option for me. And they are not above turning my arm with gifts and flattery to help me see that I am so good I need a top program like theirs. But with each college there is a different motivation: some point to the scholastic, learning for the sake of knowing; some to the practical, learning for the sake of making money; some to the personal, learning to advance who I am and what I want to be.
But what is my motivation right now as I work as a web programmer, and as I seek to extend my knowledge, why am I doing this? Is it for the money, that I make and what the further education would increase? Or for the ability to say I have a job and the sense of security and responsibility that it gives me? What about the different things that money can buy, is it for those things that I do this? Why do I do what I do? That is the question, as is said.
And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment.
And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." Mark 12:30-31
As I was thinking about this those verses in Mark popped into my mind and I realized this has to be the motivation of the Christian. How much of my heart do I need to love the Lord with? All of it. That leaves no room for loving anything else. Now then, how can I love my neighbor as myself? True love for God is always reflected in love for others.
And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' … Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' Matthew 25:33-45
My love for God is expressed in kindness (love) to my fellow man. So, when I am true Christian I will be an aid and assistance to others. This is the gospel in street clothes as some like to call it. “Be the change you want to see in the world” Gandhi. This is the second commandment and the way I show that I keep the greatest commandment.
What does this mean for me? Going back to the question in the beginning, what is my motivation, why am I passionate about web programming, or why should I be? When I stand on the sea of glass will my Lord say to me “well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of thy Lord?” Or will he say “since you didn’t do the good things unto the least of thy brethren, you didn’t do it to me?!” What do I want him to say?
I am not asking this to put a fear trap on myself, but to make me think about why I am doing what I am doing. That is the question.
God Bless!
Friday, March 2, 2007
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
A time to die
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; Ecclesiastes 3:1-2
I found something interesting today called The Death Clock (deathclock.com). "The Internet's friendly reminder that life is slipping away..." I put in my numbers and I have a death date of Sunday, June 25, 2062. It is kind of a morbid message, and yet it shouldn't be. As Christians we should never fear what is beyond the grave. There should be something different about our outlook knowing that we don't face cold, pure annihilation at death.
We have a hope, a hope that burns within our heart. Hope in the coming of the Lord. How much more of the song do you need before you recognize #214 "We have this hope." It should be our song. That hope is our beacon, our guidepost. Without it we would not be Seventh-day Adventists: We believe in that soon coming, that glorious hope.
Something it makes you think about is the value of time. We only have so much time left, and while it may not be the amount specified in the Death Clock, it is finite. Even if we may not make much money for our time, our time is valuable. How much is time with your parents, your spouse, your children, and your friends worth? I think of something a friend of mine told me: "Thank you for taking this time with me. It is the thing you can give me that no one else can."
Something interesting that I noticed is the mode field on that site. I assume that it is speaking to the mode of living. There are 4 options: sadistic, pessimistic, normal, and optimistic. Changing those values greatly affects your estimated lifespan. For example, here is how my projected lifespan changes:
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. Proverbs 17:22
With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation. Psalm 91:16
It is God's love for us and His working in us that causes this change to happen. He that has begun a good work will complete it in us. He desires to give us life eternal. Even if we don't have a long life here, God has promised to give eternal life to those that endure unto the end. We were not made to die. Death is a foreign thing to a ceaseless God that is the Alpha and the Omega, that is the beginning and the end.
So is there a time to die? Yes, there is. But with God all things are made new, and we have no more tears, no more sorrow, death will die. Death is swallowed up in victory, "O death where is thy sting, o grave thy victory?!" God's love for us will have saved us from ourselves, from the Devil, and to Him. "And so shall we ever be with the Lord. . ."
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor . . ., shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39
I found something interesting today called The Death Clock (deathclock.com). "The Internet's friendly reminder that life is slipping away..." I put in my numbers and I have a death date of Sunday, June 25, 2062. It is kind of a morbid message, and yet it shouldn't be. As Christians we should never fear what is beyond the grave. There should be something different about our outlook knowing that we don't face cold, pure annihilation at death.
We have a hope, a hope that burns within our heart. Hope in the coming of the Lord. How much more of the song do you need before you recognize #214 "We have this hope." It should be our song. That hope is our beacon, our guidepost. Without it we would not be Seventh-day Adventists: We believe in that soon coming, that glorious hope.
Something it makes you think about is the value of time. We only have so much time left, and while it may not be the amount specified in the Death Clock, it is finite. Even if we may not make much money for our time, our time is valuable. How much is time with your parents, your spouse, your children, and your friends worth? I think of something a friend of mine told me: "Thank you for taking this time with me. It is the thing you can give me that no one else can."
Something interesting that I noticed is the mode field on that site. I assume that it is speaking to the mode of living. There are 4 options: sadistic, pessimistic, normal, and optimistic. Changing those values greatly affects your estimated lifespan. For example, here is how my projected lifespan changes:
- Sadistic: Wednesday, June 25, 2025
- Pessimistic: Saturday, April 20, 2041
- Normal: Sunday, June 25, 2062
- Optimistic: Thursday, August 11, 2072
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. Proverbs 17:22
With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation. Psalm 91:16
It is God's love for us and His working in us that causes this change to happen. He that has begun a good work will complete it in us. He desires to give us life eternal. Even if we don't have a long life here, God has promised to give eternal life to those that endure unto the end. We were not made to die. Death is a foreign thing to a ceaseless God that is the Alpha and the Omega, that is the beginning and the end.
So is there a time to die? Yes, there is. But with God all things are made new, and we have no more tears, no more sorrow, death will die. Death is swallowed up in victory, "O death where is thy sting, o grave thy victory?!" God's love for us will have saved us from ourselves, from the Devil, and to Him. "And so shall we ever be with the Lord. . ."
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor . . ., shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Making Decisions
Making decisions is something everyone does their whole life. Making decisions is something everyone does, most of the time without thinking consciously. But at certain points in everyone's life they make very important decisions. Not like what to have for breakfast, although that is an important decision ;), but things like where do I go to college, whom do I marry, what job to except, where to move, etc. Those decisions have to made with more care than the daily decisions that I referenced earlier because they are more affecting.
The choice you make will affect you and others longer than the chose of whether to eat in the living room or in the kitchen. And when you come to those important decisions it is more imperative that you make a good or best decision. If you choose to eat in the living room as opposed to kitchen in most cases even if you made the "wrong" choice. Whereas in the marriage example, if you make the "wrong" choice, your stuck buddy! You have to live with the consequences of that choice for a long time.
So when we come to those important decisions how do we make a good, or the best, decision. I have made a list of 5 steps to making a Godly decision.
1. The Word of God
Psalms 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”
Whenever the Word of God specifies the course there is no need for any other counsel. Oftentimes what we are wondering is already answered in the Bible we just don't know it is there. This is the first step and many times may be the only step.
When we come to the Word we must be willing to accept whatever it has to teach us. If we do not have a spirit of willingness to do what it says we can be lead astray by our own desires and preferences. If we want to God to lead we must be willing to go where He wants us to go.
2. Godly Council
Proverbs 15:22 “Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established.”
Godly counsel is directly connected to the Word of God. The ideal Godly counselor will point us to the Word and give us counsel based on the Word. Again, we must be willing and open to accept what counsel we receive. But, I would caution that we must be good Bereans (Acts 17:10-11) and search the scripture for ourselves to know if the counsel is right.
3. Inner Conviction
John 14:26 “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything”
The Holy Spirit will guide us into the truth and will reinforce those things that we have been learning. The Holy Spirit has the duty of convicting and impressing upon minds the Truth; we know that He does this and we believe that He does this in the work of evangelism. But I believe He does the same kind of moving upon us personally, helping us to make Godly decisions.
4. Godly Provision/Circumstances
Exodus 17:6-7 “Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink." And he called the place Massah and Meribah… saying, "Is the LORD among us or not?"
Acts 8:1 On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.
God uses providence to guide us. If I want to go to further my education at Yale but I don't have the money and I ask the Lord to guide and someone gives me $10,000 that is a providential guiding from the Lord. There are many ways for this to work, not just monetary, but in all the talent areas. The Lord might give you wisdom at a test or skill at a job interview.
Let's suppose I have a job offer in another state on the other side of the country. But I have aging parents and they have needs that require me to live near them. If they die that is a circumstance that supports me moving somewhere. As we go through the process of asking the Lord for guidance we should make sure to note the providences and circumstances He sets along the way.
5. Peace
Colossians 3:15 “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts,”
The final step in my list is peace. When God leads He gives a peace that passes all understanding. His peace is a peace that only comes by being in the Lord's will. He has a plan for each of us and there is nothing better than to know that you are following the Lord's plan for you.
So as you make those important decisions remember to seek God's will. He desires to show us His plan for each decision. Remember the 5 steps I have found in God's word to coming to a Godly decision.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jeremiah 29:11
God Bless!
The choice you make will affect you and others longer than the chose of whether to eat in the living room or in the kitchen. And when you come to those important decisions it is more imperative that you make a good or best decision. If you choose to eat in the living room as opposed to kitchen in most cases even if you made the "wrong" choice. Whereas in the marriage example, if you make the "wrong" choice, your stuck buddy! You have to live with the consequences of that choice for a long time.
So when we come to those important decisions how do we make a good, or the best, decision. I have made a list of 5 steps to making a Godly decision.
1. The Word of God
Psalms 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”
Whenever the Word of God specifies the course there is no need for any other counsel. Oftentimes what we are wondering is already answered in the Bible we just don't know it is there. This is the first step and many times may be the only step.
When we come to the Word we must be willing to accept whatever it has to teach us. If we do not have a spirit of willingness to do what it says we can be lead astray by our own desires and preferences. If we want to God to lead we must be willing to go where He wants us to go.
2. Godly Council
Proverbs 15:22 “Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established.”
Godly counsel is directly connected to the Word of God. The ideal Godly counselor will point us to the Word and give us counsel based on the Word. Again, we must be willing and open to accept what counsel we receive. But, I would caution that we must be good Bereans (Acts 17:10-11) and search the scripture for ourselves to know if the counsel is right.
3. Inner Conviction
John 14:26 “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything”
The Holy Spirit will guide us into the truth and will reinforce those things that we have been learning. The Holy Spirit has the duty of convicting and impressing upon minds the Truth; we know that He does this and we believe that He does this in the work of evangelism. But I believe He does the same kind of moving upon us personally, helping us to make Godly decisions.
4. Godly Provision/Circumstances
Exodus 17:6-7 “Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink." And he called the place Massah and Meribah… saying, "Is the LORD among us or not?"
Acts 8:1 On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.
God uses providence to guide us. If I want to go to further my education at Yale but I don't have the money and I ask the Lord to guide and someone gives me $10,000 that is a providential guiding from the Lord. There are many ways for this to work, not just monetary, but in all the talent areas. The Lord might give you wisdom at a test or skill at a job interview.
Let's suppose I have a job offer in another state on the other side of the country. But I have aging parents and they have needs that require me to live near them. If they die that is a circumstance that supports me moving somewhere. As we go through the process of asking the Lord for guidance we should make sure to note the providences and circumstances He sets along the way.
5. Peace
Colossians 3:15 “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts,”
The final step in my list is peace. When God leads He gives a peace that passes all understanding. His peace is a peace that only comes by being in the Lord's will. He has a plan for each of us and there is nothing better than to know that you are following the Lord's plan for you.
So as you make those important decisions remember to seek God's will. He desires to show us His plan for each decision. Remember the 5 steps I have found in God's word to coming to a Godly decision.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jeremiah 29:11
God Bless!
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Single Women and their place in the Bible
I have launched on a mini study of the role and place of single women in the Bible. This may sound strange coming from a guy but I have been reading a book that is taking a very unique view of women in the Bible and I want to find out the truth of the thing.
Here are some reference pages I used in my study:
http://christian-dating-service-plus.com/ ?! - the content is fine, the name is not what I am looking for
http://www.ninetyandnine.com/ - good list
So from those we get this list:
Damaris (Acts 17:34)
Dorcas (Acts 9:36-42)
Euodias and Syntche (Philippians 4:2)
Lydia (Acts 16:13-15, 40)
Martha and Mary and Lazarus’ sisters, (Luke 10, John 11 and 12)
Mary (Romans 16:6)
Mary Magdalene (Matthew 27, Mark 16, and John 19)
Phoebe (Romans 16:1,2)
Susanna (Luke 8:2,3)
Note: those are only NT examples, here are the OT examples I can think of:
Miriam, most likely (Ex 15:20-21, Num 12:1-15, 20:1)
Queen of Sheba (2Chr 9:1-12)
Huldah (2Ki 22:14-20, 2Chr 34:22-28)
Noadiah (Neh 6:14)
I am sure I am leaving out someone but I can't think of any more that I know are single. Now, of the the NT list only Dorcas, Lydia, Mary and Martha, and Mary Magdalene really have very much of a story. The others are just mentioned in passing or very briefly.
For the OT all except Noadiah have sufficient info to study and come too some conclusions. What those conclusions will be I will have to finish later.
God Bless!
Here are some reference pages I used in my study:
http://christian-dating-service-plus.com/ ?! - the content is fine, the name is not what I am looking for
http://www.ninetyandnine.com/ - good list
So from those we get this list:
Damaris (Acts 17:34)
Dorcas (Acts 9:36-42)
Euodias and Syntche (Philippians 4:2)
Lydia (Acts 16:13-15, 40)
Martha and Mary and Lazarus’ sisters, (Luke 10, John 11 and 12)
Mary (Romans 16:6)
Mary Magdalene (Matthew 27, Mark 16, and John 19)
Phoebe (Romans 16:1,2)
Susanna (Luke 8:2,3)
Note: those are only NT examples, here are the OT examples I can think of:
Miriam, most likely (Ex 15:20-21, Num 12:1-15, 20:1)
Queen of Sheba (2Chr 9:1-12)
Huldah (2Ki 22:14-20, 2Chr 34:22-28)
Noadiah (Neh 6:14)
I am sure I am leaving out someone but I can't think of any more that I know are single. Now, of the the NT list only Dorcas, Lydia, Mary and Martha, and Mary Magdalene really have very much of a story. The others are just mentioned in passing or very briefly.
For the OT all except Noadiah have sufficient info to study and come too some conclusions. What those conclusions will be I will have to finish later.
God Bless!
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