by Terry Laughlin | Sep 1, 2017 | Labor Day Truth's
Working As Unto The Lord
The Bible says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism. – Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.” (Colossians 3:23 – 4:1)
This passage of Scripture is found in Colossians 3:21 placed under a preoccupy, a title if you will, “Living as Those Made Alive in Christ.” The Apostle is teaching a truth to slaves and slave masters – that is just as real for us who are free, people who work for others and/or for people who may have employees.
Notice who we are to be doing our work for, “as working for the Lord, not for men.” The workman must do everything as if he was doing it for Christ. True pleasure comes when our work is not for the pay, for ambition, to satisfy oneself or earthly overseers. Our work is to be done for the glory of Christ. We must remember, that all our works will be tested by fire, everyone will see if our works will be burned up or done for the right reasons. (1 Corinthians 3:11-15) According to our text, employers need to remember, they will be giving an accounting to our Master – Christ, who is in heaven. Therefore, they are to provide in a way that is “right and fair.” The Christian doctrine of work is that employer and employee alike are working for the Lord, and the rewards are from God – as well as chastisements for doing our work wrong.
One businessman who understood the Biblical truths found in this teaching is David Green, founder of Hobby Lobby. David was raised in a Christian home and he made the right choice, keeping in his heart was is right and true, not like my kids who choose to live a life for self, sin, and the devil. There was display on the wall in David’s home, “only one life to live; twill soon be past. Only that what’s done for Christ will last.” David struggled with how to serve God in his career, then after some clear Biblical teaching by a man of God who can teach the Word of God, David came to understand that the Lord is just not a Sunday Deity, He understands margins, spreadsheets, competition and profits.
David had a servant’s heart, putting others ahead of himself and the business he was raising up. In 2009 while the retail business world froze wages or even cut back on labor, David raised the wages to his employees. When David saw the Christmas and Easter adds from other businesses were taking away the real meaning of the seasons, David increased the number of ads he was putting out, with a clear Christian meaning of Christmas and Easter. Hobby Lobby funds hospitals, supports local homeless shelters and continues to print literature about Christ for far away places, all around the world.
The fruit of David’s life and the business he runs shows Who He Is Work-in For. God has blessed David Green, his family and Hobby Lobby. The Lord will certainly fulfill His promise to all who will strive to do their work as unto Christ.
by Terry Laughlin | Aug 31, 2017 | Labor Day Truth's
A Motivation To Work
Proverbs 10: 4-5 has this truth, “Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands brings wealth. He who gather crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.” 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 says, ” Make it your ambition… to work… so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
Let the Holy Spirit prepare your heart with these questions. How are you seen by the general public as they see you work in the job God has placed you in? Are you seen as diligent, trustworthy, faithful and productive?
A lesson from the horse business: I knew of a Christian couple who loved Arabian horses, they saw their possession of these high quality horses from a Biblical truth, the horses belonged to the Lord, they only had stewardship over them for Him. When it came time to take any of those horses to an Arabian Horse Show, their ignorance about the business motivated them to just pull horses out of the corral, clean them up, and lead them into the arena. This mindset prevented them from receiving the titles and benefits they should had received, considering the high quality of those horses. Often, they drove home back to the ranch living with the disappointment of defeat.
After many years, they developed a listening spirit – the Lord raised up a horse trainer who explained to them how to condition and train their horses. They applied the hard work of conditioning, training, and promotion. Taking the same horses to the same horse shows, they received the first and second place finishes their horses deserved – they were even offered $15,000.00 for one for their western pleasure horses.
This Christian couple learned to plant the seeds of hard work in the proper season, they got themselves prepared to be in the harvest field of success, no longer disgracing their breeding program, and they had no concern about paying the bills while gaining respect from others in the Arabian Horse breeding business.
God’s Biblical principle for us all, do not be lazy, be diligent so we may enjoy the wealth He has for us in whatever work were are placed in. The writer of the Book of Colossians has a truth we must all grasp and remember daily, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
by Terry Laughlin | Aug 31, 2017 | Labor Day Truth's
Earnestly Working For The Lord
The writer of the Book of Colossians gives us a truth that everyone must grasp and apply, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.” (Colossians 3:23) Notice the text says, “Whatever, you do.” Your farming, your job, the things you enjoy, your marriage, raising your kids, work for the church, the care of your pets, time with family, friendships, how you speak to others – whatever, you do!
Notice the text tells how much effort we are to apply: “Work at it with all your heart.” Ephesians 6:7 says, “Serve whole heartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good [you] do, whether slave or free.” Anyone can say they will do such and such, or this or that, the problem is the work does not get completed with a right heart, seldom completed at the proper time. However, when the work is being approached from the right heart, the task will be completed with all their strength, with steadfastness, and certainty. Their will be no short cuts, wrong motives, empty excuses. Rather the boss is present and watching or far away, the whole hearted servant strives for perfection.
When I was in the horse business, I developed a unique grooming program which involved the hard work brushing and rubbing down show horses. Being a groom for high dollar Arabian show horses requires your best. First: After a workout – a horse should be walked until the animal’s respiration, his breathing is back down to normal. A whole hearted groom takes notice of the horse’s nostrils and breathing, a half hearted groom will walk the horse for only five minutes or so, then think “Awe he’s good.” Second: If need be a whole hearted groom will stand the horse in front of a fan, to help cool the horse down. Then rinsing the animal off with lukewarm water, not cold, so the blood flow continues to build muscle. A half hearted groom will just grab any water hose and rinse the horse off, with no concern over the water temperature. Third: Brushing and rubbing the horse. After the horse has dried off, the whole hearted groom brushes the horse with three styles of brushes, then the horse is hand rubbed down – after several months of this grooming practice, the horse has a natural shine, looking like the animal has had an expensive wax job. This grooming process enables the horse to build muscle so hard that the blood veins can be seen under the skin, like a body builder. A half hearted groom rinses the horse off with water, and then gets a spray bottle, adds a little baby oil to water, sprays the horse down with the solution, presenting a unnatural shine. The horses groomed correctly looks a 100% better than the horse that was half heartedly groomed.
Here is a truth worth grasping, no matter was is done, the right whole hearted approach is seen by all and gets the best results in the end. Do you give a right whole hearted effort in your work place?
by Terry Laughlin | Aug 31, 2017 | Labor Day Truth's
God’s Attitude About Work
The Bible says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism. – Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.” (Colossians 3:23 – 4:1)
I would propose to you, working as doing our work unto Christ will make you and I a witness for the Lord that surpasses the average wage earner, that causes people to take note of the life we live in obedience to the written Word of God. The heart of the average employee is more influenced by a world view rather than having the mind of Christ, as the Bible tells you and me to have. (1 Corinthians 2:10-16)
There are many passages of Scripture that specifically speak about work, with a key truth being, “Six days you shall labor and do your work.” (Exodus 20:9) This command comes from God who sets the example before us as being a worker. The Bible says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) By the end of the sixth day He made the sun and moon, all the living creatures, everything on this earth for Him and us to enjoy. “And God saw that is was all good.” (Genesis 1:25)
There is nothing more than a great biker would love to do, take a long vacation, making the long motorcycle ride – touring and seeing everything God has created. Imagine, if everyone person were a specialist in landscaping, they could not get done what God has created, especially in six days. Even the best doctors and vets cannot create human beings or animals. No matter how smart and gifted they are, they cannot sustain life for eternity. When all is said that can be said, all is done that will be done, this earth as we know it will be burned up. God will create a new heaven and a new earth. (Isaiah 65:17; Revelation 21:1)
The Book of Psalms says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” (Psalm 19:1) Jesus said, “My Father is always at His work to this very day…” (John 5:17) Dr. Charles Mayo of the famous Mayo Clinic once said, “There is no fun like work.” The writer of the Book of Ecclesiastes wrote, “…there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot…” (Ecclesiastes 3:22)
The key steps to doing our Labor As Unto Christ is to have a thankful enjoyment of God’s gifts, seeing your job as a discharge from God, knowing God is going to bring all things under His judgment, (Ecclesiastes 11:9) and not seeing your job as simply and money seeking opportunity. (Ecclesiastes 5:10-17) The book of Exodus reminds us that is the Lord who gives different abilities to achieve things and perform certain tasks. (Exodus 31:3) The writer of the Book of Thessalonians tells us, “if anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.” (2 Thessalonians 3:10) According to Jesus Christ – God is always at His work. The right heart reflection, we should always consider all we do as doing it for the approval of God.
by Terry Laughlin | Jul 31, 2017 | Heaven
Are There Animals in Heaven?
There is place of which nearly everyone believes exist, a place of which the beloved John wrote about. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away…” (Revelation 21:1) Jesus spoke about the present heaven, the place were God resides and a place were there is much joy. (Luke 15:7)
How we feel about heaven, God and Jesus Christ determines how sensitive we are to the Holy Spirit. A heartfelt approach to studying the Biblical truth of heaven will set the focus of our thoughts and fill our hearts with anticipation. Understanding the truths of heaven not only breeds anticipation for the future, it lays down a foundation for us to find comfort when loved ones pass on. Heaven is a place of reunion. (2 Samuel 12:23) When Christians make it to heaven, they will receive a grand welcome. Is it possible there will be beloved pets in heaven? Lets look with anticipation what the Bible does tell us.
The Bible does not clearly state we will see specific pets or other animals we have been given stewardship over in heaven. The Bible does give us the character of God and His love for us. Jesus says that God gives “good gifts to those who ask….” (Matthew 7:11) We know that God is aware of our love for our pets and how important they are. In 2 Samuel we read of the Lord sending the prophet Nathan to King David to give a divine message of correction. Nathan shares a parable of two men, one rich, one poor. The rich man has a large amount of sheep and cattle. The poor man had one ewe of which the parable says was very special to him, it had slept in his arms, the ewe lamb was like a daughter to him. When the rich man wanted to prepare a meal to entertain guest, instead of using one of his livestock for food, the rich man took the ewe from the poor man and prepared it for eating. King David burned with anger because of the disrespect the rich man had for the love the poor man had for his ewe. Although Nathan was dealing with David’s sin of adultery and murder. It is safe to say, God is aware of our love of the pets He has given us and their positive effect on our lives. What the New Testament does say is that God “richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” (1 Timothy 6:17)
In Isaiah 11:6-10 we read of the Messiah’s kingdom to come, that place were the righteous will enjoy the Lord’s reign. (Commentary of the Old Testament; Isaiah 65:25; New Heaven and New Earth) “The wolf shall lay with the lamp, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow shall feed with the bear; their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, the young child shall put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord…” In Revelation we read of Jesus and His army riding white horses when they come to defeat Satan and the beast. (Revelation 19:11-16) The armies with Jesus are those whom the Bible says are the “chosen and faithful followers.” (Revelations 17:14; 19:8)
There will be animals on this earth during the thousand years reign of Christ and there will be animals in the new heavens and on the new earth. (Isaiah 65:25) This may be a Terry Laughlin 10:99. The Bible says God gives everything for our enjoyment, it would not be out of line to have blessed belief that God gave us pets for our enjoyment here on this earth, then our pets could very well be in heaven awaiting us in the new heavens and on the new earth.
What we do have is the promise in Romans 8:20-21. First the fruit of sin; “For creation was subject to frustration.” At this present time, everything is subject to the consequences of Eve’s and Adam’s sin. Second, is the promise, “creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption [decay] and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” Everything is going to be restored, us, this earth, heaven, animals, that could include our pets. Romans 8:22 tells us that “whole creation has been groaning… right up to the present time” for its future glory. This denotes a hope of new life for all creation. (The New American Commentary; Daily Study Bible Series; Matthew Henry Commentary; The Pulpit Commentary; Bible Knowledge Commentary; Willmington’s Bible Commentary)
One of God’s greatest gifts for our enjoyment are animals, this is especially true of pets. Too often theologians have worked aggressively to prove a point, thus causing many to live with the uncertainty of the eternal state of their pets and the animals they took care of for the Lord. Just as there are Biblical theologians who say we will not see animals on this earth in heaven, there are just as many born-again theologians who feel they have revelation of animals in heaven, and we can have a hope to see our pets.
Just because we can not find that one Scripture that clearly says our certain pets are in heaven is not evidence that animals down here vanish at death. Just as it is clear God created the moon, sun and stars and place each one in its proper order, (Psalm 8:3) we are not told specifically how He holds them in place. We as Christians often miss-handle the truths that are clear, how do we expect the Lord to give us all the details about everything. For example – consider Christmas, we do not know the exact time of Jesus’ birth. But we know that He was born of a virgin. Look at the mess of Christmas every year. There is no clear Scripture that says that animals on this earth do not go to heaven. However, there is clear Scripture that says Judas Iscariot is not in heaven. (Mark 14:21) Consider this, if we believe that animals do not have a soul, it is easy to mistreat them, thinking there will be no accountability of our care of them. That is the same basis the old slave traders taught about their black slaves. In fact, many of the slaves had more faith in God and Jesus, than the so called God fearing plantation owners. True Christians take the high road, realizing the whole of creation is moaning for its redemption and the further time of a new heaven and new earth, that time of perfection forever. (Isaiah 65:25)
There are people who have no problem with trusting the Lord to take charge of their pets and animals. There are people who still need His comfort. For those who are still seeking, put your trust in God who does all things well and He knows what is best for you for all eternity. In His time, He will reveal His truths to you in due season.
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