We all have a resume. Even if you haven't yet formally written one, you could write one, and for those of you that have you know that one of the most common elements toward the top of a resume is an "Objective." Sometimes the objective is spread throughout the body of the resume, but either way it is in there somewhere. This typically conveys to the reader what you are trying to accomplish; your goals for employment. Basic examples might be, "Obtain a position as an industrial engineer with XYZ company", or perhaps "To develop and grow customer sales."
It's interesting to me how we adapt those objectives depending on the position we are applying for, or even based on the company we are applying with. How would a prospective employer view the variety of objectives we are communicating to different hiring managers? Does that mean we are aggressive in our pursuit of our goals? Does it indicate doubt or a lack of conviction? Could it suggest we have questionable integrity? Are your objectives dependent on another person, group, or context?
God actually gave us His objective for our lives, and it's very simple. So why does it seem so hard to set a course toward the objective he gave to us? "Jesus replied, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'" (Matt. 22:37). That's it. Simple, straight-forward., indisputable...scary? Not scary, in the jump out of your seat and run out of the theatre kind of scary, but the "I'm not sure I can do that" kind. Jesus repeats a simple, three letter word three times in that sentence, and that word takes our response to this command from "you've got it" to "really?"
"All" is scary. "All" means 100%. "All" means I can't hold anything back for myself, for my wife, for my children, for my friends, for my work, for my hobbies, for my...., for my..., for my... "All" means I'm jumping in with both feet and I don't know where I'll land. "All" means I might have to move. "All" means I might not live the life of my dreams. "All" means I might lose my job. "All" means people may not understand, might think I'm crazy; and I might not be as rich, and I might not be comfortable. "All" means I must let go of everything I know, everything I cherish, everything I desire...except God.
There are 66 books in the Bible. There are over 31,000 verses. There are more than 800,000 words in the Bible. And Jesus took the time to boil it down to one statement, one verse, 19 words, and one word with three letters. Is that the objective for your day today? Is it the objective for your work? Is it what you want to accomplish while you're at school, while you're talking to your friends, to your family, to a homeless person, to an orphaned child, to a widow.
"Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart and with ALL your soul and with ALL your mind" is the objective of His created children, equally for ALL of us.
August 27, 2009
August 13, 2009
Good form
Where are we at in the timeline? When God set out to create this universe, and when time began He knew when the end would come. We march along each day as if our lives, our world will go on forever. Now, I'm not a doomsayer. I don't, and won't suggest anyone dwell on the possibility of the end of the world. God tells us not to worry in Matthew 6:25-27. I trust in Him and have hope in His Glory.
Yet, for so many generations it seems that the words Paul spoke in his second letter to Timothy are revealed in more ways, more often than ever before. He wrote in chapter 3, verses 1-5: "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God - having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them."
I see in this passage the same things I see in the world day today. I see this on the news, I see this on the street, in our schools, our governments, our places of work. Most unsettling to me is that I see this in myself, and in my church. Not as obviously as I see it in many other places, but it is there. Not always, and perhaps on many days not at all, but it's always lying there...waiting. And on any given day it rears its ugly head.
I will see a Porsche Carrera and love the idea of money. I achieve a success and proudly boast of it to friends and family. A kindness is received which I fail to return because the person was obligated to the task anyway. I skate through a day ignoring the love of my family due to the importance of my busy schedule. An unknown, and unimportant person cuts me off in traffic and I think scathing thoughts about the idiotic behavior of other people. I would never do that as I roll through a stop sign in my rush to an appointment. I claim to others the awesome strength and power of God to whom I owe all things, and then spend the rest of my week fulfilling my goals.
I'm not as bad as I could be, not as bad as I have been, but on any given day my form of godliness denies His power. I pray that I will submit with all my failings and rely on the strength of God, the forgiveness of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Yet, for so many generations it seems that the words Paul spoke in his second letter to Timothy are revealed in more ways, more often than ever before. He wrote in chapter 3, verses 1-5: "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God - having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them."
I see in this passage the same things I see in the world day today. I see this on the news, I see this on the street, in our schools, our governments, our places of work. Most unsettling to me is that I see this in myself, and in my church. Not as obviously as I see it in many other places, but it is there. Not always, and perhaps on many days not at all, but it's always lying there...waiting. And on any given day it rears its ugly head.
I will see a Porsche Carrera and love the idea of money. I achieve a success and proudly boast of it to friends and family. A kindness is received which I fail to return because the person was obligated to the task anyway. I skate through a day ignoring the love of my family due to the importance of my busy schedule. An unknown, and unimportant person cuts me off in traffic and I think scathing thoughts about the idiotic behavior of other people. I would never do that as I roll through a stop sign in my rush to an appointment. I claim to others the awesome strength and power of God to whom I owe all things, and then spend the rest of my week fulfilling my goals.
I'm not as bad as I could be, not as bad as I have been, but on any given day my form of godliness denies His power. I pray that I will submit with all my failings and rely on the strength of God, the forgiveness of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.
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