In Toil There Is Profit

"In all toil there is profit,
    but mere talk leads only to poverty." Proverbs 14:23

"Are you a Finn?" That was a strange question to be asked by a supervisor. But, that is exactly what I was asked years ago as I worked on a production line in a sewing factory. I had laughed and asked him how he could know that as I was living in North Carolina where there were very few people of Finnish descent. I knew of only one other. The supervisor was not of Finnish descent himself. He said he guessed that because of my work ethic. At the time, the company I worked for was laying me off and paying me unemployment one or two days every week because the particular station I worked at would run out of work by Wednesday or Thursday. In the history of the factory no one had ever made production at my station until that time.

I am still not sure how he would guess my ethnicity as I know a lot of people today of this same ethnic background who do not like to work and who will go out of their way to avoid it. I do not believe that ethnicity has much to do with our particular work ethics. Our work ethics are not necessarily dictated by our gene pool; but, has more to do with our environment.

I was taught at an early age that in order to live; in order to eat; in order to have shelter and heat, we must work. We must take care of responsibilities. We probably spend around one third of our lives working so we may as well do it well. We may as well throw ourselves into it and enjoy it.

Raising our sons, I would often make games out of household chores. We would work together so that the chores we had to complete would be more enjoyable for all. There is profit in our toil. Sometimes, it is merely to survive and to survive well. Other times it is so that we can share fruitful time with others.

Whatever we do, let us do it well that the work of our hands might glorify our Father in heaven.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Acts 4:1-22 Isolated for Jesus

Acts 4:1-22 NIV
It's kind of unbelievable when you think about it. For healing the lame man, in the name of Jesus, Peter and John were thrown into jail. Because a man who could not walk before and now can, two men are brought to trial. The elders of the church and teachers of the law really don't know what to do with these men. They are running around healing people in the name of Jesus and the evidence is before them. The forty year old man who was lame and who now is not lame, also stands before them. Tough call! How to stop these trouble makers who are running around healing people?

They decide they are just going to ask them to stop doing that; to stop talking about Jesus and to stop doing anything in his name. Of course, they refuse.

Things have not changed all that much over the years; except that in this country (USA) we don't usually get thrown into jail for healing someone. Although, I do recall an elderly woman, whom I met when I was selling insurance in North Carolina some 30 plus years ago. I returned to visit her a couple of times before I left the area. Her parents had been slaves. Her life had not been easy by any stretch of the imagination; yet, her faith was strong. She was a faith healer. In fact, as a gift that Christmas (she was overjoyed that someone had come to visit her), she prayed over me, in the name of Jesus, and a cyst in my wrist was completely gone. Yes, it was healed instantaneously. This 90 year old woman had no other friends left alive. Her family, embarrassed over her call to minister to others and proclaim the name of Jesus, had deserted her. Her children and grandchildren did not communicate with her. The state had, in fact, ordered her to quit healing people or she would be arrested. She lived in a one room shack alone; deserted by her family, her friends, her neighbors. She was in effect isolated from the world because of her faith. But, she was not alone. She had Jesus and in His Name she lived.

It did not matter that the state had ordered her to quit healing people. She continued praying for others in the name of Jesus. Not everyone will understand or accept the lives we live in faith in the Son of God. We may and most probably will be judged for our faith. But, what others may think of Jesus should not deter us. May we all be so bold in our faith, willing to be called out for praying and doing good for others, in the name of Jesus.

God's Peace - Pr. J

2 Chronicles 14 - Strange gods

Asa did what was right in the sight of God.  He got rid of all the altars that were used to worship strange gods.  And... the land had rest!

If that's all that it takes to have rest - to have peace - in the land, why can't the land be rid of strange gods.   I'm all for it!  I have to admit that these past few years out on the eastern side of Baraga County, I have known more rest, more peace, than I've known most of my life.  Although, they still are there; it seems there are relatively fewer false gods than in most places I've lived.  Well,  I guess I have to take that back.  As busy as I was, I also knew quite a bit of rest and peace when I lived in Gay, MI and in Rota, Spain, as well as Jacksonville, NC.  They were chaotic times, but there was also rest.  But, still, none of these places afforded me the opportunty, the time, to really give thanks to God and to Worship Him, as I have experienced the last few years.  It's not there is not turmoil around me.  But, the turmoil caused by the false gods around me, are not able to invade my space, my life, as they were when I was living in the midst of people who bowed to strange gods.

I am in North Carolina this morning.  I remember returning here to live many years ago and thinking, as the plane landed:  I will die in this place. It was a good thought, but probably not going to happen. It is a beautiful state and I do miss it at times. As we were driving down here this week, I was thinking what a beautiful country we live in.  Every state is so awesome!  How blessed we are.  I wonder then, if the rest I know comes with age... Has it come to me as I've grown older because with each year the strange gods have revealed to me how false they really are and I've managed to ignore or get rid of them from my life.

Don't know.... just musing...  I do know that when we keep the strange gods out of our lives, our lives go a lot smoother and the  people of the land will know rest and have peace.