May 11, 2010

HIS WORD FOR TODAY:

Titus 3. 14

“Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may
provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives.”

REFLECTING IN HIS WORD:

What does it take to live a productive life? In this season of financial unrest which has impacted the economy of an entire world where homelessness, joblessness and living without proper resources is no longer a “them” problem, the question of a good life rises to the top. Many who had visions for the future and set that line of demarcation at retirement have pulled their view back to match more of the biblical imperative which Jesus taught in prayer when He said, “Give us this day our daily bread.” We are promised two days in our lives as God’s mighty men. One day is today. God has fearfully and wonderfully made this day and breathed into it the blessing and opportunity of His Holy Spirit for us to discover and put into use. The second day is the tomorrow that comes when Jesus returns to take us to be with Him where He is now. We know that the today begins with the rising of the Son who defeated death by living one day at a time, trusting in God’s provision even to the challenge of the cross.

So what makes for a productive life? Paul wrote to Titus that productive living comes in doing what is good. That which is good is providing for the daily necessities of life. It is hard to feel productive when the body is unprotected from the weather, when stomachs echo with hunger pangs and God’s children die far too young in numbers that are far too great. It is hard to feel productive when that is a reality for others because as God’s mighty men it is our shared reality. If our daily work is not improving the lives of others with the resources God has graciously and abundantly provided to us then we have not appropriated God’s mercy very well. This must be the compelling reality for all of God’s mighty men. We must learn and teach others to do what is good in order that we might all provide for the daily necessities, gather the daily bread of faith, hope and love promised and share its abundance with others as it has been given to us through Jesus Christ our Lord.

PRAYER CONCERNS (share your needs and others in the comment section so that God’s Mighty Men can join prayer forces as intercessors of faith, hope and love)

* For protection of those who lost family members during a vicious system of storms that passed
through Oklahoma and the prediction of more to come
* For a cautious eye observing the current events in Europe and who will rise to lead the people
through this time
* For a successful closure of the oil leak from the damaged well in the Gulf of Mexico and the
protection of wildlife in the water and on the Gulf Coast shores and those whose livelihood
depend on them
* For the resolution of unrest in the Middle East, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan
* For the protection of our troops around the world defending what is right and good for the
sake of human dignity and hope
* For the support and encouragement of those who are seeking employment and the peace of
mind that comes from trusting the process of God’s creation of a new opportunity with the
promise of vocational resurrection in its season
* For those who are struggling in broken relationships with lost vision, patience and the sense of
trust, safety which comes from loving others as God loves us

PRAYER CELEBRATIONS (where we see Him at work in the world):

* A word from a friend
* A supply of resources to meet the needs of multiple tasks at work

ABIDING IN HIS PRESENCE THROUGH PRAYER:

Father, You have provided an abundance so that the daily necessities of Your children shall be filled and goodness shall be known. This is why we are able to announce to all the world “Our God is good!” Receive our praise and share in the works of faith, hope and love which we will offer to others in Jesus’ name. AMEN.

No Comments »

No comments yet.

RSS feed for comments on this post.

Leave a comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.