​

CURRENT RADIO SERIES Dare to Believe   CURRENT TV SERIES His Story Your Story

Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.  --1 Corinthians 10:12 Remember when you were a kid and would wrestle with your brother or sister? And once you got them down on the ground, you’d hold them there until they cried “uncle”? You wanted them to stop resisting and give up. Well, temptation is tenacious like that, but far more vicious and unrelenting. If you or I even entertain the idea of sin, we can soon find ourselves in its grip struggling to escape. You see, Satan can manipulate our minds and seduce us so that we’ll disobey God. He’ll take a natural, God-given, wholesome desire and twist it so that we will desire to use it in God-forbidden ways. He tempts us with the promise of some reward for our disobedience…. it might be pleasure, power, or profit. And Satan will stop at nothing to make you give in to him. I know people who never dreamed they could be unfaithful to their partner, but then Satan brought the temptation. Now you might think, “I would never let that happen!” But listen. It’s a huge mistake to think you’re not vulnerable to temptation. You must realize your own weakness and prepare yourself. This is why Jesus taught us to pray, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil….” Be proactive in your prayer life. Prize obedience to God more than temptation’s rewards. IT’S A HUGE MISTAKE TO THINK YOU’RE NOT VULNERABLE TO TEMPTATION.

Doing Your Work with Diligence

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.”
Colossians 3:22–25

There are all sorts of performance standards held at different jobs, depending on the requirements of the position. A surgeon preparing for an operation goes through a cleaning process that is rigorous and detailed, but a man who is going to paint houses all day isn’t worried that there might be one tiny germ left when he washes his hands before work. The standard of cleanliness is not determined by the demands of the process, but by the need for results.
When there are parts of our jobs that require a certain level of performance, we should strive to reach that standard every time. Other areas may have more room for individual preferences or tastes. Some people are extremely careful about making sure not one paper is ever left on their desks. Others are like the pastor I read about whose deacon invited a man to visit the church. “I don’t like organized religion,” the man said. The deacon replied, “One look at our pastor’s desk and you will see that we are not an organized religion!”
Whatever job we have to do, we have the opportunity and the obligation to work as we would if God were watching—after all, He is. The standard we should be aiming toward is not what people will think of our work, but whether we will be able to tell God, “I did the best that I could.”
 

Today’s Growth Principle: 

Our faith should motivate us to be the best we possibly can be as employees no matter what our job is.