Positivity Training

Reading for today: Psalm 16

This Tuesday, I have staff development training on the topic of positivity in the workplace. We had a book report due in preparation for the training and the moral of the book was: positivity produces joy and joy in the workplace increases productivity.

According to the book, I can be more positive if I add three things to my daily routine. 1. Be grateful (each morning, make a list of things I am thankful for). 2. Exercise (30 minutes of increased heart rate will do). 3. Help others (by performing intentional acts of kindness).

The theory holds that once I am more positive, then I will have joy. When I have joy, then I will be more productive. And when I am more productive, then I live happily ever after. (That last part was my addition.)

In this line of thinking, I have joy because I am positive and do positive things. While I agree with almost everything we are learning, I know that, according to the Bible, joy is not an outcome of anything I have done. Joy comes from another source.

Joy is my reaction to God’s great love and Christ’s great sacrifice. Joy is a gift from the Holy Spirit. Joy is what motivates me to do everything on that list above.

Joy causes me to be grateful. Joy causes me to care about my temporal life and to remember my eternal life. Joy causes me to care about the needs of others.

So when I sit down in my meeting this Tuesday, I will be thinking about positivity and productivity like this:

• Because I know who I am in Christ, I have joy. Joy in the Lord naturally produces positivity.
• Because I know that God has created me to do good works, joy also increases my productivity, as I understand that my purpose in the workplace and in life is to spread His joy to others.

Dear God, Your joy is my strength. Amen.

This week, spend time understanding what true joy is and where it comes from.

Day 2 – Ephesians 2:4-10; Romans 15:13

Day 3 – Psalm 51:10-12; Galatians 5:22-23

Day 4 – Psalm 4:7; Psalm 21:6; Psalm 28:7

Day 5 –Habakkuk 3:18; John 16:20-24

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You are known.

Reading for today: Psalm 139

I have moved enough times in my life to know that I don’t want to move anymore. While it is exciting to have lived in so many places, there is something unsettling about feeling unknown.

When I am feeling unknown by those around me, it is so important for me to be reminded, that not only does God love me, but that He knows me as well.

Psalm 139 is all about God knowing you. Knowing you completely. He knows everything about you. He knows the exact moment you woke up this morning. He knows the first, second, and third thoughts you had in the shower. He knows which socks you’ll choose and whether or not you’ve ironed that shirt. He knows exactly what you’ll say to your child or spouse or coworker, even before you utter it.

He knows how many chocolate chip cookies you’ll grab and how many steps you’ll walk. He knows the paths you’ll take, even when you are sure you’re headed down another one. He knows the habits you have, the habits you’ll break, and the habits you’ll form. He knows why you can’t kick that cold or why your left ankle creaks.

Before others knew you, he knew you. He knows your first day, your last day, and the weather forecast of every day in between. There is nothing he doesn’t know about you, because he lovingly and intricately wove you together.

Utterly exposed yet absolutely safe. That’s what it feels like to be known by God.

Dear God, Search me and know my heart, see if there is any grievous way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. Amen.

Day 2 – John 10:11-15

Day 3 – Jeremiah 29:11-13

Day 4 – Jeremiah 1:5; I Corinthians 13:12; Isaiah 43:1

Day 5 – I Corinthians 8:3; Nahum 1:7; 2 Timothy 2:19

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You are loved

Reading for today: Luke 15:11-24

I used to work with internationals. One of the highlights of every week was our international women’s Bible study. One of my favorite things about the program was that my fellow volunteers and I were dedicated to making the women feel cared for and loved. I remember one of our volunteers, Alice, summing up our mission, saying, “They just need to hear that they are loved.”

This weekend, I had the opportunity to help lead a Christian retreat for 7^th and 8^th grade youth. As I was presenting the Bible study material, Alice’s voice kept ringing in my ear, “They just need to hear that they are loved.”

Sometimes God is presented in such a way as to make people feel that He is sitting up in heaven, waiting for us to do something wrong. And when we do, there is an assumption that God loves to wag His holy finger and shake His righteous head in disapproval.

That is simply not the case. God makes is very clear in His Word and through His Son how he feel about us. He absolutely loves us. He has always loved us. Everything He has done has been for us. As one of our youth put it this weekend, “God loves us and He is for us.”

Dear God, Thank you for your unbelievable love toward me. Help me to live each day remembering and sharing your great love. Amen.

As you go through your week, remember that you are loved. And remember that, those around you “just need to hear that they are loved.”

Day 2 – Jeremiah 31:3; Psalm 145:8-9

Day 3 – Psalm 103:11; Romans 8:37-39

Day 4 – Ephesians 3:17-19; Hebrews 13:5

Day 5 – Romans 8:28; John 17:23-26; 1 John 4:7-11

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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“Hey! You Denied My Miracle”: 3 Studies on God’s Timing – Part 3

Reading for today: Luke 22:39-53

How many times have you asked God for a miracle? And how many times have you been denied? In our first two studies, Jairus and Lazarus’ sisters all asked for a miracle and got it. They struggled with God’s timing, but in the end, they all received a miracle, even better than they had expected.

What about when you, in faith, ask for a miracle but you don’t get it. What about when God chooses to deny your request? God answers your patient waiting, not with a “yes”, or a “maybe”, or a “later”, but with a cold, unexplainable “no”. When God says no and His timing seems to work against you, you have all the ingredients for despair.

So what better way to end a series on God’s timing, then with an example of Jesus’ own denied request. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus begged God to take away the coming cross and his death. And the answer he received was an unmistakable “no”.

Jesus denied? Up until this point, Jesus hadn’t been denied anything. He had asked for healing and got it. He had asked for understanding and received it. He had asked for miracles, and they came. He asked for the Spirit, and the Spirit was granted. But then one of his last requests was denied. Why? Because God’s timing for our salvation was right on track and Jesus’ request would have derailed God’s plan for us.

In his heart, Jesus knew this, so attached to his desperate prayer were 7 of the most important words ever uttered. “Not my will, but yours be done.” And thank God, that prayer was answered.

When you grapple with God’s timing in your life or in the lives of those around you, know that, like Jesus, you can ask God for wisdom, for clarity, for answers, and for a miracle. But also pray those 7 important words from Jesus, “Not my will, but yours be done.” It may not feel good, but God’s will being done is always best. Trust Him.

Dear God, Right now, I am asking for ___________________________. Not my will, but Yours be done. Amen.

Day 2 – Romans 5:6; Galatians 4:4-7

Day 3 – 2 Peter 3:8-9; James 1:5

Day 4 – Proverbs 3:5-6; Jeremiah 29:11-14

Day 5 – Matthew 6:9-13

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“Hey! You Withheld My Miracle”: 3 Studies on God’s Timing – Part 2

“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” John 11:21, 32

God’s timing is always good. It is always perfect. But the circumstances we find ourselves in are not always good and are never perfect.

The Raising of Lazarus by John Reilly

Reading for today: John 11:1-46

It was completely within your power to save my brother and you let him die. I asked you for a miracle and you withheld it from me. Why? We have poured our lives into you and your ministry. I thought we were friends. I thought you loved us. You said, “Everyone who asks, receives” (Luke 11:10). We asked for you to come, we asked for a miracle, but you were purposefully late! And now my brother is dead. I am so hurt and confused. I don’t know if I can trust you anymore.

Faith in God is tricky. When we believe, it’s not a matter of whether or not He exists. It’s a matter of knowing He exists, knowing He loves us, but feeling confused and hurt when His timing seems off. In other words, if God is so good, if God promises to hear us, then why isn’t He being good to me right now? Why isn’t He responding?

But God is responding. In His goodness, God’s response to our confusion and hurt is the same as Jesus’s response to Mary and Martha and the mourners. First, He hears us and is moved to compassion toward us. Second, He feels our hurt. But third, He challenges us to trust His sovereignty. Jesus said, Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God? (John 11:40).

We believe God is able to work a miracle, but do we trust His timing? Do we trust His sovereignty? That is our lifetime challenge: To believe, even when we disagree. To trust, even when we are confused and hurt. And to know that He loves us and our answers are being worked out in His timing and for His glory.

Dear God, We believe! Help our unbelief. Grow our trust. But please, in your mercy, show us your perfect will. Show us your glory. Amen.

This week as you spend time in prayer asking God for clarity or for a miracle, also spend time thanking God for the answer that He is preparing for you in His perfect timing.

Day 2 – Luke 11:9-13

Day 3 – Psalm 40:1-3; Psalm 69:13-17

Day 4 – Psalm 103

Day 5 – Isaiah 40:27-31

 

 

 

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