Paul wholeheartedly and passionately warns that divisions will destroy the church!
Allow Christ to Challenge you to live for the faith!
Is Good Communication working in you? What Can I Do To Be A Better Communicator?
Faithful to my Lord's commands, I still would chose the better part; Serve with careful Martha's hands And loving Mary's heart.
Christianity is Community! It is to be a personal team endeavor; it is never just a solo sport or individual activity or merely about solitary or personal agendas.
Peter is calling upon servants to obey their masters. This not only applies to slaves but also to us today! We may not be slaves, but we are called to accept the authority of those who are in authority over us, even when they are harsh and cruel. This is hard for most Christians to understand because it is a call that goes against our nature and even our culture. This passage is not saying we are to be mistreated, taken advantage of, or abused; it is a firm call to be a good employee, student, and to strive to be a model Christian by sowing kindness, respect, and following through with good work ethics.
Sometimes, life in the workplace can seem to be an endless rat race! Stop and rethink your actions, your attitudes, and your options. Search out these Scriptures on how you can improve your situation, understanding that the best way we can do that is improve ourselves! Ask God to open your eyes and help you see His purpose and plan for your life. If you still feel disoriented and confused, focus on the character of Christ and the fruits of the Spirit (Romans 12; Galatians 5:22-23; 1 Peter 1:3-4) that we are to emulate, as this is the primary Will of God and what we are to heed! Remember, God made you. He loves you, and has something to say to you, so focus on Him and not your situation!
What we think is of worth and importance usually is not. We seek wealth and power; He seeks reconcilement and relationship. This parable also portrays God as sovereign, gracious, and concerned with humanity. It shows the contrast between the people society throws away as being first, and what the world considers first as really being last because their true colors come out as they complain and blame.
Here are some thoughts for your consideration; the key is to remember what God calls us to do. Our work is not to define us! Even though this may be the first question we ask someone new to us, or is asked of us, our work is what we do, not who we are! Work is not our identity or our worth!
If you have spent any time in the workplace, you will have observed many different kinds of attitudes, personalities, and ways of approaching the job there. We all have different personalities, habits, desires, experiences, and expectations, all converging and conflicting, and the water cooler area becomes a gathering place for hearing the latest gossip, a hotbed of conflict and chaos. Somehow, in the midst of all this, we, as Christians, are called to distinction.