Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and the Master you are serving is Christ. Colossians 3:23-24 (NLT)
"If you want your work to be blessed by God, the first thing you must do is Start working enthusiastically." -Rick Warren
Your boss is not really your boss; your boss is Jesus.
There are two things I want you to see in our verses today.
* First, it says, "Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people" (Colossians 3:23 NLT). It's easier to be enthusiastic about your job when you turn the focus of your work from "I'm doing this for my boss" or "I'm doing this for a paycheck" to "I'm doing this for the Lord," With that in mind you can do anything - scrape paint, wash dishes, repair a car - and turn it into worship.
* Second, when you turn your work into worship, you start storing up credits in heaven. Colossians 3:24 says, "Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and the Master you are serving is Christ" (Colossians 3:24 NLT). As you work for God, you are making eternal deposits in heaven.
"So whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV). It doesn't matter if you're rearranging papers or signing bills, any job can become an act of worship if you do it enthusiastically for God.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Our Gospel for Dec 1. The Feeding of the Four Thousand
At that time:
Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee,
went up on the mountain, and sat down there. Great crowds came to him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute, and many others. They placed them at his feet, and he cured them. The crowds were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the deformed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind able to see, and they glorified the God of Israel.
Jesus summoned his disciples and said,
“My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, for fear they may collapse on the way.” The disciples said to him, “Where could we ever get enough bread in this deserted place to satisfy such a crowd?” Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?”
“Seven,” they replied, “and a few fish.” He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets full. Those who ate were four thousand men, not counting women and children.
Pinakain ni Jesus ang Apat na Libo
Mateo 15:29-37
Pagkaalis ni Jesus doon, nagtungo siya sa tabi ng lawa ng Galilea. Umahon siya sa isang bundok at doon naupo. Lumapit sa kaniya ang napakaraming tao. Dinala nila ang mga pilay, ang mga bulag, ang mga pipi at ang mga may kapansanan, at marami pang iba. Inilagay nila sila sa kaniyang paanan at pinagaling niya sila. Namangha ang napakaraming tao nang makita nilang nakapagsalita na ang mga pipi, gumaling na ang mga may kapansanan, nakalakad na ang mga lumpo at nakakita na ang mga bulag. At niluwalhati nila ang Diyos ng Israel.
Kaya tinawag ni Jesus ang kaniyang mga alagad at pinalapit sa kaniya. Sinabi niya: Nahahabag ako sa napakaraming taong ito sapagkat tatlong araw na silang sumusunod sa akin at wala man lang silang makain. Hindi ko ibig na pauwiin silang gutom at baka manlupaypay sila sa daan.
Sinabi ng kaniyang mga alagad sa kaniya: Saan tayo kukuha sa ilang na ito ng sapat na tinapay upang mabusog ang napakaraming taong ito?
Sinabi ni Jesus sa kanila: Ilang tinapay mayroon kayo? Sinabi nila: Pito at ilang maliliit na isda.
Inutusan niya ang mga tao na umupo sa lupa. Kinuha niya ang pitong tinapay at ang mga isda. Nagpasalamat siya at pinagputul-putol ang mga ito. Ibinigay niya ang mga ito sa kaniyang mga alagad at ibinigay naman ng mga alagad sa napakaraming tao. Kumain silang lahat at nabusog. Pinulot nila ang mga lumabis sa mga pinagputul-putol at nakapuno sila ng pitong kaing. Ang kumain ay apat na libong lalaki, bukod pa sa mga babae at mga bata.