Good Monday morning, and I do mean that! I see that LWF seeks to cheer up your Monday by bringing a message about trials. Monday does seem to be an appropriate day to talk trials and testing of our faith. Each Monday we get up and look at going to work, and how much we enjoy or hate what we must do to earn a living. Mondays can set the tone for a week of work. How do we view Garfield's favorite day, Monday the 13th? Aaaaiii! It's too much I'm going back to bed.
Paul didn't write in verses and chapters, but it seems that someone would have us take a different look at the number 13. Romans 13 contains Paul's words about submitting to government authority, how love fulfills the law, and a promise that the day is near. Not so bad, eh? First Corinthians 13 is of course that short chapter on love. If we shouldn't fear the number 13, then what about a Monday? In my reading, I see that the average work week dropped from 66 hours to 55 during America's Victorian period from 1876 to 1915. By now we know that the work week eventually dropped to 40 hours per week with some European countries averaging much less. However, with this recession thing going on, I see that those with hourly jobs would like to work 40 hours each week, with overtime a distant memory, and those who have salaried jobs yearn to get back to the 40 hour week as employers now demand more work hours to make up for their own firings. Who has an answer to all this?
Jesus is the answer. The country has 'enjoyed' many cycles of depression and recession before this one. Just as God tests an individual's faith, so He also tests the faith of a nation. This nation was probably overdue for testing as we have had it pretty good for a while. Like ancient Israel, we could see that much of the nation moved away from God during the good times. It's time to remember who sent the Pilgrims to these shores, who brought the country out of the Great Depression, and who saw us through a couple of world wars. We need to return to God! Want to find joy in your work? Look to Jesus. Want to find joy in your lack of employment? Look to Jesus! If our Lord has a different job or path for you to take, He will let you know. I can tell you that after nine months out of a regular, salaried job that I don't look at Mondays the same way most people do. Monday is now an opportunity to write my first devotional of the week, to get back into my novels, to read and study more, and to enjoy life in Christ!
May God bless you with new knowledge of Him on this day!
Bucky
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