Today’s scripture: Luke 16:10-17 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Lynnette Pullen):
I was standing at the elevator finishing a long crazy day at work. The hallway was quiet and I could hear Johnny Cash faintly playing in the background. I pulled out my car keys and pushed the “unlock” button. I stood patiently waiting for the elevator. Then it dawned on me sort of all of sudden. Did I just push my remote keyless thingy to summon the elevator?! Embarrassing! I quickly glanced around hoping no one spotted me. I couldn’t help but think of Jeff when he told the story of him trying to open the doors of the church with his remote keyless thingy too! I was thinking to myself “Boy, I must be tired and overworked. Why do I do this to myself?” Why indeed.
I pull up to my mailbox and grab my mail. Bills, bills and… yup you guessed it! Bills. I don’t have much debt, I’m really trying to be debt free. They are just everyday normal bills like gas, electric, and mortgage. I walk in the door and the kids start in: “Mom! I need [fill in the blank].” Why do I do this to myself?
I’m thinking: I work because I love to be productive. I like to make sure the people I love are well provided for. Yes, but a healthy work schedule should not cause my brain to turn to mush. Why do I overwork? Why do I press myself to get as much as I can done with every moment of every day? Is it that I am being a good employee or is it something else? In the quiet of my heart of feel there is a much deeper and more sinister cause behind this.
The poet Charles Baudelaire said, “One of the devil’s greatest tricks is convincing the world that he doesn’t exist.” (Before you think I am well-read, let me readily admit I got it from the movie The Usual Suspects.) That quote always resonated with me. Wouldn’t Satan want credit for all the chaos and evil he causes? One would think so, but stop and ponder that for a moment. If I am not crediting Satan, then who am I crediting? In other words, if I am not doing God’s will then who’s will am I doing? Luke 16:13 (Amplified Version) states:
No servant is able to serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (riches, or anything in which you trust and on which you rely).
Satan is no dummy. He knows that we as Christians would never willingly serve him. Satan is the author of confusion and lies. His goal would be to derail us gradually, slowly getting us to trust in our employers, ourselves, our resources instead of the Lord, until we work day and night and end up walking around like zombies trying to open elevators with remote keyless thingies!
Thought for the day: I truly believe that the Lord is our provider. Whatever we need, God will provide. I pray that as we live in a society where work is sometimes revered more than Christ, that we keep our trust and our hearts faithfully on You.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.