Come

“Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
3 Incline your ear, and come to me;
hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David. (Isaiah 55:1-3)

I wrote this poem about the legalistic attitude that most people have when it comes to meeting with Jesus. I love what Francis Chan talks about in his book “Crazy Love.” We don’t meet with God to check something off our list or to gain more favor.  We meet with God because He loves us and that love should motivate our pursuit of Him.  We need Him and are nothing without Him.  That’s what this poem is about.

God invites me to come
Early in the morning
To refresh my soul
By giving me communion with Him.

Every waking moment of my day the invitation still stands
That is when I need to come to Him the most,
So that I can what remember what matter most in light of eternity
And where my strength comes from to live for God’s glory.

At night before I go to bed, God is still seeking me.
The unrelenting pursuit of His love for me never ceases.
This makes me aware of how amazing His love is
Which fuels my desire to love Him more.

Contentment

I was meditating on contentment and I wrote this poem that borrows heavily from Psalm 16

Gracious Heavenly Father from Above,
I come to you aware of the treachery of my heart.
I am prone to lies of the enemy about your character.
I say to the Lord “You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.”

I run to you because you are my refuge.
Your truth will guide me and be my shield.
Fullness of joy is found nowhere other than your courts
And pleasures forever more are guaranteed when I come near to you.

When I look back to the cross
I see all you have done for me
And am reminded of my unworthiness,
With you I have a beautiful iheritance.

In you I have all I need.
There is need to question my lot.
You are wise and have given me what is best.
Since you are the Sovereign One, who is my portion and fills my cup,
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.

Work

23Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.You are serving the Lord Christ. (Colossians 3:23-24)

This is a verse that has been hitting very close to home lately as I have not been feeling very invested in my job.  After the merger there were rumors that some of us might not have jobs much longer.  I continued to work hard and to try not to let the rumors affect me.  Plus I figured they were out of my control anyway.  The dust did eventually settle and we were all safe.

Unfortunately reviews were recently done and many of us were not happy with our raises.  I feel like my company is not that invested me.  It’s definitely a hard environment to be motivated at as people are quitting left and right complaints are continually in the air.  I have my resume out there and have begun applying for more jobs.

I just have to remember that I even though ProQuest provides my paycheck, the one that I am working for and accountable to is God.  I am working for Him and not my boss.  It is not how much I make at the end of the day, but how I glorify God with what I have been called to.

Heavenly Father, help me to die to my selfishness.  Give me an attitude that does not look at my circumstances or my desires.  Aid me in diligence.  Guide me in my pursuit of excellence.  Not for my gain, but for your name and for you to be known, by others seeing me stewarding my time and talents for you.