Getting Along

I had a pretty god day today, I had thoughts of things I could fill my time with but I stayed occupied with things that would not cause me to fall and I was able to have some fun and stand firm. I went over and talked with a friend about what has been going on over break and some of the problems my friends are facing. We are going to meet on Fridays this semester and hopefully we will find something to go through and discuss as we both push forward and grow in God. Tomorrow it is back to school but I know that God is there and will help me do well and stay strong. I am excited to see where this semester leads me and I hope that academically I am able to strive to keep doing well. It feels as if I am growing distant from some friends and I am not too sure what the reason is, I guess part of it is my fault but it seems that when I make an effort to stay close they just are not very welcoming and they do not return the effort so it can get discouraging at times. I know that God is always with me though and he will continue to lead me to those who will have the greatest impact on my life so I am not too worried.

Respect, Acceptance, & Tolerance is the title for the day's devotion from the book. The verse that it pertains to is Hebrews 13:17 and it says, "Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you." I like this verse because it orders us to follow those who command us and to give them everything. We are supposed to enjoy the work of our leaders because we all work towards a common goal even if we do not always agree with the way they go about things. If you work under someone and are ordered to do something, you should want to do it with a good heart and understand that you are to submit and show respect by doing as you are told. If all one does is argue about how to get things done, then there is never any progress made and the partnership should most likely be dissolved. Now of course no two people agree on everything, but there will be common ground and as long as one is not dragging the other one down, there will be mutual respect and tolerance between the two. We are put here for one main reason, and that is to bring souls to Christ. Do we honestly strive to do that everyday or are we just trying to socialize and maybe bring a few into the Kingdom of God. I know that sometimes I just need to cover my back as far as being saved and then I am good and have done my job. This is just the beginning and then finding a leader who I can agree with and strive to bring souls to Christ is key for me to moving on and taking the next step in being an armorbearer in Christ.

Some good tips for us as armorbearers as stated by Terry Nance are: has God called me to serve this leader?, What is this leader's goal? and is it the same as mine?, If we have a common goal, how do our methods for achievement differ?, Are the leader's methods in line with God's word?, Have I prayed for my leader to be led by the Spirit? What is my attitude toward my leader and their way of doing things?, Where does my attitude need adjustment? And am I willing to adopt my leader's methods? If not, why? What the message is trying to convey here is that it is okay to question your leaders in fact it is encouraged to make sure they are in line with the Spirit but if you do not agree or you find fault with them in the Spirit then you probably should not be working under them. I think the same goes for pastors who have leaders working under them. If their leaders are not working towards the same goal or have fallen out of line with the Spirit's guidance then they should probably not have those people as leaders. It is important to have everyone working together so that the body can be fully functional and God has called us to be a part of the body so I'm thinking we should try to make things work if possible.

Do not lose hope, when hope is lost, everything is lost. People search everyday with the hope of finding something and when they lose hope, they have nothing left. Keep clinging to the little hope that you have and do not let anything hinder you. God will provide and allow you to stand strong.  I hope you all had a great day and for those of you that had today off, good luck tomorrow with class.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson