Tag Archives: Corinthians

Will A Man Rob His Interviewer? Apparently…but it isn’t wise!

Posted on November 30, 2016 | Comments Off on Will A Man Rob His Interviewer? Apparently…but it isn’t wise!

wallet-1024x576Interviewing skills 101: don’t steal the CEO’s wallet during the interview! At least that was the takeaway for 24-year-old Shogo Takeda of Japan. There are, of course, several reasons not to steal the interviewer’s wallet: it is obvious who took it, you are unlikely to get the job, and the big one…you are easy to track down from your résumé!

It took the police no time at all to find Takeda; his name, phone number, and address were on his résumé! When asked why he had done something so foolish, he simply replied, “I wanted to work for that company, but since I haven’t got a job I needed money.” To say the least, it is shortsighted thinking.

So if I were to ask most people if a man should rob his interviewer, I imagine that they would have the sense to say, “no.” But apparently some still try to get away with such a thing. Even more surprising is that so many of us foolishly try to get away with robbing the greatest interviewer – the creator of the universe!

Consider Malachi 3:8, “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.” Ah…here it comes, you say! This is the end of the year plea for my money! Not at all…

Rather, Malachi 3:9-11 shows that the opposite is true. God wants to give to us. But it requires something first – you. He wants you, to give yourself. He is interviewing our hearts, and we must decide if we will rob Him or hand ourselves over to work for Him completely – mind, body, and soul.

And why is He examining our hearts? So He can pour out every spiritual blessing He has given us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:3).

Those who rob people will not inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:10). Even more disconcerting is the idea of robbing God as He examines our hearts. Are you among those who are robbing God during the interview? It is a foolish mistake…He has your résumé!

Comments Off on Will A Man Rob His Interviewer? Apparently…but it isn’t wise!

Posted in Devotional

Tagged , , , , , , ,

A Foundation Built On Jesus Won’t Crumble!

Posted on February 10, 2016 | Comments Off on A Foundation Built On Jesus Won’t Crumble!

tin can earthquake

The news out of Taiwan is sad and painful. Tragic loss of life always is. The damage caused by the earthquake is significant. Several buildings collapsed, dozens of people are dead, and hundreds are missing.

But one of the 11 buildings that collapsed caught the attention of investigators immediately. Why? It practically disintegrated after the earthquake. Evidence shows that structural columns and walls were filled with plastic pieces, foam, oil cans, and other inappropriate building materials!

And now, the developer is under arrest.

Lin Minghui was arrested Monday night on “suspicion of criminal business misconduct resulting in fatalities.” And this isn’t the first time he has been questioned. During the Sichuan Province earthquake that killed 70,000 in China in 2008, Lin’s practices were questioned in school buildings that collapsed.

Whether or not Lin Minghui will be held accountable for illegal practices is unknown. But we will each be judged eternally by how we build spiritually. And how we build in this life matters to God!

In fact, in 1 Corinthians 3, Paul discusses the Christian life in terms of a building project. There is only one foundation, Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11); we should take great care in how we understand, teach, and live in Christ (3:12); when the quality of the work is revealed, the materials we used will become evident (3:13); and those who used faulty products will face condemnation (3:13-15).

Those who recognize Jesus as the true foundation will not use any other foundation. They will teach and preach Christ using the words of life found in scripture. Like the others, their building materials will be revealed in days of great trials. But unlike the others, they will receive a reward because their work remains.

Work that is built on anything other than Christ will crumble; it is just foam, tin cans, and plastic. What will the work of your life be built on, and how will it look when it is revealed by the refiner’s fire? Build a better life today on Christ, and your work will stand the test of time.

Comments Off on A Foundation Built On Jesus Won’t Crumble!

Posted in Devotional

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Have you Been Exposed? It Spreads More Easily Than You Thought!

Posted on October 8, 2014 | Comments Off on Have you Been Exposed? It Spreads More Easily Than You Thought!

Ebola

The Ebola virus has everyone scared these days. Just what is it? Is there a cure? How do we stop it? As Dallas, TX becomes a city on edge, people everywhere want to know: How does it really spread?

Up until now, health officials have said that Ebola spreads through physical contact or bodily fluids only. But many health workers and scientists are now saying that those statements might have been premature. Ebola might travel through the air too!

For example, recently, Tribune News Service quoted Dr. C.J. Peters (who “led the CDC’s most far-reaching study of Ebola’s transmission in humans”) as saying that there is a possibility that Ebola spreads through air. “We just don’t have the data to exclude it,” said Peters. Tom Skinner, a spokesman for the CDC in Atlanta, agrees that the spread through coughing or sneezing can’t be ruled out.

The bottom line is: the disease might spread more easily than we knew. This happens all the time though. Scientists think they know how a disease spreads and then find out it is worse than they thought. Perhaps it happens in the church too. Are you aware that you might have been exposed to a far deadlier disease?

The Bible warned us a long time ago about a far more deadly disease that spreads easily through entire cultures. It began all the way back in Genesis. God told Adam & Eve, “You shall surely die,” but Satan said, “You shall surely not die” (Genesis 2:17; 3:4). The disease is sin, and it is the cause of our physical and spiritual deaths (Romans 6:23).

For far too long, people have felt immune because God has not caused physical, immediate death like an Ebola virus does. But as Peter reminded us, God is not slow in bringing punishment, but is patient, wanting us to repent of our sins (2 Peter 3:9).

Sin is a deadly disease. And it spreads more easily that you thought. Have you been exposed to the virus? Are you infected? Did you think you were immune? There is only one cure for sin: the forgiving blood of Jesus. Come to know Him today. Jesus gives us victory over sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:57)!

Comments Off on Have you Been Exposed? It Spreads More Easily Than You Thought!

Posted in Devotional

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,