Gossip

One of the greatest challenges and temptations I must deal with on a daily basis at my workplace is the pervasiveness of gossip. Not only does hearing gossip give me a negative view of others, but it is a constant temptation to participate myself. And while gossip might seem like a relatively minor sin, Paul makes it clear that God categorizes gossip alongside some other very offensive sins.

 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. (Romans 1:29-31 ESV)

On one hand, I want to build a sense of honesty and openness with people in my workplace without seeming judgmental or unfriendly; however, at the same time, I know that gossiping is unacceptable in the eyes of God – it ruins relationships, creates dissention and fuels quarrels.

Lately, I’ve been trying to think of practical ways to combat gossip in my own workplace :

1. Pray for those who are gossiping- pray that God would reveal the destruction that comes from their cutting words.
2. Pray for the victims of malicious gossip- pray that God would redeem their dishonor and restore broken relationships.
3. Seek to uplift those who are the subject of gossip in my conversations with others- be looking for evidence of God’s grace in the life of every person.
4. Thank God for his gift of grace in my own life and extend that same grace to others – remember that I am far from perfect and rely on God’s grace every day to sustain me.
5. Reflect on how Jesus treated those who were rejected in society. Make that behavior my standard for loving others- Christ made a point to reach out to those who were the subject of contempt.

I have found that when my focus is actively ministering and serving people in my workplace, gossiping about them becomes not a sin that I must actively avoid; but rather, the gossip is replaced by genuine love and concern—when I view people the same way that Christ did I can better understand why God so adamantly detests gossip and grieves its destructive consequences.

Prayer of Thanks

And everyday I must remind myself of who I was, who I am, and who I am becoming in Christ.

Father, You are holy and sovereign, clothed in perfect wisdom and divine knowledge. You are beautiful beyond imagination and loving beyond comprehension. You are good. And you are just. Your plans and your purposes are good and perfect. You abound in grace and you give good gifts to your children. 

I encourage you to daily claim truth. Proclaim the character of our God and praise Him. Trust in Him and let Him transform you.

Father, thank you for redeeming me. Thank you bringing me out of a life consumed with self and pleasure and sin. Apart from you I am nothing. Apart from you I am miserable, a slave to my own selfish desires for status and money and acceptance. Thank you for Redeeming me! I am your child. I live daily in the freedom of your Truth. Everyday I experience grace beyond measure. Thank you that you have a perfect and good plan for my life. Thank you that I am becoming exactly the person who you have created me to be. 

Live in the truth of Who you are in Christ. Remember where you came from. And Reflect on where God is bringing you. Reflect upon a life transformed by the Lord of all.

I praise God that the truth found through Him and in Him gives me the strength to face every battle and every temptation. When I remember who I am in Christ, it's much harder to succumb to envy or pride or selfishness. An eternal perspective of my place in the kingdom is a reminds me that I have already been given far more mercy and grace that I deserve. And the only appropriate response is praise and thanks.

Redemption

I worship a God who Redeems! He can bring any person out of the deepest pit of despair. He can bring purpose to a life which is filled with self-serving ambitions. Even when I think of someone who is so far from God that it seems impossible that they will ever find Him, I have Hope.

I praise a God of Mercy and Grace. He is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast Love.
I praise a God with a plan to Redeem! He takes what is broken and He molds it into something new. Something even more beautiful that I could have  possibly imagined.
I praise a God of Justice. All those terrible things we see and we hear will not go unpunished. Vengeance will be the Lord's. Wrong will be made right. Evil will be punished.

Father, I praise you because you have redeemed me and you redeem me every day. You know my thoughts, my actions, my secret sins; yet, you are filled with grace and mercy. When I come before you, humbly and in faith, I know that you will forgive and that you are making me into a beautiful person.
May you redeem me everyday and make me into a person who loves limitlessly, who gives grace freely, who serves others humbly, and who lives in faith of your promises.

Father, I desperately want redemption for everyone. I want everyone person to experience the joy of a life saturated in grace and free from fear. I want chains to be broken and strongholds to be destroyed in every life. Open these hearts that they may reach out to you. I pray for their faith because even the smallest faith can move mountains. I pray for humility because pride and self-reliance bar us from receiving your grace. And I pray that You Lord would be glorified in the end.

Perfection: What really is the Appeal?

I've been asking myself this lately...why are we so drawn to perfection? To being perfect?

We want our perfect houses, and perfect lives, and perfect relationships, and perfect bodies, and perfect eating habits....the list goes on.

But really, what is really the appeal of trying to be perfect? Is is so we can lord our accomplishments over others? Does it make us feel better about our imperfections and our insecurities?

I'm totally drawn to wanting to be perfect. And I'm not really sure why.

I mean, hypothetically, even if such "perfection" could be achieved, would I really want it? Who really wants to be friends with a perfect person?

Striving to be that perfect person is such an empty endeavor. It makes me think about Ecclesiastes. Solomon achieved and experienced everything the world had to offer. Yet, it was meaningless.

I want to be authentic, not perfect.

I want to love people and give grace more freely. I want to embrace the imperfections which make me unique and beautiful. I want to make others feel more important than me, rather than making myself feel more important than others. I want to devote my time and energy to helping others, rather than helping myself.

Ahh...life goals.