Psalm 100: 1-5
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Recently I was asked to give witness to a group attending our church retreat using this passage as inspiration. Four years earlier, I had given a talk on gratitude after having been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. It had occurred to me that we are also to be grateful for all challenges, including those at work.
For most of my life I have tried to resolve challenges quickly and avoid suffering, conflict, and loose ends. Then, I read "Abandonment to Divine Providence" by Jean-Pierre de Caussade. The book is filled with treasures, but the game-changer for me was this line: "Be as grateful for trials as you are for rewards as all are gifts from God."
There is value in all events that happen to us. Put it all in the hands of our Lord Jesus, as he loves us. This attitude is counter-intuitive to our nature.
I have of challenges at work. Sometimes things unravel with unbelievable speed. The difference is my attitude toward them. I pray more during the challenges and ask for guidance. I try to view these challenges as gifts allowed by God.
Am I shouting for joy regarding these challenges? Not yet. However, my view of negative situations at work has changed and this change has started me on a journey in the direction of making Christ more alive in my workplace.
TAKE THE CHALLENGE:
What steps can I take to change my perception and attitude towards challenges in the workplace so that I can be more like Christ?
Daily Smile:
"I don't make jokes, "Will Rogers once said truthfully. "I just watch the government and report the facts."
In The News:
Pastor Saeed's Wife Pleads With Human Rights Council
The wife of American Christian pastor Saeed Abedini, jailed and
tortured in Iran for his faith, pled her case before the U.N. Human
Rights Council Monday, CBN News reports.
Naghmeh Abedini joined Jordan Sekulow of the American Center for Law
and Justice to urge the panel to defend the persecuted church,
specifically asking the member states to take more action on her
husband's behalf. Pastor Saeed was sentenced to eight years in Tehran's
notorious Evin Prison on account of his Christian faith. He has been
abused physically and suffers from internal bleeding, but prison
officials have refused to allow him to be treated for his injuries.
Sekulow wrote on the ACLJ's website: "I implored the nations represented
on the Human Rights Council to stand up for the most basic of human
rights -- the right to peaceably assemble in exercise of one's religious
beliefs -- and urge Iran to release Pastor Saeed Abedini." Despite a
call by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in March for Saeed's
"immediate" release, Naghmeh has said she's been "disappointed that this
great country is not doing more to free my husband -- a U.S. citizen."
Illinois House Adjourns Without Gay Marriage Vote
The Illinois House of Representatives adjourned for the session on
Friday without voting on gay marriage, an acknowledgement that it lacked
the votes to pass in what was a defeat for gay marriage groups after a
string of victories, Baptist Press reports.
Six states legalized gay marriage in the last seven months, including
three in May alone. It was thought Illinois might join that list and
become the 13th state to redefine marriage, but the bill never made it
to a floor vote. It had passed the Senate, 34-21, in February, and
Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn had pledged to sign it, but despite Democrats
having a super-majority in the House, the bill lacked the necessary
support. "This was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life," House
sponsor Greg Harris said after pulling the bill. Several House members
had asked him to hold off on bringing the bill to the floor so they
could spend the summer talking to constituents, he said; the bill could
be considered again in November. The Illinois Family Institute, which
worked to defeat the bill, said in a blog post that "in a liberal state
like Illinois, this is a truly remarkable victory. ... The failure of
this bill is a good thing for children, for parental rights, for
religious liberty, for the common good and for truth."
Bachmann Calls It Quits in Congress
Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, a former presidential candidate and
favorite of Tea Party Republicans, announced last week she will not run
for another term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Bachmann did not
give any reason for her decision and said she would not be available to
answer questions in the wake of the announcement. Prior to the video
announcement posted on her website, Bachmann had not given any clue she
was considering leaving Congress. Her fundraising operation was churning
out its usual pitches, and she even had an ad running on Twin Cities
television talking about her role in opposing President Barack Obama's
health law. Andy Aplikowski,
who has long been active in the district's Republican Party chapter,
said he expected Bachmann to run again but can understand why she chose
not to. "It’s a grueling thing to be in Congress," he said. "It’s a
grueling thing to be Michele Bachmann in Congress. Every move you make
is criticized and put under a microscope." An outspoken opponent of the
Obama administration, Bachmann promised her supporters, "I will continue
to work overtime for the next 18 months in Congress defending the same
constitutional conservative values we have worked so hard on together."
Speaking on what's next for her career, Bachmann said, "There is no
future option or opportunity, be it directly in the political arena or
otherwise, that I won’t be giving serious consideration if it can help
save and protect our great nation."
Christians in Sri Lanka Face Sharp Increase of Persecution
From January 2013 to date, Sri Lanka saw 30 incidents of persecution against Christian churches, Open Doors USA reports.
The perpetrators of such acts were not brought to justice, which
encourages the culprits to continue carrying out such violent attacks
without regard for the law. In a press release dated April 3, 2013, the
National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) expressed
its deep concern over the "prevalence … of an organized campaign of
hatred against adherents of non‐majority faiths." NCEASL wrote: "There
are two alarming factors about the current situation. The first is that
the violence seems to be organized and orchestrated by two
organizations. Hence the violence has sustainability. Secondly, and most
alarmingly both the extremist violent organizations seemingly have
patronage and support from authorities and hence the impunity with which
they operate." NCEASL's statement did not specify the two
organizations, but one group had been drawing attention from mainstream
media lately: Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), translated in English as Buddhist
Power Force. Hard-line and militant in its views and stance on religious
issues, the BBS had been implicated in numerous attacks and threats
primarily targeted against Christians and Muslims. “There was an
increase in attacks, hate speech and biased media reports against
minority religious groups -- Christians and Muslims -- by the BBS," said
an attorney who works on behalf of persecuted believers. "In the south
of Sri Lanka alone, more than 10 churches have been forced to close
down."
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