His Work, His Will, His Way…With Joy

As I’m typing this edition of “Just a Thought,” you are sleeping (I hope) and it is almost lunch time in Bucharest, Romania, which happens to be where the Lord has me at this moment for His purposes.

I don’t tell you that as a source of pride, but to say that were someone to have told my 10 year old self that one day I would be in this place, gathering with a group of like-minded, Jesus-followers sharing Scripture that the Lord had placed on my heart, a couple of things would be true: 1) I would have hidden under my bed and never come out, for to stand in front of a single person to speak, let alone a group would grip my heart in fear; 2) I would have questioned - “me? Jesus? The Bible?”; and, 3) I, no doubt, would have called you a liar, for I couldn’t imagine myself outside of the comfort zone of my own little world.

I am a “but, God” story, if ever there were one.

I pondered all this as I opened my eyes this morning…

First, I questioned what in the world went through my mind when I said “yes.”

Second, I questioned whether I heard the Lord correctly about the topic which I would be sharing (you’ve read parts of this topic if you followed my humility-series). 

That’s when I realized it was time to open up the Word of the Lord to get on the same page with His thinking.

As I picked up my go-to in Daily Light for this morning, I read a couple of verses, which pointed me to God’s thoughts…

In Psalm 40:8, David spoke these words: “I delight to do Your will, O my God, and your word is within my heart.”

Jesus weighed in on God’s will, saying, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to finish His work (John 4:34).”

The spoken word from the Word resonated: 

Indeed, it is my delight, nothing brings me greater joy, than to do the will of God.

As Jesus recorded: it is like food to me… It is my source of nourishment (Isaiah mentions eating God’s Word and it was a sweet taste in his mouth), my energy-producer and spender, my satisfaction, my source of comfort (yes, food is a huge comfort to me - smile).

I am here to do my joy-job, and dog-gone, I am going to finish the work He has asked of me…without questioning, simply trusting.

Isn’t it easy to lose sight of God’s will for us?

Isn’t it a slippery slope when we begin to think we are just fulfilling an occupation, a daily-grind-of-a-chore, a duty set before us? 

The Lord’s asking different things of each of us.

Yesterday, I discovered great joy in scrubbing toilets, sweeping and mopping the floors in the women’s bathroom at a Ukrainian refugee shelter. Then, they bestowed an honor upon me to sort and organize a pantry of supplies, ending with cleaning and organizing the toy room for the children. 

Today God’s work looks very different, as I begin speaking…

What about you? 

What’s God’s will for you today in Christ Jesus? 

Is it cleaning toilets?

Wiping runny noses?

Sitting behind a computer screen?

Being an uncelebrated Uber driver with no pay?

No matter what your job, may you see it as God’s work for you this day…yep, even when it’s in obscurity…and, may it bring you GREAT JOY. 

You, my friend, are His vessel, sanctified (set apart), and useful to the Master…He has prepared you for EVERY GOOD WORK. (2 Timothy 2:21)

You may be a clay vessel (as I was reminded by another, clay vessels are fragile, commonplace, but uniquely hand-formed) and you house an INCREDIBLE TREASURE (2 Corinthians 4:7) - the Holy Spirit of the Lord, waiting to be poured out on those you will touch today! 

May your excitement effervesce with the truth God has a WORK for YOU; it’s HIS WILL, when we do it HIS WAY!