FIVE WAYS ON HOW TO KEEP THE JOY THROUGH YOUR WORK DAY  1

#1   Acknowledge your abject dependence on God before you put your foot on the floor in the morning:  “Lord there is only one person who can live the Christian life in this world.  And it isn’t me.  Would you live your life through me today?  “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…” (Gal. 2:20a – NLT) Determine, that by His grace your first thought in the morning will be of your dependence on Him.  Why?  Because the moment you awake, the Enemy of your soul is ready to pounce on you with confusing thoughts, and a rush of emotions about the pressure of the day ahead, or of yesterday’s frustrations; thoughts that pull you away from your rest in the Lord.  You can neutralize these powerful forces by mentally declaring your utter dependence upon God.  By humbling yourself you are inviting His enabling:  "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." (Jms. 4:6b)

#2  Begin your day with a spirit of thankfulness:  Michael Ramsey informs us, “Thankfulness is a soil in which pride does not easily grow.”2  Our lack of thankfulness discloses our pride, as we fail to  humbly acknowledge God’s sovereignty in our daily affairs.  Thus, we have a huge problem: God’s opposition to us and our efforts (Remember Jms. 4:6?).

#3  Begin your day with prayer, meditation on His word, and worship: By this discipline we are signaling to God our utter dependence on Him. C. J. Mahaney observes, “By quietly pausing to read and pray before launching my workday, I can be confident that I’ve taken a step to weaken pride and strengthen humility.” 3

#4   Utilize your commute time by  meditating on God’s word (IPod, etc), working on Scripture memory, or praying.  Did you know that the average daily commute is about twenty-five minutes to and from work.  Most of us waste it on worrying, or complaining about the traffic. Back in my 20’s I was living in the Los Angeles Area and commuting 45 minutes to and from work.  Five days a week I was able to spend 1 ½ hours a day on Scripture memory! That discipline of hiding God’s word in my heart forever changed my life.   William Wilberforce, the prime mover in eliminating the slave trade in England was a member of the British House of Commons in the 1700’s.  Wilberforce  daily walked the one mile to and from Parliament while memorizing and meditating on Psalm 119.  In that one mile walk he could recite the entire psalm.  Thus he wisely seized the opportunity to speak the truth of God’s word into his life as he started his day.

#5   Cast your cares upon Him:  ”…Humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.  Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you” (I Pet. 5:6, 7 – NLT). By humbling ourselves in this manner we become care free.  If, in our pride we fail to acknowledge our need for Him amidst the pressures of life, we are silently announcing our self-sufficiency and independence from God.  Thus, we are left on our own without His help. (Remember James 4:6?) The result?  Fretting and anxiety.  Even anger.

This week, may you experience His grace, peace, and protection

R. Dwight Hill

1 Many of the seed truths of this “Facts” can be attributed to C. J. Mahoney in “Humility – True Greatness”  (Multnomah Publishers, Sisters, Oregon, 1995), p. 73 - 2 Michael Ramsey, The Christian Priest Today (London: SPCK, 1972) 79-81; as quoted in John Stott, “Pride, Humility & God,” in Alive to God, eds. J. I. Packer and Loren Wilson (Downers Grover, IL.: InterVarsity, 1992), 112 - ; - 3  C. J. Mahaney, Humility – True Greatness (Multnomah Publishers, Sisters, Oregon, 1995), p. 73