What To Do Now

In an effort to improve my situation and overcoming my grief of the recent death of my mother, I’m in the process of looking for a different job and to increase what I’m saving and investing. After leaving Safeway, an Albertson’s store, I started working for Walmart’s curbside pickup service which payed $3 more an hour and offered a 6% match after working there for a year. But, still looking for opportunity, something that will at least be tolerable if not more and help provide for a better future and retirement.

Just responded to an email from a temp agency that has a job opening for $2.25 an hour more than what I’m making at Walmart, but sounds like the hours are negotiable, with a minimum of 4 hours a day. Hoping to find out what I am able to get from them while providing a service for the company they’re the middle man for. Location for the job would be in a suburb of Chicago called Buffalo Grove. Should be able to save while in the interview and prospect stages.

Walmart’s curbside pickup position is good for the fact that I get to move around a lot more than I have as a cashier for the past 6 years. The email that I responded to would provide the opportunity I would like to have to live in the Chicago area while working to increase my future ability to become less reliant on SSI or other forms of dependence. It would be nice to live in the area again as well.

Make Known His Deeds Among The Nations

1 Chronicles 16:8 – Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples. (NKJV)

Ezra writes how David gave praise to Jehovah after placing the Ark of the Covenant in the Tabernacle. The Book of Chronicles is an inspirational account of the history of Jerusalem, with the focus on David and an accumulative process. The books of Samuel and Kings are used for half the writing of the book and the genealogies in the beginning come from the Pentateuch. The audience for this writing is post exile and captive Israel with the writer’s desire being to emphasize the continuance of an alignment with the their past.

Giving thanks to God for all he’s done, His good and righteous acts and judgements, we are to make known God’s gracious tendencies towards His chosen people, in a physical and spiritual sense. Call upon Him and He will answer. The acts of God are worth telling to the whole world.

1 Chronicles 16: 1-7, the Ark of the Covenant is put into the Tabernacle with David offering burnt sacrifices and offerings of praise. 1 Chronicles 17: 19, 20 shows how loving God is towards His people, expressing many things and proves He’s the only God that is worthy to be known as the one and true God. Psalms 105: 1-15 show God’s faithfulness towards His physical people and spiritual children, giving many marvelous works done for them, judgements made in their favor and for their growth. This was done to help them keep in mind the covenant that He made with Abraham so that His people may be faithful to Him.

Apart from our main example Jesus Christ, David was in the line of spiritual greats, setting the example for giving thanks and praises to God, making known His deeds. With this in mind, lets hope to do the same, following the examples set before us.

Seek It In Yourselves

No man is free who is not master of himself. A man should so live that his happiness shall depend as little as possible on external things. The world turns aside to let any man pass who knows where he is going.” ― Epictetus

When we stop looking for happiness through external factors and start looking at cleaning, straightening, and improving the inside, our view of the world improves and by affect help improve the world around us.

Jehovah Resists The Proud

Psalm 138:6 – ” Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.”

David writes this for our benefit, letting us know Jehovah has higher regard for the humble over the prideful.

At Psalm 138: 4 – 6, Jehovah’s faithfulness to His promises will evoke the homage of all those in the world. Psalm 138: 6 helps us to see that even with as powerful as Jehovah is, He’s capable of acknowledging those who keep humility and lowliness close to their heart. Even in all His glory, He never loses sight of the lowly, and in time elevates them. The prideful he keeps at a distance, the evil and egotistical can’t hide from his punishment and destruction. Those against him will never be able to find a safe place, forever running away but never succeeding. Their destruction is sure and obliteration will become known.

Is 2:8 shows the immense power that Jehovah has will be seen, the power to give or take life itself. Psalm 113 6 – 8 helps us to see how becoming humble, especially towards the LORD, that one will be blessed, raised up and given glory. Those glorified will be the poor and needy. Isaiah 57: 15 gives insight to how the lowly in heart and humble will be given renewed energy, a continuous hope for what is to come.

James 4: 6 is where we see a resisting of the proud and grace given to the humble. 1 Peter 5: 5 helps us to see how we can be humble by being subject to those related to us in the faith without regards to ourselves, becoming clothed in humility.

With prayerful consideration, I should pay attention to my steps so as to not be overly proud, to become humble with a contrite spirit, lowering my heart in relation to those around me as if I was poor in body so that I may become rich and wealth in spirit.

Anxious, To Be Or Not To Be….

Mt. 6:31 – Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Where withal shall we be clothed?

Matthew, when writing this, recorded Jesus’s words at his Sermon on the Mount to his followers.

When feeling a controllable form of anxiety, we may have an excessive worry about the future, about things that may or may not happen. It is good to have some worry so that we may have a plan for the just in case, but when it goes beyond that to overtaking our mind, then we should take a moment. Normal concern is having an emergency savings for when extra costs come up or when work has to lay off workers due to the company closing a cashflow negative location or location change of a facility altogether as the case is sometimes. Preparing for such helps relieve stress on the mind and body. But continuing to worry about what hasn’t happened, even when prepared, brings down joy and happiness to you and those in your circle. Even in negative situations, there’s always a positive aspect, related or not, to be gleaned from what we’re going through.

Luke 10:41 shows how Jesus tried to help Martha not worry so much about what was going on, to just enjoy the moment that was happening. Luke 12: 29 – 31 helps us to see that as children of God, when we continue follow and seek His kingdom and Him, He will provide all that we need and more. As our spiritual Father, how could He not?

The promises made by Jehovah are given in love as we rely on Him as provider of all good things to His children and servants. My prayer is that I become more reliant on Jehovah as my provider, to know that as my heavenly Father, He will continue to give according to what my needs are, and that I will receive an overflow. Becoming more reliant on Him for my daily needs will prove to be more beneficial as I continue to grow, follow, and rely on Him in the footsteps of Jesus.

Rest A While

Mark 6:31 – “And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest awhile: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.”

The writer Mark, while at the shores of the Sea of Galilee when it was close to the Passover of 32 C.E., wrote the words of Jesus addressed to the apostles.

The crowds were constantly coming and going, not allowing time to rest (even for a short bit), let alone time to even get a bite to eat. Even with the way the needs of the many are, taking the time to allow yourself time to recoup is necessary.

In the previous verse (Mk 6:30), the apostles were excited, wanting to inform and share with Jesus all that had happened and about everything that they were able to do and teach. At Mt 11:29, the yoke of Jesus is described. It gives us such purpose but is not overbearing. It provides refreshment as well as direction.

Even before the feeling of being overwhelmed becomes an issue, I myself should find time to make sure I can effectively be what I can for those around me, by taking the time to rest when I need to so as to have the energy to be what I need to be for those around me. By taking the time to rest, I give myself time to reflect and plan for the appropriate plan, and take action accordingly. In this way, I won’t over exert myself in maintaining the spiritual guidance in which I have received. This helps me to be of service when and where I am needed.

Be Still And Know….

(Psa 46:10) “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”

In Ps 46:8-11, one reference indicates that this section of verses is an exhortation to reflect upon the marvelous deliverance from wars and persecutions ( Physical and Spiritual), and learn the lesson and to become more reliant upon the Almighty creator and keeper of our souls.

Ps 46 expresses that God Almighty is more than capable of supplying for the needs of his servants and children, along with being able to protect what is rightfully his. When we are moving along inside the frenzied world, and our focus has become lost, even mildly, when we come to a point of no distraction and regain our focus on the progenitor of our very being, our strength comes back and focus becomes realigned. This will also help us realize if we need the help of others outside of ourselves, leading to whatever is necessary for our re-focus on reality.

(Psa 46:11 KJV)  “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.”

Being still will also help us in taking shelter in the one who is strong enough to keep us safe from the evil one who wishes us nothing good, and from the storms and waves of this world that would drag us down.

(Psa 46:6 – 9 KJV)  The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

Jehovah God reminds us and warns our enemies at the same instance of what he’s capable of, bringing peace and salvation to His people along with death and destruction to His enemies. This act alone brings reconciliation and harmony among people and therefore throughout the earth in which His people reside.