Shirlee Abbott

Sovereign Debt (Tuesday)

Posted on October 1, 2013 by Shirlee Abbott

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Sovereign Debt (Monday)

Posted on September 30, 2013 by Shirlee Abbott

thought

How do you feel about the national debt?

Government always runs on borrowed money.
A nation and its people should live within their means.
Owing money to our enemies doesn’t seem like a good idea.

Deuteronomy 28:1,12 (AMP)
If you will listen diligently to the voice of the Lord your God, being watchful to do all His commandments which I command you this day . . . the Lord shall open to you His good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain of your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.

Would you be more confident in our nation’s future if we borrowed less? Or is it more about listening diligently to the voice of our God?

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Worthy of Hire (Friday)

Posted on September 27, 2013 by Shirlee Abbott

Ecclesiasties 2:24 (CEV)
The best thing we can do is to enjoy eating, drinking, and working. I believe these are God’s gifts to us.

Solomon has a point. Consider your job a gift from God. Stop grumbling about it, stop fanaticizing about the life of leisure. Your work is worthy of your effort and your gratitude.

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Worthy of Hire (Thursday)

Posted on September 26, 2013 by Shirlee Abbott

Watchman Nee (1903-1972) was a modern-day Samuel. His mother, like Samuel’s, promised him to the Lord before he was born. As an adult, he adopted the name Watchman, because he considered himself a watchman raised up by God to sound the warning call. He established churches throughout China and spent the last 20 years of his life in prison. He has passed on to us a wealth of spiritual revelation.

“A work with the Blessing of God upon it should be our normal work.”

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Worthy of Hire (Wednesday)

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Shirlee Abbott

God:
You do understand that nothing you do will make me love you more—I already love you with an unsurpassing love.

Me:
Right. I know that.

God:
But I want you to carry these two Scriptures in mind: “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12 NIV) and “whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24).

Me:
Not to earn your love, but out of your love. A payback to the One who is worthy.

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Worthy of Hire (Tuesday)

Posted on September 24, 2013 by Shirlee Abbott

The parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) shows that God is gracious and merciful, not fair. He grants us blessings we don’t deserve.

Romans 6:23 (NIV)
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We receive his grace not because we are worthy, but because he loves us. I hate to think what my present and eternal life would look like if God was fair instead of gracious.

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Worthy of Hire (Monday)

Posted on September 22, 2013 by Shirlee Abbott

The Bible says that the worker is worthy of his hire. What’s your experience been?

I do a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay
Underpaid and overworked—that’s me
Who am I kidding? I do just enough to keep the job.
All the above—my paycheck is more consistent than my performance

I’ve always thought these worthy of hire passages are directed toward employers: don’t shortchange your workers. Lately I’ve been wondering—as the minimum wage increases, are low-skill, no-experience teens worthy of the regulated wage? What happens if they aren’t?

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Roots and Wings (Friday)

Posted on August 30, 2013 by Shirlee Abbott

Do you pay attention to your dreams? I do.

Back when my youngest child was learning to drive, I dreamed that I gave him the keys to the car. He drove off, and the car developed wings and took off into the wild blue yonder.

Analysis: God was telling me, Let him go. I did–8 years later, he’s still flying fine on his own.

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Roots and Wings (Thursday)

Posted on August 29, 2013 by Shirlee Abbott

Charles Wesley (1707-1788) wrote over 6000 hymns (many still being sung). He understood wings:

Soar we now where Christ has led,
Following our exalted Head,
Made like him, like him we rise,
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies,
Alleluia!
(from Christ the Lord Is Risen Today)

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Roots and Wings (Wednesday)

Posted on August 28, 2013 by Shirlee Abbott

Me: Thank you, Lord, for my good roots.

God: Your roots are good, yes. But focus too much on your roots and you’ll be a root-bound plant.

Me: All wrapped up in myself.

God: As opposed to a healthy plant reaching to the sky and basking in the sun, supported by an unseen but ever-growing root system soaking in the water of life.

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