Good morning everyone. Everything about this day is new. I don’t care what you did yesterday whether good or bad, it’s over. Make a fresh start with the One in your heart that gives new life. We are celebrating the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King today and tomorrow, the man that had a dream. We are still striving very hard to make that dream a reality. Praise God.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, I know that You have given us gifts to use in the work of Your ministry. We pray that we will keep those gifts unwrapped and use them in daily life, to reach out to others, to contribute to the work of our local churches, to touch someone’s life, to lift up the name of Jesus, to bring glory to You. We pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit to develop those gifts and use them to the fullest. Thank You for giving them to us and sharing Your love. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Let’s eat.
FREEDOM AND BOUNDRIES
Now the serpent was craftier than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” – Genesis 3:1
God is big on giving His people freedom and boundaries-freedom to manage what He has entrusted to us, boundaries to protect us from evil. The boundaries in the Garden of Eden were not set for the purpose of limiting Adam. He got into trouble when he questioned those boundaries. God had provided everything he would need for life. He also entrusted him with responsibility to manage and work the Garden. God gave him freedom in that responsibility. God knows we were made to express ourselves creatively through our work.
Each one of us must have freedom and boundaries in our work life. Whenever you are hired for a job, you must have the freedom to make certain decisions. You must have the authority to manage things within your area of expertise. You must also have limits within your area of responsibility. You need to know where those limits are and stay within them. Both freedom and boundaries are always under the umbrella of God’s authority and our authorities at work.
Jesus understood these boundaries. When He was tempted for 40 days by the devil after being baptized, He was challenged by Satan to go outside His freedom and boundaries. (See Matthew 4:1-11.) Satan said that He had the power to turn a stone into bread. Jesus was hungry and easily could have justified using His power to feed Himself. However, Jesus understood He could do nothing outside the boundaries of God’s will for His life. It was God’s will for Jesus to be tempted and to withstand the temptation. God was showing His Son that “man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
You and I are tempted every day to go beyond our God-ordained boundaries. Whether it is solving financial problems that have arisen through debt, making wrong decisions due to pressure, or manipulating someone in order to achieve our ends, it all represents rebellion toward God.
Ask God to show you His freedom and boundaries for your life. These are meant to enhance your life, not hinder it.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Unbelief is what appears to be absolutely true based on facts of your experience but it is absolutely false based on God’s word, character and nature.
Glenn Sterrett
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REV. ELDER G E STERRETT
FOUNDER
GCKRS HELPING HAND FOUNDATION – THE RELATIONSHIP FACTORY