Each day I make a cup of coffee. Then I open and shut the Keurig on the same pod and brew another one. I mix the two together and add cream and sugar. I pour it into a stainless steel water bottle. The remainder goes into my cup. I pour out a half a cup at a time. I have hot coffee, just the way I like it, as I write.

(Thank you, Paula Adam, for telling me to brew both cups and mix them together! You should be frugalfish!)

Since switching to the Keurig, we both have cut back to 2 cups a day. That was one of our goals.

You would not believe how much I look forward to that first cup of coffee! I’ve burned the top of my mouth and my tongue many times. I was pretty proud of myself for cutting back…until last night’s sermon…

“Do we crave God’s Word more than coffee? …We partake of God’s nature when we eat God’s Word. …Revelation 10:8-9, ‘…Go take the little scroll…Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’ (New Living Translation) …The Word of God is good for correction…” Pastor Monte Knudsen, 6-6-18

I felt like I had been hit in the gut! I don’t crave God’s Word like I crave my coffee!

When I read the Bible it always tastes sweet. But when I chew (meditate and think) on it, I feel sick to my stomach! The Word is correcting me. It points out the things in my life that are contrary to God’s nature.

I dislike sharing my faults and failures. Last night, I realized Pastor Monte does it twice a week – and on Facebook Live! Thank God, preaching is not my vocation!

The synonyms of vocation are: calling, life’s work, mission, purpose, etc. We read a few verses today about doing our work and fulfilling our calling.

2 Thessalonians 1:5-6, “All this trouble is a clear sign that God has decided to make you fit for the kingdom. (6) You’re suffering now, but justice is on the way.” The Message

* * * * * * *

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, “Because we know that this extraordinary day is just ahead, we pray for you all the time – pray that our God will make you fit for what He’s called you to be, pray that He’ll fill your good ideas and acts of faith with His own energy so that it all amounts to something. (12) If your life honors the name of Jesus, He will honor you.” The Message

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2 Thessalonians 2:15-17, “So, friends, take a firm stand, feet on the ground and head high. Keep a tight grip on what you were taught, whether in personal conversation or by our letter. (11) May Jesus Himself and God our Father, who reached out in love and surprised you with gifts of unending help and confidence, (17) put a fresh heart in you, invigorate your work, enliven your speech.” The Message

God never planned for our vocation as work or drudgery. The secret is to find your calling in your job. Give your best work when you are on the clock. Be the employee of the month every month. That honors God.

But on your breaks, lunch, before and after work, fulfill your calling. Reach out to your coworkers. Everywhere Jesus went, He was doing good, (Matthew 9:35; Acts 10:38).

Being a good person is not our goal; being a God-person is. The more Word we think on, the more of God’s nature manifests.

Paul gave the Thessalonians several instructions on how to live:

1 Thessalonians 4:1, “One final word, friends. We ask you – urge you is more like it – that you keep on doing what we told you to do to please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a living, spirited dance.” The Message

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1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, “Stay calm; mind your own business; do your own job. You’ve heard all this from us before, but a reminder never hurts. (12) We want you living in a way that will command the respect of outsiders, not lying around sponging off your friends.” The Message

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1 Thessalonians 5:13-14, “Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part. (14) Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on…” The Message

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1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Be cheerful no matter what, (17) Pray all the time; (18) thank God no matter what happens…” The Message

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2 Thessalonians 2:1-2, “Now, friends, read these next words carefully. Slow down and don’t go jumping to conclusions regarding the day when our Master, Jesus Christ, will come back and we assemble to welcome Him. (2) Don’t let anyone shake you up…” The Message

Pray. Twice Paul said, “Pray all the time!” We will never fulfill our calling, our destiny, without prayer.

“Dear friend, never go out into the danger of the world without praying first. …You have failed to pray, and you will suffer as a result. Temptations are waiting to confront you, and you are not prepared to withstand them. …When we give in to laziness, moments of prayer that are missed can never be redeemed.” Frederick William Robertson in “Streams in the Desert” June 6

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“…We’re all called as gospel ministers, no matter what our job or vocation. I’ve met some of the poorest, most destitute people in the world, and some are powerful evangelists for the Lord. They all have one thing in common with the late, amazing Billy Graham: When you meet them, you know they’ve spent time in God’s presence. That makes all the difference, no matter what our station in life.

…So, what does it mean, exactly, to have God’s nature in us? It means we don’t have to try to be holy; we are holy, by virtue of His presence in us. We don’t have to try to be acceptable; we are made acceptable by Him. We don’t have to try to be good; we already are good by His divine nature, which resides in us through His Spirit.

…Here is yet another aspect of God’s presence in us; having the mind of Christ. No matter what mental battles we face, our stance is always one of victory, because we live and move in God’s presence. Even on our worst days we’re held together, propped up, and put at peace by the life and mind of Christ within us. Yet breaking chains is only the beginning of Jesus’ work in us. The more time we spend with Him, the more He prepares us to do His works. ‘The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil,’ (1 John 3:8).” “Intimacy with God – Out of His presence Come the Works of Jesus,” by Gary Wilkerson, World Challenge Pulpit Series, May 21, 2018

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