The Word Before Work

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com   You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth. (Deuteronomy 8:17-18) You’ll likely see the fruit of today’s work fairly quickly. You’ll sit down at your...

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com   What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who...

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com   Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:2) Over the past three weeks , we have been dissecting J.R.R. Tolkien’s short story, Leaf by Niggle, and unpacking how this remarkable parable gives us an eternal perspective for our work. B...

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com   See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind….[My people] will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat...

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com    Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. (Colossians 3:23-24) Last week , I recounted the depressing first half of Leaf by Niggle , the short autobiographical pa...

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com   “So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me.” (Ecclesiastes 2:17-18) J.R.R. Tolkien had a seri...

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com   But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. (1...

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com   But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. (1 Corinthians 15:10) In reading Paul’s letters, one thing about the Apostle jumps off the page to me: Paul worked incredibl...

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com   There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. (1 Corinthians 12:4-6) This morning’s short passage offers two...

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com   In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me, for I would rather die than allow anyone to deprive me of thi...

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com   The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is buildin...

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com   Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong....

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com   Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you….Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the hip….Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And a...

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com   Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be...

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com   Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’s body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’...

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com   For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our...

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com   This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that t...

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com   You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. (Deuteronomy 8:17-18) If G...

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com   On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet c...

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com   Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58) Arthur Guinness moved to Dublin, Ireland at the age of 34; but he didn’t come to th...

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com   “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the...

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com   Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him.” (Daniel 2:24) The context of today’s verse, found in Daniel 2, contains one of the...

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com   [Daniel said,] “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” So [the guard] agreed to this and tested the...

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com   The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service. Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The chief official gave them new...

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com   No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. “Be strong and very c...