A testament to the faithfullness of God, and the unfaithfullness of humans

Hey guys,

Haven't updated in a while, but I've got a few blogs for you this week, hopefully that will help make up for my lack of blogging in February. Anyways, here's a great story of God's redemptive work and how he is faithful to complete it.

Last week was a great week for me. But it didn't start so great. Monday was presidents day and I was off work so that was nice. Tuesday was one of the worst days I've ever had in my life. I had spent some time in the word and was reminded of how wicked our sinful nature is. I then prayed, asked God for strength to get me through the day, and then it started. The customer complaints just started piling in. Every conversation I had with customers was an argument. It was just a bad day all around. I started getting really mad pretty early in the day, more out of frustration with clients and work in general, but then I had a conversation with a client in which I, as a sales person, had to "walk away" from a perfectly good sale b/c "it wasn't good for Monster." The customer had even told me if we just worked with them a little bit more they'd sign today, but, our management wouldn't budge. It was at that point I really just gave up. I was literally ready to just quit my job on the spot. I was making plans to go home and make friends with a bottle of rum and start over tomorrow. The rest of the day was just a waste. I wasn't interested in working and my clients weren't interested in hearing from me, it was a rotten day.

Well I didn't go home and drink, I just went home and tried to blow off steam. Spent the night basically just hanging out and trying to refocus. The next morning I was expecting an equally frustrating day at work and had prayed for patience to make it through Wednesday. And on Wednesday, I had a super fantastic day. Everywhere I turned I was having great conversations with co-workers and clients, I closed some good deals, and even won the sales contest that day. God was blessing me in spite of me being a schmuck. Thursday was another great day at work. Good calls, I closed another super big deal and won another contest.

All of this really helped me realize, how deserving of his grace and mercy I am. The answer of course is, I'm not deserving of it at all. Here God had a wonderful week planned out for me and I couldn't get my eyes off of my trivial circumstances. Sure sometimes our life sucks, but we can praise him in the bad times and the good times. Its not our job to be perfect, we have to strive for perfection, but God wants us to be faithful. If we are faithful, God will be evident in our lives. When we are blessed, if we deflect the glory back to whom it belongs, we are in our proper place. Last week, I was really reminded of Philipians 2:1-11

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,^[a] 6who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant,^[b] being born in the likeness of men. 8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

When my eyes get focused on me and what I want, I'm not being a servant. I'm trying to take control and be the boss, or better said, equal to God. Which according to the Bible is something that God doesn't consider something to be grasped.

And in all of this I had been praying for the ability to help a friend in need in a very specific way. I was praying that I could meet a need that someone had, that they couldn't meet themselves. Well later that week I found out that a friend had a need for a very specific thing and couldn't meet the need within their family. God gave me the chance to step up and fill those shoes and serve that person! What a great answer to prayer!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!