Vibrant: A Life Worth LivingSample

The Holy Spirit has reminded us repeatedly to live a life of peace and to resist worry. We have been coached several times to be gentle in our dealings with others and to live a life of thanksgiving. I wonder why the Holy Spirit determined it was necessary to tell us the same things over and over again?

I believe the Holy Spirit gave us this vital reiteration of instruction because He knew that human beings are sometimes slow learners. The Holy Spirit, in His ever-so-patient ways, has taken the time and the opportunity to remind us of these foundational issues often in Scripture...and for that, I am grateful, aren’t you?

The Lord is inviting us to cultivate a glorious lifestyle that is free from jealousy, coveting, and even mentally embezzling what does not belong to us. If something does not belong to you, then don’t abscond with it, either mentally, emotionally, or tangibly.

When you’re exhausted and spent from a long day of work, one of the most satisfying feelings in the world occurs as you lay your head down on your pillow at night. No matter what your work entailed (cleaning, leading, fixing, weeding, organizing, repairing, dusting, counseling, nurturing, or any number of accomplishments), if you have worked with your mind set on God, you can rest knowing that you had a productive and God-honoring day.

Work hard but work with joy! Work diligently but work with generosity! Work heartily and remind yourself often that you are working to honor the Lord!

At the end of this painfully practical verse, Paul finally gets to the purpose of living an honest and industrious life: due to your diligence, you are now able to share with others what you have earned through your integrity. Honesty becomes noble when you give generously to others. Conscientious work becomes exponentially more purposeful when you are laboring to give to missionaries, to the church, and to kingdom expansion.

Generosity is an exciting and incomparable aspect of our ability to live a life of joy and purpose. You will never live the life of your dreams by hoarding or with selfish behavior. When you splash lavishly in the virtue of generosity, you will discover the reason for which you were made!