Trust Jesus One Day at a Time

In Matthew 6:34 I read, “Don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have its own worries. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (NCV)

There are two days I should never worry about: yesterday and tomorrow.

Jesus said, “Don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have its own worries. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34 NCV).

I can’t live in the past. I can’t live in the future. I can only live today.

Why should I only live one day at a time? First, when I worry about tomorrow’s problems, I miss the blessings of today. Second, I cannot solve tomorrow’s problems with today’s power. When tomorrow arrives, God will give me the power, perspective, grace, and wisdom I need.

God does not want me to not be concerned with how I’m going to meet my needs. He takes on that responsibility. 

Matthew 6:30 says, “If God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won’t he more surely care for you?” (TLB) 

When I worry, I assume responsibility that God never intended for me to have. I may be worrying today about a lot of things that are really God’s responsibility. In fact, every time I worry, it’s a warning that I’m playing God and that I believe it all depends on me. I’m acting like I don’t have a heavenly Father who will feed and lead and meet my needs.

The Bible does not say, “Give us this day our weekly bread.” It says, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11 ESV).

God wants me to depend on him one day at a time. He will provide everything I need—for today. Because he is a good God, I can trust that I will lack nothing.

It’s okay to plan for tomorrow. But don’t worry about it! Trust God for each day as it comes.

In summary, “Don’t worry about tomorrow, tomorrow will have its own worries. There are two days I should never worry about: yesterday and tomorrow. I can’t live in the past. I can’t live in the future. I can only live today. Why should I only live one day at a time? First, when I worry about tomorrow’s problems, I miss the blessings of today. Second, I cannot solve tomorrow’s problems with today’s power. When tomorrow arrives, God will give me the power, perspective, grace, and wisdom I need. God does not want me to not be concerned with how I’m going to meet my needs. He takes on that responsibility.  When I worry, I assume responsibility that God never intended for me to have. Every time I worry, it’s a warning that I’m playing God and that I believe it all depends on me. I’m acting like I don’t have a heavenly Father who will feed and lead and meet my needs. God wants me to depend on him one day at a time. He will provide everything I need—for today. Because he is a good God, I can trust that I will lack nothing. It’s okay to plan for tomorrow. But don’t worry about it! Trust God for each day as it comes.

Why Showing Love at Work Matters

In 1 Corinthians 3:13 I read, “The quality of each person’s work will be seen when the Day of Christ exposes it. For on that Day fire will reveal everyone’s work; the fire will test it and show its real quality.” (GNT)

God wants to use my job to make me more like Jesus. But learning Christ-like qualities such as responsibility, character, and love is never easy. To learn those things, I have to respond to people the way Jesus would—and that can be particularly difficult at work.

So why should I make such an effort to become like Jesus in my job?

First, because God is going to evaluate my work one day.

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 3:13, “The quality of each person’s work will be seen when the Day of Christ exposes it. For on that Day fire will reveal everyone’s work; the fire will test it and show its real quality” (GNT).

Everything I’ve done in my career eventually will be seen—because Christ is going to inspect it on the day of judgment. On that day, everyone’s work will be tested by fire to show the character and quality of what each person has done.

So much of my work may be done without anyone seeing or watching—but God knows. He is watching, and I will give him an account for my work, no matter how menial it seems. I don’t have to always get it right. And I certainly don’t have to be the best. But I do have to work as if I’m doing it for Christ—because I really am.

Second, I should try to become more like Jesus in my work because God is going to give eternal rewards for whatever is done in love.

Hebrews 6:10 says, “God is fair. He won’t forget what you’ve done or the love you’ve shown for him” (GW). I need to remember that verse every Monday morning. God is not going to forget how hard I work, how I give my best, and how I show love in his name.

My work matters to God. One of my purposes in life is to become like Christ. And my job could be one of the most important ways God teaches me to be responsible, to develop character, and to love others. And it could be one of the most significant ways he uses me to bring others to him.

In summary, God wants to use my job to make me more like Jesus. Learning Christ-like qualities such as responsibility, character, and love is never easy. To learn those things, I have to respond to people the way Jesus would—and that can be particularly difficult at work. Why should I make such an effort, because God is going to evaluate my work one day. The quality of each person’s work will be seen when the Day of Christ exposes it. Everything I’ve done in my career eventually will be seen—because Christ is going to inspect it on the day of judgment. Everyone’s work will be tested by fire to show the character and quality of what each person has done. So much of my work may be done without anyone seeing or watching—but God knows. I will give him an account for my work, no matter how menial it seems. I don’t have to always get it right. And I certainly don’t have to be the best. But I do have to work as if I’m doing it for Christ. I should try to become more like Jesus in my work.  God is going to give eternal rewards for whatever is done in love. God is not going to forget how hard I work, how I give my best, and how I show love in his name. My work matters to God. One of my purposes in life is to become like Christ. And my job could be one of the most important ways God teaches me to be responsible, to develop character, and to love others. And it could be one of the most significant ways he uses me to bring others to him. 

Why Do I Need a Mentor?

In 2 Timothy 2:2 I read, “You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.” (NLT)

Even superstars need coaches. The top singers in the world have voice coaches, and the top Olympic athletes have coaches. The top CEOs have business coaches. A coach will help me maximize my strengths and minimize my weaknesses.

This principle of coaching or mentorship is found throughout the Bible. Joshua was mentored by Moses. Elisha was coached by Elijah. Solomon was mentored and coached by David, and David was mentored by Samuel.

The Apostle Paul mentored and coached Timothy and many other people. Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:2, “You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others” (NLT). Paul mentored Timothy, and then he expected Timothy to go and mentor faithful men who would then mentor and coach other faithful men.

God expects the same of faithful men and women today, because that’s how we grow in discipleship. I’m benefiting right now from the spiritual coaches that have mentored me over my lifetime, who helped me grow in different areas of my life.

The Bible says that God has given five different kinds of “coaches'' for his church. All of those coaches are working toward a specific purpose: “Christ chose some of us to be apostles, prophets, missionaries, pastors, and teachers, so his people would learn to serve and his body would grow strong. This will continue until we are united by our faith and by our understanding of the Son of God. Then we'll be mature, just as Christ is, and we will be completely like him” (Ephesians 4:11-13 CEV).

The purpose that these different coaches are working towards is “so his people would learn . . . and . . . grow strong.” If I want to learn, grow, and be strong, then I too need a mentor.

A mentor is a spiritually mature friend and accountability partner who gets real with me and points out sin and weakness, while also encouraging my strengths and growth. They help me stay on the path of God’s purpose for me.

If I’m serious about making the most of my life, then I need to get a coach or mentor to help me fulfill my purpose. They don’t have to be perfect. They only have to be one step ahead of me. And, as I grow spiritually, I too can be a mentor to someone else!          

In summary, everyone including superstars need coaches. A coach will help me maximize my strengths and minimize my weaknesses. This principle of coaching or mentorship is found throughout the Bible. Joshua was mentored by Moses. Elisha was coached by Elijah. Solomon was mentored and coached by David, and David was mentored by Samuel. Paul mentored and coached Timothy and many other people. Paul mentored Timothy, and then he expected Timothy to go and mentor faithful men who would then mentor and coach other faithful men. God expects the same of faithful men and women today, because that’s how we grow in discipleship. I’m benefiting right now from the spiritual coaches that have mentored me over my lifetime, who helped me grow in different areas of my life. God has given five different kinds of “coaches'' for his church. All are working toward a specific purpose: “Christ chose some of us to be apostles, prophets, missionaries, pastors, and teachers, so his people would learn to serve and his body would grow strong. If I want to learn, grow, and be strong, then I too need a mentor. A mentor is a spiritually mature friend and accountability partner who gets real with me and points out sin and weakness, encouraging my strengths and growth. They help me stay on the path of God’s purpose for me. If I’m serious, then I need to get a coach or mentor to help me fulfill my purpose. They only have to be one step ahead of me. And, as I grow, I too can be a mentor to someone else!

 

There’s Purpose to Your Work Problems

In Romans 5:3-4 I read, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character.” (TLB)

At work, we all have or had some kind of trouble at some point.

The Bible tells me what to do with that kind of trouble: “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character” (Romans 5:3-4 TLB).

God is far more interested in my character than my comfort. He’s working to perfect me, not to pamper me. His goal in my life and in my work is not to make me comfortable; his goal is to help me grow up. And he uses problems in life to grow my character.

When I have a problem at work, don’t ask God why I’m having that problem. Instead, ask God, “What do you want me to learn from this? What are you trying to teach me? What’s my blind spot? What character issue needs to be worked on?”

And as I ask God, “What?” also remember this simple truth: While I’m working on my job, God is working on me.

Sometimes temptation will be a problem for me—but God can use even temptations for my good! Many believers say they don’t like working with unbelievers because those unbelievers bring more temptations. But that’s just not true. I’ll be tempted with believers just as much as with unbelievers. And it’s not a sin to be tempted anyway; it’s just a sin to give in to temptation. The Bible says Jesus was tempted in every way, just like I am, and yet he never sinned.

I’m going to be tempted for the rest of my life, no matter where I work. But God can use those temptations for good. He can use them to build character. Every time I’m tempted, I get to make a choice. I can choose to resist temptation, or I can choose to act on it.

Every time I give in, temptation harms me. Every time I choose to do good, temptation becomes a stepping stone for growth.

In summary, we all have or had some kind of trouble at some point. However I can rejoice when I run into problems and trials, for I can know that they are good for me—they help me learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character”. God is far more interested in my character than my comfort. His goal in my life is to help me grow up. He uses problems in life to grow my character. So I shouldn’t ask God why I’m having that problem. Instead, ask, “What do you want me to learn from this? While I’m working on this problem, God is working on me. Sometimes temptation will be a problem for me—but God can use even temptations for my good! It’s not a sin to be tempted; it’s just a sin to give in to temptation. I’m going to be tempted, no matter where I work. God can use those temptations for good. He can use them to build character. Every time I’m tempted, I get to make a choice. I can choose to resist or choose to act on it. Every time I give in, temptation harms me. Every time I choose to do good, temptation becomes a stepping stone for growth.