iWork4Him PowerThought

When the internet was created, the goal was the free-flowing of shared information for the good of humanity; what resulted was much more sinister than that. We are called to love the Lord our God with all our mind. Are you? What do you fill your mind with? It is so easy with the internet everywhere, both in public and private, to fill our minds with EVERYTHING but God and His Love. We stream TV at levels like never before. Because we can binge-watch anything, we fill our minds with murder, horror, and sex. Without being careful, our minds can become a playground for evil. At work and home, protect your mind so you can fill it with HIM and His word. Stop Ignoring the dangers of the internet at work and home and put some digital armor in place like a safe internet VPN with Web filters and anti-virus and protect your mind.

When the internet was created, the goal was the free-flowing of shared information for the good of humanity; what resulted was much more sinister than that. We are called to love the Lord our God with our hearts, but when our hearts are distracted by the evils of the internet, God can't find a place. Do you know if your heart is safe whenever you surf the web? What about your kids, your spouse, or your grandkids when they visit? At work, are the people you work with struggling with a heart addiction to internet sins like pornography and gambling? What are you doing to help protect their hearts? Are there guardrails in place to keep the internet a healthy place at work? Stop ignoring the dangers of the internet at work and home and put some digital armor in place like a safe internet VPN with Web filters and anti-virus and protect your heart.

When the internet was created, the goal was the free-flowing of shared information for the good of humanity; what resulted was much more sinister than that. Every day, we use the internet to do our jobs, complete our shopping, and study our bible. However, if we are not careful, the internet can lead us to pornography, inappropriate relationships, gambling addictions, and more. We think we have the willpower to resist all the daily temptations on the internet, but statistics now prove we do not. Huge percentages of men and women, teens, and children have been exposed to pornography on the internet and find themselves driven to view more and more of it. Create a work and home environment where God can heal and stop this destruction. Put some digital armor in place, because the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

What does a normal Thanksgiving dinner look like for you and your family? Does it have all the fixings and smell just like grandma's house when you were growing up? Is it always exclusive to family? There are people you work with and people you live around that will be alone this year; why don't you mess up your normal Thanksgiving and invite some of them to join you? Jim and I would like to challenge you to have your last normal Thanksgiving last year. May last year be the final year when your Thanksgiving celebration didn't include your neighbors. This year we challenge you to invite people into your life and into your Thanksgiving celebration that would otherwise be home alone, probably not even celebrating Thanksgiving. What does a normal Thanksgiving look like? It looks like the power of neighboring in action.

This whole idea of practicing the power of neighboring at Thanksgiving can cause some strife at home. Not everyone wants to open up their Thanksgiving table to strangers, or people that just aren't family. I know in my family growing up we never had anybody who wasn't family over for Thanksgiving. It just wasn't done. But at Martha's house, her parents were great at inviting people who would be alone at Thanksgiving and having them join us for a family Thanksgiving celebration. Gather your family around you and share this idea with them. Share the idea that you want to solve somebody's loneliness at Thanksgiving this year and you need their help. Once you explain this to your family, I can't imagine that they won't be on board. Maybe they can even think of some people that need to be invited. Together you can change somebody's life this Thanksgiving.

What does loneliness look like? Does it have a face? Does it always look the same? You and I have the ability to solve someone's loneliness problem at Thanksgiving this year. All around us are people, our neighbors, who don't have anywhere to go for Thanksgiving. They are either too far away from family or don't have family or they've been alienated. Can you imagine being alone at Thanksgiving? It's just a big fat bummer. Look around you. As you leave your neighborhood this morning or drive through your neighborhood this afternoon, think about all the people that you know. Are any of them going to be alone at Thanksgiving? As you walk between the cubicles or sit down for lunch, are any of those people going to be alone at Thanksgiving? Solve loneliness today by inviting a neighbor for Thanksgiving.

The power of neighboring at Thanksgiving looks like this. It begins with compassion, and it continues with intentionality. We all have neighbors, whether they are at work or in our neighborhood. They could even be in the pews sitting near us at church. But how many of those neighbors will be alone at Thanksgiving time? In my opinion, there is nothing worse than being alone during the holidays. My challenge to you today is to institute the power of neighboring right where you live and right where you work. Find out if anyone you know and care about will be alone on Thanksgiving. And then invite them for dinner. You may already have a crowded dinner table, and you may have to cook some more food, but by inviting them to be part of your celebration of Thanksgiving, you could change their life.

One day, a religious leader approached Jesus and asked him who's my neighbor? Jesus responded with the parable of the Good Samaritan. Now we know who the neighbor was in this parable. The Good Samaritan was a powerful neighbor in the wounded man's life. The power of neighboring lies within each of us—the power to transform somebody's life by loving them as we love ourselves. The power of neighboring requires selfless acts and living on the edge of comfortableness. The power of neighboring started with Jesus, and it continues on in you. You have the ability to impact somebody's life for eternity by loving them. Your neighbors, they are at work, and they are in your neighborhood too. The big question I have for you today is who is your neighbor and will any of your neighbors be alone this Thanksgiving.

Jesus said that our unity would attract others to Christ because our unity would show that Jesus came from our heavenly father. In other words, when we walk as one in the marketplace, our neighborhoods, our communities, and our country, the message is loud and clear: Jesus has transformed the lives of all these people, and they walk as one in love. It's so important that we, as workplace believers, display our love for Jesus in unity, to attract others into conversations and, eventually, a relationship with Him. Our unity is attractive. That was Jesus's idea all along. For the remainder of this year, look for ways to walk in unity with your brothers and sisters in Christ to solve your community's problems and bring Jesus-sized solutions to those who need it.

Almost 2000 years have passed since Jesus returned to heaven. In the last 500 years, denominational segregation has plagued the body of Christ. We all go to different churches on Sunday. We live in a town of about 2000 people with 15 different churches and 15 different denominations. Very little ministry is coordinated for the ministry to this small town by the leaders of those churches. There is hope because marketplace and political leaders are unifying in Christ to bring flourishing to this town. When we are unified as followers of Jesus, outside our denominational hold, we can impact our cities and communities for good. When we face the problems together, we are so much stronger and more powerful. When Christ followers unite, no weapon of the enemy can stand against us. Those weapons may be poverty, drug addiction, broken families, et cetera. Let's unite as Jesus followers and bring good to our cities.