The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people, knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”

—Colossians 3:23–24

Many of us may work hard jobs with difficult supervisors and unreasonable expectations. The people Paul was writing to wouldn’t have been strangers to a poor work environment. Many of his readers may have been slaves to cruel masters.

The message is the same for us as it was for them—that we do our duty faithfully and with integrity, not with that harsh supervisor in mind, but as if we are doing our work for the Lord . . . because we are.

We’re ultimately serving him, and though bosses, supervisors, and slave masters may not deserve our best, the Lord does. He gave his best for us when we did not deserve it, and we certainly are not greater than he is.

This doesn’t mean we must stay in the difficult situation if there is a way out. First Corinthians 7:21 says of slavery, “If you are also able to become free, take advantage of that.” We can work to find a better job in an environment with healthy, godly leadership.

However, should our circumstances not change despite our best efforts, our integrity and work ethic should remain above reproach, because our service is always to the Lord.

Others don’t determine the level of right actions expected from us; our actions must be right before the Lord.

The post August 18-Above Reproach appeared first on C. E. White.

The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“Now which one of you fathers will his son ask for a fish, and instead of a fish, he will give him a snake? Or he will even ask for an egg, and his father will give him a scorpion? So if you, despite being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

—Luke 11:11–13

When I was little, I begged my mom for all kinds of things at the store—cheap toys, junk food, and useless trinkets. She almost always said no.

But the denial was because she loves me and wanted to give me good gifts instead—healthy food, lasting toys, an education, etc. I didn’t understand good gifts; I only thought about immediate pleasure.

We’re often like toddlers in our prayers. We ask for things to satisfy our pleasures, and God says no (James 4:3) because he wants to give lasting joy rather than cheap toys and healthy food that will help us grow rather than cookies for every meal. 

So when we pray for the Holy Spirit, God will never meet us with refusal or something fearful instead. He will always give us this good gift.

The Holy Spirit is the promise of our salvation (Ephesians 1:13–14), our power to resist sin (Romans 8:12–13), our teacher of all things (John 14:26), our connection to the Father (John 16:13–15), and the power ensuring our eternal life (Romans 8:11). 

The Spirit is real, powerful, and active in our lives, guiding us into truth and directing us into his good work (John 16:13; Acts 8:29; Acts 16:6–7).

The post August 17-The Best Gift appeared first on C. E. White.

The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to him.”

—2 Corinthians 5:9

Our goal should always be to please the Lord. If we have any other earthly ambition ahead of (or even in addition to) that, it will always be competing with what the Lord wants of us.

The beauty of this is that pleasing the Lord means freedom from the expectations of this world.

Paul goes on to say in verse 12, “We are not commending ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart.”

He was telling the church to stop being impressed by outward appearances, power, or grand gestures. “Recognize no one by the flesh,” he adds (2 Corinthians 5:16).

Our only measure for ourselves should be whether we aim to please the Lord—in other words, where our hearts are. This doesn’t mean we will necessarily do great things in the eyes of the world. It does mean that the fruit of the Spirit will be evident in our lives.

It’s easy to get caught up in how we look to the world and worried about whether people see us as successful, smart, attractive, or worthy. But we’re not seeking their approval, and God isn’t worried about our appearance or our resume. We simply live our lives with the goal of pleasing him, and he is pleased.

We will not do it perfectly, but as long as living in humble service to him is our true aim, we will not miss.

The post August 16-The Right Aim appeared first on C. E. White.

The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“Be angry, and yet do not sin.”

—Ephesians 4:26

We’ve been made to feel that anger itself is sinful, but it doesn’t have to be.

Our reaction is where the issue usually arises; our anger too often comes out in rudeness, fear, hatred, or insults.

To be angry without sinning requires pausing before speaking and using kind words instead of quarrelsome ones (2 Timothy 2:24). 

It requires abiding in the vine of Jesus Christ, disciplining ourselves in self–control, and allowing the Holy Spirit to be in charge instead of letting fleshly desires and rights take over our mouths.

If we’re giving in to selfishness, the need to win an argument, the desire to put the other party in their place, or holding on to an offense and allowing it to turn to bitterness, we’re letting that anger become sinful.

We must learn to respond with gracious words even in the middle of an argument and to adjust our actions so we’re not tearing others down. They were made in the image of God and any failure on their part to reflect him should result in our pity, love, and prayers. We should also choose to hope and believe that others mean us good at heart rather than assuming the worst of their actions (1 Corinthians 13:7).

Whether they mean us good or evil, we’re told to “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may prove yourselves to be sons of your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:44–45).

We must live this verse if we’re going to be angry without sinning and show those around us that we are sons of the loving, merciful God.

The post August 15-Grace in the Heat appeared first on C. E. White.

The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; he guides me in the paths of righteousness for the sake of his name. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

—Psalm 23:2–4

Sometimes it’s good to remember that along with the green pastures and the still waters, our good Shepherd might also take us through the valley of the shadow of death. He has not stopped leading us, even there. The difficult path might be the only one that leads us home.

We do not have to fear it, because we trust our Shepherd.

With his rod and staff, the Lord directs, corrects, and protects us.

We often choose to be more frustrated than comforted by his direction and correction, but this passage teaches us that the proper attitude toward correction is to be comforted.

A toddler might be dazzled by a fire, but a good father will guide the child away from the danger over and over. The child doesn’t understand, but we know the father is not being cruel or keeping a good thing from the child. This is protection.

The Lord does this for us when we become dazzled by the world and wander too close to its flames.

We often forget what this beautiful psalm tells us . . . first, that our circumstances may not always be pleasant, but we don’t have to fear, and second, that the Lord may discipline and direct us where we do not want to go, but it is always for our eternal good.

The post August 14-Still Waters, Dark Valleys appeared first on C. E. White.

The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

—Matthew 6:19–21

If we ask ourselves regularly where our hearts are—and answer honestly—we will often find they are holding on to the temporary things of this earth.

The following questions bring some clarity: 

If we put our treasure and heart’s desire in Christ and become completely taken up with him, we won’t be fazed by the gain or loss of earthly things. We’ll recognize the truth that the earthly is all temporary and will fade away with age, destruction, or theft. Above all, we will want to live for the things that count for eternity.

May we always be checking where we’ve put our hearts and our treasure and redirecting when necessary.

This is not a one–time action. We must be alert to each new worldly temptation. Some of them can look very like heavenly gifts until our motives are brought to light. For instance, if our motive for godly work is so that others will believe we are good, then our treasure is in the opinion of man.

Our heart for the Lord’s good works is building eternal treasure when it isn’t set on any earthly outcome or reward (Matthew 6:1).

The post August 13-Heaven Over Here appeared first on C. E. White.

The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“Do not be haughty in mind but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.”

—Romans 12:16

If we’re humble, we won’t be afraid to be seen with the lowly. This verse makes us think of the poor and the homeless, but let’s make it relatable—it’s the lady nobody likes, the awkward person who always says the wrong thing, and the guy at work with no hygiene. 

If we’re humble, we won’t need to seem more important than others. We won’t need to hobnob only with the most popular or successful people in the room. We’ll always treat the lowly as equals, though some may think it’s degrading to do so. We also won’t hesitate to get our hands dirty and do what many consider the lowly jobs. If we’re humble, we can do these things even if we’re put in a prominent position, because we aren’t “believing our own press,” as they say. 

Others may see us as a giant in some area—industry, intellect, wisdom, talent, or charisma—but if we’re humble, we won’t let the root of pride burrow into our hearts. We will know we are human like all others and that only the power of the Holy Spirit makes us truly good. All believers are on equal ground before Christ.

And humility is part of our protection against falling into that sin. If we start believing we’re better than others or wise in our own estimation, we begin trusting in ourselves and our own worldly abilities and talents instead of leaning on Jesus Christ, and that will lead directly to a fall (Proverbs 16:18).

The post August 12-Don’t Believe Your Own Press appeared first on C. E. White.

The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it produce and sprout, and providing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so will my word be which goes out of my mouth; it will not return to me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the purpose for which I sent it.”

—Isaiah 55:10–11 

Sometimes we say things at the Lord’s prompting, and it feels like we just watch it fall to fallow ground, yielding nothing. 

Maybe we don’t receive the reactions we hoped—or any reaction at all. Maybe no one suddenly accepts Jesus Christ, turns their life around, or responds to the truth in what was said. Maybe they even respond badly.

That doesn’t mean the words were useless. If we’re speaking God’s Word, it’s planting seeds all along the way. Some may sprout and some may not; that depends upon the soil where they land (Matthew 13:1–23), but those words are never spoken in vain.

Most seeds take time to sink deep into the soil and begin to sprout . . . sometimes a very long time. 

And we may never know even if the fruit does thrive; maybe we’re there for the planting, but someone else is there for the harvest (John 4:37–38).

We can continue planting those seeds in hopeful confidence, because if we’re faithful to plant, the harvest will eventually come (Galatians 6:9).

The Lord’s Word will not return void.

The post August 11-Harvest in His Time appeared first on C. E. White.

The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“Stop striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted on the earth.”

—Psalm 46:10

As believers, we can stop bustling anxiously from one thing to the next, stop trying to control our circumstances, and stop worrying about everything . . . and we can do it all in confidence of our God.

The worldly phrase we all know for this is to “stop and smell the roses,” but the impact of that statement pales compared to how God puts it: “Stop striving and know that I am God.”

Sometimes there aren’t any roses. Sometimes everything around us stinks. Sometimes stopping to smell the roses just reminds us that—right now—we can only see thorns.

But God is always there in his fully present, all–powerful god–ness. No matter what we see around us, he is Immanuel—God with us.

And no rose has power over the circumstances of our lives.

We could be in the middle of a rose garden, but it might bring, at best, only a few moments of peace before the difficult realities all around us take over our thoughts once again.

But God is still God no matter what. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He is still in control. We can look around at the roses or the stink and the thorns and know that he is working in and through it all.

Instead of striving, we can rest in who he is—our fully good and loving, omnipotent God—and the rest, peace, and confidence we have in him will be a testimony of his goodness and sovereignty to those around us.

The post AUGUST 10-Peace in the Chaos appeared first on C. E. White.

The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“Today, if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”

—Psalm 95:7–8

When the Lord prompts us to do something or we feel the nudge of the Holy Spirit telling us not to do something, it’s easy to silence that voice in the moment.

“This is just a small thing; it won’t matter. I’ll listen next time.”

When we do this, we harden our hearts and make his voice a little bit quieter every time.

If we continue down this path, we slowly quench the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19) and show that he is not truly our Lord. John 10:27–28 says, “My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life.”

If we are his sheep, we will follow him, and if we love him, we will keep his commandments (John 14:15; John 14:21; John 14:23). We won’t do it perfectly and there is so much grace for our stumbles, but our true desire and sincere effort should be to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord (2 Peter 3:18), to move beyond the elementary teachings and become mature believers (Hebrews 6:1), and to learn, by practicing our faith, to discern between good and evil (Romans 12:1–2).

Every tiny whisper the Lord speaks to us, whether it’s through his Word or the Holy Spirit, is taking us down a path closer toward that maturing, but hardening our hearts to those whispers will take us away from him. The small steps along that path are just as important as the big ones. 

The post AUGUST 9-The Whisper Matters appeared first on C. E. White.