Proverbs 14:12-13 

¹²There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. ¹³Even in laughter the heart may ache, and rejoicing may end in grief.

Job Offer

Most immigrants come to Canada in their hope to find better livelihood. Yet after few months of searching, they can be frustrated when they cannot find their preferred job. Someone suggested, “If you are really looking for a job in Canada, apply in at least 100 companies or business establishment.” If you are not very particular of the kind of job you are looking for, that is a clever advice somehow.

If you receive numerous responses in your job application, how do you choose which job offer will you take? Will you take a job nearest to your home? Will you take a job that offers you the highest incentives? Will you take a job where there’s opportunity for you to advance or progress in your career? What is the most important factor for you when you decide to take a job offer?

Together, let’s reflect on what it says in Ephesians 3:11-12, ¹¹According to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. ¹²In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

How do you interpret that? The eternal purpose of God for us is to live with him forever in heaven ultimately, and that is why he sent his precious Son Jesus Christ to sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins, but we are still waiting for his return to take us into heaven. So in his eternal purpose, did God include our livelihood, employment and things we do while waiting for the second advent of Christ?

Our confidence that Christ returns and takes us into heaven should include our confidence that the Lord is very much concerned about how we live our life while waiting for his return and that includes our livelihood and career, right? Do you strongly believe that God has also designed a particular career for you? Reflect on what Christ declares in John 10:10, ¹⁰The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Our eternal life starts once we put our faith in Christ as Savior. While we wait for his return, our life on earth should practically prove that he is Lord. Life in Christ is not mediocre kind of life. It is full. The term “full” can be translated as abundant, exceeding, excellent, superior, and great beyond measure kind of life.

How do measure abundant life? Do you sense any gratification in your life?

Reflect on your current life. Do you conclude that you’ve got excellent kind of life as believer of Christ? God has prepared a career path for you to excel. So, prayerfully ask God to give you firm confidence in him as you explore his plan for you, and seek his Holy Spirit to lead you in your practical steps and decisions.

1.  Lead

¹²There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.

Religious people may presume that doing good things or following religious orders help them to enter heaven. They presume that sacrifices in life help them to enter heaven. They sincerely believe that if they have done more good things than bad things they will qualify to enter the perfect heaven. They’ll be eternally disgusted because Christ requires perfection not just partially. He had declared in Matthew 5:48, ⁴⁸Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Perfection is the only qualification to enter heaven. And no human being is perfect. With single sin we become imperfect and disqualified to enter heaven. By doing good things, a sinful mankind cannot enter heaven. All human beings have sinned and fall short of the perfect standard of the perfect God. Doing good things is never a qualification to enter heaven but it can earn eternal treasures.

The imperfect human can never design a perfect way that would measure up to the standard of the perfection of God. Only the perfect God can design perfect things that can perfectly measure up to his divine standard of perfection.

Reflect on what it declares in Romans 3:23-25, ²³For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ²⁵God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.

The crucifixion of Christ is divine perfect design of God for the salvation of the sinful and imperfect mankind. It is only through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and his sacrifice on the cross that the imperfect sinful person becomes perfect in the divine standard of perfection. By faith, we believe and we trust that God took all our sins and laid them on his Son Jesus Christ when he was crucified.

God gives the Holy Spirit, the Seal of Perfection to believers who accept and trust Christ as their Lord and Savior. When the believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit of Perfection, there is joyful obedience to the prescriptions of Christ.

Since Christ offers excellent life to believers, his prescriptions becomes our practical guide as we explore the career path that God prepared for us to excel. Trust in Christ should include peaceful gladness in whatever situation we have. We may not readily agree, when unprecedented event happens. And most often, we feel uncomfortable when things don’t happen as we expected or planned.

Well, if you cannot explain why unexpected things happen that you cannot agree, you may laugh with yourself. Laughing with yourself, does not necessarily mean that your look down or disrespect yourself. Laughing with yourself could be motivated by your expectation that God has greater plan than you expected.

2.  Laugh

¹³Even in laughter the heart may ache, and rejoicing may end in grief.

Laughter could have been an expression of happiness but not necessarily. Most often, celebrities or famous personalities may laugh to hide their loneliness.

Anyone may pretend to be happy when surrounded by camera or reporters but in the end, they lost the opportunity to invite sympathy. And to be situated in happy environment is more appreciated than in a place where everyone is lonely.

This is why amusement park is very attractive to everyone. You would love to publish on social media a smiling face enjoying somewhere. And commonly, there will always be smiling faces of individuals who attend funerals or wakes.

Let’s reflect on what it declares in Ecclesiastes 7:2-4, ²It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart. ³Frustration is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart. ⁴The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.

Pleasure

Truly, rich or poor, the human heart longs for pleasure. Somewhere around the world, many individuals publish their foolishness on social media. They may not be wearing fancy clothes, but they can buy for themselves alcoholic drink.

At one time, a politician in a small town said, “I may not be able to buy me new pair of socks, buy I can buy beer for myself.” Beer for him is more important than changing his old pair of socks with holes. The problem of alcoholism has caused many individuals to struggle with poverty. Alcoholic people don’t have the urgency to explore improvement in their life. Alcohol can cause foolish choices.

Many drunkards foolishly think that alcohol could help them forget their miseries. At least for a short period of time while drunk, they sing with all their heart. Together, let us seriously reflect on what it says in Ephesians 5:18-20.

¹⁸Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, ²⁰always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Many drunkards love to sing when they are drunk. Despite their problems in life, singing is their means to feel good. In comparison, as believers of Christ, we are not immune from challenges of life, and we seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit instead of drinking wine. The Holy Spirit himself inspires us to sing hymns and praise songs and even make music from our heart to the Lord.

Gratitude of heart, giving thanks to God the Father is also the work of the Holy Spirit in us. It is far better to sing praises to the Lord than complaining of things and situation in our life that we cannot appreciate. What do you think?

Christ declared in John 14:6, ⁶I am the way and the truth and the life. 

Do you accept that Christ is also the way to fullness of life with him that we should explore on earth? How? Actually, his prescriptions are practical steps that lead to fullness of life. Christ wants you and me to have excellent life with him.

><((‘> .. ><((‘> … ><(((“> tmec\2024 <“)))>< … <‘))>< .. <‘))><