Certainty

Matt Tennison — Fri, 02 May 2008 14:16:06 +0000

I’ve been on pins and needles in a way the last two weeks. Two weeks ago, I came into work at my office. I normally only come to the office when I need to, and travel around my area the rest of the time, but that day I came in. I had just received my pay stub online the night before, and it wasn’t quite right. See, I was supposed to get a yearly raise, and judging by my review it should have been the same as last year’s raise. When I opened my pay stub, I found out it was much less.

So I decided that I was going to talk to my boss about it. In fact, my boss is new at the company, so I was going to talk to HIS boss about it. However, that was thwarted…when my boss’s boss was “let go” that morning. Human Relations from a higher office came in, and explained the situation to everyone. My boss and one of his coworkers were let go as well. The real problem though, is that when HR told everyone, they all but said “there’ll be more in a couple weeks”.

Which leads us to today. No one really knows when the axe is coming, but we know that more people will be let go, and we don’t know when or who. Of course this creates a PERFECT breeding ground for rumours. I hate rumours. All they do is reduce productivity and raise stress in this environment. Seriously, every time I would relax and settle into my work, someone would bring up one of these rumours and I’d tense up again, and lose all focus and desire to work.

I’m not sure how I feel about the whole situation. My job is the one that provides the vast majority of our family income, so it is necessary that I work, and this job provides a very steady paycheck. On the other hand, I’ve had 4 bosses over the past year, so my department has not had much real leadership lately. The lack of leadership has made me question how much I really like this job. But honestly, I have really liked this job over the last couple of years. So I have a hard time telling if I’d really be happy in this job should I be allowed to keep it, or if I should move on (one way or another!).

So on one hand I’m excited to see what will happen. On the other hand, I’m scared because I don’t know.

I do keep resting in the knowledge that God works all things together for good. He knows my needs, and He knows the needs of my family. It is AWESOME to be able to put faith in what He is doing. I know that I’m not here on my own. I know that the birds of the sky don’t work, but they eat. I know that the fields don’t work, but they are clothed. I know that God created me to work, and cares for us more than the birds and the fields. I know that He won’t leave me or forsake me. Sometimes I just have to get my heart to know all of that, and to rest in Him.

One thing to think on though. If you believe what the Bible says, and you believe that Jesus is who He said He was. If you believe that Jesus is God’s son, who became a man, and died on the cross for us, and rose from the dead. If you believe that, then you have to realize how great the cost was to save us all. And He did die to save us ALL, even those who deny Him and haven’t yet asked for forgiveness and put their trust in Him. All you have to do is ask.

The point is though, if God paid so great a cost for ME and for YOU, do you really think that He would give up on us? Do I really think He would give up on me? No. He won’t leave us or forsake us. The price was too great to do that. I’m going to learn to trust in Him more, and not in my job, and not in a paycheck. Jobs and people and money come and go. He stays.

Dirty Knees

Matt Tennison — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 17:38:00 +0000

To take something that the Devil has twisted and then use it for good is a great thing. I’m referring to an off-color joke having to do with the title of this entry. But it got me thinking yesterday, and I changed the joke a little to make it reflective of the Christian life. So here goes:

How do you tell who is the Senior Pastor in a church?

He’s the one with the dirty knees.

Ok – ok – so maybe it’s not that funny, but it is a reflection of the Christian life. When we are reborn in Christ, it’s not just a one-time event. It isn’t just washing yourself once and staying clean the rest of your life, because nobody can. No, it’s about constantly being down on your knees, repenting of sins and asking for forgiveness.

Matthew 28:19 says “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”

Jesus sends us out into the world, and if you’re going into the world, you’re going to get dirty. That’s why you have to go back and get clean. Regularly! In Jesus’ day, people wore sandals, and the streets weren’t paved. I hate dirt driveways because I track sand into my car. I can’t imagine wearing sandals on dirt roads, and WALKING everywhere. So it was customary that when you came into some one’s house, they would wash your dirty feet.

The foot-washing job was usually looked at as a job for the lowest slave. I mean, who would want to wash people’s dirty, callused, stinky feet. Well, the bible tells a story of a time when Jesus washed his disciples’ feet. They were all bickering about who was the greatest disciple, and Jesus just puts on a towel, and begins washing their feet. There is more to that story,as a topic for another blog. The point I want to make, is that we need to keep washing ourselves. We get dirty. We sin. We become angry, and succumb to the flesh. But the important part is that we come back to him, and ask him to clean us again. And we don’t live in the flesh, we live with Him.

Thank God, for continuing to wash us, and cleaning the dirty knees of our pants.

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Certainty

Dirty Knees