Good Working Order

“The Word of God which . . effectively works in you who believe.”  1 Thessalonians 2:13 NKJV.

Working harder doesn’t make life work better; working smarter can.

My thoughts and comments today are about “good working order.”

Don’t you appreciate something that works as it is supposed to work? Last week after writing the EDL devotional, I discovered that I had no internet connection. I unplugged and replugged; I reset the resets, but still was unsuccessful connecting to the internet. Every effort failed, and I was increasingly frustrated. I had no way to access the website for mailing EveryDay Life to subscribers. That was not the way this was supposed to work. It was not the way the process had always worked before.

The next morning, a “technical assistant” from the internet provider surmised that the modem processing my DSL signal had failed. The modem was not in “good working order.” A day later, several hundred dollars, and a couple hours on the phone with tech support, and a new modem was installed. For now, everything seems to be working again, and if you are reading this, it is.

Life can feel like that sometimes. You know it should work; you know it once worked, but now you recognize your life isn’t working the way it could – the way it could. Working harder doesn’t make life work better; working smarter can. Correctly or incorrectly, this quote is attributed to Albert Einstein: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.” Maybe it’s your career that’s not working out for you; maybe it’s your relationships; maybe it’s your family; maybe it’s your marriage; maybe it’s your finances; maybe it’s your faith that’s not in good working order.

Life only works the way God designed life to work. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.” Read Proverbs 3:1-13 NKJV. Cooperate with God and life will work better than you ever imagined it could.

God’s Word works in every life every time, because it is eternally true and assured by God’s character. “My Word . . shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I send it . . Your promises are backed by all the honor of Your name.” Isaiah 55:11 NKJV/Psalm 138:2 NLT. When nothing else is working for you, try God’s Word.

“For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the Word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.” 1 Thessalonians 2:13 NKJV. God’s Word “effectively works” for you when you take time to know the Word, trust the Word, and obey the Word. With authority and certainty, Jesus said of His Father, “Your Word is truth!” John 17:17 NIV. That is definitive, inarguable, and singular. Of no other but God can that be said without argument or exception.

Chuck Swindoll wrote, “Revelation occurred when God gave His truth; inspiration occurred when writers received and recorded it; illumination occurs when we understand and apply it.” Paul assured Timothy, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV.

My prayer for you today is that you love and live the Word of God truthfully as it deserves.