My Father’s Business

The smell is in the air of freshly sharpened bouquets of pencils; indicating back to school is here and we cannot miss that fall is near! The autumn colors remind us of true beauty, that in Jesus, hope never dies! The Greek word for ‘hope’ is ‘elpis’ and is pronounced ‘el-pece’. How great is that?! Hope is quite literally pronounced peace!! But it’s so true, that when we hang our hope on Jesus, we do have peace! He is our Living Hope, our Prince of Peace in every season!

Speaking of seasons, we walk in and out and through, so many different “seasons” in life. Have you thought recently about who you are walking with or who you are walking for?! It’s too easy to be led along by feelings rather than find yourself in step with the Holy Spirit. Therefore we must be intentional with our personal business, making it His business (Proverbs 3:5-6).

In Acts 8 Philip is called by the Spirit away from a wild revival out into the desert to meet with one guy. If Philip was leaning into his own feelings and finite understanding of his situation he may very well have refused to go! However Philip was willing to walk in the Spirit and as ineffective and unimportant (according to the world’s definition of the grander scale) that he may have felt, Africa is still experiencing the impact of that one conversation, in the desert, with just that one guy!! 

The call on your life was not a conference call, it doesn’t need to make sense to everyone else around you and at times and in certain seasons it may not even be clear to you! Trust, lean into, listen for, and walk with the One who holds the plans and sees the beginning from the end. How?! Read your Bible and pray. Put Jesus first in all your “business”. Pray for the Holy Spirit to make the words on the page of His Word, come to life in you, allowing God to read you as you read Him, and don’t give up! 

In Luke 2 Jesus’ parents lose track of Jesus, God’s only Son! How would you explain that one?! “Sorry God, we lost your only Son!” That frames any “bad day” of our own into a bit of fresh perspective, right?! Yet, it’s on those days, those weeks, those seasons that we lose sight of the Author and Perfecter of our faith, Jesus Christ, that our personal business spirals out of control! How does Jesus respond once Mary and Joseph locate Him (because they didn’t stop seeking)? In Luke 2:49 we find our answer… “…Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?’” (NKJV) 

How do we know His business? We continue to lay our “business” at His feet in regular relational communion with Him. Where we are unaligned He will align, where we are discouraged He will encourage, where we are weary He will give rest and renewed strength to rise again, to try again! Navigate by His Spirit not by your feelings dear one and don’t worry, rather receive His peace in His sure and living hope… 

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6 (NIV) Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Isaiah 30:21 (NIV) For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV) 

Like Philip, like Jesus, being about our Heavenly Father’s business will always have better returns for our investments than when we pursue our own. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33 (NIV)