The Shovel Digs a New Way

God Gold of the day

““Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:13-14‬ ‭

Imagine in your minds a picture of a 4-lane highway, this highway has plenty of space for everyone to ride on. This highway has exit after exit of restaurant entertainment options. This highway is nice, it makes you feel good and it’s the one you want to go down, because it’s comfortable.

I’m with you, our human nature screams out for that comfort and that’s a battle we all face everyday. Where do we begin to turn off this wide path? Is there another way? Will I be able to do it?

Picture this, as you drive down the highway of comfort you see something on the side of the road that grabs your attention. You pull over to look and you get out of your car, you see that this object is a shovel. What could this shovel be used for?

TO DIG! Where there was nothing before, this shovel creates a new path, a path that takes pain, sweat and hard work but this path is full of new adventures, growth and daily learning more about the shovel. The shovel is Jesus, the shovel is His Word, for Jesus is the tool sitting on the side of our lives at times as we pass by day after day on the highway to self pleasure and fulfilling our appetite for comfort.

Jesus is that tool that remains there no matter how many times you drive by, He remains faithful and steadfast in His love. He wants you to stop, come close to Him, spend some time with Him so He can show you this wide path that seems good in our eyes, it’s not even close to the best path to take! He opens us up to see a purpose, a calling, and a mission greater than our comfort! He shows us when we surrender ourselves and our comforts before Him and embrace the life He has for us, He is the shovel in front of our lives creating in us and before us a NEW path, a dirt road that has every bump and boulder you could find, a path that isn’t smooth, but it’s the difficulty of the path that makes walking it so worth it!!!

Move from the highway today.
Stop driving and go to the shovel, which is Jesus.
Embrace the NEW path He has in store for you!!!

SURVEY: Logan Milford

God Gold of the day

 

The Survey:

1. {QUALITY} What’s your quality like to God?

Is it…..?

~Excellent

~Good

~Fair

~Poor

2. {ACCURACY} How accurate are you in following God’s orders?

Are you…..?

~Excellent

~Good

~Fair

~Poor

>Scripture: ““If you love me, obey my commandments.”/John 14:15

3. {SERVICE} What’s the quality of your service?

Is it……?

~Excellent

~Good

~Fair

~Poor

>Scripture: “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.””/Mark 10:45

4. {Cleanliness} How clean are you living?

Are you…..?

~Excellent

~Good

~Fair

~Poor

>Scripture: “You are battered from head to foot— covered with bruises, welts, and infected wounds— without any soothing ointments or bandages.”/Isaiah 1:6

5. {Overall Satisfaction} What’s God’s overall satisfaction with you?

Is it…….?

~Excellent

~Good

~Fair

~Poor

>Scripture: ““I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!”/Revelation 3:15-16

6. Rate and compare yourself from now, to how you used to be?

~ How has God grown you?

~ How has your relationship with God grown?

~ Were you on fire for God and now you’ve cooled off? Where do you want to be?

Golden Highlight: Mark Rogers

God Gold of the day

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:23-24‬ ‭

Happy Sunday God Gold family! Today’s God Gold is a special one and the very first of it’s kind! After the first God Gold shirts made it out, we thought it’d be awesome to spend a day to celebrate some of the people who exemplify what “God Gold” is all about in their daily lives. These are people who daily live out the Gold God has given to them in the workplace, in their family life, and in the lives of their neighbor’s. These are people that we can easily overlook in our lives because they live their lives to the standard of Christ so consistently, the way they live is expected and “normal” to those around them. Our goal with these Golden Highlights, is to shed light on these faithful individuals to recognize, appreciate, and learn from their examples.

Today’s Golden Highlight is none other than my dad, Mark Rogers. So much God Gold can be found in this man’s life but today we want to highlight his heart to work to a standard of excellence that is out of this world. If you asked many friends, family members, or co-workers over the years one word to describe Mark, the word “hard-worker” would be the word most often found. Being his son, I’ve gotten the chance to see and experience first hand my whole life the work ethic of my dad and I’m telling you, it’s pretty incredible! Maybe you think I’m just saying this because he’s my dad but to be honest, there’s been a lot of moments in my life, especially growing up and hearing him pour his work ethic into my life, I wished that this quality wasn’t so true. In my younger years, just learning how to work, I had no desire to work in the ways my dad did or listen when he challenged me to meet his standard. I stand here now at 25 years old, working several different manual labor jobs just how crucial the years of lessons he taught me is in every area of my life. I wouldn’t be half the man I am today without having his example to follow all these years. I’m one of many people who can say that their time spent around Mark Rogers challenged them to be better and influenced their life in huge ways!

His work ethic is just the beginning though, it’s the standard at which he works that sets him apart from the rest. As a grocery store manager the majority of his life, he makes a job that most would see as “insignificant” and daily doesn’t skip a beat in working each part of the job to a standard of excellence that is an example that moves each person around him to follow. If it’s stocking shelves, counting change in the register, or even bringing buggies back inside the store from the parking lot, he does even the small things with all that he possibly can. It’s a standard that has been shaped and molded into his life throughout his years of living, it’s a standard that can only be seen in light of Christ. Some would call Mark a “perfectionist,” in the way he works but even he knows only Jesus can be perfect. A better word to describe him or this standard is “excellence.” Although he can never be perfect, he works daily to be excellent, and continues striving for this excellence standard no matter how he feels, what the circumstances around him are or who is around him.

How can someone continue day after day working so consistently to this standard of excellence? The answer is simple, Jesus. His work is done through the power of Jesus, following after the example of Jesus and to the purpose Jesus has given him. Anyone can strive after success in their work daily for many different reasons, money, praise from others, or for personal gain, but all of those avenues can never obtain the fullness of life that Jesus has given us. That’s what sets Mark apart, that’s what keeps him so consistent and reaching the standard of excellence in all he does, it’s Jesus. With Jesus at work in his life and with him giving all he has for the glory of Jesus on a daily basis, his work is noticed and the people who notice are made better than they were before they encountered him. Mark Rogers, a living example of God’s Gold. My prayer is that we can all learn from his faithful example of what it looks like to give your life to Jesus in all that you do for the glory of His name and nothing else.

Blessings~Location and Access

God Gold of the day

“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.”

Ephesians 1:3

Blessings~More Than Enough

God Gold of the day

“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.”

Ephesians 1:3