Set the Bar High...for the Most High

My Heart Is On Fire by Doug Apple - a short Christian devotional to open the Scriptures and make your heart burn within you!

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand in the presence of kings! That’s what it says in Proverbs 22:29. Are you skilled in your work? Are you improving your skills? It’s a lifelong effort. We never stop improving. Jesus’ parable of the talents tells us the value of taking what we have and growing it. Matthew 25:23 says, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” So the question is, are we being faithful with what we’ve been given? It’s a requirement. First Corinthians 4:2 says it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. Are we being faithful? Are we growing what we’ve been given? Are we improving our skills, taking them to the next level, moving towards mastery? Ecclesiastes 9:10 says whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might. Colossians 3:23 says whatever we do, we should do it with all of our heart, as if we are doing it for the Lord. Here are some Bible verses I often apply to my work, taken from Luke chapter 3, “the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough ways smooth.” In your work, are there crooked places and rough ways? It’s time to make them straight for the Lord! Sometimes I say it this way, “Set the bar high…for the Most High!” Philippians 4:8 says, “…if anything is excellent or praiseworthy…” That should apply to our work! When people want to think about something excellent or praiseworthy, our work should come to mind. Show me a man who is skilled in his work and I will show you a man who will stand before kings! And the most important king is the King of Kings! So, are we skilled in our work? How can we become MORE skilled in our work? How can we meet the requirement of being a faithful steward of what God has given us? One way is by locking this mindset into our brains. Set the bar high…for the Most High! May God bless you today. I’m Doug Apple.