When “This Deal Gets Worse All the Time” – Fear or Favor – Purity 1880
Purity 1880 02/06/2026 Purity 1880 Audio Podcast
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Good morning,
Today’s photo of twilight time view of where the Schodack Creek meets the Hudson River comes to us from yours truly, as I captured this peaceful scene back on January 21st, 2024.
Well, it’s Friday, Thank God, and as the sun begins to set on another work week I am rejoicing this morning because, despite receiving some humbling news yesterday afternoon, I am choosing to focus on all the good that I have in life rather than the latest surprise regarding my new work assignment that has me feeling like Lando Calrissian who lamented “This deal is getting worse all the time.” when the Empire invaded his peaceful Cloud City.
Long story short, I’ll be working three Saturdays a month after I get out of training, because that’s what fiber support analysts do, apparently. And no, that is not a fact that I was made aware of when I signed the agreement to accept the new position with my company. Perhaps it was a detail that both my union and the company assumed I already knew, but I didn’t know it, and I have been trying to simultaneously accept it and to put it into perspective ever since I discovered this fact during a casual conversation with my new union steward yesterday afternoon.
“It is what it is,” as they say. I wish I had known sooner, but in truth, it really doesn’t matter because after being out of work for a couple of months and not having anyone beat down my door to hire me, I would have done what I did anyway, which is gladly accept my new position, as a fiber support analyst, with gratitude, regardless of the conditions. Just like Lando Calrissian, when you are in a bad position, you make whatever deals you can, and when Darth Vader subtly threatens you and asks, “Perhaps you think you are being treated unfairly?”, you silence your objections and humbly accept whatever conditions you have to deal with to stay alive.
So today I am shifting my focus onto all of the good things that I have in my life, including my new job at my old company, and moving forward with the knowledge that things could easily be far worse. After my accident at work last August, caused by my own negligent behavior, mind you, I am lucky to have a job, so even though I wasn’t fully aware of the work schedule details, I considered myself to be a fortunate recipient of mercy and grace.
The enemy loves to sow seeds of pride, discontentment, and fear into our lives, and if we aren’t careful of how we respond to the circumstances of our lives, we could easily see our blessings as curses and be driven to depression, anger, or fear.
Speaking of fear, the Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah devotion for today addresses the topic of fear, and I am sharing it on the blog today to encourage all of us to turn from our fears to the One true God to help us to put things in perspective. David Jeremiah writes:
“FEAR OR FAVOR
His heart is established; he will not be afraid. – Psalm 112:8
Charlie Brown, the famous character in Charles M. Schultz’s Peanuts comic strip, is quoted as saying, “I think I’m afraid of being happy because whenever I get too happy something bad always happens.” Don’t we all feel that way—at least sometimes? Our happiness is often diminished because we’re so afraid of what might happen to ourselves or to our loved ones. We live in a dangerous world, and there’s no escaping that fact.
Yes, fear is an awful emotion to endure. But remember—we don’t have to endure it. The Bible says, “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments…. He will not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord” (Psalm 112:1, 7). The Bible tells us to fear God. Don’t fear life (see Ecclesiastes 3:14-15). The Lord has determined your path. Come before Him today and tell Him you are choosing to fear Him with godly reverence, to follow His plan, and to trust Him to care for you, come what may.” – David Jeremiah
If the Lord be with us, we have no cause to fear. His eye is upon us, His arm over us, and His ear open to our prayer—His grace sufficient, His promise unchangeable. – John Newton
Amen. Let’s not destroy our own happiness by worrying about what may happen or by focusing on the things that are not as “I would like it.”
Where we put our focus is what will determine our emotions. That’s why we have to be careful about what we give our attention to. If we watch programs that tell us how bad or frightening things are in the world, we will be frightened of the future and worry about how we will survive.
When we focus on the bad in life and worry about the future, we forget about the Creator of Life and the One who holds the future, and we let our fear steal our joy.
So, shift your focus to God. Remember how He saved you in the past and trust that He will provide for you in the future. Don’t focus on the things you have lost. Focus on the things you still have and thank the Lord for everything.
We must stand against our natural tendency to focus on our problems and instead focus on the good and work on the solutions with the Lord’s help.
We were never meant to carry the burdens of this world, and when we have peace with God through our faith in Jesus Christ, we don’t have to.
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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/.
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Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.
(While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling By John G. Kruis on Amazon )
This morning’s meditation verse comes from the section on Progressive Sanctification – Growing in Faith & Godliness.
1 John 2:6 (NIV) Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
Today’s verse falls under the thirteenth point of our counseling reference guide resource section on Progressive Sanctification – Growing in Faith & Godliness.
13. Imitate Jesus so that you will become more and more Christ-like
Today’s Bible verse puts the expectations of being a Christian quite clearly. If we are to claim to live “in Christ”, we must live as Jesus did.
Just like I decided to become a fiber support analyst with my new job, I must now work the shift and do the things that a fiber support analyst does. And no, I can’t say I “believe in being a fiber support analyst” and just do what I want. If I want to be able to say that I am a fiber support analyst, I have to show up (even on Saturdays, three times a month) and do the things a fiber support analyst does.
When we put our faith in Jesus, we shouldn’t think that we don’t have to live as He did. When Jesus called His disciples to follow Him, the expectation was that we would go with Him, learn from Him, live with Him, and follow His example and become like Him.
So, if you want to say you are “in Christ”, let Jesus lead you and teach you to live as He would.
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.com, where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from “Pause for Power” By Warren Wiersbe.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Wiersbe’s books for your own private study and to support the late author’s work. This resource is available online for less than $20 at many sites.
Day 14 – Order in the Church – Read 1 Corinthians 11:1–16
I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. -1 Corinthians 11:3
Eastern society at this time was very jealous over its women. Except for the temple prostitutes, the women wore long hair and, in public, wore coverings over their heads. For the Christian women to appear in public without the coverings, let alone to pray and share the Word in church, was both daring and blasphemous.
Paul sought to restore order by reminding the Corinthians that God had made a difference between men and women, that each had a proper place in God’s economy. There were also appropriate customs that symbolized these relationships and reminded both men and women of their correct places in the divine scheme. Paul did not say, or even hint, that difference meant inequality or inferiority. If there is to be peace in the church, then there must be some kind of order; and order of necessity involves rank. However, rank and quality are two different things. The captain has a higher rank than the private, but the private may be a better person.
Something to Ponder: Have you ever felt inferior or unequal at church? What (if anything) did you do about that?[1]
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[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, Pause for Power: A 365-Day Journey through the Scriptures, 2nd Ed., Year in the Word Series (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2010).
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