One of my greatest disappointments in ‘growing up’ was realizing how much we really don’t. You can look at some adults and sometimes easily tell who was the cry baby, the know it all, the spoiled child…the one who took their toys and went home when they didn’t get their way.

You can work in an office, school, store, restaurant, or even a church and you’ll find the same thing…proof that some of us never really grow up. Many work places aren’t much different from high school…

You have the so-called…

Popular/Cool kids

Nerds

Jocks

Preps

Bullies

Loners

You have those with aggravatingly high levels of ‘school spirit’ and those who ‘smoke in the bathroom’ and could care less…those who are ‘company people’ and those who spend most of their day in the designated smoking area.

You have those who ‘remind the teacher (boss) we have a test’…those who can’t wait to remind the boss of that meeting that no one wanted to have.

You have those who are always late for class and never have their assignments…those always late for work and hold up the process, the line…progress because they haven’t done their part.

You have the teacher’s pet…those who love ‘kissing the bosses behind’ trying to get noticed or get ahead, and you see it sometimes backfire on them at work just as it did in school.

You have those who keep their ‘desk’ in perfect condition…those whose desk is an organized mess…and those whose desk is a disaster area.

School should be a place where all children can go to learn in peace and safety…be challenged and enjoy rewarding friendships.

Our workplaces should be places where we can earn a living for ourselves or our families and be respected as adults.

Does any of this sound familiar to you?

Both school and workplaces are ruined by the same things…

Selfishness

Immaturity

Over Ambition

Arrogance

Untrustworthy

Cliques

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People who forget the real reason they’re at WORK.

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God’s word tells us that we should always be mindful to treat others not only as we want to be treated…

Matthew 7:12 (NKJV)

¹² Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

But, also better than ourselves…

Philippians 2:3 (NKJV)

³ Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

God also expects us to do whatever it takes within us to get along with others…

Romans 12:18 (NKJV)

¹⁸ If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

The bible teaches us that God expects us to be ‘perfect’. But, perfect in the bible does not mean without fault. It means ‘mature’ (according to Strong’s Concordance Greek teleios means mature or consummated).

Matthew 5:48 (NKJV)

⁴⁸ Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect

Philippians 3:15 (NKJV)

¹⁵ Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.

When you’re in fourth grade, you should be at that proper level of development…intellectually, emotionally, behaviorally and socially. You aren’t expected to be in the fourth grade on an eight grade level…or vice versa. If you are on your appropriate level of development, according to the bible you are ‘perfect’ or mature.

The problem is that in our workplaces…too many people remained at the ‘forth grade’ level even though they have moved to ‘high school’. God expects us to grow up.

If we take God’s work serious enough in our homes to instill it within our children, we will find our schools much better places to learn, which will create adults who make our workplaces better places to work.

God’s word will make us grow up.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

When you love someone, you want to learn what pleases them…and what displeases them.

The same is true for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…Yeshua the Messiah.

Many of you already know that the Hebrew name for Jesus is Yehoshua, or Yeshua in its shortened form.

Many of you also know that Jesus is a transliteration of Yeshua in Hebrew to Iesous in Greek and later Jesus after the letter ‘J’ was added to the English language in the 1500’s.

We also know the importance God places on names in both Old and New Testaments.

So here’s my question for serious contemplation and conversation…

What if…Just what if…Jesus doesn’t like being called Jesus just as a man named Michael doesn’t like being called Michelle…and vice versa? Both Michael and Michelle have the same meaning, but they aren’t the same name.

Nor, do we call Joshua of the Old Testament Jesus, as both names have the same meaning, but they aren’t the same name.

If companies will sue over misuse of their name…is it possible that Yeshua wants to be called Yeshua. God introduced Himself to the world through the Hebrew people… not a race, but a faith He created as His own people.

Is it our place to tell our Savior what He wants to be called? When we refer to foreign leaders, do we translate or transliterate their name, or do we refer to them in their particular language?

How do people abroad refer to Barak Obama, Donald Trump, or Joe Biden? What is the city of Jerusalem (Yerushalayim) called in other countries?

If we REALLY love God through His Son as we claim, shouldn’t we at least consider it.?

The truth is that it’s possible for millions of sincere people to believe the WRONG thing.

I’m not asking this question with my mind made up that using the name Jesus is wrong. I just feel if we really want to ‘get to know Him and please Him that we should continually refine our faith and relationships.

In how many different ways will He feel we haven’t tried to get to know Him…

Matthew 7:21-23 (ESV)

^{21 (A)}“Not everyone who ^(B)says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will ^(C)enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who ^(D)does the will of my Father who is in heaven.^{22 (E)}On that day ^(F)many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not ^(G)prophesy in your name, and cast out demons ^(H)in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ ^{23 (I)}And then will I declare to them, ‘I ^(J)never knew you; ^(K)depart from me, ^(L)you workers of lawlessness.’

It’s the same as wondering how does He feel about people using the symbol of His execution to represent Him. Original translations never said CROSS…they say EXECUTION STAKE, but that’s another discussion.

And think about the implications on this scripture…

¹¹ “This Yeshua is the stone rejected by you builders which has become the cornerstone.^[a]12 There is salvation in no one else! For there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by whom we must be saved!” Acts 4:11-13 (CJB)

Think about it. Talk about it.

BE BLESSTIFIED!