It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
    to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
    and your faithfulness by night – Psalm 92:-12

MONDAY: I don’t understand why Mondays tend to get such a bad rap so much of the time.

I understand “TGIF” – it means that people are looking forward to the coming weekend (and that’s good because who doesn’t enjoy a break after working hard?) – but you never seem to hear anyone running around yelling, “TGIM!”

So I’d like to propose a couple of reasons to proactively celebrate this much maligned Monday phenomenon, so we can all make our way to work feeling motivated and blessed.

1. First, it helps when I remember that meaningful work is a key element of the balanced life. Not just to provide the resources we need to eat, pay the bills, etc., but to engage meaning. We were all created in the image of God (even those who don’t acknowledge it), and one of the key ways we honor God’s image in our day-to-day lives is through creativity and productivity.
2. Then, my best Mondays are always set up so beautifully by great Sundays with my faith community. Sunday is the first day of the week, not the last day of the weekend. This distinction is important because spending quality time in worship, in learning, and in fellowship launches the coming week on an appropriate trajectory.

WIN-WIN: If being engaged in meaningful work is an important way to live in the image of my creator, then any investment I make in an active relationship with God will most definitely enrich the experience. Simply put, inviting God into the details of my Monday (and every day) is a huge win-win.

• If you hate Mondays, or if you resent your work, or if you don’t feel refreshed enough by the way you “do” weekends, then take the following prescription: Rearrange your Sunday schedule so that you always attend worship with your faith community, and then rearrange your morning routine so that you always spend quality time with God at the front end of every day.

Does this sound like an over-simplified fix? Newsflash – the good news of Jesus is the most straightforward wisdom in the Universe! as the apostle Paul wrote, “God chose things the world considers foolish in order to confound those who think they are wise. And God chose things that are powerless to confound those who are powerful…” – 1 Corinthians 1:27

So, before you dismiss my idea, consider the following thought: How is it working for you without living as an all-in disciple of Jesus? The Master put it this way: “Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” – Matthew 11:29-30

– DEREK

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe.  For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength. – 1 Corinthians 1:20-25