When I wrote Reflections On Success in 1996, I had been a public servant for 22 years. I remember farther back, when I was having job interviews back in the early 1970s, one recruiter asked me where I wanted to be in five years. I told this person, "I want to be where God wants me to be." Now, as I prepare to exit the public service after almost 34 years, it's been a pretty amazing time, and I can see God's blessing all along the way.

I don't think I'd have ever dreamed that a public service career could have turned into a ministry opportunity. In fact, for the first six years or so, I just did my job, "crunching numbers" for Statistics Canada (StatCan). Then around 1980, I discovered that some folks at work were meeting over the noon-hour to study the Bible. This was not new to me — I'd been involved in Bible studies at university and in my own church — but in a work setting — this was something new. I joined the group, and within a few years, I graduated to leadership when the founder retired. Sometimes, it would be only myself and one other person, but we continued to meet ("wherever two or three are gathered…") and over a number of years, God honoured our faithfulness, and other groups were formed by some of those we'd nurtured along. Today, there are six different Christian activities happening regularly at StatCan, including a French group, a Mandarin group, a "video group" that grew out of an Alpha program, and one group that regularly looks at some of the "Christian classics" like The Westminster Confession of Faith. Mainly, we explore what it is to be a Christian in the workplace, but this also involves getting to know one another on a deeper level, supporting each other in prayer, and much more. My group has been a rock for me over the years when I was so busy in my own church that I couldn't squeeze in time in the evenings for Bible study. To see some of "our folk" mature as Christians, wanting to follow God more closely, willing to take on tasks to serve Him, touches the heart.

So, as I prepare to exit my workplace in the next month or so, what is foremost in my mind is what has been accomplished for His kingdom. The rest pales in comparison!

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to trust You to keep us on track, Your track, in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. Help us to be Your people each day, to show others by our love that we have a loving heavenly Father, and to help them to come to know You, too. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

The article encouraged me to look at my situation. I was a Christian (Presbyterian all my life, believer since university days), husband, father of two (boy born 1977, girl 1980), elder and Sunday School superintendent in my church, with a fairly heavy load there. As a Christian, I was known by God and I knew Him. I was trying to follow where He led, and had taken on the responsibilities of marriage, fatherhood, eldership, and the superintendency with a fairly clear indication that these were things the Lord wanted me to do. When I began looking at my circumstances in this light, I could see that in His terms, I was a success. Furthermore, He had given me so many responsibilities in the local church that I probably couldn't have handled any increase at work. This brought me to a state of peace with God, and helped ease my fears about the future — if it were in His hands, it really couldn't be more secure. Ah, the peace of God that passes all understanding!

The interesting thing is what happened next — although the "next" was over an extended period — "in His time". To make a long story short, I received a promotion, and financial security is no longer a concern. Responsibilities have shifted somewhat, more at work, different ones at church and in the family (father of two teenagers!). The active verse these days seems to be this:

Luke 12:48b – From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. (NIV)

Along with this comes the sense that the Lord is with me, and will never give me anything I can't handle with His strength. What more can I say? How about "Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow!"

Prayer: Dear Lord, thanks for being our loving heavenly Father and all that this entails: wanting to be there for us through all of our lives, guiding, guarding, scolding, consoling — all those things a father does. Thanks for Your faithfulness in our past and our present. Help us to trust You for our future. In the precious name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Proverbs 3:6 – He's the one who will keep you on track. (MSG)

Mary Daniel wondered in Reunions, published on May 26, 2008, what had happened to some who had submitted devotionals back in the “old days”. My sole contribution was Reflections On Success (Or A Lack Thereof) on December 29, 1996. I just had a look at it to see where my mindset was back then. At the time, I had been a public servant for twenty-two years. I remember farther back, when I was having job interviews back in the early '70s, one recruiter asked me where I wanted to be in five years. I told this person, "I want to be where God wants me to be." Now, as I prepare to exit the public service after almost thirty-four years, it's been a pretty amazing time, and I can see God's blessing all along the way.

I don't think I'd have ever dreamed that a public service career could have turned into a ministry opportunity. In fact, for the first six years or so, I just did my job, "crunching numbers" for Statistics Canada. Then around 1980, I discovered that some folks at work were meeting over the noon-hour to study the Bible. This was not new to me — I'd been involved in Bible studies at university and in my own church — but in a work setting — this was something new. I joined the group, and within a few years, I graduated to leadership when the founder retired. Sometimes, it would be only myself and one other person, but we continued to meet ("wherever two or three are gathered…") and over a number of years, God honoured our faithfulness, and other groups were formed by some of those we'd nurtured along. Today, there are six different Christian activities happening regularly at StatCan, including a French group, a Mandarin group, a "video group" that grew out of an Alpha program, and one group that regularly looks at some of the "Christian classics" like the Westminster Confession of Faith. Mainly, we explore what it is to be a Christian in the workplace, but this also involves getting to know one another on a deeper level, supporting each other in prayer, and much more. My group has been a rock for me over the years when I was so busy in my own church that I couldn't squeeze in time in the evenings for Bible study. To see some of "our folk" mature as Christians, wanting to follow God more closely, willing to take on tasks to serve Him, touches the heart.

So, as I prepare to exit my workplace in the next month or so, what is foremost in my mind is what has been accomplished for His kingdom. The rest pales in comparison!

Prayer: Dear Lord, thanks for being our loving heavenly Father and all that this entails: wanting to be there for us through all of our lives, guiding, guarding, scolding, consoling — all those things a father does. Thanks for Your faithfulness in our past and our present. Help us to trust You for our future, to keep us on track, Your track, in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. Help us to be Your people each day, to show others by our love that we have a loving heavenly Father, and to help them to come to know You too. In the precious name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

The article encouraged me to look at my situation. I was a Christian (Presbyterian all my life, believer since university days), husband, father of two (boy born 1977, girl 1980), elder and Sunday School superintendent in my church, with a fairly heavy load there. As a Christian, I was known by God and I knew Him. I was trying to follow where he led, and had taken on the responsibilities of marriage, fatherhood, eldership and the superintendency with a fairly clear indication that these were things the Lord wanted me to do. When I began looking at my circumstances in this light I could see that in His terms, I was a success. Furthermore, He had given me so many responsibilities in the local church that I probably couldn't have handled any increase at work. This brought me to a state of peace with God, and helped ease my fears about the future – if it was in His hands, it really couldn't be more secure. Ah, the peace of God that passes all understanding!

The interesting thing is what happened next – although the "next" was over an extended period – "in His time". To make a long story short, I received a promotion and financial security is no longer a concern. Responsibilities have shifted somewhat, more at work, different ones at church and in the family (father of two teenagers!). The active verse these days seems to be Luke 12:48b: "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked". Along with this comes the sense that the Lord is with me, and will never give me anything I can't handle with His strength. What more can I say? How about "Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow!"