God never intended our lives to be artificial or rotten. He purposed us to be the real stuff – fruit that nourishes the body and can reproduce itself because of the seed that lies within. “Remain in Me – and I in you – you WILL produce fruit” (John 15:5).… Read the rest
“Remodeling the heart is not always pleasant. We don’t object when the Carpenter adds a few shelves, but He’s been known to gut the entire west wing. He has such high aspirations for you. God envisions a complete restoration. He won’t stop until He is finished” (Max Lucado, Just Like Jesus). And He won’t be finished until we have been shaped “along the…lines…of His Son” (Romans 8:29).… Read the rest
“God loves to decorate. Let him live long enough in a heart, and that heart will begin to change. Portraits of hurt will be replaced by landscapes of grace. Walls of anger will be demolished and shaky foundations restored. God can no more leave a life unchanged than a mother can leave her child’s tear untouched” (Max Lucado, Just Like Jesus). It’s not enough for Him to own you; He wants to change you.… Read the rest
Our natural tendency when we feel walked on is to build up walls. No one likes to get hurt, and we will pay a great price to ensure we are not. But God calls us to stay broken and open to Him, especially since that price was already paid by Him. Forgive. Let things go. You will never regret it.… Read the rest
The true God-centered people of God will always reproduce the nature of Him in their worlds around them. Fruit happens (this should be a bumper sticker). But the fact is, as we deepen our faith in God, fruit will develop on the branches of our lives. It’s just the natural by-product of His presence within us. “When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing” (John 15:5).… Read the rest
“The natural condition for human life is shared rootedness in one another. Just like a tree is rooted in the earth and where it gets nourishment, human beings were created to be rooted in the hearts of other human beings. The very assurance that somebody loves me, is for me, pays attention to me, and watches over me, is the indispensable condition of a healthy, stable life. Our well-being depends on it” (Dallas Willard).… Read the rest
No matter what’s going on, no matter what the world may suggest, no matter where the winds might blow, may we bow to no other but God. Paul writes, “Stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you” (2 Thessalonians 2:15). As the ageless hymn so powerfully states, “All other ground is sinking sand.”… Read the rest
“In ALL your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:6). What an incredible promise to those who want to know, and do, God’s will in every area of their lives. He is EAGER to reveal Himself. It’s His nature.… Read the rest
“Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart, and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). Solomon is not suggesting that we surrender our ability to think, just that we understand that in the end, God gets the last word. The late E.V. Hill once said, “Do everything you can as if there’s no God. But once you’ve done everything you can do, trust as if there’s ONLY God.”… Read the rest
“God rewards those who seek Him. Not those who seek doctrine or religion or systems or creeds. Many settle for these lesser passions, but the reward goes to those who settle for nothing less than Jesus Himself. And what is the reward? What awaits those who seek Jesus? Nothing short of the heart of Jesus” (Max Lucado).… Read the rest
The greater the intimacy we have in God, the greater the awe we will have of God. Paul tells us that “no one’s ever seen or heard anything like this, never so much as imagined anything quite like it – what God has arranged for those who LOVE Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). If we would make God our wonder, it’s promised that we would see the wonders of our God.… Read the rest
Arsene Houssaye wrote, “Tell me whom you love, and I will tell you who you are.” The Scriptures tell us that the mouth speaks that which is in our hearts. We could say in reverse, ‘what lies in our hearts, our mouths will speak.’ As Jesus said, “All who love Me will do what I say” (John 14:23). So check your heart – it says a lot.… Read the rest
Charles Spurgeon stated, “If God does not save a man by truth, He certainly will not save them by lies. And if the old gospel is not competent to work a revival, then let’s do without the revival; we will keep to the old truth, no matter, come what may.” While we can do great things without God, we just can’t do anything eternal.… Read the rest
A.W. Tozer once said, “Worship is the missing jewel of the church.” I’ve heard it said that we are becoming a generation of people who worship our work, work at our play, and play at our worship. If we’re going to be a people of worship, we must forget what lies around us and focus first on Who it is that is within us.… Read the rest
“Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing” (Albert Schweitzer). Remember, vision is caught, not taught. Despite what our words may suggest, our actions will always speak louder. “Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching” (Titus 2:7).… Read the rest
Leadership is a patient quality of which the Lord gives. It is an awesome responsibility as well as audacious. Thus, I’m always suspicious of those who want its authority without paying the epoch price. As wine tastes best with age (so they tell me), so is leadership. I guess we could say, then, “There is no leadership, before its time.”… Read the rest
I think one of the great tragedies of our generation is how prematurely we give someone a title – especially the title of leader. Let’s be honest, it’s a right that’s earned over time. If we prescribe anything less, we’ve ultimately undermined the very authority the word represents.… Read the rest
You can’t hurry character. It’s a life-long process. Time is a leader’s best friend. As author Channing wrote, “The great hope of society is in individual character.”… Read the rest
Leaders understand the importance of keeping their word because their word is really all they have. Don’t be high on promise and low on performance. Say what you mean, and mean what you say.… Read the rest
Paul encouraged the church in Corinth, “Finish what you started…” (2 Corinthians 8:10). He wrote in Hebrews, “Finish the race…” (Hebrews 12:1), and went on to say, “Keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish” (Hebrews 12:2). Be a finisher.… Read the rest
Leaders don’t give up – they can’t. It’s not part of their vocabulary. For they understand that the moment they do, they quit leading. It’s been said that starters are a dime a dozen, but finishers are one-in-a-million. And the leaders understand God made us one-in-a-million – thus, they finish.… Read the rest
David Lloyd George once said, “There is nothing so fatal to character as half-finished tasks.” Character cannot permit a half-hearted effort because that’s not character. I’ll take the person every time who always gives their absolute best, yet maybe in the end comes up short. For at least when they lie down at night they know they did their best.… Read the rest
Don’t see failure as a setback; it’s part of success. No one wins all the time. So don’t give up or push back. It’s been said that the average man fears new opportunities because of the past while the leader fears missing out on them because of the future.… Read the rest
Winning may decide who gets the trophy, but character reveals who deserves it. How you lose speaks volumes about whether you should win. And to be honest, I’m more impressed by how someone loses than how someone wins. Remember, anyone can act gracefully at the top.… Read the rest
I’m convinced that character only grows on the anvil of pain. It’s part of life. You can’t avoid it. And thus, if you understand it, it can become the leader’s great gift. Allow me to explain. Leighton writes, “Adversity is the diamond dust Heaven polishes its jewels with.” And as my high school coach said often, “No pain; no gain.” Therefore, leverage it. Learn in it. And lead through it.… Read the rest