2023-06-26
Proverbs 20:7 NLT
Here are six ingredients which are always found in lasting success:
(1) Information. If you don’t stay informed, you will be left behind.
(2) Intuition. This is sometimes referred to as “to know in your knower.”
(3) Initiative. This is when you are willing to step out in faith and act on what you know intuitively.
(4) Intentionality. This is when you are willing to set specific goals and timelines for reaching them.
(5) Intensity. This calls for more than starting power, it requires staying power.
(6) Integrity. This is the glue that holds the previous five things together. And it’s rooted in that private life you develop alone with God.
We often hear architects, engineers, and builders say, “This building has structural integrity.” What do they mean? That the public beauty of a tall skyscraper relies on its private, unseen foundation that is dug deep into the earth and solidly constructed. It is that hidden life of a building that brings structural integrity. Likewise, it’s the hidden life of a fruit tree – the unseen root system that digs deep into the earth – that produces those juicy, delectable fruits. And so it is with you.
Integrity must be rooted in your private life. Don’t wait until you’re thrust into the public arena before paying attention to your integrity, for then you will have waited until it’s too late. Your talent may bring you success, but it takes character to protect and maintain your success. The truth is that when your integrity is rooted in your private world, it’s reflected in your personal world, your professional world, and your public world.
Soul food: Hosea 11-14; Matt 21:33-46; Ps 17; Prov 14:13-16
2023-06-25
Proverbs 10:9 NKJV
What would you say is the single most important characteristic of a person who wants to be successful and make a difference in the world? Some would say intelligence. After all, knowledge is power in numerous ways. Others argue it is intensity, that spirit of conquest supplemented with a passion that becomes contagious. Yet others propose that it is insight, good old common sense accompanied by the ability to clearly perceive certain issues.
The Bible says the most important quality in success is integrity: “He who walks with integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will become known.” You will eventually “become known” by your integrity or the lack of it. We have all known people along life’s road who possess extraordinary intelligence but no integrity, and they are no longer in the race. Others with great intensity and passion but little integrity have ended up the same way. The same result is true of people with great insight but no integrity. The thesaurus equates integrity with such words as “honesty, completeness, and incorruptibility.”
Integrity begins in your private world; the part of you that’s known only to God and yourself. Then it shows up in your personal world; the part of you that you reveal to a small circle of intimate family members and possibly a few friends. After that comes your professional world. Here people know you by your product, your work ethic, or your skill set. And they all ask the same question: “Can I trust you?” Finally, your integrity shows up in your public world. So here is the question: Do you have integrity?
Soul food: Exo 34:27-35; Col 2:9-15
2023-06-24
Ecclesiastes 2:11 NLT
Here are two more scriptural values you should live by:
(1) Equality. “For there is no respect of persons with God” (Romans 2:11 KJV). In God’s eyes, no person is more important than another. Not one! Some have received more access to the things the world offers, achieved more education, or been called to higher ranks of responsibility. But in God’s eyes, no one is innately better. The ground is level at the foot of the cross, and we all approach God as sinners in need of salvation. So no matter what your position is in life, God expects you to treat everyone with the same respect.
(2) Generosity. Jesus said, “Your gift will return to you in full – pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over… The amount you give will determine the amount you get back” (Luke 6:38 NLT). Others don’t determine what you receive. Even God doesn’t. You do! “The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” You’re never more like God than when you give, and you can never surpass Him at giving. The truth is, you have no reason to be anxious about not having enough if you offer generosity to others.
Why is it important to have values that you live by? Solomon answers: “As I looked at everything I worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless – like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile.”
Soul food: Hosea 6-10; Matt 21:18-32; Ps 8; Prov 14:9-12
2023-06-23
Proverbs 11:3 NIV
Here are some values based on Scripture:
(1) God’s sovereignty. “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed” (Psalm 139:16 NLT). You can rest in knowing that God has the last word on everything that concerns you (See Psalm 138:8). When all is said and done, you have an ordered destiny. When you know that, you don’t have to try and manipulate people and circumstances to your advantage. You simply have to walk through the doors God opens and be at peace with the doors He closes, knowing He always has your best interests at heart.
(2) Integrity. “The integrity of the upright guides them.” As you walk in integrity, you will experience God’s peace because you know you have done the right thing in His sight. Integrity is not only being honest or telling the truth, but also ensuring what you say is the truth. In other words, you make your word your bond. Psalm 15:4 says that one of the traits of a person who abides in God’s presence and does His will is that they “keep their promises even when it hurts” (NLT).
(3) Humility. “Humility precedes honor” (Proverbs 15:33 NLT). Humility is not a sense of worthlessness, but instead an acceptance of your God-given strengths and God-allowed limitations. Your strengths should not make you arrogant, and your limitations should not make you apprehensive, for God has promised, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV).
Soul food: Hosea 1-5; Matt 21:1-17; Ps 144:9-15; Prov 14:5-8
2023-06-22
Galatians 5:22 NLT
You will notice that in listing the fruit of the Spirit, patience comes right after peace. Why? Because when you have peace in your heart, practically nothing can cause you to feel impatient. But these qualities are the fruit of the Spirit, not the effort of the flesh. You can’t psych yourself up and say, “I’m going to be patient if it kills me.” It could! If it is the genuine fruit of the Spirit, you will have genuine inner peace, and certain circumstances won’t bother you the way they used to. Why? Because you are depending on the Lord.
Patience is a kind of faith. It says, “I trust God. I believe He is bigger than this problem. I believe He has His hand in these irritations and can use them in my life for good.” Frustration says, “Why did this happen?” Faith says, “God, what do you want me to learn here?” Abraham was 100 years old when his second son, Isaac, was born. That’s a long time to be patient.
The toughest kind of waiting occurs when you are in a rush and God is not. It’s hard to be patient when you’re waiting for an answer to prayer: for God to change your financial condition, or your health problem, or your family problem, or that relative who bothers you. Being patient is both the evidence of your faith and the test of your faith. It’s at such times that God whispers, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10 KJV). In other words, I’m in control, I have a better plan, I’m working things out for your good!
Soul food: 2 Kings 24-25; Matt 20:29-34; Ps 144:1-8; Prov 14:1-4
2023-06-21
Proverbs 17:22 GNT
Here are two more things you need to do in order to develop patience:
(1) Develop a sense of humor. The Bible says, “A relaxed attitude lengthens a man’s life” (Proverbs 14:30 TLB). Scientific studies reveal that people who laugh, live longer. Humor is a stress dissolver. It’s an antidote to apprehension. It’s a tranquilizer without any troubling side effects. It’s a shock absorber for the potholes of life. Someone once asked President Abraham Lincoln how he handled the tensions of the Civil War. He said, “If it hadn’t been for laughter, I could not have made it.” When you can laugh at it, you can live with it. And besides, if you learn to laugh at your problems, you will never run out of anything to laugh at!
(2) Deepen your love. Paul writes, “Love is very patient” (1 Corinthians 13:4 TLB). That means when you are impatient, you are being unloving. When you love someone, you’re concerned about that person’s wishes, distresses, needs, and point of view – not just your own. When you are filled with love, almost nothing can provoke you to anger or impatience. On the other hand, when you are filled with anger, almost anything can provoke you. Under pressure, whatever is inside you is going to come out. So, deepen your love. “Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love” (Ephesians 4:2 TLB). And one more thought: When you learn to love the people who irritate you, you take a weapon out of Satan’s hands that he can use against you. Today pray, “Lord, make me a more patient person.”
Soul food: 2 Kings 21-23; Matt 20:17-28; Ps 139:13-24; Prov 13:25
