2021-01-30
Luke 12:48 NIV
Author H. Jackson Brown Jr. quipped, “Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There’s plenty of movement, but you never know if it’s going to be forward, backwards, or sideways.” If you know you have talent and you’ve seen a lot of motion but little concrete results, you may lack self-discipline. Look at last week’s schedule. How much of your time did you devote to regular, disciplined activities? Did you do anything to grow and improve yourself? If you have been putting these things off and telling yourself that you’ll do them later, you need to work on your self-discipline. A nursery in Canada displays this sign on its wall: “The best time to plant a tree is twenty five years ago…The second best time is today.” So starting today – discipline yourself.
Why? Because: (1) There’s a price to pay to reach the next level. American playwright Sidney Howard remarked: “One half of knowing what you want, is knowing what you must give up before you get it.”
(2) Be willing to start with small things. At first your gains will be small, but they will grow. The difference between the gold medal winner and the other contestants, is often just hundredths of a second.
(3) Get into the right environment. Since improvement always requires some degree of risk and failure, pick a place where growth and experimentation are encouraged.
(4) Believe that you can always do it better. Anything you’ve done in a particular way for a given amount of time, can always be done better. So with God’s help, you can keep improving.
Soul food: Isa 42-44; Matt 11:10-19; Ps 107:17-22; Prov 3:21-24
2021-01-29
Ezekiel 8:4 NIV
When God gives you a vision it will change your life. John Sculley, former president of PepsiCo and Apple computer said, “The future belongs to those who see the possibilities before they become obvious.” The Bible tells us God “calls those things which do not exist as though they did” (Romans 4:17 NKJV). Vision paints the target, lights a fire within you, and draws you forward. If what you’re pursuing in life doesn’t come from a burning desire within you – from the very depths of who you are and what you believe – you will not be able to accomplish it. Why is that? Because along the way you will have to overcome obstacles, opposition, roadblocks, and resistance.
Esther’s vision meant putting her life on the line to save the Jewish people from annihilation. She said, “If I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16). Did she perish? No, but she had to be willing to. Are you? To fulfill your vision you must do two things:
(1) Measure yourself. If you’ve previously thought about your life’s vision and articulated it clearly, measure how well you are carrying it out. Talk to those you trust and ask them to tell you what they think your vision is. And if they can articulate it, then you are probably living it.
(2) Write it down. “Write the vision and make it plain…that he may run who reads it” (Habakkuk 2:2 NKJV). Writing clarifies your thinking. Once your vision is in writing, it becomes the roadmap to your destination. Consult it often, and pursue it with all that lies within you. If you do, chances are you will live to see it fulfilled.
Soul food: Isa 38-41; Matt 11:1-9; Ps 107:10-16; Prov 3:19-20
2021-01-28
Proverbs 22:3 NLT
Here are three things realistic thinking will do for you:
(1) It will give you a sense of security. When you have thought through the worst that can happen and developed contingency plans to meet it, you become more confident and secure. It’s reassuring to know that you are unlikely to be surprised. Disappointment is the difference between expectations and reality. Thinking realistically minimizes the difference between the two.
(2) It will give you credibility. Leaders who are continually surprised by the unexpected soon lose credibility in the eyes of their followers. On the other hand, leaders who think realistically and plan accordingly position themselves to win. That gives their followers confidence in them. So before you invite anyone else to be part of your vision or your project, ask yourself: (a) Is it possible? (b) Have I identified and explained the pros and cons of achieving it? (c) Do I have a solid foundation to build on? Thomas Edison observed, “The value of a good idea is in using it.”
(3) It will help you to make an idea useable by taking away the “wish factor.” Most ideas and efforts don’t accomplish their intended results because they rely too much on what we wish, rather than what is. You can’t build a house in mid air; it needs a solid foundation. Ideas and plans are the same. They need something concrete on which to build, and thinking realistically provides that solid foundation.
Solomon put it this way: “A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.” So the word for you today is – think realistically.
Soul food: Isa 34-37; Matt 10:32-42; Ps 107:1-9; Prov 3:13-18
2021-01-27
Luke 14:28 NLT
Reality is the difference between what you wish for – and what is. If you’re a naturally optimistic person you may find it difficult to think realistically. Indeed, you may think it’s the opposite of having faith. No, faith doesn’t deny the problem, it connects you with God through whose strength you can overcome. Here are two things that thinking realistically will do for you:
(1) Minimize unnecessary risks. All actions have consequences. Thinking realistically will help you determine what those consequences could be. This is particularly important when your actions affect others. The old motto, “expect the best but plan for the worst,” has merit. By thinking that way you minimize unnecessary risks. It gives you a goal, with a plan to reach it. Here’s the good news: You need a sense of hope in order to succeed. Here’s the bad news: Hope is not a strategy.
(2) Show you what needs to be changed. People who rely solely on hope for their success, rarely make change a high priority. If you only have hope, you imply that success is out of your hands. It’s a matter of luck and chance – so why bother changing. There’s nothing like reality staring you in the face, to help you see what needs to be changed. Change alone doesn’t bring growth, but you cannot have growth without change.
Following Christ is the most blessed and joyful life you can live, but there’s a price to be paid for it. And Jesus was realistic about it: “If you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple…Don’t begin until you count the cost” (vv.14:27-28 NLT).
Soul food: Isa 30-33; Matt 10:21-31; Ps 104:24-35; Prov 3:11-12
2021-01-26
Acts 17:27 NKJV
The Bible says God “is not far from each one of us!” God does not play favourites. From the masses on the city avenues to the isolated villagers in valleys and jungles, all people can enjoy God’s presence. But many don’t. They plod through life as if there were no God to love them. As if their only strength was their own. As if the only solution comes from within, not above. They live godless lives. But you don’t have to do that. You can: (1) Lean on God’s presence. “For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you'” (Hebrews 13:5 NKJV). (2) Lean on God’s people. “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20 NKJV).
When Moses and the Israelites battled the Amalekites, God commissioned Joshua to lead the fight in the valley below while Moses ascended the hill to pray. But he did not go alone. He took his two lieutenants, Aaron and Hur. While Joshua led the physical combat, Moses engaged in a spiritual fight. Aaron and Hur stood on either side of their leader to hold up his arms in the battle of prayer. The Israelites prevailed because Moses prayed, and Moses prevailed because he had others to pray with him. Just as an army calls in air support, you can call in prayer support. Jesus said, “If two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven” (v.19 NKJV). So lean on God’s presence and His people.
Soul food: Isa 26-29; Matt 10:11-20; Ps 104:1-23; Prov 3:9-10
2021-01-25
Proverbs 2:6 NIV
Personal growth involves four things:
(1) Environment. You must place yourself in a setting that fosters growth. Certain fish grow according to the size of their surroundings. If you keep them in a small tank they stay small, but when you release them into the ocean they grow to their intended size. The same principle applies to you. You must spend your time with the right crowd, in the right place, doing the right things, in order to grow.
(2) Strength. Author and leadership expert Peter Drucker said: “The great mystery isn’t that people do things badly, but that they occasionally do a few things well. The only thing that’s universal is incompetence. Strength is always specific!” When you try to be good at everything, you end up being good at nothing. God gave you specific strengths – identify them and use them.
(3) Change. Most of us want things to get better without having to change anything. The Bible says, “Let us…be taken forward to maturity” (Hebrews 6:1 NIV). To grow, you must commit yourself to not only accepting change, but to pursuing it.
(4) Enjoyment. Most grandmasters of chess learn and relearn their moves over a period of fifteen-years before winning their first world title. That’s almost one-fifth of their lives! If you’re going to spend that much time doing something, you’d better enjoy it! If the destination appeals to you but you’re not enjoying the journey, you’d be wise to seek God’s guidance and make sure you’re heading in the right direction. If you’re on the wrong train, don’t keep going – get off at the next station!
Soul food: Isa 22-25; Matt 10:1-10; Ps 100; Prov 3:7-8
