2018-07-31
Psalm 37:23 CEV
To succeed in life, you need these four things: (1) Morals. What are you willing to compromise to get where you’re trying to go? You can’t get there any old way you like; you must have boundaries. Yes, we’ve all broken the rules at some time or other, but thank God we had rules to break. We were able to realign ourselves because somebody had pitched a tent on where “right” is. Today folks don’t seem to know or care much about that. (2) Methods. A goal without a plan is like a road to nowhere. First the goal, then the plan, then the process. Adapting this simple three-step formula helps you understand that you won’t just leap into success. There are methods you must employ and stay with! (3) Means. When God gives you the “vision,” He also gives you the “provision.” When that doesn’t happen, either the timing is not right or what you want differs from what He has in mind for you. God’s provision can come as an idea that hits you suddenly, or a thought that takes root and grows over time. And His provision involves help from other people, so walk in love wherever you go. (4) Management. Jesus said, “To whom much is given, of him shall much be required” (Luke 12:48 AMPC). Some people act like “it’s over” when God gives it to them. No, it’s just beginning. And guess who your biggest management challenge will be? You! That’s why the Psalmist wrote, “If you do what the Lord wants, he will make certain each step you take is sure.”
Soul food: Ezra 3-5; Luke 10:1-12; Ps 78:1-8; Prov 19:21-23
2018-07-13
Genesis 39:3 NIV
The second credential you need when it comes to getting people to listen to you is: Success. Credibility doesn’t come from knowledge alone; it comes from results. When people want to succeed, they seek advice from those who have actually accomplished something. When you’re successful, there will always be those who want to listen to you. And if you have a proven track record in an area where they want to succeed, your credibility goes through the roof. So what does it take to be a success? Many different things. Here are a few: (1) Habits. Everybody wants to succeed, but few are willing to pay the price. You don’t determine your future; you determine your habits and your habits determine your future. The secret lies in your daily routine. To succeed you must make a habit of doing what those who are unsuccessful don’t do. (2) Opportunity. A successful person makes hay from the grass that grows under the other person’s feet! They don’t restrict their efforts to the hours when the sun shines. They recognize that success takes aspiration, inspiration, and perspiration. (3) Persistence. Success means getting back up each time you fall. Scientist and inventor Louis Pasteur said, “Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity.” (4) God. Abraham Lincoln said, “I believe the will of God prevails; without Him all human reliance is vain; without the assistance of that divine being I cannot succeed; with that assistance I cannot fail.” God gave “Joseph …success in everything he did,” and He wants to do the same for you!
Soul food: 2 Sam 1:1-3:21; Luke 6:37-49; Ps 109:1-15; Prov 17:27-28
2018-07-04
Proverbs 10:4 NLT
A leaf-cutting ant may carry up to fifty times its own weight more than a hundred meters. That’s the equivalent of a ninety kilogram man carrying five tons on his back for twenty seven kilometers! In a single summer, a large colony of ants may excavate thirteen to eighteen kilograms of earth to make a nest, and carry 2200 kilograms of material back into the nest for food. It can make as many as four round trips a day to food sources that may be more than hundred meters from the nest. That’s roughly equivalent to a person walking 100 kilometers. If the ant had the stride of a man, it would be capable of bursts of speed in excess of 32km per hour. One thing about an ant you can count on: He always gives his best and pulls his share of the load. Teach your kids that their reputation will never rise above their work ethic, and how people view them as workers. The success of the Walt Disney empire is based on the philosophy of its founder: “Whatever you do, do it so well that when people see you do it, they’ll want to come back and see you do it, and they’ll want to bring others and show them how well you do what you do.” Teach your children to work hard, always finish the job, and always give their best. If they learn that lesson well, you won’t have to teach them much about success – it will be their constant companion.
Soul food: 1 Sam 14-15; Luke 4:14-30; Ps 98; Prov 17:1-3
2018-05-24
Proverbs 22:29 NIV
Here’s a prayer for success at work: “Lord, I thank You for the way You’ve made me, for the many gifts and talents You’ve placed within me, and I trust that I’m the best person for this job. I am grateful for each and every one of the personalities I work with, even the ones I don’t particularly like or understand. I ask that my focus would be on accomplishing the goals You have set forth for me to perform during my time in this position. Give me wisdom and discernment on the job, even in the midst of a hostile environment. Help me to learn what You want to teach me here, and give me patience as You prepare me for the future. Help me to do my best, and to always remain positive and hopeful. Please quiet the complaints and disappointments of my heart with Your perfect peace, and allow me to trust You with my job. Dress me in the garments of praise and the righteousness of Christ that I may bring You glory where I work. Allow me to know my true identity, to walk in Your favor, and to seek to please You more than those with whom I work. Where there is contention, let me be a peacemaker. Where there is deceit, let me speak truth. Where there is despair, let me bring hope. Where there is fear, let me bring faith. Where there is darkness, let me bring light. Where there is sadness, let me bring joy. These things I ask in Jesus’ name, amen.”
Soul food: Judg 9:34-11:40; Mark 10:35-52; Ps 129; Prov 20:25; Ecc 5:4-6
2018-05-05
Ecclesiastes 12:13 NIV
In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon talks about all the things in life he tried and found to be disappointing: the intellectual pursuit of knowledge, the physical pursuit of pleasure, and the material pursuit of wealth. In the last chapter of Ecclesiastes he bottom-lines it: “Everything is meaningless” (v. 8 NIV). In other words: “Been there, done that – and it’s just the ‘same ol’, same ol’.” Now, penning his last divinely-inspired thoughts, he wraps up his life’s message with these words: “Here is the conclusion of the matter.” This is big stuff! Solomon is about to give us his bottom-line evaluation of a life well-lived. What is it? “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment” (vv. 13-14 NIV). The words “fear God” simply mean to reverence, love, and serve Him, and live your life according to the precepts laid down in His Word. The songwriter put it this way: “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” Author John Mason writes: “Is more money, a higher position, or more influence your goal? These are not goals; they are the by-product of true goals…Seek not success, but truth, and you will find both. Work to become, not acquire. Measure wealth by the things you have which you would not exchange for money.” When you wake each morning, pray this simple prayer: “Lord, above all else help me to spend this day loving You and carrying out Your will. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”
Soul food: Deut 8-10; Mark 6:30-44; Ps 37:8-15; Prov 11:27-29
