Has God ever told you something that others have tried to talk you out of? Even worse, have you ever been talked out of something that God has told you specifically to do? Or how about this, have you ever been told to do something by someone that just didn't seem right and you weren't sure what to do? Well let me ask you this... how is your relationship with the Lord? Do you really know His voice? If it's a good steady relationship where you can say that you know His voice, then why should you doubt?
The other day in my "daily reading" I found myself in 1 Kings 13 and the Holy Spirit really ministered to my heart about some things and kept bringing me back to them. In this verses 1-26 we have a the story of a "younger" prophet who heard from the Lord that on his journey he was not to eat and drink and that he was not to go home back the same way he came. He was obedient to this in his first encounter with Jeraboam but when he encountered the "older" prophet he was deceived by him and ended up going against what God had commanded him. This sin caused the younger prophet to be killed by a Lion and he was not buried with his family. Why did he decide to go with the "older" prophet's word over God's word? Was it because he was more experienced? Maybe he held a position of authority that made it very easy for the person to fall into the deceit. It is so important to have a personal relationship with the Lord and follow the command that He tells you and not let the influence of others interfere with that even if those others might be in a position of authority over you or a declared prophet.
Now let me clarify something here... this is for areas in your own personal life not in some area where you do not have authority. So no, God is not going to call you to overthrow your boss at work or your Pastor at church and do something that they did not allow or authorize. God is a God of order and not chaos. He may call you to give a word to your boss or pastor (be absolutely certain before you do and be very careful how you address it with them) and then it is up to them to take heed or not.
What God will always talk to us about is about things in our personal life, our homes, our family relationships, our marriages, where we are called to serve, who we are to minister to next, etc. Bottom line it is about what God says to us directly and it is about our own personal relationship with him. We can't let anyone take us away from that or try to influence another direction... even if they are "ones in authority". Be sure to check your leadings in this... does it line up with the Word of God? Jesus told us in John 10:27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." Besides time in the Word we must also spend time in prayer, talking to Him and letting Him talk to us. Here is a little secret when He does talk to us... LISTEN! After that be obedient to what He tells you and don't let anyone else talk you out of it. I can't help but think about Elijah when he was the only prophet for the God of Israel when he faced the 450 prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18). He could allowed the pressure of the multitude get to him and back down but he didn't and did the God show up in a major way for Him!
So how is our "personal" time? Are we letting God speak to us and are we really spending time with Him? How will we know what is God's voice speaking to us or someone else just trying to take control of our lives. It's time to start making it "personal" folks!
Blessings and Love!
DD
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Monday, June 08, 2009
Heart Of A Leader
As God's creation we have been given an innate instinct to be leaders as He commanded us in Genesis 1 to take dominion over all of the creatures on this earth, to fill the earth and subdue it (verses 26-28). Of course this is in the context of animals and the earth in general. But what about humans? Are we instantly good leaders to our brothers and sisters in Christ? If not, what makes us good leaders? Is it about us "laying down the law" and "expressing our authority?" Or is it about something deeper? As leaders are we instantly entitled to certain things that others aren't?
I think one of the greatest examples of a Godly leader shown in the Old Testament was Solomon. What made Solomon so great was his heart. In 1 Kings Chapter 3 we see the heart of Solomon shown in verses 5-14 where, while in Gibeon, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream and asked him what is it that He (the Lord) should give him. How would we have answered that question? A healthy life? A good home? That smokin' sports car that you have been eyeballing at the local dealership? Maybe for our families to be blessed? While these aren't necessarily bad things to have what really impressed God was Solomon's heart for the people. In verse 6 Solomon acknowledges the position that he was in as king and the awesome responsibility that comes with that. He also acknowledged in verse 7 that he couldn't handle the task on his own as he was a young and inexperienced king with very little knowledge on how to lead. The biggest acknowledgment that Solomon expressed was actually in verse 8 about how all of the people that he was given to lead were the Lord's people, who were great in the eyes of the Lord and so many that he couldn't even count them.
In verse 9 Solomon answers the Lord's question by asking for an understanding heart, that he would be able to distinguish what was good and what was bad, and finally that all of his judgements towards his people were right based on that understanding heart and knowing what was good and bad.
When Solomon made that request the Lord was pleased! How amazing would that be to know that your requests that you made to God actually might put a smile on His face! You see it is about a heart that has the ability to look beyond ourselves and any "selfish ambition" to see the people around us as more important. That we can do right by them, that we can approach them with an understanding heart. This is at the very heart of God and is the example of a loving heart.
Of course you might be thinking "But Dave - is it wrong for me to have that car or that house? What about my health?" No, but it is more about evaluating your heart about the matter. In verses 12 and 13 the Lord tells Solomon because of his heart and asking for that understanding that He was not only going to give him that wisdom and understand but He was also going to give him things that he didn't ask for. The Lord was referring to riches and honour, and even more than that... that there wasn't going to be another King like Solomon! If we read on in Kings we can see countless times where not only that wisdom is shown but how richly blessed Solomon truly was!
So what about us? What about the positions that God has put us in? What about the people in our lives? Are we approaching it with a heart for them or out of a selfish heart? As bosses are we more concerned about our "bottom line" than the well being of our employees? As husbands are we more concerned about what we are getting out of the marriage relationship more than our wives? What about the wives? Are we looking beyond ourselves to our husbands? What about the parents hearts towards our children? I am going to take some time to truly evaluate myself and my heart and see where I am at in all of this so that I can do right by all that I come in contact with daily. I pray that we all can take a moment to do that as I think we might be surprised at what we'll see.
The exciting thing is that when we truly repent and decide to get our hearts right not only will be blessed by being a blessing to others, verse 14 reminds us that as we walk in His ways that we will have long days!
Blessings and Love!
DD
I think one of the greatest examples of a Godly leader shown in the Old Testament was Solomon. What made Solomon so great was his heart. In 1 Kings Chapter 3 we see the heart of Solomon shown in verses 5-14 where, while in Gibeon, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream and asked him what is it that He (the Lord) should give him. How would we have answered that question? A healthy life? A good home? That smokin' sports car that you have been eyeballing at the local dealership? Maybe for our families to be blessed? While these aren't necessarily bad things to have what really impressed God was Solomon's heart for the people. In verse 6 Solomon acknowledges the position that he was in as king and the awesome responsibility that comes with that. He also acknowledged in verse 7 that he couldn't handle the task on his own as he was a young and inexperienced king with very little knowledge on how to lead. The biggest acknowledgment that Solomon expressed was actually in verse 8 about how all of the people that he was given to lead were the Lord's people, who were great in the eyes of the Lord and so many that he couldn't even count them.
In verse 9 Solomon answers the Lord's question by asking for an understanding heart, that he would be able to distinguish what was good and what was bad, and finally that all of his judgements towards his people were right based on that understanding heart and knowing what was good and bad.
When Solomon made that request the Lord was pleased! How amazing would that be to know that your requests that you made to God actually might put a smile on His face! You see it is about a heart that has the ability to look beyond ourselves and any "selfish ambition" to see the people around us as more important. That we can do right by them, that we can approach them with an understanding heart. This is at the very heart of God and is the example of a loving heart.
Of course you might be thinking "But Dave - is it wrong for me to have that car or that house? What about my health?" No, but it is more about evaluating your heart about the matter. In verses 12 and 13 the Lord tells Solomon because of his heart and asking for that understanding that He was not only going to give him that wisdom and understand but He was also going to give him things that he didn't ask for. The Lord was referring to riches and honour, and even more than that... that there wasn't going to be another King like Solomon! If we read on in Kings we can see countless times where not only that wisdom is shown but how richly blessed Solomon truly was!
So what about us? What about the positions that God has put us in? What about the people in our lives? Are we approaching it with a heart for them or out of a selfish heart? As bosses are we more concerned about our "bottom line" than the well being of our employees? As husbands are we more concerned about what we are getting out of the marriage relationship more than our wives? What about the wives? Are we looking beyond ourselves to our husbands? What about the parents hearts towards our children? I am going to take some time to truly evaluate myself and my heart and see where I am at in all of this so that I can do right by all that I come in contact with daily. I pray that we all can take a moment to do that as I think we might be surprised at what we'll see.
The exciting thing is that when we truly repent and decide to get our hearts right not only will be blessed by being a blessing to others, verse 14 reminds us that as we walk in His ways that we will have long days!
Blessings and Love!
DD
Thursday, June 04, 2009
NT Church = Community
In my daily reading today I found myself in Acts 2 and what really struck me was in verses 41-47 we are really given the definition of what the New Testament church is all about. Ultimately what community is all about as historically many communities were established and based around the church.
In Acts 2:41 it shows the powerful place that God has Peter in ministry as he preached and as a result of the power of God present in that preaching the number of people that were baptized and added to the church that day was 3,000 people! From there we really see what the New Testament Church/Community is all about. We almost can break this down by bullet points.
In Fact, I think I will:
1. They devoted themselves to the teaching.
2. They devoted themselves to fellowship.
3. They devoted themselves to sharing meals together (including the Lord's supper).
4. They devoted themselves to prayer (also worship).
As a result of those four things a deep sense of awe came over those who were in attendance. Was it mainly the teaching or the prayer? In our eyes that can be noted as the most "spiritual" things. But I really believe that what the Holy Spirit was trying to convey to us here was the fact that it was combination of all four of those things. Jesus did after all tell us to not only love the Lord our God but to love one another. The value of this relationship with each other can often-times be downplayed but it is really a vital aspect. This prepared the hearts of everyone there and created that sense of awe which in turn brought about signs miracles and wonders.
From that point everyone there shared in all that they had. Properties, possessions, talents, etc. to see that everyone had their needs met. They not only met at church together but they also met in each others homes and fellow shipped and ate together. They did this with joy and their hearts and abandoned selfishness so that they could truly be generous. Along with everything else they Praised God together and enjoyed each others company.
Finally we are told that the number of people that were joining up with them and being saved increased on a daily basis. I truly believe this is because of the "goodness of God" (Romans 2:4) that leads people to repentance. That my friends is the very definition of the New Testament Church and ultimately is what community is about! I have heard about people starting "church growth" programs and doing different things to bring people in and grow their numbers. Unfortunately the motivation behind this can be somewhat misplaced. Here in Acts 2 we are shown the ultimate church growth program based on the right heart. This is not merely a growth in the number of people attending but it is also a growth in the people themselves. It is my prayer that we become more than mere "church goers" and do our part to bring this into the church. As church leaders it is my prayer that we do our part to promote this in every way possible. I also consider myself blessed to be a part of a church that does indeed promote that!
In Acts 2:41 it shows the powerful place that God has Peter in ministry as he preached and as a result of the power of God present in that preaching the number of people that were baptized and added to the church that day was 3,000 people! From there we really see what the New Testament Church/Community is all about. We almost can break this down by bullet points.
In Fact, I think I will:
1. They devoted themselves to the teaching.
2. They devoted themselves to fellowship.
3. They devoted themselves to sharing meals together (including the Lord's supper).
4. They devoted themselves to prayer (also worship).
As a result of those four things a deep sense of awe came over those who were in attendance. Was it mainly the teaching or the prayer? In our eyes that can be noted as the most "spiritual" things. But I really believe that what the Holy Spirit was trying to convey to us here was the fact that it was combination of all four of those things. Jesus did after all tell us to not only love the Lord our God but to love one another. The value of this relationship with each other can often-times be downplayed but it is really a vital aspect. This prepared the hearts of everyone there and created that sense of awe which in turn brought about signs miracles and wonders.
From that point everyone there shared in all that they had. Properties, possessions, talents, etc. to see that everyone had their needs met. They not only met at church together but they also met in each others homes and fellow shipped and ate together. They did this with joy and their hearts and abandoned selfishness so that they could truly be generous. Along with everything else they Praised God together and enjoyed each others company.
Finally we are told that the number of people that were joining up with them and being saved increased on a daily basis. I truly believe this is because of the "goodness of God" (Romans 2:4) that leads people to repentance. That my friends is the very definition of the New Testament Church and ultimately is what community is about! I have heard about people starting "church growth" programs and doing different things to bring people in and grow their numbers. Unfortunately the motivation behind this can be somewhat misplaced. Here in Acts 2 we are shown the ultimate church growth program based on the right heart. This is not merely a growth in the number of people attending but it is also a growth in the people themselves. It is my prayer that we become more than mere "church goers" and do our part to bring this into the church. As church leaders it is my prayer that we do our part to promote this in every way possible. I also consider myself blessed to be a part of a church that does indeed promote that!
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Service
Do we really love Jesus? In John 21:15-19 Jesus poses a question to Peter which we should also use as a sort of "self-evaluation." Jesus asked, "Do you Love me?" I'm sure that all of us would probably respond the way Peter did and say "Lord of course we love you!" But Jesus presents us with a sort of evaluation point for our love for Him when he replied with, "Feed my sheep."
Where is our walk with the Lord? Do we really, and I mean REALLY love Him? Jesus points out to us the importance of service when it comes to our love and heart for Him. It appears that maybe Peter didn't get it initially because Jesus asked him again, "Do you Love me?" This actually frustrates Peter a bit as he comes back with the same answer to which Jesus replies "Tend my sheep."
I have come to realize that if we are to really take a good look at this test we can realize that is not only a test for our love for Jesus but the entire "Golden Rule" of loving the Lord your God with all of your being and also loving others (Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31, and Luke 10:27). Jesus also reminded us that to love and serve in that manner towards others that it would ultimately be like doing it to Him (Matthew 25:40). So where are you at in your service towards your friends, your church, your community? What about your Family? Is there stress in your relationship with your spouse and is the love in that relationship hurting? Husbands where are you in your service towards your wife? Wives where are you in your service towards your husband? Has our relationships become so "inward focused" and become about ourselves that we miss the most important part of servicing others? Over the years I have come to realize that this kind of love and service is something that has to be developed and exercised or it becomes dull. It all comes down to the fact that when you love others by serving them, your love for them grows stronger.
Jesus asked Peter a third time "Do you love?" to which Peter replied "You know everything... You know I love You!" Jesus again came back to saying "Feed my sheep." Hey then tells Peter about his coming death and what kind of sacrifice he will have to make in order to show this kind of love. This is at the very heart of Jesus as He laid down His life in service for us. His entire earthly ministry was based in service and sacrificing Himself for us. Just as He told us in John 15:13 that the greatest love is about laying down our lives.
Jesus sums up his conversation with Peter by saying "Follow me." Jesus is that ultimate example of love and sacrifice. When we go through the Gospels we can see how He was constantly about serving others. It is so important in our lives to sit down and have true fellowship with Jesus in prayer and reading the word so that we can take in that love, that sacrifice, and that service and then walk it out.
Where are we at with this? How are we with being a service to our spouse? to our children? to our parents? to our siblings? to our other family members? to our friends? to our neighbors? to our co-workers? to people that we encounter out of the blue and may never see again? Has our relationships been more focused in on ourselves or is about the other person? I think if we were to really take the time to sit down and be honest with ourselves we might be surprised at what our true motives are. If we were to let God truly talk to us and in turn really listen to what He has to say we might be surprised at what we hear.
So I think I'm going test myself a bit here and let God speak to me no matter how I may not like what I hear initially... what about you?
Where is our walk with the Lord? Do we really, and I mean REALLY love Him? Jesus points out to us the importance of service when it comes to our love and heart for Him. It appears that maybe Peter didn't get it initially because Jesus asked him again, "Do you Love me?" This actually frustrates Peter a bit as he comes back with the same answer to which Jesus replies "Tend my sheep."
I have come to realize that if we are to really take a good look at this test we can realize that is not only a test for our love for Jesus but the entire "Golden Rule" of loving the Lord your God with all of your being and also loving others (Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31, and Luke 10:27). Jesus also reminded us that to love and serve in that manner towards others that it would ultimately be like doing it to Him (Matthew 25:40). So where are you at in your service towards your friends, your church, your community? What about your Family? Is there stress in your relationship with your spouse and is the love in that relationship hurting? Husbands where are you in your service towards your wife? Wives where are you in your service towards your husband? Has our relationships become so "inward focused" and become about ourselves that we miss the most important part of servicing others? Over the years I have come to realize that this kind of love and service is something that has to be developed and exercised or it becomes dull. It all comes down to the fact that when you love others by serving them, your love for them grows stronger.
Jesus asked Peter a third time "Do you love?" to which Peter replied "You know everything... You know I love You!" Jesus again came back to saying "Feed my sheep." Hey then tells Peter about his coming death and what kind of sacrifice he will have to make in order to show this kind of love. This is at the very heart of Jesus as He laid down His life in service for us. His entire earthly ministry was based in service and sacrificing Himself for us. Just as He told us in John 15:13 that the greatest love is about laying down our lives.
Jesus sums up his conversation with Peter by saying "Follow me." Jesus is that ultimate example of love and sacrifice. When we go through the Gospels we can see how He was constantly about serving others. It is so important in our lives to sit down and have true fellowship with Jesus in prayer and reading the word so that we can take in that love, that sacrifice, and that service and then walk it out.
Where are we at with this? How are we with being a service to our spouse? to our children? to our parents? to our siblings? to our other family members? to our friends? to our neighbors? to our co-workers? to people that we encounter out of the blue and may never see again? Has our relationships been more focused in on ourselves or is about the other person? I think if we were to really take the time to sit down and be honest with ourselves we might be surprised at what our true motives are. If we were to let God truly talk to us and in turn really listen to what He has to say we might be surprised at what we hear.
So I think I'm going test myself a bit here and let God speak to me no matter how I may not like what I hear initially... what about you?
Monday, May 25, 2009
Partiality
Have you see a business faltering although financially business has been very good? What about a ministry coming apart and people parting from it and wondered why? How about a family who is torn apart and not speaking to each other? What I am about to write about here is not necessarily the root cause of these things happening but I have noticed that in a lot instances that I have seen it has been a major element of it.
While doing my regular reading I am also reading a chapter out of Proverbs every day and yesterday while in Proverbs 24 I had a section of it stick out to me and saw some of the things being said happening around me in my life. Verse 23 starts with "Here are some sayings of the wise" which instantly sets us up to realize that we are going to hear something good. It goes on to say "it is wrong to show favoritism when passing judgment." In some translations the word "partiality" is used. Initially when I read this I was using it in the context of a court situation where an individual is being accused of something and the final verdict that was passed was based on partiality but the more and more I meditated on those words I realized that it was much more. What about those moments where as a leader you have the opportunity to give a promotion or a raise and you decide to give it to someone else because you simply "liked them better" even though it was more fitting to give it to someone else? This verse is definitely applicable to this situation as well. What about a situation where a person does something wrong and you "let it slide" because you really like them? Well as you read on in chapter 24 it says that this action will cause the people to curse that leader and ultimately that nations will denounce that leader. So in time this person will eventually no longer even be noted as a leader. If we decide as leaders to deal with people rightly and without partiality verse 25 says that things will go well for us and rich blessings will be showered upon us. Verse 26 tells us when we approach things with this integrity and speak with honesty that it will be like a "friendly kiss" or some translations say a "warm hug" ultimately letting us know that it is going to be a very pleasant and loving thing.
I love how The Message Bible closes out this section of reading in verse 28 by saying, "Don't talk about your neighbors behind their backs—no slander or gossip, please." I have seen many times where leaders will try to influence the thought of others to promote themselves and their cause by "poisoning the pot". They will "give warnings" about individuals to make sure that the others that come in contact with that person will have a precept of whatever that individual might say lacks credibility so I can't take anything they say seriously or even worse the people end up avoiding contact with that individual whatsoever. Well like it or not that leader is in violation of this verse by talking about that person behind their back an ultimately gossiping.
I do have to say that most of the demise and faltering of businesses, ministries and families that I have seen have had a strong element of partiality in one way shape or form. It creates that element of division of strife that James 3:16 talks about and allows every evil work of the devil to come in. Let's take a moment to evaluate ourselves and the situations that we are in and stack it up against the word. Are we trying to influence others? Are we gossiping? Are we showing partiality? Is someone trying to influence me? Is this person showing partiality and gossiping for their own gain? Let's pull ourselves out from those situations and walk in full integrity that is like that "friendly kiss" or "warm hug". What a pleasant place to be!
DD
While doing my regular reading I am also reading a chapter out of Proverbs every day and yesterday while in Proverbs 24 I had a section of it stick out to me and saw some of the things being said happening around me in my life. Verse 23 starts with "Here are some sayings of the wise" which instantly sets us up to realize that we are going to hear something good. It goes on to say "it is wrong to show favoritism when passing judgment." In some translations the word "partiality" is used. Initially when I read this I was using it in the context of a court situation where an individual is being accused of something and the final verdict that was passed was based on partiality but the more and more I meditated on those words I realized that it was much more. What about those moments where as a leader you have the opportunity to give a promotion or a raise and you decide to give it to someone else because you simply "liked them better" even though it was more fitting to give it to someone else? This verse is definitely applicable to this situation as well. What about a situation where a person does something wrong and you "let it slide" because you really like them? Well as you read on in chapter 24 it says that this action will cause the people to curse that leader and ultimately that nations will denounce that leader. So in time this person will eventually no longer even be noted as a leader. If we decide as leaders to deal with people rightly and without partiality verse 25 says that things will go well for us and rich blessings will be showered upon us. Verse 26 tells us when we approach things with this integrity and speak with honesty that it will be like a "friendly kiss" or some translations say a "warm hug" ultimately letting us know that it is going to be a very pleasant and loving thing.
I love how The Message Bible closes out this section of reading in verse 28 by saying, "Don't talk about your neighbors behind their backs—no slander or gossip, please." I have seen many times where leaders will try to influence the thought of others to promote themselves and their cause by "poisoning the pot". They will "give warnings" about individuals to make sure that the others that come in contact with that person will have a precept of whatever that individual might say lacks credibility so I can't take anything they say seriously or even worse the people end up avoiding contact with that individual whatsoever. Well like it or not that leader is in violation of this verse by talking about that person behind their back an ultimately gossiping.
I do have to say that most of the demise and faltering of businesses, ministries and families that I have seen have had a strong element of partiality in one way shape or form. It creates that element of division of strife that James 3:16 talks about and allows every evil work of the devil to come in. Let's take a moment to evaluate ourselves and the situations that we are in and stack it up against the word. Are we trying to influence others? Are we gossiping? Are we showing partiality? Is someone trying to influence me? Is this person showing partiality and gossiping for their own gain? Let's pull ourselves out from those situations and walk in full integrity that is like that "friendly kiss" or "warm hug". What a pleasant place to be!
DD
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Isolation
I found that during my daily reading Proverbs 18 that a handful of verses kept resounding and ministering to my heart. What God kept showing me was the danger in isolating yourself. A lot of times I have taken this thought in the context of how the devil wants to divide us and get us into the "woe is me" mode where we cut off communications and sit around and let ourselves get bombarded with thoughts of self defeat. As I read I was realizing this goes much deeper and affects so many other areas of our life and in particular areas of leadership.
Verses 1 and 2 states "one who isolates himself pursues selfish desires, he rebels against all sound judgment. A fool does not delight in understanding but only wants to show off his opinions." I have encountered many leaders in my life time and the ones that have impressed me the most are the ones that looks to others and actually surround themselves with people of knowledge to take in their wisdom to help accomplish the goal set before them. I have seen this with political leaders, business leaders, and Church leadership. They do what they can to tap into the talent around them and help those individuals grow in their talent in the process. Unfortunately there are a lot leaders who take the isolation route in the sense that they cut off those around them to say "it's my way or the highway." They have no desire to gain greater understanding from those around them and instead want to show their power in order to establish and promote themselves as a leader. Verse 2 calls this mentality the mentality of a fool. It is understandable that there is going to be a vulnerability when you decide to bring on the input of others and sometimes there will be disagreements amongst the people. Ultimately it will come down to the final call of the leader. A good leader will truly weigh out that input that was given and if handled correctly it will show the value of the person's input in the process. This will hopefully help get everyone on board no matter what the final decision is.
Another form of isolation that I have seen with leaders has been in the form of isolating others for their own gain. Verse 5 talks about partiality and how what is just and right ends up being perverted... how? Well as we read on in verse 6 it talks about the lips of this individual stirring up strife and ultimately provoking a beating of that individual. Verse 8 tells us that those words are like choice food that goes straight to the heart of an individual. What needs to be realized that that those words that are being spoken are only going to bring about their own devastation (Verse 7) and ultimately create a trap for their own life.
Ultimately both forms of isolation here is rooted in the first sin, which is the sin of Pride (thank you Pastor Dave for that one!). This pride brings about the man's downfall as stated in verse 12. Verse 12 also tells us honor comes from humility. What greater humility is there than to admit "I may not know everything regarding this matter so I should consult some experts about it." Then we can take this one step further to actually listen to the advice and weigh it all out before giving an answer. If we don't verse 13 reminds us that this is foolishness and will bring disgrace.
I would hope that as leaders we would want our actions and choices to be discerning and based on wisdom. Verse 15 tells us that we are to acquire knowledge and seek to hear wisdom as we seek for it. So it is not a passive thing but an active thing to go after the input of others and really hear things out. We may even go into this thinking that we have the right answer only to find out how far off we might have been. Verse 17 tells us to cross-examine the case to be sure that we are right!
As I come to the end of Chapter 18 I find it interesting that in the midst of all of this that verse 22 tells us that "a man who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord." It is a very powerful thing to have the input and cross-examination that a spouse brings to the table. The even greater power is when the two come to the final decision and are in agreement together!
I don't want this to turn into a gossip session but I am curious... what about you? Have you seen this one in your life? Was it you or someone else leading? What kind of impact did it have? What was the final resolve?
This definitely helped me... maybe it will help you!
Blessings and Love!
DD
Verses 1 and 2 states "one who isolates himself pursues selfish desires, he rebels against all sound judgment. A fool does not delight in understanding but only wants to show off his opinions." I have encountered many leaders in my life time and the ones that have impressed me the most are the ones that looks to others and actually surround themselves with people of knowledge to take in their wisdom to help accomplish the goal set before them. I have seen this with political leaders, business leaders, and Church leadership. They do what they can to tap into the talent around them and help those individuals grow in their talent in the process. Unfortunately there are a lot leaders who take the isolation route in the sense that they cut off those around them to say "it's my way or the highway." They have no desire to gain greater understanding from those around them and instead want to show their power in order to establish and promote themselves as a leader. Verse 2 calls this mentality the mentality of a fool. It is understandable that there is going to be a vulnerability when you decide to bring on the input of others and sometimes there will be disagreements amongst the people. Ultimately it will come down to the final call of the leader. A good leader will truly weigh out that input that was given and if handled correctly it will show the value of the person's input in the process. This will hopefully help get everyone on board no matter what the final decision is.
Another form of isolation that I have seen with leaders has been in the form of isolating others for their own gain. Verse 5 talks about partiality and how what is just and right ends up being perverted... how? Well as we read on in verse 6 it talks about the lips of this individual stirring up strife and ultimately provoking a beating of that individual. Verse 8 tells us that those words are like choice food that goes straight to the heart of an individual. What needs to be realized that that those words that are being spoken are only going to bring about their own devastation (Verse 7) and ultimately create a trap for their own life.
Ultimately both forms of isolation here is rooted in the first sin, which is the sin of Pride (thank you Pastor Dave for that one!). This pride brings about the man's downfall as stated in verse 12. Verse 12 also tells us honor comes from humility. What greater humility is there than to admit "I may not know everything regarding this matter so I should consult some experts about it." Then we can take this one step further to actually listen to the advice and weigh it all out before giving an answer. If we don't verse 13 reminds us that this is foolishness and will bring disgrace.
I would hope that as leaders we would want our actions and choices to be discerning and based on wisdom. Verse 15 tells us that we are to acquire knowledge and seek to hear wisdom as we seek for it. So it is not a passive thing but an active thing to go after the input of others and really hear things out. We may even go into this thinking that we have the right answer only to find out how far off we might have been. Verse 17 tells us to cross-examine the case to be sure that we are right!
As I come to the end of Chapter 18 I find it interesting that in the midst of all of this that verse 22 tells us that "a man who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord." It is a very powerful thing to have the input and cross-examination that a spouse brings to the table. The even greater power is when the two come to the final decision and are in agreement together!
I don't want this to turn into a gossip session but I am curious... what about you? Have you seen this one in your life? Was it you or someone else leading? What kind of impact did it have? What was the final resolve?
This definitely helped me... maybe it will help you!
Blessings and Love!
DD
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
John 7:24
In my daily reading I found myself in John 7. I actually had one verse really stand out to me out of this chapter, verse 24 which says, “Look beneath the surface so that you can judge correctly” (NLT).
The context of this scripture was when Jesus was pointing out to the Jews their flaw in getting on Jesus for healing on the Sabbath when in all actuality they were really guilty of the same thing for circumcising on the Sabbath just in order to follow the Law of Moses.
I really find this verse applicable to every one of us today actually as we will look at “surface situations” in order to cast judgment on someone instead of going to the heart of the matter. Do you know the true story behind the situation? Do you really know what the motives are of that individual?
The Amplified says to “be honest in our judgment and do not decide at a glance (superficially and by appearances).” So in other words if unless we look beyond the superficial appearances our judgment is not even an honest one.
I also like how The Message puts it, “Don't be nitpickers; use your head—and heart!—to discern what is right, to test what is authentically right.” I think we all have a tendency to nitpick about things and do it on a very surface level. In order to do this we are told to not only use our head but use our heart. I have heard it put like this, “We want others to judge us by our heart while we judge others by their actions.” Isn’t it interesting how we always seem to grade ourselves “on the curve” so to speak and say, “that isn’t what we meant by what we did” and then turn around and say, “can you believe what that person did?” The Message reminds us to not only discern what is right but to put it to the test to authenticate it. If we only took the time to sit down and talk to some of these individuals that we cast judgment on to hear what is going on with them instead of going around talking to others about it. I think what we find out might actually surprise us.
Of course I also think we need to be aware as to whether or not we might be venturing down a dangerous path by casting any judgment whatsoever as we are reminded in Luke 6:37 to not Judge unless we want to be judged. Besides, 1 Corinthians 13:7 (AMP) tells us that if whoever is walking in God’s love “is ever ready to believe the best of every person.” So let’s cut each other some slack folks. Let’s look beyond the surface to the heart of the matter and ultimately to the heart of the individual to see what it is that God has in store for them and stop being so “nit-picky”.
This is something that God worked with me on today. Who knows? Maybe it will help you too!
Blessings and love!
DD
The context of this scripture was when Jesus was pointing out to the Jews their flaw in getting on Jesus for healing on the Sabbath when in all actuality they were really guilty of the same thing for circumcising on the Sabbath just in order to follow the Law of Moses.
I really find this verse applicable to every one of us today actually as we will look at “surface situations” in order to cast judgment on someone instead of going to the heart of the matter. Do you know the true story behind the situation? Do you really know what the motives are of that individual?
The Amplified says to “be honest in our judgment and do not decide at a glance (superficially and by appearances).” So in other words if unless we look beyond the superficial appearances our judgment is not even an honest one.
I also like how The Message puts it, “Don't be nitpickers; use your head—and heart!—to discern what is right, to test what is authentically right.” I think we all have a tendency to nitpick about things and do it on a very surface level. In order to do this we are told to not only use our head but use our heart. I have heard it put like this, “We want others to judge us by our heart while we judge others by their actions.” Isn’t it interesting how we always seem to grade ourselves “on the curve” so to speak and say, “that isn’t what we meant by what we did” and then turn around and say, “can you believe what that person did?” The Message reminds us to not only discern what is right but to put it to the test to authenticate it. If we only took the time to sit down and talk to some of these individuals that we cast judgment on to hear what is going on with them instead of going around talking to others about it. I think what we find out might actually surprise us.
Of course I also think we need to be aware as to whether or not we might be venturing down a dangerous path by casting any judgment whatsoever as we are reminded in Luke 6:37 to not Judge unless we want to be judged. Besides, 1 Corinthians 13:7 (AMP) tells us that if whoever is walking in God’s love “is ever ready to believe the best of every person.” So let’s cut each other some slack folks. Let’s look beyond the surface to the heart of the matter and ultimately to the heart of the individual to see what it is that God has in store for them and stop being so “nit-picky”.
This is something that God worked with me on today. Who knows? Maybe it will help you too!
Blessings and love!
DD
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