Tag: leadership

October 26, 2023

October 26th, 2023

Thursday – Letters

Reading – 1 Thessalonians 3-5

Highlight Verses:

“Finally, when we could stand it no longer, we decided to stay alone in Athens, and we sent Timothy to visit you. He is our brother and God’s co-worker in proclaiming the Good News of Christ. We sent him to strengthen you, to encourage you in your faith,”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I love how Paul and his associates care enough to follow up with the people whose lives their ministry has affected.

The Thessalonians were going through some pretty serious persecution.

Paul was concerned.

He turned that concern into action by sending his apprentice Timothy to check on them and encourage them.

How well do we do at follow up?

Speaking for myself, not very well.

I have a tough time remembering to contact the people I am supposed to be leading.

I let life get in the way and procrastinate far too much.

That’s not to say that I don’t follow up at all. But certainly not enough.

What people do you affect through your ministry, be it professional or informal?
Do you follow up and express care to those you affect for Christ?
October 17, 2023

October 17th, 2023

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Exodus 17-18

Highlight Verse:

““You’re going to wear yourself out—and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself.”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭18‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

And now for a bit of business advice from the Bible.

This is courtesy of Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, who brought sage advice when he visited Moses and Israel in the wilderness.

In a word – delegate.

We weren’t designed to carry everyone’s burdens and responsibilities by ourselves. We were meant to live in community.

The leaders of the community do well to share the leadership to the extent that they do not get burned out and so that proper attention be given to details.

This worked quite well for Moses.

I admit that I am one of those who would rather just do it all myself.

God’s best includes working with the whole community.

Do you have the tendency to want to do everything yourself?
Have you been able to delegate unimportant tasks so you can and concentrate on the most important?
October 7, 2023

October 7th, 2023

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – 1 Timothy 4

Highlight Verse:

“Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.”
‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In our student ministry, we are teaching our middle and high school students how to be leaders.

This verse is on the wall in the room where we meet.

We don’t know for sure how old Timothy was when this was written. He was at least in his twenties.

But Paul started working with him when he was much younger, probably in his teens.

Other leaders in the Bible started quite young.

David was in his teens when he slayed Goliath. Some of the Psalms are thought to come from that era of his life as well.

Mary was certainly a teenager when she became the mother of Jesus.

Samuel first heard from God as a very young apprentice.

Joseph’s legacy of integrity began as a youth.

I could go on and on.

The bottom line is, youth should be encouraged to lead from where they are that they may grow to even greater levels of ministry later.

Sure, they may make more mistakes when they’re young, but they can work through them honestly and reach far more people than their older counterparts (like me).

I started teaching and leading when I was 16. Yes, I made many mistakes.

I also had many victories during that time up until now.

I wouldn’t trade those experiences for the world.

If you are young, are you doing what you can to reach out with the love of God to those around you?
If you are old like me, are you encouraging those younger than you to reach out while continuing to reach out yourself?
September 25, 2023

September 25th, 2023

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Matthew 11

Highlight Verses:

““To what can I compare this generation? It is like children playing a game in the public square. They complain to their friends, ‘We played wedding songs, and you didn’t dance, so we played funeral songs, and you didn’t mourn.’”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus is talking about how so many people of that generation completely missed the significance of John the Baptist and Jesus.

It’s easy to judge that generation from the vantage point of our knowledgeable times.

But how many times do we miss it?

Most of us reading this are familiar with the Gospel but how many times do we miss opportunities to share it? How many times do we pass by people who need to see a little hope? How often do we miss a chance to share the love of God?

Notice my use of the word “we” in that paragraph. I’m not judging since I would would probably win a prize for the most missed opportunities.

I pray that you and I will have our eyes opened to the possibilities for sharing the love of Jesus to those around us.

Let’s not miss the opportunities to dance and mourn with those who need the hope of Jesus.

Do you have stories of times when you caught the opportunity to share the hope of Jesus? Share them with us.
Can you pray with me that our eyes would be opened to every opportunity and our hearts be opened to leaping at those opportunities?
September 13, 2023

September 12th, 2023

Wednesday – History

Reading – 2 Samuel 3-4

Highlight Verse:

“This pleased the people very much. In fact, everything the king did pleased them!”
‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭3‬:‭36‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

It would be very easy to take this verse out of context.

Let’s face it, the context was on the wild side.

We start out with a list of 6 children of David from 6 different women. Okay, so polygamy wasn’t so unusual in those days. But still…

Then we have Abner getting ticked off at Saul’s heir because Ish-Bosheth had confronted Abner about his affair with Saul’s concubine. Getting stranger…

Then Abner plans to put David in power over the whole nation. That’s good. But…

Joab kills Abner to avenge his brother. Dang!

Then Recab and Baanah kill Ish-Bosheth, cut off his head and bring it to David. Double dang!!

David brings swift justice, showing that he stands for what’s right (if a bit brutally).

And now I’m to draw a lesson from this?

What can I say. The truth is stranger than fiction. Old Testament standards were brutal and violent?

Let’s leave it at this – David remained a humble but tough leader. He refused to go to battle to win the full kingship, but when it was open, he wasn’t afraid to step into the role.

Despite his harsh justice and crazy marital situation, he remained a man of integrity doing what he believed the Lord had called him to do.

Do honest renditions of history like this make you wonder what they were thinking?
Are you able to maintain your integrity in the midst of this crazy world?
August 21, 2023

August 21st, 2023

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Matthew 6

Highlight Verse:

“Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Whenever I read this verse, I think back to a friend in college who had built up an impressive book collection. He was very protective of his books until one day.

He had a dream that he went to heaven, got his heavenly mansion, and found that it had a very small library. He asked God why his library was so small when he loved books so much. God replied, “Those are all the books that you loaned out that never got returned.”

After that he became very generous with his book collection.

I don’t know how theologically correct that story was.

I do know there are no trailer hitches on hearses and he who dies with the most toys doesn’t win, they take just as many worldly goods with them as the beggar on the streets.

One thing I hope will make it to heaven with me is all the people whose lives I touch.

I don’t care if I ever receive thanks from them. I just want to know that I made a difference .

Whether the effect came from a personal relationship or as a result of me serving or giving, I believe God will grant me the blessing of that knowledge.

What do you hope to bring with you to heaven?
If it is something you believe God will grant, what are you doing now to make it happen?
August 2, 2023

August 2nd, 2023

Wednesday – History

Reading – 1 Samuel 21-22

Highlight Verse:

“David went to the town of Nob to see Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech trembled when he saw him. “Why are you alone?” he asked. “Why is no one with you?””
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭21‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Ahimelech’s simple question, asked in two ways, speaks volumes about David.

It was so unusual for David to be alone that the priest trembled when he saw it.

If you read on, you know that David lied to Ahimelech to try to protect him. That was a tactic that didn’t work. Saul was so crazy with envy and rage that he had the priests at Nob killed.

That was the kind of desperate situation that David was in.

Saul’s insanity and the way David handled it is why so many people gathered around him. It’s what launched his reign as king when Saul finally died.

The key thought for me is that David was a natural leader. For that reason, he almost always had people around him.

It wasn’t because he came into power and told people to follow him. It was because he unselfishly led people that they followed him.

What does it take for you to want to follow someone?
How do you know if God has called you to be a leader?
July 24, 2023

July 24th, 2023

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Mark 15-16

Highlight Verse:

“Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?””
‭‭Mark‬ ‭15‬:‭34‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I almost highlighted the verse where the crowd shouted “Crucify Him” because I imagined the sting of hearing the crowd that had welcomed Him as royalty now wanting Him dead.

Then I realized that, on the cross, as the weight of all the world’s sin brought him temporary separation from God the Father,

His anguish must have been unequalled. In that moment,

He experienced the pain of separation that we all deserve.

There could have been no greater pain.

But it was followed by the joy of resurrection.

Jesus defeated death and came back to life. In this sacrifice and resurrection, we are offered a way out of sin and into life and joy.

Can you grasp the depth of Jesus’ pain on the cross as He felt the full separation from God pfor the first time?
Does the depth of His pain compel you to accept the sacrifice so that His pain would not be wasted?
July 9, 2023

July 9th, 2023

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 83-85

Highlight Verse:

“What joy for those who can live in your house, always singing your praises. Interlude”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭84‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There’s a reason I chose to read the poetry books on Sundays. So much good praise!

I’m blessed to go to a church that has a really good worship band that does an amazing job of bringing the congregation to the throne of God.

But that’s not the point of this verse.

When this Psalm was written, the faithful came to worship God at the Temple in Jerusalem. This Psalm celebrated those pilgrimages.

But today, God comes to us.

We are His temple.

Therefore we are those who can live in the house of the Lord, always singing His praises.

It’s good to gather with other believers to worship but we would do well to remember that we have the privilege of singing God’s praises every moment of every day.

You might ask, “Wouldn’t other people look at me funny if I did that all the time?”

Of course you shouldn’t ignore those around you just so you can sing constantly. But haven’t you met that person who is constantly whistling, or humming, or quietly singing as they go about their days. Sure, it might be annoying at times, but –

Don’t you want that kind of joy?

I assure you that, for those people, it started with a decision.

“I choose joy.”

It might not come naturally, but if you choose it constantly, it will come!

Do you want to be one of those people who are constantly singing praise?
Are you one of those people? If so, how did you get there?
April 25, 2023

April 25th, 2023

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Genesis 27-28

Highlight Verses:

“Then Jacob made this vow: “If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭28‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Is it just me or does Jacob seem a little immature in his faith.

He reminds me of myself in middle school. “God, if you do this, I’ll believe.”

But then, of course, he was rather young.

So how does God react to Jacob’s weak faith?

He doesn’t. At least not in that moment.

Eventually Jacob returns to the Promised Land with two wives, many children, and great flocks of livestock.

I had a discussion with a friend today about the condition of the Church in America. For most people in America, faith is about as deep as a puddle that dries up when the sun comes out.

While I believe that we should grow ever deeper in our faith, I also believe that God can use faith that is puddle deep. The big thing that my friend and I agreed on is that, if faith is real, it should result in action.

So, whether your faith is puddle deep or fathomless, put what you believe into practice.

One way or another God will bless that – though maybe not with multiple wives and thousands of sheep.

Do you feel like your faith is like walking through a puddle or swimming in the deep end?
What are you doing to live out that faith?

Tag: leadership

Paul was concerned.

How well do we do at follow up?

And now for a bit of business advice from the Bible.

In a word – delegate.

This worked quite well for Moses.

In our student ministry, we are teaching our middle and high school students how to be leaders.

The bottom line is, youth should be encouraged to lead from where they are that they may grow to even greater levels of ministry later.

But how many times do we miss it?

Let’s not miss the opportunities to dance and mourn with those who need the hope of Jesus.

Let’s face it, the context was on the wild side.

And now I’m to draw a lesson from this?

One thing I hope will make it to heaven with me is all the people whose lives I touch.

It was so unusual for David to be alone that the priest trembled when he saw it.

The key thought for me is that David was a natural leader. For that reason, he almost always had people around him.

He experienced the pain of separation that we all deserve.

But it was followed by the joy of resurrection.

We are His temple.

Don’t you want that kind of joy?

“I choose joy.”

Is it just me or does Jacob seem a little immature in his faith.

So, whether your faith is puddle deep or fathomless, put what you believe into practice.