No shortcuts - you’ve got to work for it!

David PotterNovember 4th, 2008  Email Email  Print Print  20 views

Proverbs 10:4 (NIV)
Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.

From my devotional:

“When questioned about his incredible success, Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, offered these ten insights to anyone starting out.  They are worth considering.”

  1. Life isn’t fair - get used to it.
  2. The world doesn’t care about your self-esteem; it expects you to accomplish something before feeling good about yourself.
  3. You won’t make $60K a year right out of school, or be a vice president with a cell phone.  You have to earn it.
  4. Do you think your teacher is tough?  Wait till you have a boss - he’s not tenured.
  5. Flipping burgers isn’t beneath you; your grandparents called it opportunity.
  6. Your parents weren’t always boring; it came from feeding you, cleaning your clothes and paying your bills.  So before you rush out to save the rain forest from the “parasites” of your parents’ generation, try delousing your own closet.
  7. Some schools may have abolished winners and losers, but life hasn’t.  They may have eradicated “failing grades” and given you as long as you want to get the right answer.  This bears no resemblance to reality.
  8. Life isn’t divided into semesters.  You don’t get summers off.  Employers aren’t interested in helping you “find yourself;” you do that on your own time.
  9. Unlike television, real people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to work.
  10. Be nice to nerds; chances are, you’ll end up working for one someday!

I especially like #6.  It seems that as our children grow up they seem to think their parents are idiots - or at least their ideas and efforts are not worth respecting.  I look forward to the day they have children of their own.  Then they’ll appreciate #6 as well.
:-)

Why go to church

David PotterSeptember 25th, 2008  Email Email  Print Print  42 views

Sometimes I talk to people who don’t think it is all that important to go to church.  My devotional had a funny comparison with washing hands.

Ten Reasons Why I Never Wash
  1. I was forced to wash as a child.
  2. People who wash are all hypocrites; they think they are cleaner than everyone else.
  3. There are so many different kinds of soap; I just can’t decide which one is best for me.
  4. I used to wash, but I got bored and stopped doing it.
  5. I only wash on special occasions like Christmas and Easter.
  6. None of my friends wash.
  7. I’ll start washing when I get older and dirtier.
  8. I don’t have time to wash.
  9. The bathroom is never warm enough in winter or cool enough in summer.
  10. The people who make soap are only after your money!

Ew!  Kind of makes you think, eh?  My favorite verses in the Bible are Hebrews 10:24,25:

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Something to think about.

Dale Evans’ Prayer

David PotterJune 2nd, 2008  Email Email  Print Print  138 views

As I grow older and watch as my children grow to adulthood, I have a great appreciation for those that know how to handle themselves in these situations.  Here is a prayer by Dale Evans, the wife of Roy Rogers, a woman who loved Jesus with all her heart, that expresses what I pray I can become.

Lord, thou knowest better than I know myself, that I’m growing older, and will someday be old.  Keep me from getting too talkative; particularly from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and on every occasion.  Deliver me from the need to try and straighten out everybody’s affairs.  Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details; give me wings to get to the point.  I ask for grace to listen to the tales of others’ pains; but seal my lips when it comes to my own aches and pains, for they are increasing and my love of rehearsing them gets sweeter as the years go by.  I ask not for improved memory, but for a growing humility and less cocksureness, especially when my memory seems to clash with the memory of others.  Teach me that occasionally I may be mistaken.  Keep me reasonably sweet.  I don’t necessarily want to be a saint - some of them are so hard to live with.  But a sour old woman (or man) is one of the crowning works of the devil.  Make me thoughtful but not moody, helpful but not bossy.  With my vast store of wisdom it seems a pity not to use it; but Thou knowest Lord, I want a few friends at the end.  So give me, I pray, the ability to see blessings in unexpected trials and goodness in less-than-perfect people.  And give me the grace to tell them so, In Christ’s name, amen.

Forgiveness (1)

David PotterMay 5th, 2008  Email Email  Print Print  107 views

Mark 11:25 (TM)
Forgive - only then will your Heavenly Father…wipe your slate clean.

If you’ve ever been rejected, offended, or any of a myriad of other offenses, it may be that forgiveness is difficult to give.  I experience that from time to time depending on how the other person responds to me.  However, that really isn’t a reasonable measure for when forgiveness should be given.  From the devotional:

How heavy is a glass of water?  That depends on how long you have to carry it.  A minute is no problem, and after an hour your arm might ache.  But after 24 hours you’ll probably be in bad shape!  In each instance the glass weighs exactly the same, but the longer you carry it the heavier it feels.  And it’s the same with a grudge; it can get so heavy it stops you from living.  People will hurt you; that’s the reality of sharing this planet with others.  Sometimes it’s intentional, other times they’ve no idea they upset you, far less broken your heart.  Does that mean you should go around pretending nothing’s wrong?  No, the first step is to confront your feelings.  And when the hurt is deep, it’s even harder to forgive.  That’s when you need to pray, “Lord, change my heart and heal me.”

Jesus said, “Pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:28 NIV).  When you do that something unexpected happens; your heart softens and you start seeing them through God’s eyes instead of your raw emotions.  Jesus said, “If you have anything against someone, forgive - only then will your heavenly Father…wipe your slate clean.”  When you sow unforgiveness your reap unforgiveness - even from God!

What’s clear to me from this is that giving forgiveness does more for you than for the person you give it to.  Holding on to the grudge only hurts the person holding on to it.

It’s easy to say these things, but the big question is, “How do you do that?  How do you let go of the bitterness and forgive?”  That’s where God comes in.  We need to seek Him and ask Him to heal our hearts so we can forgive.

Each time something like this happens to me, the tendency is to steel myself and avoid situations and intimacy so that I can protect myself.  But each time I’m learning to let God work through my hurt so that I can forgive, and each time it is a little easier.

How about you?  How has God been healing you of your unforgiveness?

Shukhov’s standard

David PotterMay 5th, 2008  Email Email  Print Print  119 views

Focus:  Maintaining a strong work ethic

Proverbs 2:9 (NIV)
Then you will understand what is right and just and fair.

If you were to ask the people I’ve ever worked for or with, I doubt you’d ever hear them say I wasn’t willing to work hard or that my standards were low.  I’ve always wanted to do things right and I’ve always been willing to work hard to get it right.  The devotional presents an account from author and Nobel prizewinner Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s first novel about Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, a political prisoner in a Siberian labor camp.

Shukhov is forced to build a wall in weather 20 degrees below zero.  As it gets darker and colder the foreman gives the order to hurry the job by throwing leftover mortar over the wall instead of using it, so they could be finished for the day.  “But Shukhov wasn’t made that way,” wrote Solzhenitsyn, telling how the man resisted the order, determined to finish the job right.  “Eight years in a prison camp couldn’t change his nature.  He worried about everything he could make use of, about every scrap of work he could do - nothing must be wasted without good reason.  The foreman yells at him and then hurries away.  But Shukhov - and if the guards had put the dogs on him it would have made no difference - ran to the back and looked about.  ‘Not bad.’  Then he ran and gave the wall a good look-over, to the left, to the right, his eye as accurate as a carpenter’s level, straight and even.  Only then did Shukhov stop working.”

Consider your standard.  Is what you’ve done “good enough for government work” or do you have a higher standard - Shukhov’s standard?

Read Your Bible

David PotterMarch 18th, 2008  Email Email  Print Print  149 views

Focus:  Why don’t we read God’s Word more?

2 Timothy 3:14-15 (NKJV)
Continue in…the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise.

I’ve asked this question of myself many times:  Why don’t I read God’s Word more?  I can usually come up with lots of reasons.  Consider these (from the devotional writer):

  1. We don’t know how!  "We hear the pastor preach a great sermon and think, ‘Why didn’t I see that?’  Because the pastor spends hours praying over it and studying the Scriptures, we don’t!"
  2. We’re not motivated!  "That’s because we haven’t experienced the joy that comes from personally discovering great truths from God’s Word.  We’ve become satisfied with getting what we need from somebody else rather than finding it out for ourselves."  Speaking for myself, I can say that I have had many times where I have really enjoyed studying the Word.  However, there are so many things going on life that once I’ve been to a particular passage, it’s hard to consider going back to it.  Very short-sighted, I know.  Consider this comparison by Dr. Paul Lyttle, who once compared personal Bible study to eating peanuts:  "Once you start doing it, you’re hooked!  When you discover how good Bible study ‘tastes’ you’ll find yourself going back for more and more.  Yes, personal Bible study can be habit-forming!"
  3. We are lazy!  I can certainly attest to this.  "Bible study is hard work.  There are no shortcuts to it.  It takes time, effort, concentration and persistence.  Most of its great truths don’t lie on the surface; we have to dig for them."  The times that I have enjoy Bible study the most is when I’ve read a passage and discovered something new about God, about what He’s done, about my place in the kingdom, about what I need to do differently to please Him or my family or my friends.  Dr. Howard Hendricks describes the 3 stages of Bible study:
    1. The ‘castor oil’ stage - we study the Bible because we know it’s good for us, but it’s not too enjoyable.
    2. The ‘cereal’ stage - our Bible study is dry and uninteresting, but we know it’s nourishing.
    3. The ‘peaches and cream’ stage - we are really feasting on the Word of God.

Bottom line?  "Continue in…the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise."

Faith and careful planning

David PotterMarch 8th, 2008  Email Email  Print Print  155 views

Proverbs 16:9 (TLB)
We should make plans - counting on God to direct us.

I love the optimism of youth.  I remember being young and thinking that I could accomplish anything; I still have those thoughts and feelings from time to time :-) - and I remember those times of faith, of thinking that I just had to trust in God and everything would be alright.

Sounds good, doesn’t it?  The thing is, there is a part we have to play in all that.

There must be a balance between faith and careful planning.  Yet, talk to some professing Christians and you might think otherwise.  For example, talk with some who are unemployed and they’ll tell you, "I’m just waiting for the Lord to provide a job."  That’s fine, but have you sharpened you job skills?  And where have you placed your resume?  You say, "I’m not going that route, I’m just waiting on God."  Oh, really?  Then you won’t mind going hungry for a while."

I am inspired by those - especially the young - who have such amazing faith that God will lead, guide and provide.  What I want those same young people to understand, though, is that balance between faith and planning.  If we squander our time and our resources and still expect God to provide, we are not being good stewards of what He has already provided to us.

I don’t think I can say it any better than the writer of the devotional says, so let me just his his words:

To walk by faith does not mean you stop thinking, planning, taking advice, and self-correcting.  And it definitely doesn’t imply becoming lazy or apathetic.  What a distortion of biblical faith!

  • Trust God for your finances, but don’t ‘blow your budget.’
  • Trust God for safety in the car, but don’t pass on a blind curve.
  • Trust God for your health, but don’t chain-smoke, stay up half the night and subsist on potato chips and carbonated drinks.

Acting foolishly, expecting God bail you out when things go amiss, isn’t faith, it’s presumption.  Wisdom says do all you can, then trust God to do what you cannot do.  Faith and careful planning go hand-in-hand.  They always have and they always will!

Amen!

Stay in step with God!

David PotterJanuary 22nd, 2008  Email Email  Print Print  147 views

Focus:  We can’t compartmentalize our faith

Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
For we are…created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Our culture seems to think that leaders must not lean on their spirituality - their relationship with God - to help them make decisions.  I wonder how much of that attitude is also in the church.

We must never think we can compartmentalize our life to the point where we say, “In this category, in this season, in this circumstance, I am operating on my own.  In this other category, or season, or circumstance, I am operating according to the power of the Holy Spirit within me.”  The Holy Spirit does not come and go from our lives.  He is always with us.

If the Holy Spirit is always with us, how can we separate our decision making from our relationship with Him?

Facing the New Year with courage! (3)

David PotterJanuary 22nd, 2008  Email Email  Print Print  179 views

Focus:  Becoming a courageous leader

Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV)
Be strong and courageous.

Dr. John Maxwell writes:

When I began my career I was very ineffective as a leader.  My problem was that I wanted to please everybody.  Making people happy was the most important thing to me.  I lacked the courage to make right but unpopular decisions.  How did I turn things around?  By making small decisions that were difficult.  With each one I gained more confidence and more courage, and I began to change.  The process took me 4 years.  At the end of that time I felt I had learned many valuable lessons, and I wrote the following to help me cement what I had learned:

‘Courageous leadership simply means I’ve developed:

  1. Convictions that are stronger than my fears.
  2. Vision that is clearer than my doubts.
  3. Spiritual sensitivity that is louder than popular opinion.
  4. Self-esteem that is deeper than self-protection.
  5. Appreciation for discipline that is greater than my desire for leisure.
  6. Dissatisfaction that is more forceful than the status quo.
  7. Poise that is more unshakeable than panic.
  8. Risk-taking that is stronger than safety-keeping.
  9. Actions that are more robust than rationalization.
  10. A desire to see potential reached more than to see people pleased.’

This message spoke to me; I consider myself someone who finds it difficult to deliver an unpleasant message, to make hard decisions.  Where are you in your journey to become a courageous leader?

Spiritual intimacy

David PotterJanuary 22nd, 2008  Email Email  Print Print  160 views

Philippians 3:10 [AMP]
That I may…become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him.

The full text of this verse in the Amplified Bible is:

[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly].

The devotion talks about how easy it is for us to get so busy that our relationship with God is shallow; that when we sing His praises that our minds are elsewhere.  I confess that this is true of me more often that I would care to admit.

But this verse - particularly as expressed by this translation - expresses my true desire.  I sin and I fail, yet I know He is faithful.  What am I doing to implement “my determined purpose [to] know Him that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him?”

What are you doing?  Feel free to comment and let me know.

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