Over 15 years ago, I started writing an Internet devotional, which was emailed daily to subscribers. This year I decided to collect a year’s worth and put them in a book. Mustard Seed Thoughts are short, easy-to-read and practical. In each devotional, I share personal life stories as they relate to the stories and truths from the Bible.
God may do the same with your life. God may have extreme changes in mind for your life. You may be in the midst of that process of change now. He may take away your health, break a relationship, change your career, but He will do whatever it takes to further shape you into Christ’s image and the plans He has for you.
Therein lies what I believe to be one of the largest mistake men and women make in a marriage. Whenever I believe Cheryl completely identifies with me or I completely identify with her, we are bound to run into some conflict. I will never understand the depth of emotions Cheryl is capable of producing and she will never understand the shallowness of emotions I am capable of maintaining. Neither of us is right or wrong, we are just different, and as I look at the situations we have handled together in life, I see why God allowed the uniqueness in each of us. I must be careful never to place expectations on Cheryl for her to be like me and she must do the same with me.
Don’t be afraid of growth you cannot understand. It’s messier, harder to contain, even uncomfortable at times, but it also keeps leaders energized, maintains momentum, and helps spur exponential growth.
This verse reminds me of countless others in the Bible where men obeyed the command of God, simply because He is God. “Noah did just as the Lord commanded” (Genesis 6:22) for example. We can read similar verses about Moses, Abraham, Joseph and Mary, Paul and others. God is still looking for people like Jeremiah who will obey God and do what He commands. I have always suspected that God knew the hearts of the people He spoke to enough to know what their response to His command would be prior to asking them to obey.
God wanted to speak to Jeremiah and He was going to use pottery as a part of His discussion. Sometimes God will use situations in our life to gain our attention and illustrate for us His agenda. You and I, if we want to hear from God, must continually rid our lives of distractions, strive to walk in obedience with Him daily, free our life of unneeded clutter, slow down long enough to listen for the voice of God, and watch and listen for God’s voice in the midst of the normal routine and places of life.
Bob Fryling is author of “The Leadership Ellipse: Shaping How You Lead by Who You Are” and serves as publisher of InterVarsity Press and Vice President of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. He writes, speaks and teaches in the areas of spiritual formation, leadership, Christian faith and culture. He lives in Illinois with his wife, Alice, an author and spiritual director. Together they have co-authored three books.
Chad Rowland is my co-pastor. Some day I may write more about that, but, basically as the title indicates, it means we share leadership responsibilities at Grace Community Church. Chad is younger, more into creative arts, and more relational than me, so he balances well with my strategic wiring. I was delighted when Chad chose to answer my ten leadership questions. (Honestly, it helped me know he actually reads my blog!)
Lantz Howard just became a new dad. Check out some great baby pictures on his blog. Lantz is also a frequent Twitter friend (You can follow him HERE) and today I’m featuring his 10 question leadership interview. Lantz is a youth and family minister. I’m impressed with what I see in Lantz and you’ll be impressed with his answers.
In my Christian life there have only been a few times where I could clearly say “I heard a word from God.” Don’t get me wrong, I feel God’s leading on a consistent basis through His Word, he guidance of the Holy Spirit, and through other followers of Christ, but for God to directly speak to me about something in specific terms is a rare occurrence. It’s a very humbling and welcome experience, but it certainly doesn’t happen everyday.
