I am in the midst of a life transition of sorts. It was subtle at first, but over the last couple years, as our church has grown in size and our ability to make an impact in the Kingdom has increased, it has become more recognizable. I am moving from more of a receiver to an investor into other people’s lives. I am honored to invest in younger men, many who are pastors also.
A seminary student who was doing a paper on church planting recently interviewed me. For those planters who follow this blog I thought you might want to hear some of my answers. If you have other questions for me, please ask.
I really wanted something you could perhaps even memorize and take with you throughout the day that would remind you of an important principle; a life principle even. I envisioned that it might be something Jesus said because then you would know of its accuracy.
Tweet I love this. Â I love a good letter anyway, but this is history, it’s classy, and it shows the reality of life at the top!
When I was growing up, if someone called you a name, you stuck your tongue out and said, “Sticks and stones can break your bones, but words will never hurt me.†It sounded good coming from an elementary kid, but in reality it wasn’t true. No, in fact, sometimes the pain of words stays with you longer than the bruises do from sticks and stones.
I received an email from an Internet friend via my other ministry site (www.mustardseedministry.com) asking me how I determine if what I am doing is within the plans God has for me. Here’s my quick reply to him for knowing you are within God’s plans for your life:
There is a Biblical model for identifying potential leaders. It is found in Exodus 18:21. Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, had advised Moses to recruit some leaders. Then he told him what type of people to look for.
Some of my best growth times with the Lord have been during teaching times with my children. I remember when my son asked an important question, “Daddy, what is the ‘will of God’?â€
It also seems that Jesus lived His life that way as well. He was always telling of His love, but He never seemed to brag about His strength, but news of His love and strength spread quickly throughout the world at the time.
The battle between legalism and grace is always difficult. Are we to live holy and righteous lives? Absolutely. Are we to be in the world and friends of sinners? If we want to be like Jesus we should. Does God forgive us when we sin? Thankfully. Finding the delicate balance between those two extremes is difficult.
