Consider this question: What if your biggest problems are really just an easy fix for Him, but you have never trusted Him enough to work His will? Sometimes we underestimate His power and His love. Sometimes He has the solution, but we are too busy trying to find it without Him that we never get to His solution for us. James wrote in the Bible, “You don’t have because you don’t ask…”. Could that be your problem today?
The question for me at this stage of my life is not why the storms come, but how am I going to allow God to use them to make me into who He wants me to be? Are you asking that question?
If done well, I believe relationship-based ministry has a better potential to enhance real life change. I realize my program-based ministry friends would say that their programs have the same intent as our relationship-based ministry and I agree. I also realize our relationship-based ministry relies on a certain amount of programs to administer relationship development, but the major difference is the shift in primary focus from developing and managing programs to developing and encouraging relationships.
It does not take a very bright person to figure out they would be better off with Jesus’ way than their own. I have often said that if you get better at something than Jesus is I’ll follow you. Even an unbeliever should know that Jesus’ way is best.
I am especially bummed by some of the comments and views I am reading on other posts about this issue. Some people have decided that Pastor Lamb’s situation provides an opportunity to bash him. (For an example, read the comments on Monday Morning Insight’s post about this issue.) While this is well meaning for the most part, I frankly feel that when a situation like this occurs and gets such public attention that it provides opportunities we did not previously have to do something positive for the Kingdom.
Several wrote that a young leader should “leave his ego at home” or something similar. I agree with that too, but I think the issue here is more of the motivation of a person’s heart, not in their objective. There is nothing is wrong with a person wanting to grow in their leadership and influence, provided their motivation is for good and God’s glory, not their own. I do not think there is anything wrong with a young leader desiring to improve his or her skills as a leader or in their desire to become the best leader he or she can be. In fact, I would encourage it. We approve of this ideology in other fields, such as the area of sports, so why not in the area of leadership?
Over the next several days of posts I want to walk through a Scripture that has shaped my life over the years. I preached on this passage recently. You can listen or watch that message HERE. I intend to walk through this familiar passage verse by verse and share my thoughts along the way. Feel free to add your own as we learn together.
I am so bummed tonight to have heard the news about Pastor Gary Lamb of Revolution Church in Georgia. I do not know Gary personally, only through Facebook, Twitter and his blog. I would never be one to put more burdens on a man already so broken, but I cannot get some thoughts off my mind tonight and my blog is one way I express myself. Since he addressed this in a very public way through his own blog (Read the account HERE), I thought I would share some of the things racing through my head. They may be good for all of us to consider.
Feel free to answer this question now: What are you trusting and asking God to do in your life right now?
I love progress. I think a country thrives best under capitalism. I frequent the businesses represented in my church because I want the businesses represented in our church to do well. They will do best when they earn more money. (Profit!) I love for people who make money to invest money in the Kingdom of God. It takes a lot of resources (money) to do the work of the church.
This morning, thanks to my Google Reader, I landed on an editorial story by Ed Wallace of Business Week Online. You can read the story HERE. Ed writes from an insider’s perspective about the reasons for the fall of General Motors. His insight is of a company who faced problems of arrogance and indifference, failing to meet the changing needs of its consumers. He saw a company that allowed the quality of their product to suffer while refusing to listen to concerns of insiders who were suggesting improvements.
In my pursuit for consistent improvement in my own life I am opening myself up to new approach. I will attempt to ask more questions to keep people accountable. I will visit people’s offices more frequently. I will eat more lunches with my staff. I will do a better job of tracking individual progress. It is not a matter of trust but a matter of recognizing the responsibility that I have been given and the individuality of the people I lead.
Sometimes we keep doing what we are doing because God called us to do it, not because we are popular, the work is easy, or even that we are being well received at the time. Being obedient to the call of God is sometimes painful, unpopular, difficult, and seemingly unrewarded (at the time).
