When things seem to be going wrong -- people aren't following your direction, leadership, or example -- it's probably a good time to reevaluate how and what you're doing. God might be correcting you and He may be using a lowly person or people to do so.
As we use our bodies to do good work, we fulfill a core purpose of God for our lives, thus serving and glorifying Him. We love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30).
God’s mercy is so great that you may sooner drain the sea of its water, deprive the sun of its light, or make space too narrow than to diminish the great mercy of God. ~C.H. Spurgeon~
In the closing paragraphs of the Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis wrote about the death of some of his characters: "For them, it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world...had only been the cover and title page; now, at last, they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story, which no one on earth has read; which goes on forever; in which every chapter is better than the one before."
Some wives say, “But you don’t understand. My husband is not wise, disciplined, mature, responsible, affectionate, understanding, empathetic, etc. He is so flawed, how could I possibly submit to him?” Many times when a wife voices these types of concerns in counseling, I also see a woman whom the Lord has given an extra portion of what her husband seems to be missing. Wives can make a grave mistake if they look to their husbands (or any other human being) to be fully complete, and therefore meet their every need.
Why? Because no human can -- what we truly desire can only be met by the Lord. It is only in Christ that true satisfaction and fulfillment are found.
Jonah found it easier to die than to obey the Lord!
You may think that absurd, but don’t we sometimes live like Jonah? We believe the lie Satan feeds us that we might as well give up. We can’t or don’t want to accomplish what God has called us to do, so we run, we sleep, we escape, and then when circumstances feel threatening or impossible, we give in to self-destruction.
A leader has been defined as one who knows the way,
goes the way, and shows the way.
~Author Unknown~
Faith rests on the naked Word of God;
that Word believed gives full assurance.
~H. A. Ironside~
“The beauty of the soul shines out when a man bears with composure one heavy mischance after another, not because he does not feel them, but because he is a man of high and heroic temper.” — Aristotle
“You are positive, creative, and happy to the degree to which you eliminate negative emotions from your life.” — Brian Tracy
“Pain nourishes courage. You can't be brave if you've only had wonderful things happen to you.”
— Mary Tyler Moore
“When you make a mistake or get ridiculed or rejected, look at mistakes as learning experiences, and ridicule as ignorance... Look at rejection as part of one performance, not as a turndown of the performer.”
“Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I'll show you someone who has overcome adversity.” – Lou Holtz
Nothing created can ever alter the Creator. ~Stuart Olyott~
SIN OF PRESUMPTION Presuming things our way without taking the trouble to find out exactly what the situation really is. Little patience can drastically reduce major lifelong mistakes. Who Are You misjudging right now? Don't think what you think others are thinking. Take time to get the whole truth.
"Most of us will be remembered, in work and in life, for just a few words or deeds that made a difference to others. The way we choose to say good-bye is likely to be one of the ways we are remembered." ~ Frances Hesselbein
"[In an organization], when the rate of external change continually outpaces the rate of internal change, disaster is imminent." ~ Dan Cathy
"The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction and the will to carry on." ~ Walter Lippmann
"Leadership is stewardship. It's temporary and you're accountable." ~ Andy Stanley
Upon leaving my first pastorate, I did not train or equip anyone to replace me. As a result, the momentum I developed at the church evaporated six months later. I had failed to position the congregation to thrive in my absence. From that experience, I learned that the ability to successfully hand off the reins of an organization is a learned skill. In particular, I discovered that when the transition is on the horizon, leaders need to…
PLAN AHEAD
Leadership transition must be the number one priority of any leader who voluntarily steps away from her position of influence. In his book, Built to Last, Jim Collins quotes Jack Welch, CEO of General Electric as saying, ‘From now on, [choosing my successor] is the most important decision I’ll make. It occupies a considerable amount of time every day.’ He spoke those words in 1991, nine years before his anticipated retirement. ~ Bob Russell and Bryan Bucher, Transition Plan
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