I recently saw this tweet by Dominic Russo: “The next generation of Christian leaders are largely invisible right now. They are being prepared in ‘caves’ and ‘dungeons’ like David and Joseph.” There is so much good truth in that statement; And not just pertaining to our future Christian leaders. I believe there is something even deeper to this statement. It seems to me that the large majority of “influencers” for the kingdom experienced some type of desert experience. Even Jesus himself spent 40 days in obscurity and solitude in the desert before His mission was activated. But even beyond that, there are countless others that had to develop their calling in what many would call less than ideal circumstances. David was told he would be king…but then he spent many years hiding in caves. Joseph saw his future, but was then forced into slavery and even prison. If you know …
Tag: Focus
There are so many people in the Bible that take on what I call the “Even If” mentality. And it is those people that I want to model my life after. But there is one story in particular that really seems to sum it all up and it is the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel Chapter 3. These three young men took a stand against King Nebuchadnezzar who had recently decided to build an image of gold that he commanded everyone to worship. Just to put things in perspective a bit, that image was said to be 90 feet wide and 90 feet tall of gold (that is roughly a 9 story building). I would imagine this would be quite the impressive sight to see. It also says in Daniel 3 that when the music would play, everyone in the land would bow down to worship this idol …
There is something impressive about big buildings. The great feat of architecture and the amazing end result. It is fun to watch from the beginning when it is just bare dirt and then bit by bit, piece by piece, a great structure is formed. And then, to think about all the various jobs that are involved in making it all happen. Each person has their own task. Their craft or talent. Each one is needed to make the final product. There are some jobs in the process of constructing a building that I personally would rather not participate in. Some of those jobs are just downright hard. Only through sweat, blood and pain are some tasks completed. And then there are others that can’t be fun. Like plumbing for example – I am SO thankful for plumbers…but personally, I don’t know that I can stomach the smell. But each one …
Decisions points are an interesting time in life. We are constantly faced with them. Small decisions, large decisions. Some just impact our day, and others might impact our life as a whole. There are times when the right answer is directly in front of us…but there are also those times when it seems to be just out of reach. No matter the size or weight of the decision, the Word is very clear on the right process for decision making: Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. (Psalm 37:4, 5 NKJV) The promise: He will give you the desires of your heart. The preface: Delight yourself in Him, trust Him, commit your way to Him. I am not going to spend too much space …
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18) This weekend, I caught a new insight into this whole “outward man is perishing” part…I saw my gray hair coming in…I know, silly, but you can ask my wife, this was a big deal for me! Just when I am finally coming to terms with whole hair-loss part of getting older, it is than topped off with new additions of gray. It …
Have you ever developed an amazingly solid plan to accomplish something, and then, everything changes and nothing goes as you planned? Experts say it is always good to have a plan in place – this could be a life plan, a 5-year plan or even just a plan for your day tomorrow. Take a 5-year plan for example and think about where you were 5-years ago. Think about where you thought you would be today – did your vision then look like the reality that it is today? And more importantly, did you arrive here just like you planned? I know my answer. There are some pieces of today that are pretty much like I envisioned and there are many that are not how I planned – but one thing is very clear, the path to get here has been nothing like I imagined. And the outcome…has exceeded my expectations. The …
I have been thinking about seeds a lot lately. All kinds of seed. Seed to produce crops, babies – you name it – seed. I know that might sound odd, but truly, they are amazing things. The fact that something could grow from seed form just takes my breath away. In John 12:24, we see Jesus speak to the amazingness of seeds. I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains [just one grain; it never becomes more but lives] by itself alone. But if it dies, it produces many others and yields a rich harvest. (John 12:24 AMP) Jesus had a way of making it simple. But did you catch it? Don’t read it too fast. Read it again. If a grain does not die, it will not produce a harvest. That marvels me a bit. It seems contradictory …
Do you ever stop and think about what it was like for Peter to walk on water? What was going through his head as he lifted his foot over the side of the boat? The waves hitting his side. He begins to put his foot down and…what did it feel like? Was it hard was it soft? Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning …
