Success

It’s been said... “Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure.”   

The Bible echoes this in Proverbs 6:6-8

“Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise!  Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter.”

Sometimes in life...unexpected things happen... We catch a break with a bonus check...only to have it swallowed up by a blown tire or an unpaid bill.  How can we be prevent this from happening?  We can’t.  What we can do is prepare for it.  Put money aside.  Save part of what we earn “in the summer” so that if “winter” hits... we’ll be ready.  

Want to know how to catastrophe proof your finances?  Tithe, save, and budget the rest (in that order).  It’s amazing how much easier success in the future becomes when we get ready for it today. 

God Made Today

Unpaid bills, children who don’t listen, a boss who doesn’t get it, a grouchy spouse, and that pain that just won’t go away... sometimes it’s hard to remember that we are supposed to live out Psalm 118:24 It says, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Rejoice?  How are we supposed to be overjoyed with so much going wrong?  Easy.  God made today.  Just for you.  He gave you air in your lungs and kept your heart beating so you could experience every second of it.  When trouble comes, He’ll be there.  Feeling alone?  Hurt?  He will never give up on you.  Short of money?  Stay generous...and watch Him provide for every need.  It’s all about perspective and a committed focus on God’s goodness!  You’ve got another 24 hours to change the world... make the choice to rejoice!    

Impact

Jackie Robinson was the first African-American person to play major league baseball. Breaking baseball’s color barrier, he faced jeering crowds in every stadium. Players would stomp on his feet and kick him. While playing one day in his home stadium in Brooklyn, he made an error. The fans began to ridicule him. He stood at second base, humiliated, while the fans booed. Then, shortstop Pee Wee Reese came over and stood next to him. He put his arm around Jackie Robinson and faced the crowd. The fans grew quiet. Robinson later said that arm around his shoulder saved his career.

Encouragement means so much.  Sometimes it’s verbal... a word of affirmation or a compliment.  Yet other times, it’s not.  It can come in the form of a hand squeeze, a wink, a pat on the back, or in Jackie Robinson’s case, an arm over the shoulder.  Regardless of how it is conveyed, everyone needs to be encouraged.  The Bible talks about it in 1 Thessalonians 5

Vs.  11 “So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”

Throughout the course of your life you will talk with many people.  Some will be closer than others... but all will be affected by the conversations.  What kind of impact are you having on them?  Are you building them up?  Helping them see their potential?  Reminding them of their value?   God has called us to do so.   There are enough people in this world trying to boo and jeer those you love.  Refuse to be one of them.  Choose to shine your light on the good things... point them out... lift them up... and encourage those around you to believe in themselves again.  It’s love like that that will change the world. 

Self Control?

Tony Evans, Pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Texas, spoke of being on an elevator in a high-rise building. He didn’t like riding elevators because he worried that something would go wrong.  One day it did.  The car he was riding in got stuck in between floors.   He noted that some of the people in the car became frantic. They began to beat on the door hoping to get someone’s attention. Others began to yell in the hopes that their voices would get someone on the surrounding floors to come to the aid. But nobody heard their noise or their cries. Then Evans quietly made his way to the front of the car, opened a little door in the wall and pulled out a telephone. Immediately he was connected with someone on the outside. He didn’t need to beat on the wall to get their attention. He didn’t need to speak loudly in the phone to receive their help. He could have whispered and they would have heard him.

Anger and yelling did nothing to get those people out of the elevator.   Instead, patience and self-control solved the problem.  The Bible talks about this very thing...

“Better to be patient than powerful;

    better to have self-control than to conquer a city.”  Proverbs 16:32

In any relationship, anger and lack of self-control hurt the ability to honestly communicate.  When one side is afraid of making the other mad for fear of setting off an emotional volcano...there is an issue...and before long, all meaningful communication stops.   If we are going to have deeper relationships, we must be in control of our temper...not over-reacting to a situation or a remark.  By doing so, we create an environment where both sides are equally heard... honesty and trust thrive... and God-honoring solutions are reached. 

Saying and Doing

It’s hard to handle a hypocrite.  You know the type... “Do as I say...not as I do!”  They like to point fingers, call out errors, and accuse... while doing many of those exact same things in their own lives.  The Bible calls it out in Matthew 7

“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend,  ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye?   Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”

Hypocrisy hurts the ability to honestly communicate.  It wastes energy and erodes trust.  When the words don’t match the deeds, a person begins to doubt.  Which part are they supposed to believe?  What is truth and what isn’t?  Why are they saying those words and their body language or tone is saying something completely opposite?   If what they’re saying is such a good idea, why aren’t they doing it themselves?

We wouldn’t eat at a restaurant where the chef didn’t eat his own cooking would we?  Of course not!  If the food is good enough to serve to others it should be good enough for the one who prepared it, right?   If you find yourself trying to change someone by giving them advice, make sure you aren’t sending a mixed message.  People learn more from what we’re doing than from what we’re saying.   And when those line up... trust builds and relationships thrive.   

Noise or Understanding

Winston Churchill once said, "Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen."

Have you ever thought about how much time we spend listening?   Whether it be in a business meeting, a relationship, or even with God?  There are many people today that hear every word... quickly respond... and then have to apologize and repair damage because they didn’t think through the possible consequences of their answer.  Active listening is something we have to choose to do...but did you know it something God wants us to do as well?  In the book of James, Chapter 1 and verse 19 it says this:  

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,”

Proverbs 18:13 puts it another more direct way...

“Spouting off before listening to the facts

    is both shameful and foolish.”

It’s much better to spend your time thinking through an answer than mending a fence or repairing relationship damage.  Sometimes you only have one chance to choose the right response in a situation... Be courageous!  Choose to think it through first and answer second... you’ll always be glad you did.  Remember,  two people talking just create noise... one person talking while the other listens creates deeper understanding and connection.  

Quiet Voice

Life gets pretty loud.  Alarm clocks ring...kids cry... bosses yell... and our past screams at us from thoughts we wish we could forget.   Things get hectic... and if we’re not careful, we’ll let distraction win.   We are often told how much God wants to say to us... so why is it so hard to hear His voice in the midst of life?

Our question isn’t a new one.  Let’s take a look at the life of Elijah...

“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the LORD told him. And as Elijah stood there, the LORD passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper.” 1 Kings 19:11-12

Elijah stood patiently and waited for God to speak.  And as the winds whipped through his hair... he became convinced that a powerful God would chat with him in a rowdy way.  He was wrong.  Then the earthquake came... surely God would communicate as the ground moved.  Wrong again.  After that... fire.  Yes!  Elijah knew the story of Moses’ burning bush... this must be a repeat performance!  God was going to tell him everything he needed to know when the heat was on!   Nothing.  Zip.  God wasn’t talking through the noise at all.  

Instead, He waited.  And then God whispered.   Gently.  Elijah didn’t expect “gently”.  He didn’t know that God wants to communicate with us when we’re still... 

How much of your day is spent just being still?   Peaceful?  Quiet?  If you’re like many..not much...and unchecked distraction wins out.  You have to make the intentional decision to get alone with God.   He won’t shout above the noise of your day... He’ll simply wait until you can hear Him.  He doesn’t signal us in shouts or yells or pointed fingers or accusations.  God whispers.  He nudges.  He speaks to us in the quiet spaces of our heart... not with judgment but in love.  We just have to quiet our spirit enough to hear Him.  

Retreat to where the sound isn’t... open up the Word... and listen for the gentlest voice you can hear.  God has something to tell you.