You are the salt of the earth . . . (Matthew 5:13). You are the light of the world . . . (Matthew 5:14).
Among counselors there is a saying: 'Things work out as they should.' In other words, when all things are considered, it is not surprising that one is in the mess that he is in. However, a good leader can change a future that otherwise would have been a failure into a success and can also help to redeem a negative past into a positive present. Is that time-travel or what?
Leadership is about influence. Though there are various styles of leadership, there is no leadership if there is no positive influence. At some time in each person's life there will be an opportunity to lead as a peer, a parent, a Sunday school teacher, a coach, and so on. Through their positive influence many of these leaders have inspired others to reframe or discard a negative past and change on otherwise certain future into something good.
Leadership begins with the kind of person one is. Some leaders are all about themselves, leading for the purpose of personal prestige, power and fortune. A real leader can create and maintain trust because he is a person of integrity, not just speaking the truth, but doing the truth and keeping his word. Politicians do not rank very high on the trust scale because so many of them are in it for themselves, using the power of government for their own purposes, taxing and legislating restrictions on the "little people" while they, themselves, do not live by their own rules.
Leadership is intentional. What I mean by that is that good leaders have intentionally taken the time to learn leadership skills. They know that leadership is not bossiness, but rather, inspires others. They know that leadership is having a vision and can communicate that vision in such a way that others will follow. Though some seem to be born with the ability to take charge, that ability by itself will build resentment unless one also knows his or her people, how to network and build alliances. Power alone does not make a leader; wisdom does.
Your time for leadership will come! What kind of leader will you be?
Grace&Peace,
Tom
Monday, May 24, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
DELIVER US FROM EVIL
. . . above all taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one (Ephesians 6:16).
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil . . . (Isaiah 5:20).
And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil (Matthew 6:13).
What is evil? Evil is more than the absence of good; maliciousness is a characteristic of it as well. Webster includes these descriptions: arising from real or supposed wickedness, what is morally wrong, what hinders the realization of good. When Peter, with good intentions, told our Lord that his death on the cross should never happen, Jesus recognized the true source of those words and replied, Get behind me Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men (Matthew 16:23). In this satan was attempting to sabotage God's plan of redemption. Peter's words arose from a malicious, wicked personality who desperately wanted to destroy God's plan of redemption for humanity. It should be noted too that Peter's words simply reflected common Jewish thought about the Messiah. This means that the source of human philosophy which conflicts with the word of God is the devil.
At least since Darwin, modern thinkers have attempted to minimize evil by reducing it to mythology. They insist that the bad things that happen in the world are explained by ignorance and natural causes but: Evil is much more than the absence of good--it is not explained by the absence of education, "enlightenment," good nutrition, clean air, and nurturing love for every child--for evil is present when all of the above grace human culture. The most evil acts in history occurred in recent times in the twentieth century, with humankind presumably in its most advanced stage when technology, medicine, psychology and philosophy had reached never before dreamed of sophistication (Dr. Bruce Parmenter, Hiller Lectureship, North American Baptist Seminary, 2001). Evil exists, it is everywhere and it is malignant, seeking to destroy everything that is good. It is necessary to recognize the pervasiveness of evil so that it can be understood that even in the best of times one must always be on guard, ready for the devil's schemes.
Grace&Peace,
Tom
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil . . . (Isaiah 5:20).
And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil (Matthew 6:13).
What is evil? Evil is more than the absence of good; maliciousness is a characteristic of it as well. Webster includes these descriptions: arising from real or supposed wickedness, what is morally wrong, what hinders the realization of good. When Peter, with good intentions, told our Lord that his death on the cross should never happen, Jesus recognized the true source of those words and replied, Get behind me Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men (Matthew 16:23). In this satan was attempting to sabotage God's plan of redemption. Peter's words arose from a malicious, wicked personality who desperately wanted to destroy God's plan of redemption for humanity. It should be noted too that Peter's words simply reflected common Jewish thought about the Messiah. This means that the source of human philosophy which conflicts with the word of God is the devil.
At least since Darwin, modern thinkers have attempted to minimize evil by reducing it to mythology. They insist that the bad things that happen in the world are explained by ignorance and natural causes but: Evil is much more than the absence of good--it is not explained by the absence of education, "enlightenment," good nutrition, clean air, and nurturing love for every child--for evil is present when all of the above grace human culture. The most evil acts in history occurred in recent times in the twentieth century, with humankind presumably in its most advanced stage when technology, medicine, psychology and philosophy had reached never before dreamed of sophistication (Dr. Bruce Parmenter, Hiller Lectureship, North American Baptist Seminary, 2001). Evil exists, it is everywhere and it is malignant, seeking to destroy everything that is good. It is necessary to recognize the pervasiveness of evil so that it can be understood that even in the best of times one must always be on guard, ready for the devil's schemes.
Grace&Peace,
Tom
Friday, May 07, 2010
YOUR GIFT: USE IT OR LOSE IT
I tell you, that to every one who has will more be given; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away (Luke 19:26).
. . . nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all men life and breath and everything. And he made from one every nation of men to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their habitation, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after him and find him. Yet he is not far from each of us, for 'in him we live and move and have our being' (Acts 17:25-28).
During my tenure at Midwest Christian Services, an adolescent residential treatment facility, I noticed that one of the common features of the residents was that they were gifted; the reason for their admittance to MCS was not due to a deficient mental capacity. Generally, the residents came from dysfunctional family environments so that they were negatively influenced and undisciplined, and, as a result, made bad choices. Poor academic performance at school resulted from deficient self-discipline and life-skills rather than low intellectual capacity. Out in the general population the same phenomena is also true. Most people are more gifted than they think, but because of negative thinking habits and attitudes, never make the most of what they have.
Though there is a difference between natural gifts and Spiritual gifts, there is not as much distinction as one might assume because even natural gifts have a Spiritual purpose. God has not left his creation without supervision to exist on its own; he is deeply involved in it so that humanity would seek him. He has graced humanity with a vast array of natural gifts so that we can bless each other, for example, the Holy Spirit can use a competent secular counselor to help a person with their problems.
The Bible teaches that if your gift goes unused, it will be lost, but if your gift is used, more gifts will be given. One sure way to lose your gift, natural or Spiritual, is to let it go unused. One sure way to become more gifted is to use more the gift that you have for the Lord. Those who avoid any opportunities for service will lose everything.
Grace&Peace;
Tom
. . . nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all men life and breath and everything. And he made from one every nation of men to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their habitation, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after him and find him. Yet he is not far from each of us, for 'in him we live and move and have our being' (Acts 17:25-28).
During my tenure at Midwest Christian Services, an adolescent residential treatment facility, I noticed that one of the common features of the residents was that they were gifted; the reason for their admittance to MCS was not due to a deficient mental capacity. Generally, the residents came from dysfunctional family environments so that they were negatively influenced and undisciplined, and, as a result, made bad choices. Poor academic performance at school resulted from deficient self-discipline and life-skills rather than low intellectual capacity. Out in the general population the same phenomena is also true. Most people are more gifted than they think, but because of negative thinking habits and attitudes, never make the most of what they have.
Though there is a difference between natural gifts and Spiritual gifts, there is not as much distinction as one might assume because even natural gifts have a Spiritual purpose. God has not left his creation without supervision to exist on its own; he is deeply involved in it so that humanity would seek him. He has graced humanity with a vast array of natural gifts so that we can bless each other, for example, the Holy Spirit can use a competent secular counselor to help a person with their problems.
The Bible teaches that if your gift goes unused, it will be lost, but if your gift is used, more gifts will be given. One sure way to lose your gift, natural or Spiritual, is to let it go unused. One sure way to become more gifted is to use more the gift that you have for the Lord. Those who avoid any opportunities for service will lose everything.
Grace&Peace;
Tom
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