Abundance and Prosperity From the Heart

“¹⁰when you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that are written in this Book of the Law, when you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” and “⁹The Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers,” — Deuteronomy 30:10 & 9 (ESV)

I know that I have captured the two verses above in reverse order. I do that as it is now in the cause and effect order. The LORD will make us prosperous and will provide abundance when we are obeying Him fully, not just in action, but with our hearts.

I wrote recently of the over abundance that God will provide when everything comes from the heart. The people gave for the building of the temple from their hearts and there was so much given that Moses had to tell them to stop giving. When we are going about our lives with Christ from our heart He will not only make sure there is more than enough for His work, but He will also provide abundance for you and me.

You see, it is not just about loving the LORD with all your heart. It is also about obeying His every command. Our pastor, Jared Patrick just did a message on bad days and what to do about it. One of the points in the sermon was that we may be obeying perfectly to God’s plans and commandments, yet the outcome was not what we expected to come. God does not always reveal to us the outcome, He may only reveal the work and our role is to obey. Our obedience is from the heart and not just on the surface of things. We have to fully believe and trust that God will use us as He needs and that we will be rewarded for the work, in the way that He sees fitting. So, as Jared pointed out in his sermon, what do we do on a bad day:

1. Remember who God is

2. Recall What God Has Promised

3. Trust What God Will Do

4. Stay Faithful Even When You Feel Empty

5. (this one is from me) Obey God From The Heart

I want to be clear, we do not do the work for some sort of reward. We do the work for the LORD and to spread His message to all around. But, we will be rewarded and that reward will be abundance and prosperity that we can only imagine today.

Where does your obeying come from? Are you doing things specifically to receive some sort of reward a, quid quo pro kind of thing? What if you were to just obey the LORD with all your heart and know that you will be rewarded in some way at some time in abundance and prosperity?

Becoming a Spiritual Leader is a Process

Generally, a newborn does not just get up and start running around as a champion sprinter. First the child must learn to crawl, then walk, and then run. And even in each step, there is time devoted to each to get good at it. Becoming a spiritual leader is similar in that it is a process and one must gain in one and work to get good at it before moving on to the next.

The process starts with our relationship with God. We first accept Him as our Father and work to engage with Him to understand and follow where He would have us go. It is devotion to the LORD that opens our heart and soul to accept Him as our Father and know that whatever He has for us is for our continued development to the achieve the purpose He has for us.

Next, we are put on the path to develop the character needed to take on the role of spiritual leader. It is not an easy path, and it is long. As noted in another of my writings from my study of spiritual leadership, “Spiritual Leadership Takes Time”. There are no shortcuts, and just when you “figure it out” the only thing you figure out is that there is more to learn and the path is even more challenging that originally thought.

Once we have developed the character needed to take on the role of spiritual leader, we will then be entrusted with the role. But, even when we have been entrusted with the role, we are still learning and developing through the experiences we encounter daily. Those experiences will be “both good and bad” as Henry and Richard Blackaby indicate. It takes them both to round us into the spiritual leaders that God has for us to become. Even when mistakes happen, “Wise leaders allow God to make the most of their mistakes.” – Henry and Richard Blakaby.

The thing is, becoming the spiritual leader God has for me to become takes time and experience in the development of my character. Each of those are determined, according to the Blackabys, by my dedication to “trust in God and obedience to God”. Only God can give and grow in me the character He is looking for to take on the role of spiritual leader. I can take comfort in that once He selects me for the role, He will provide all that I will need to accomplish the work that He has set for me to accomplish for His glory.

What is your thoughts on becoming a spiritual leader? Are you of the camp that believes you can just start running with it? What if you knew and understood that becoming a spiritual leader is a process and you were to lean on the LORD to work you through that process?

Christian Leadership Principles into Secular Roles

This morning I continue my study into Spiritual Leadership and have been led to the similarities and differences of Christian Leadership and Secular Leadership. This is a fascinating comparison that has many facets, yet this morning I cover(ed) one of them. The question in my reading from MasterWork this morning that generated the most thought was this: “Do leadership principles found in secular writing and seminars apply to work done in God’s kingdom?” and pastors will go with, “Will these same principles work for me as I lead my church?”

My answer to these questions is yes. Principles to leadership are translatable from one role to another. It is the need according to the LORD or the world that has to be addressed and the direction and outcome expected in each. I do believe that when applied to the need and the direction and outcome are considered, what is used in one role, say pastor, can be used in another role, say CEO.

Here is the thing, it is leadership principles of the LORD that should be emulated in the world, not the other way around. As I read and wrote on before, the church is filled with “leaders” that were not formally “taught” to lead. They did not receive a book or a course on true leadership in seminary, or did they?

The greatest leader of all time was, JESUS. Think about it. Jesus took men and women from all walks of life and over the course of three years, led them to take over His work in this world. They would go from place to place and apply the fruit of the Spirit wherever and with whomever they came in contact with. They were filled by the Spirit and let it shine from themselves to the world.

“²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” – Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV)

The principles above are from the LORD and not from the world. We see secular leaders in the world who introduce these principles as being great, and leaders, even pastors, all over gravitate to them. There is this belief that somehow these secular leaders have “cracked the code” of what real leadership is and all over, are looking to these secular leaders and “their” revealed secrets.

Thing is, a good number of these secular leaders, found these principles in their walk with the LORD and that is something that all are not aware. S. Truett Cathy, who founded Chick-fil-a is a devout Christian and even closed his businesses on Sunday’s to demonstrate that. Ken Blanchard, writer and professor, is very open with his faith. Stephen Covey, educator and writer, pulled directly from the principles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Notice the above paragraph theme, some of the most espoused secular leadership principles, have their grounding in the teachings of the LORD. These principles are widely used and carried out in the secular world and yet they come from the LORD (not here to discuss the merits of different religions). So the questions in the first paragraph are proven to be answered as yes, the principles of the secular leadership world will work in the church, as that is where they originated.

“⁵Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

⁶In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.”

– Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)

Where are you getting your leadership principles? Are you leaning on the secular world’s writing and teaching? What if you went to the source and applied the Christian principles everywhere?

God Will Do What He Will Do

I struggle in the mornings with my writing to find just the right title, and this morning is no different. I am in the first chapter of Matthew and was led to the passage of “The Birth of Jesus Christ” as it is titled in my English Standard Version Bible. I wanted to title my writing something like, “Nothing is to Big for God to do”. But for some reason, that just did not sound right.

You see, God is the biggest and as we know and He does the biggest things for sure. But I think a bit more about all of the things in general that God does that seem not quite as big. He burned a bush, that was not consumed, to talk to one man. He provided a ram to be sacrificed in place of Isaac. Jesus turned water to wine for a wedding of friends. Jesus invited children to Him to teach. These things may not seem big in the grand scheme of things, but they do demonstrate that God will do what He will do.

“’²¹She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ ²²All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

‘²³Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall call his name Immanuel’

(which means, God with us).” – Matthew 1:21-23 (ESV)

God does what He will do to fulfill His plan. As I was in Matthew this morning and reading on the birth of Jesus, I was reminded that Mary was a virgin mother. Of course, how could this be other than God will do what he will do. Remember also, Mary’s relative, Elizabeth, conceived at an old age, John the Baptist, and was considered barren. And Sarah, Abraham’s wife conceiving at 90 years of age, Isaac, even as she was considered barren as well.

God will do what He will do to fulfill His plan. It does not matter what obstacles are in the way nor is all that He does magnificent to behold. God has His plan and nothing stands in His way to accomplish that plan. Our role in all of it is to trust in His plan and know that He will straighten out everything for the fulfillment of that plan.

“⁵Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

⁶In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths.”

— Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)

What is your belief on what God does? Is it one of he does great things always? What if you took things that God does as that is Him doing what He does to fulfill His plan, regardless of the size of the things done?

The LORD Announces His Intentions

Have you ever been called into a meeting, either in work or in personal where you were not sure of the substance of the meeting and went in with an anxiousness and your guard up? It happens all the time and where there are instances where the information was so quick, that there was no time to allow attendees to prepare, but those are the exception to the rule and not the rule itself. Good leaders announce ahead of time the substance of meetings so that those attending will have a chance to prepare and find the information useful as they move forward. The LORD the great leader that always prepares us for what is next.

“³¹Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, ³²not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord.” — Jeremiah 31:31 (ESV)

Notice in the above verse that God declares a new covenant is coming. He lets it known that the people should begin to prepare for it as it will be different that what was before (new covenant, not another). The LORD was not acting out His anger, He just let it known that He would be going a new direction and the people should begin to prepare now.

Once the LORD had the attention of the people, He laid out the changes so that the preparation can begin for what is to come.

“³³For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ³⁴And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” – Jeremiah 31:33-34 (ESV)

Now, there I much more to the changes, but the gist is above, no longer will His law be external, but it will be internalized for all to know and keep. There will no longer be a need to teach others to “Know the LORD” as all will know Him, they will now need to understand who He is and take Him into their heart themselves. Sin will be taken care of and the people will be provided the way to no longer be slaves to sin.

This declaration from the LORD is the new covenant that is enacted with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He takes on our sin and dies for them. He will be known to the world for doing so. Being like Jesus is the direction to internalizing the law of the LORD. So we can see that the LORD announces to the people of the upcoming changes and then carries those changes out for the benefit of those same people. The LORD announces His intentions and then follows-up on those intentions.

What is your understanding of the work of the LORD? Do you think things just happened and you are the beneficiary of them? What if you were to think back and see that the LORD is the great leader who announces His intentions and then follows-up on them?

Wait on and Trust in God Only

I am human and a man and therefor I believe it is my responsibility to make things better. I am in control of things and by my work I am the thing that gets me and us through things that happen to get in the way. Well, as I child of God, I have to remember that it is really He that does such and I have to wait on and trust in Him only.

“¹For God alone my soul waits in silence;

from him comes my salvation.

²He alone is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.”

“⁸Trust in him at all times, O people;

pour out your heart before him;

God is a refuge for us.”

— Psalm 62:1-2&8 (ESV)

God is my refuge and my redeemer. I have to remember these things. I have to do the work that He has for me, yes. But, it is just that, the work He has for me that he prepared ahead of time. The work He has for me is for my good.

“¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)

I have to wait on God to give me the direction for that work and trust that it is enough for me. Yes, there will be things that distract me, like riches and things and places. God will provide that which I need and not those things of distraction. I have to stay focused on Him and the work and things He has for me and know that is enough.

“¹⁰Put no trust in extortion;

set no vain hopes on robbery;

if riches increase, set not your heart on them.

¹¹Once God has spoken;

twice have I heard this:

that power belongs to God,

¹²and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love.

For you will render to a man

according to his work.”

— Psalm 62:10-12 (ESV)

When reading verse 12 above, it would appear that it is through works that we gain from God. But we have to look at where those works come from, Him. It is not the works that lead to our gain, it is because of our gain that we complete the works of the LORD. We have the works thanks to Him and those works are tailored specifically for each of us. And that is where the waiting and trusting come in. I have to wait on God to provide me the works He has for me and then trust in Him that these works will be enough for His glory to shine brightly for the world to see.

What is your view of waiting on and trusting in God? Are you anxious and looking to do things on your own? What if you were to wait on Him and trust that He will provide that which you are in need of to bring glory to Him?

Be All About the LORD

This morning I am in Psalm 37 and am seeing the glory of the LORD manifest for those who are connected to Him. The thing that stood out to me this morning is that I have to be all about the LORD and give myself fully to Him and work to bring glory to Him always.

“³Trust in the Lord…

⁴Delight yourself in the Lord…

⁵Commit your way to the Lord…

⁷Be still before the Lord…

³⁴Wait for the Lord…”

— Psalm 37:3, 4, 5, 7, & 34 (ESV)

These are all there in God’s Word for me to meditate on. I am not just to accept salvation from the LORD, I am to be all about and all in with Him. Justification is gained once one has accepted salvation and the fact that Jesus came and paid the price for my sin in this world that I may not die of my sin. He came for that I would not have to experience the wrath of the Father as He took on the consequence of my separation from the LORD.

Being all about the LORD and all in with Him is a move to Sanctification as I work to remove the power of sin in my life. I will be judged as righteous when I trust, delight, commit, am still, and wait for the LORD. When I surround myself with the LORD and dwell in Him I will keep myself working for, in, and with Him and my focus will not wander into the temptation of sin. I am devoted to the LORD and His work and do not have the time or thought of anything else.

Every day I am tempted by the evil one to wander off from the LORD. Even as a child of God, I am drawn to sin and sinful ways. I am secure in my salvation thanks to the justification I have gained through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. My sanctification is the ongoing struggle as I work to overcome the power of sin. It is in my all in and all about the LORD where I will find relief from the power of sin as I find peace in Him.

What is your view of your relationship with the LORD? Are you content in your justification? What if you were to be all about the LORD and fully trust, delight, commit, are still, and wait for Him to avoid the power of sin that continues?

Find Peace in the LORD, Not Man

Aren’t we all looking for peace. I know that I am and will look any and everywhere. I am in a constant search for the safety and comfort to just be. What I have found to this point is that I am not going to find it in man. I am not going to be able to dwell in a place where man is “leading” the way. I say “leading” in quotes, because I do know that man is really not leading the way in anything. It is either God or the evil one leading the way. When man is “leading” there is selfish actions and work being done and I how can I follow the actions of someone who is out for themselves and not for others.

“²O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?

How long will you love vain words and seek after lies?”

— Psalm 4:2 (ESV)

David could see the selfishness in man as noted above. The lies and honor were in themselves and not in the LORD. As we place our trust and actions in man, we will be betrayed and will find ourselves in a place that is seemingly worse than where we started.

On the other side of things, when we are trusting of the LORD to provide, we are able to find peace and safety and actions that are in our best interest as we do the work and take action that He leads us in.

“⁸In peace I will both lie down and sleep;

for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

— Psalm 4:8 (ESV)

I see here in the words of David that peace comes when dwelling in the LORD. He was able to sleep well at night knowing that the work of the LORD was delivering Him. It was not the work of man, for as noted above, man would lie and would certainly not honor others.

Over the past few months I have had financial well being for Lori and me on my prayer list. I want to be clear in that I am not asking for riches, only that the LORD provide what we need. I have been at peace, knowing that the LORD will provide financially for us. Well, Lori had a medical procedure a bit ago and we have been awaiting final billing to make sure that we are not being overcharged. As usual with these things, there have been several rounds come through. It is only now that we feel the final bill has been presented to us. Here is where the peace of the dwelling in the LORD played out. Lori received a note from someone that we should proactively check on unclaimed property with the state. Wouldn’t you know it, there was some there that matched to the amount of the bill we had been presented. The LORD provided peace and resolution where man was reluctant as played out with the multiple rounds of billing.

It is in the LORD that we will find our peace and not in man. Yes, man may offer up some resolution, but will that resolution be in the best interest of you, maybe or maybe not. However, when we place our trust in the LORD, we can know that He will provide for our well being in the interest of peace and safety.

Where are you placing your trust? Are you relying on man to provide? What if you were to instead place your trust in the LORD knowing that He is looking out for you and your peace and safety?

The LORD is Always Protecting You

It may seem hard to understand in the moment, but the LORD is truly always protecting you. This morning I am again in Genesis and am reading the passage of God protecting Hagar and Ishmael. If you remember the story a bit, Hagar was the slave of Sarai who gave birth to Ishmael to Abram. Hagar was shunned by Sarai and even in this, the LORD cared for Hagar and Ishmael through Abram. Fast forward to the birth off Isaac to Abraham and Sarah. Sarah again looks upon Hagar with disdain as she is irked that Ishmael and Isaac are now of the same lineage and by extension are heirs together.

Here is where God’s continued protection comes at a time when we may not understand. You see, God approved of and advised Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael away into the wilderness. The two of them were sent out with some bread and water.

“¹²But God said to Abraham, ‘Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named.’” “¹⁴So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.” – Genesis 21:12 & 14 (ESV)

Things were looking bleak for Hagar and Ishmael at this time. And of course the water and the bread ran out and Hagar basically gave up. But God.

“¹⁹Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. ²⁰And God was with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow. ²¹He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.” – Genesis 21:19-21 (ESV)

The circumstances were dire and the LORD stepped in to protect. Although, when we look at the story God was always protecting, even as Hagar and Ishmael were cast out from Abraham. Hagar just did not know it at the time as I am sure that she was devastated as she departed.

The LORD knows what we need and will provide and protect us in our time of need. We are to obey Him with the understanding that He is protecting us, even when we may not see it or understand all of the reasons or timing.

What is your view of protection from God? Are you of the thoughts that all of His actions of protection should be overt and plain for us to see? What if we approached God with understanding that no matter the circumstance, He is always there protecting us?

The Way of the Righteous

Just what is the way of the righteous?

“⁵Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him, and he will act.”

— Psalm 37:5 (ESV)

And there you have it. The way of the righteous is to commit to the Lord and to trust Him.

As a christian, the way of the righteous is the way that I should be going. I have to strive to be righteous in hopes that I will measure up when the time comes for me in the presence of God and the judgment. I am to be committed to the LORD and trust that He leads me in the path He would have me go. I have to remember and understand that it is His will, not mine that takes we there.

“⁶for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked will perish.”

— Psalm 1:6 (ESV)

There are different paths to take in this world, and where they seem to lead to the good, it is not the way of the righteous. There is the path of positivism. There is the path of empowerment. There is the path of being good. Each of these can seem to get thing done and move you in the right direction. But, they will fade if they are not rooted in the LORD. Each of these when they come from us are simply not enough to overcome.

Now, I am not saying that it is not worth it to be positive, empowered, and good. It is certainly part of the will of God to be so. The thing that I have found in my study of God’s Word is that these are products of committing to the way of the Lord. These in and of themselves do not get us to the way of the Lord. These come from the way of the Lord. We cannot force ourselves into being righteous. I will also say that where we cannot force it, it is not a bad place to start.

When we are positive, empowered, and good we will see some results for sure. We will certainly move forward and things will fall in place for us. The thing is that it will not always fall into place and without being rooting in God, there will be limited if any staying power. As soon as things take a turn away from the direction you want them to go, there will be failure that is difficult to overcome.

The way of the Lord is full of staying power. I may get down when things do not go my way, but when I know that I can count on the goodness of God, I am able to keep going as everything is in His plan. I may not reach my destination when I wanted to, but the LORD knows that has I done so, I may have missed another opportunity that would make the destination just that much sweeter. I may experience loss as a result of life, yet I would be able to see the good that is because of it.

“The LORD knows the way of the righteous” and where I am not sure if I measure up, I have to continue to commit my “way to the Lord”. I am committing to leading a life with Him as my example. I am committing to the path He has for me. I am committing to all that comes. I have to remember that Jesus did not have it easy. He was persecuted way beyond anything any of us will experience. He worked daily to bring God’s Word to all even as He was spit on, beaten, and even killed. I may not be killed, but the way of the LORD will not be easy, yet it is worth it.

What way are you going? Are you taking the positive, empowered, and/or good way? What if you took the way of the LORD and allowed Him to provide the results?