Reading from Nov. 9 I Cor. 4-6
TOPIC: Confrontation
SCRIPTURE: "For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I was present) him who has so done this dead." (I Cor. 5:3)
OBSERVATION: "Paul had to confront the problems the Corinthians faced, especially the issue of incest in the church. Unfortunately, the leaders failed to deal with this sin. Paul therefore instructs leaders in how to deal with a member who rebels against a life of obedience to the Lord."
APPLICATION: "Why is confrontation so difficult?
We often misunderstand its purpose.
Our goal among brothers should not be
to punish
or excommunicate,
BUT
2 restore.
Confrontation = is a redemptive act of leadership.
So what are the goals of healthy confrontation?
Clarification - I will get a better understanding of the person and what happened.
Change - I hope to get improvement from it. And it may be me!
Relationship - I will likely deepen my relationship with this person.
Purity - As word gets out, the organization will be purified and sobered.
Respect - The organization will likely raise the members' level of respect for the leadership.
Security - People feel safe knowing leaders are strong enough to take a stand."
[John Maxwell's Daily Devotional]
Who do you need to confront?
With the Spirit's help
&
In His timing
Go to the person
In this context
The "C" Word
No longer has to have a negative connotation
PRAYER: Father God, thank you for this redemptive process and help me and all who read this blog to engage in it.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
ALL of Them
Reading from Nov. 7 Galatians 5-6
TOPIC: Leadership
SCRIPTURE: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." (Gal. 5:22)
OBSERVATION: The fruit of the Spirit is the spontaneous work of the Holy Spirit in us. The Spirit produces these character traits that are found in the nature of Jesus. They are the by-product of His control - we can't obtain them by trying to get them without His help. If we want the fruit of the Spirit to grow in us, we must join our life to His. We must know Him, love Him, remember Him, and imitate Him. As a result, we will fulfill the intended purpose of the law - to love God and our neighbors.
[Life Application Commentary]
APPLICATION: As you already know fruit comes from planted seeds. Every leader should embrace this marvelous list of inward qualities.
[John Maxwell's Leadership Promises For Every Day]
Evaluate yourself against them:
LOVE - Is my leadership motivated by love for people?
JOY - Do I exhibit an unshakable joy, regardless of life's circumstances?
PEACE - Do people see my peace and take courage?
LONGSUFFERING - Do I wait patiently for results as I develop people or goals?
KINDNESS - Am I caring and understanding toward everyone I meet?
GOODNESS - Do I want the best for others and the organization?
FAITHFULNESS - Have I kept my commitments?
GENTLENESS - Is my strength under control? Can I be both tough and tender?
SELF-CONTROL - Am I disciplined to make progress toward my goals?
Which of these qualities do you want the Spirit to produce in you?
I don't know about you
BUT
I want Him to produce
ALL OF THEM
N Me
PRAYER: Father God, allow the Holy Spirit to produce away.
I want all of them in abundance!
TOPIC: Leadership
SCRIPTURE: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." (Gal. 5:22)
OBSERVATION: The fruit of the Spirit is the spontaneous work of the Holy Spirit in us. The Spirit produces these character traits that are found in the nature of Jesus. They are the by-product of His control - we can't obtain them by trying to get them without His help. If we want the fruit of the Spirit to grow in us, we must join our life to His. We must know Him, love Him, remember Him, and imitate Him. As a result, we will fulfill the intended purpose of the law - to love God and our neighbors.
[Life Application Commentary]
APPLICATION: As you already know fruit comes from planted seeds. Every leader should embrace this marvelous list of inward qualities.
[John Maxwell's Leadership Promises For Every Day]
Evaluate yourself against them:
LOVE - Is my leadership motivated by love for people?
JOY - Do I exhibit an unshakable joy, regardless of life's circumstances?
PEACE - Do people see my peace and take courage?
LONGSUFFERING - Do I wait patiently for results as I develop people or goals?
KINDNESS - Am I caring and understanding toward everyone I meet?
GOODNESS - Do I want the best for others and the organization?
FAITHFULNESS - Have I kept my commitments?
GENTLENESS - Is my strength under control? Can I be both tough and tender?
SELF-CONTROL - Am I disciplined to make progress toward my goals?
Which of these qualities do you want the Spirit to produce in you?
I don't know about you
BUT
I want Him to produce
ALL OF THEM
N Me
PRAYER: Father God, allow the Holy Spirit to produce away.
I want all of them in abundance!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
They're Worth It
Reading for Nov. 6 Gal. 3-4
TOPIC: Evangelism / Discipleship
SCRIPTURE: "My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you...
OBSERVATION: Paul led many people to Christ and helped them mature spiritually. Perhaps one reason for his success as a spiritual father was the deep concern he felt for his spiritual children; he compared his pain over their faithlessness to the pain of childbirth. We should have the same intense care for those to whom we are spiritual parents. When you lead people to Christ, remember to stand by them to help them grow.
[Life Application Commentary]
APPLICATION: Labor means to work, especially work that involves hard physical effort over a long period. It also means to undergo the labor of childbirth
Does that describe the effort you put forth in order to see
your family
your friends
your neighbors
your co-workers
come to know Christ?
Does it?
My wife has told me that natural child birth
is some kinda painful
BUT
When she looks at our 3 girls
she says
They're worth it
The same goes for every person that does not
have a personal intimate daily relationship
with Jesus Christ
They're worth it
The toil
The effort
The manual labor
The hard long hours
The struggle
The sweat
The tears
They're worth it
PRAYER: Father God, helping me not to abort the process just because it gets tough and the pain intensives.
TOPIC: Evangelism / Discipleship
SCRIPTURE: "My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you...
OBSERVATION: Paul led many people to Christ and helped them mature spiritually. Perhaps one reason for his success as a spiritual father was the deep concern he felt for his spiritual children; he compared his pain over their faithlessness to the pain of childbirth. We should have the same intense care for those to whom we are spiritual parents. When you lead people to Christ, remember to stand by them to help them grow.
[Life Application Commentary]
APPLICATION: Labor means to work, especially work that involves hard physical effort over a long period. It also means to undergo the labor of childbirth
Does that describe the effort you put forth in order to see
your family
your friends
your neighbors
your co-workers
come to know Christ?
Does it?
My wife has told me that natural child birth
is some kinda painful
BUT
When she looks at our 3 girls
she says
They're worth it
The same goes for every person that does not
have a personal intimate daily relationship
with Jesus Christ
They're worth it
The toil
The effort
The manual labor
The hard long hours
The struggle
The sweat
The tears
They're worth it
PRAYER: Father God, helping me not to abort the process just because it gets tough and the pain intensives.
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