Time flies. Every month seems to go faster than the last. I try to occasionally (not often enough) slow down and reflect on what’s gone well and what needs to change for things to go better. It’s been an amazing … Continue reading →
I gave up on resolutions a few years ago. I’d look up at those lofty goals, get excited for a week at most, and then promptly procrastinate my way through the year. The resolution train got me nowhere. That’s where a life plan comes in. Now, “life plan” and “resolution” may sound dangerously similar, but […]
This has been on my mind since I walked into my local Wal-Mart last week and saw the Christmas trees and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer playing over the PA. I’m finding myself becoming increasingly anti-stuff…by stuff I mean all … Continue reading →
We Rest in the Finished Work of Christ
Read Psalm 131.
Contentment and satisfaction are not the same. If you’re satisfied in your relationship with the Lord, you won’t be content in life. You won’t find peace there. But, if you aren’t satisfied, and want to know Him and pursue Him more, you’ll find an ever-growing peace and contentment in life.
SAUL’s soul became anxious and disquieted because of his turning from obedience to the Lord. The only thing that calmed and quieted his soul was for David to come and play the harp for him. The music brought a momentary peace for Saul, but knowing Christ Jesus our Lord brings an everlasting peace to our life!
A lot of us, like Saul, try to quiet our soul on our own. But peace comes when you realize that you can’t do it on your own, and you don’t have to do it on your own!
Where are true peace and contentment found? What does God’s Word say about it, and how do I receive that from Him? It’s in our pursuit of the Lord that we receive peace and our soul is quieted even in life’s raging storms. But how does that happen?
1 Peter 5:6-7
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
Isaiah 26:3
You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.
Matthew 6:25, 33
Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Psalm 55:22
Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.
Philippians 4:6-7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
In all of these verses, you see the pursuit and the finished work. Not being satisfied, yet being perfectly content.
ABRAHAM’s soul was filled with anxiety as he took his son to Mount Moriah. He trusted in the Lord, but you know his stomach was churning, his heart beating out of his chest. But as he raised the knife to sacrifice his beloved son, out of the corner of his eye he spotted the Ram. His soul was calm and quieted, because the Lord provided the sacrifice. At that moment, he knew the real definition of peace.
The Ram is Christ.
It’s His sacrifice, His finished work, that gives us peace, hope, joy, and rest. In Him, we rest from our work (see Hebrews). In Him our souls are calmed and quieted because He did what we couldn’t do: He provided the sacrifice.
We rest in the finished work of Christ Jesus our Lord.
We rest through His Spirit living in us.
And we passionately pursue Him, growing to be more like Him, because peace, joy, hope, and contentment are found only in Christ Jesus our Lord.
There are several keys to successful leadership in ministry, but one of the main keys is humility. The humble spirit is what God desires and is what causes the windows of heaven to open to our prayers. The humble spirit helps us to walk in the assur…
I live in the south. We haven’t been into Starbucks very long compared to Seattle, LA, or even Alexandria, Virginia. I went when I traveled, but it just wasn’t an option at home so I settled for making my own … Continue reading →
Recently i was asked by our exe. pastor to make a list of values that we as a staff team should live by when dealing with each other. It sent me on a journey, so i thought i would share my thoughts with you.
Tell me what you think of these 10 Values to live by as a teammate.
There are some things that should be the desire from all staff members.
Here are ten values, I as a staff should live, love & lead by.
1. Love God. I want to be a person who authentically loves God every day. There is not a need for an extremely gifted person who seems to only live a life of religious routine. I want to truly know and love God and love working with the team, God has synced me with.
2. Live a life of faith. I want to model walking with the Lord in true faith, by stepping out in ways that don’t always make sense to our human minds. Peter walking on the water was witnessed by the others. I do not want to witness the miraculous, i want to experience it!
3. Be a true spiritual leader. In the church, we call ourselves “spiritual leaders,” so I want to actually lead in spiritual things. I need to be spiritually-focused and spirit-led in interacting with the team.
4. Know and love Scripture. I want to be in Scripture regularly, interacting with it, and seeking to know it better. My entire Christian faith stems from the truths of Scripture, therefore, i seek to know it for myself and for the team I am in spiritual leadership with.
5. Avoid behavior management. I desire to be more concerned about the spiritual condition of our team than them having proper or improper behavior. I want them to witness, regularly, my heart and my actions being in tune with the spirit of the team. My most opportune moment for this is when disagreements occur.
6. Hang with the team. Relationships are started at a meeting, but built outside of that time. I desire to spend as much time with the team outside of weekly meetings as possible, without compromising my family or personal time.
7. Know the big picture. I want to, regardless of the age-stage I am working with, to realize that my branch in this ministry, as vital as it may be, is just a part of a life-long discipleship process of the individuals i am leading with the my fellow teammates. My ministry isn’t the end, but simply a means to a much greater end (Philippians 1:6) for every student I lead for a season thate we, as a team, groom for eternity.
8. Integrate into families. Having relationships with the team is great, but getting to know and love their families is far better. We are players on the starting line-up. I want to find ways to positively reinforce what we are endeavoring to do in our meetings by having a greater chemistry between families, not just colleagues.
9. Force thought. I desire to force our team to think, not just be given answers. Far too many meetings have been spoon-fed activities & ideas into my life, never being forced to think through own my own and then share from my perspective. This is detrimental, and a major cause of team detachment. I want to respectfully challenge the process and base the outcome off the truth that is the Word of God and for the betterment of the Whole.
10. Be teachable. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to teach someone who is unteachable. I define a teacher as a constant student who has learned (and is still learning)a lesson worth passing on. I need to understand that this is the means by which the Lord brings me to greater maturity (1 Peter 5:1-2; Ephesians 4:11-16).
hope i helped, gw
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