Worship

This morning I was reading in Isaiah 66 in the Message version and it was talking about worship.  In vs. 1 God says how heaven is His throne and Earth is His footstool.  Then in vs. 2 God says what He is looking for:  "a person simple and plain, reverently responsive to what I say."  The NIV says it like: "he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my Word."

I want to be that person.  A person who humbly walks with His God and who is always listening and responding in obedience to God.  It sounds so simple, but yet I, like all of us wrestle to actually do that.

Later in the Chapter 66 we see where God is not accepting their worship cause it was all about them.  It caused me to look at my own worship of God.  First, are we worshiping God?  Secondly, what kind of worship are we bringing Him?  What does YOUR worship look like to God?

get to the cause

Too many times in life we only deal with the symptoms.  Our kids misbehave and all we see is the outward action.  We blow up in anger on somebody and don't really know why.  We keep coughing, so we take a cough drop.  Maybe we have allowed ourselves to get overweight, so we go on a 3 day diet.  All this to say, we usually only deal with the symptoms and never the cause.  The cause is what produces the symptoms.  If we deal with the root cause, the symptoms will go away.  What are your symptoms and what is the root cause that produce those symptoms?  Deal with your root cause and your symptoms will change.

So what?

Many of us live a life of worry and fear.  We live in the world of WHAT IF?  That question fills us with doubt, fear and stress of the unknown and uncertainty.  But if Jesus is who He said He is and His Promises are true that He would supply all our needs, then we can say SO WHAT!  So what if I lost my job!  So what that we don't know how we are going to make it financially!  So what that the people closest to me have let me down….SO WHAT!  If we are truly walking in faith with Jesus, we turn our WHAT IF, into a SO WHAT.  When this happens, the WHAT IF's lose all their power b/c they have been exposed by our Faith in JESUS.  So no matter what life throws at us…SO WHAT!

Jesus example

This morning looking at Jesus in the boat during a storm with His disciples.  These guys were experienced fishermen, so for them to panic called for an incredibly severe storm.  They finally went and got Jesus, who was sleeping during the fierce storm.  Sleeping?  Resting during the storm?  The disciples are much like us.  We stress out over the storms in our lives, while the model Jesus showed us was how to rest even during the worst of storms.  Jesus could rest, because He trusted His heavenly Father.  If we are journeying with Jesus, the truth is we are going to make it to the other side, it's just "how" will we journey to get there.  We choose how we endure the storms of this life.  We either rest in Christ during them, or get all bent out of shape during them.  Which one are you choosing?

Comfortable?

There is a silent killer of dreams that is constantly stalking us.  It can take us over after a great success or in the midst of difficult times.  Our enemy is "Comfort" which we naturally gravitate toward and if left unchecked will kill our dreams.  Our comfort zone is a box that we have created that keeps us prisoner.  If we are not careful, we waste precious time and lose momentum by allowing it to better us.  As we expand our comfort zone, we are then able to reach higher, push farther and accomplish more.  So don't get too comfortable!

the battle

Who are you in the midst of the battle?  Who are you in the dark days when hope looks like it is all but lost?  Do you keep moving forward?  Do you keep hope alive?  "

Your response to the dark days of life determines your future."  #leadershipfreak

The hottest fire produces the strongest metal.  Some of the greatest lessons come through the most difficult seasons in life and leadership.  Every leader will face dark times, it's how we respond in the face of them, that will determine the outcome.  Stand strong.

questions to ponder

10 QUESTIONS TO REFOCUS YOUR LIFE by Bob Biehl

1. What is my single greatest strength? (What do I “do” the best?)
2. What three decisions are causing me the greatest stress?
3. What is overwhelming me?
4. What impassable roadblock has me stuck?
5. If I could only do three things before I die, what would I want to do?
6. What should I resign from or drop out of? (Peter Drucker said, “Efficiency is doing things right, effectiveness is doing the right things.”)
7. What can I postpone?
8. What things on my “to do” list can someone else do at least 80% as well?
9. What are the “elephants” in my schedule? (Pareto said, “If you’re Noah, and your ark is about to sink, look for the elephants first.”)
10. What are the three things I could do in the next 90 days to make a 50% difference?