Boyd Bailey: Capacity Building…

“To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability.” Matthew 25:15

Capacity is the ability Christ gives me to carry out His commands. And capacity varies from person to person. Some people can get by on five to six hours of sleep while I require seven to eight. Where I get out of balance is when I compare my capacity with someone of greater capacity. Indeed, capacity is meant to provide guardrails, not guilt.

So how can we use our capacity to our advantage instead of our disadvantage? How can we understand our limitations and trust the Lord with the results? It starts by being honest about how God has made us. If we can only execute with excellence one project at a time, then we limit ourselves to one. If we only have the time, money and love for two children, then we accept this as the responsible decision. Honesty about capacity is freeing for parents.

But isn’t there a way to build capacity at work, home and in relationships? Yes indeed! As you remain faithful with the small responsibilities, the Lord and others can trust you with additional tasks. When you manage a small amount of money on a budget, you can be trusted with more resources to steward as well. When you treat one individual with a full compliment of grace and truth, you build relational capacity for more quality friendships.

Furthermore, you are over capacity when cash in your bank account is overdrawn, or you have written a relational check your emotions can’t cash. Therefore, monitor your capacity in prayer before Jesus. Ask Him for courage to say no to something new, so you can say yes to current obligations. Like lifting weights, you can increase your mental, emotional, financial and relational capacity--but it takes time, focus and discipline.

The Lord has unlimited capacity for empathy, wisdom and character. So go to Him for your character capacity building. Make sure your character capacity keeps up with your success and you will be able to handle success. Does your heart have the same capacity for humility, as your mind does for truth? So, build capacity around Christ’s gifts to you.

“We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you” (2 Corinthians 10:12-13).

What capacities do I have that Christ wants to grow? Who do I need to say no to?

Related Readings: Job 15:18; Psalm 147:5; John 3:34; 1 Corinthians 10:23

Source: Wisdom Hunters by Boyd Bailey

The Daily Verse: Psalm 51:10

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

Don't feel ashamed if you find yourself weary, like you need a spiritual pep rally to get you back on track. That's normal - you're human. Mimic the psalmist's request in this passage. The Lord will prove Himself faithful to answer your plea for a clean heart and a renewed spirit.

Source: The Daily Verse by Kat Davis

Scripture from AG: understanding & humility

He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. Psalm 25:9

Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?" declares the LORD. "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word. Isaiah 66:2

Boyd Bailey: Careless Words…

“But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." Matthew 12:36-37

My words are a reflection of my heart. When Christ captures my heart then my words are measured and meaningful. A heart pregnant with the Lord’s purposes produces good fruit for its recipients. It’s when my heart avoids the Almighty’s instructions that my words become careless. They wound and bring harm to the hearers who receive my insensitivity.

We communicate better when we understand the gravity of undisciplined speech. There is an accountability from God that one day gauges what we have said. No idle word will miss the microscope of our Master’s judgment. “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless” (James 1:26). The Holy Spirit bridles our tongue with words of great worth.

So, does your speech represent your Savior well? Do your words incubate in a heart of intimacy with God and accountability with man? Like a thoughtful and creative artist use your words to paint a picture that provides understanding and instruction. Prepare your heart in prayer before you speak in a meeting or prior to a performance review. At home, resolve to be respectful in all matters of conversation and others will reciprocate. Know that what is said in the privacy of your own home may fall on the ears of your innocent children, so don’t be surprised at what you hear them say. It may be at a very embarrassing moment.

Careless words are best corralled by Christ’s calming presence. When He seasons our speech with grace there is a gravitas that gains the attention of the most suspecting souls. It’s when the Lord speaks through us that we experience the best communication. Indeed, a humble heart full of Christ’s courage carries the right words at the right time. Speak with bold clarity and trust God with the results. Convert careless words to kind ones.

“Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one” (Colossians 4:6, NKJV).

Are my words measured in prayer? Do I speak with accountability to God in mind?

Related Readings: Psalm 139:4; Proverbs 18:21; Job 15:3; Ephesians 5:4

Source: Wisdom Hunters by Boyd Bailey

The Daily Verse: Luke 5:39

And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, The old is good. Luke 5:39

Old habits are hard to break. However, if God has poured a new way of doing things into your heart, be a good steward of the lesson and the journey by embracing it. You are being taught a new way of doing things for a purpose, so lean into it and watch how it manifests a spirit of confidence and joy in your life.

Source: The Daily Verse by Kat Davis

Boyd Bailey: Worship When Worried…

“Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” Psalm 100:1-3

I cannot worship and worry at the same time. When Christ is my focus they do not coexist, because worship pushes worry into its own wilderness. In my personal and corporate worship Almighty God becomes bigger than life. His holiness heals my heart, His beauty soothes my soul, His majesty humbles my pride and His glory gets my full attention. Worship recalibrates my thinking to trust and my emotions to the eternal.

Our worship is meant to move us toward our Master in a manner that transforms our weak faith to a bold proclamation of His faithfulness. Music is a facilitator for our heart to lift itself out of the worries of this world to the calming presence of Christ. We are privileged, as Christ followers, to approach Him at anytime in authentic adoration and praise. We shout with thanksgiving or quietly whisper words of gratitude to our King.

“Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn—shout for joy before the LORD, the King” (Psalm 98:4-6).

How is your daily and weekly worship? Is it rote or radical? Is it fresh or perfunctory? Worship is a way to wrap your mind about what matters. The cares and competition from this world becomes strangely dim, as heaven comes into full focus in all its splendor. Like a giddy scientist peering through his Hubble telescope, your worship gives you glimpses into His glory. Your eyes of faith fall on the compassionate face of Christ.

Genuine worship focuses on your Heavenly Father, and it changes you. You walk away wondering why you ever worried in the first place. You exit your place of worship having left the residue of your sin behind, because you came clean in confession and repentance. Sin cannot bow at the footstool of Holy God without melting away in fear.

Worship and worry no more, for this is your opportunity to engage God. Worship matters, because the Lord matters. Worship freely, and watch Him free you from worry. Like the sun cutting into a fog covered bridge, He burns away your mind’s clouded cares. Worship works, because worry cannot coexist in the presence of our King Jesus Christ.

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29).

Do I regularly replace my worry with worship? Do I authentically worship Almighty God?

Related Readings: Nehemiah 9:3; Daniel 3:28; Matthew 28:17; Revelation 22:8-9

Source: Wisdom Hunters by Boyd Bailey

Telling your problems where to go!

Don't tell God how big your problems are. Tell your problems how big God is.