“The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest’. So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.” Mark 6:30-32
Wise leaders lead others into rest—they find a quiet place and rest together. After extreme busyness rest is required, as your spirit begins to rebel against the hustle and bustle of life. The joy of service for God starts to fade. People become a drain rather than a blessing. It is time to breakaway to a solitary place. Jesus took a break after a big event.
If you continually push yourself you will eventually lose all energy and perspective. A driven heart becomes a judgmental heart. You begin to look down on others because they are not pulling their weight. Your joy is replaced with jaded criticism. You feel you are the only one who is really committed. Your peers have become slackers in your mind.
Furthermore, be careful you may be serving out of your own strength and not the Spirit’s. It is the Holy Spirit that sustains you over the long haul. Wise leaders understand the danger of an unsustainable schedule. You begin to sacrifice relationships in reach of unrealistic goals. Indeed, God gives us goals as a guide and motivation, but do not be driven by the goal—rather be lead by the Holy Spirit.
Otherwise the goal can become your god. Unchecked goal setting can lead you down the path of disappointment and disillusionment. You may need to better pace yourself. Be patient. Develop the team around you and watch God work through them way beyond your capacity. Indeed, some of your team development comes in the quiet places.
Find a quiet spot and calendar a time today for you and your team. They desperately need this enrichment both personally and professionally. Without a retreat they may be unable to advance. Some may be on the verge of burnout or quitting because of discouragement. Solitary places allow you and your team to recalibrate with the vision and mission of the organization. Quiet times together build camaraderie and trust.
A retreat is an investment. By taking time to pause you are able to continue—and you continue with more effectiveness and efficiency. A quiet place is an opportunity to get on the same page with God. Your soul is refreshed and replenished. The words of the Bible leap from the pages and lodge in the crevices of your heart and mind. A retreat is an exercise of trust that routine matters will be taken care of in your absence.
Take a retreat for your sake and sanity—and for the morale of the team. We hear more clearly when it is quiet. Our comprehension expands. Our bodies rest. Our soul is renewed. A solitary place provides strength and stamina to finish well. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is rest in a quiet place!
“This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.” Isaiah 30:15
When can I calendar a retreat time with my team for rest and reflection?
Related Readings: Job 3:25-26; Psalm 37:7; John 6:37; 1 John 3:19
Source: Ransomed Heart Ministries by John Eldredge
4.12.2011
3.31.2011
The Daily Verse on Truth
The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. Psalm 145:18
Too often we lie to ourselves. If we lie to ourselves, chances are we are also lying to God. Go ahead and tell yourself and God the truth. You both will know if you're not and we might as well deal with our issues head on if we expect them to be moved by our own doing or God's.
Source: The Daily Verse by Kat Davis
Too often we lie to ourselves. If we lie to ourselves, chances are we are also lying to God. Go ahead and tell yourself and God the truth. You both will know if you're not and we might as well deal with our issues head on if we expect them to be moved by our own doing or God's.
Source: The Daily Verse by Kat Davis
3.30.2011
The Daily Verse on Perspective
But go, act, be strong for the battle. Why should you suppose that God will cast you down before the enemy? For God has power to help or to cast down.
2 Chronicles 25:8
Often times, we assume the way that life and the world treats us is God's heart for us. Let us not fall prey to that lie. Go, act and be strong for the battle and lean into the truth that God is for you.
Source: The Daily Verse by Kat Davis
2 Chronicles 25:8
Often times, we assume the way that life and the world treats us is God's heart for us. Let us not fall prey to that lie. Go, act and be strong for the battle and lean into the truth that God is for you.
Source: The Daily Verse by Kat Davis
3.24.2011
Romans 5:3 - The Daily Verse on Endurance
More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance...
Romans 5:3
Think back on one of your most intense times of suffering. Reflect on how you've grown because of it in wisdom, discernment, maturity, patience and endurance. Allow that reminder to comfort you amidst whatever your current circumstances of suffering may be.
Source: The Daily Verse by Kat Davis
Romans 5:3
Think back on one of your most intense times of suffering. Reflect on how you've grown because of it in wisdom, discernment, maturity, patience and endurance. Allow that reminder to comfort you amidst whatever your current circumstances of suffering may be.
Source: The Daily Verse by Kat Davis
3.15.2011
You Must Fight for Your Life
Until we come to terms with war as the context of our days, we will not understand life. We will misinterpret 90 percent of what is happening around us and to us. It will be very hard to believe that God's intentions toward us are life abundant; it will be even harder not to feel that somehow we are just blowing it. Worse, we will begin to accept some really awful things about God. That four-year-old little girl being molested by her daddy- that is "God's will "? That ugly divorce that tore your family apart-God wanted that to happen too? And that plane crash that took the lives of so many-that was ordained by God?
Most people get stuck at some point because God appears to have abandoned them. He is not coming through. Speaking about her life with a mixture of disappointment and cynicism, a young woman recently said to me, "God is rather silent right now." Yes, it's been awful. I don't discount that for a moment. She is unloved; she is unemployed; she is under a lot. But her attitude strikes me as deeply naive, on the level of someone caught in a cross fire who asks, rather shocked and with a sense of betrayal, "God, why won't you make them stop firing at me?" I'm sorry, but that's not where we are right now. It's not where we are in the Story. That day is coming, later, when the lion shall lie down with the lamb and we'll beat swords into plowshares. For now, it's bloody battle.
It sure explains a whole heckuva lot.
You won't understand your life, you won't see clearly what has happened to you or how to live forward from here, unless you see it as battle. A war against your heart.
(Waking the Dead , 17-18)
Source: Ransomed Heart Ministries by John Eldredge
Most people get stuck at some point because God appears to have abandoned them. He is not coming through. Speaking about her life with a mixture of disappointment and cynicism, a young woman recently said to me, "God is rather silent right now." Yes, it's been awful. I don't discount that for a moment. She is unloved; she is unemployed; she is under a lot. But her attitude strikes me as deeply naive, on the level of someone caught in a cross fire who asks, rather shocked and with a sense of betrayal, "God, why won't you make them stop firing at me?" I'm sorry, but that's not where we are right now. It's not where we are in the Story. That day is coming, later, when the lion shall lie down with the lamb and we'll beat swords into plowshares. For now, it's bloody battle.
It sure explains a whole heckuva lot.
You won't understand your life, you won't see clearly what has happened to you or how to live forward from here, unless you see it as battle. A war against your heart.
(Waking the Dead , 17-18)
Source: Ransomed Heart Ministries by John Eldredge
3.07.2011
We Are at War
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10)
Have you ever wondered why Jesus married those two statements? Did you even know he spoke them at the same time? I mean, he says them in one breath. And he has his reasons. By all means, God intends life for you. But right now that life is opposed. It doesn't just roll in on a tray. There is a thief. He comes to steal and kill and destroy. Why won't we face this? I know so few people who will face this. The offer is life, but you're going to have to fight for it, because there's an Enemy in your life with a different agenda.
There is something set against us.
We are at war.
I don't like that fact any more than you do, but the sooner we come to terms with it, the better hope we have of making it through to the life we do want. This is not Eden. You probably figured that out. This is not Mayberry, this is not Seinfeld's world, this is not Survivor. The world in which we live is a combat zone, a violent clash of kingdoms, a bitter struggle unto the death. I am sorry if I'm the one to break this news to you: you were born into a world at war, and you will live all your days in the midst of a great battle, involving all the forces of heaven and hell and played out here on earth.
Where did you think all this opposition was coming from?
(Waking the Dead , 12-13)
Source: Ransomed Heart Ministries by John Eldredge
Have you ever wondered why Jesus married those two statements? Did you even know he spoke them at the same time? I mean, he says them in one breath. And he has his reasons. By all means, God intends life for you. But right now that life is opposed. It doesn't just roll in on a tray. There is a thief. He comes to steal and kill and destroy. Why won't we face this? I know so few people who will face this. The offer is life, but you're going to have to fight for it, because there's an Enemy in your life with a different agenda.
There is something set against us.
We are at war.
I don't like that fact any more than you do, but the sooner we come to terms with it, the better hope we have of making it through to the life we do want. This is not Eden. You probably figured that out. This is not Mayberry, this is not Seinfeld's world, this is not Survivor. The world in which we live is a combat zone, a violent clash of kingdoms, a bitter struggle unto the death. I am sorry if I'm the one to break this news to you: you were born into a world at war, and you will live all your days in the midst of a great battle, involving all the forces of heaven and hell and played out here on earth.
Where did you think all this opposition was coming from?
(Waking the Dead , 12-13)
Source: Ransomed Heart Ministries by John Eldredge
2.23.2011
Inspect What’s Expected
“Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the LORD had commanded. So Moses blessed them.” Exodus 39:43
Excellent work requires regular inspection. We all do better when others are watching, especially when it’s the Lord and those we respect. Work is an expression of the worker, so it’s imperative the work is intentional and with integrity. If we resist someone looking over our shoulder to verify our efforts then we miss out on our much needed accountability.
Do you have clarity in what’s expected of you in your role at work? If not, seek out your supervisor and confirm his or her expectations and make sure they align with your understanding. Like a team sport, you want to make sure you are both playing the same game and executing the same plays. Excellent execution requires alignment of expectations. Be grateful you have a boss who cares to look closely at what you do.
“Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds” (Proverbs 27:23).
Do you serve in a position of authority at work or home? Perhaps you supervise a small team at work, maybe you are a sole proprietor with only an assistant or you are responsible at home to oversee the domestic duties. If you are a supervisor—do you lovingly supervise? A responsible manager takes time to instruct the team members in expected outcomes, define the process and then oversees the systematic implementation.
Organizations undisciplined in follow-up and follow through find themselves missing deadlines with inferior results. Wise are the men and women who up front understand and embrace the plan and who regularly give a status report in their area of expertise. These are the conscientious ones who steward well their responsibilities at work.
Is your home in disarray or is there a well-defined structure around who is responsible for what chores? Maybe you start with the husband proactively caring for the outside needs and for all of the house maintenance, while the wife manages the inside tasks. Engage the children to keep their room clean and organized, while helping dad and mom. Review regularly who is responsible for what and reward good results done with a good attitude.
Above all ask, “What are the Lord’s expectations?” It’s an attractive attitude at work and home that flows from a faith that first seeks to follow Christ’s instructions. Make sure you lay your work before the Lord at His altar of excellence. Is He pleased with your productivity? Are you supervising His resources and relationships as His wise steward?
“The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns” (Luke 12:42-43).
Related Readings: Genesis 43:16; Luke 16: 1-14; Hebrews 2:1; 1 Peter 4:10
Source: Wisdom Hunters by Boyd Bailey
Excellent work requires regular inspection. We all do better when others are watching, especially when it’s the Lord and those we respect. Work is an expression of the worker, so it’s imperative the work is intentional and with integrity. If we resist someone looking over our shoulder to verify our efforts then we miss out on our much needed accountability.
Do you have clarity in what’s expected of you in your role at work? If not, seek out your supervisor and confirm his or her expectations and make sure they align with your understanding. Like a team sport, you want to make sure you are both playing the same game and executing the same plays. Excellent execution requires alignment of expectations. Be grateful you have a boss who cares to look closely at what you do.
“Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds” (Proverbs 27:23).
Do you serve in a position of authority at work or home? Perhaps you supervise a small team at work, maybe you are a sole proprietor with only an assistant or you are responsible at home to oversee the domestic duties. If you are a supervisor—do you lovingly supervise? A responsible manager takes time to instruct the team members in expected outcomes, define the process and then oversees the systematic implementation.
Organizations undisciplined in follow-up and follow through find themselves missing deadlines with inferior results. Wise are the men and women who up front understand and embrace the plan and who regularly give a status report in their area of expertise. These are the conscientious ones who steward well their responsibilities at work.
Is your home in disarray or is there a well-defined structure around who is responsible for what chores? Maybe you start with the husband proactively caring for the outside needs and for all of the house maintenance, while the wife manages the inside tasks. Engage the children to keep their room clean and organized, while helping dad and mom. Review regularly who is responsible for what and reward good results done with a good attitude.
Above all ask, “What are the Lord’s expectations?” It’s an attractive attitude at work and home that flows from a faith that first seeks to follow Christ’s instructions. Make sure you lay your work before the Lord at His altar of excellence. Is He pleased with your productivity? Are you supervising His resources and relationships as His wise steward?
“The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns” (Luke 12:42-43).
Related Readings: Genesis 43:16; Luke 16: 1-14; Hebrews 2:1; 1 Peter 4:10
Source: Wisdom Hunters by Boyd Bailey
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