“Oh! to be solid gold through and through. If so, you need not mind the trials of today, since they will only prepare you for the glories eternal at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” —Charles Spurgeon, commenting on 1 Peter 1:6-7
“The clearer and more compelling our vision, the more earnest, specific and devoted we will be in taking up the disciplines necessary to realize our vision.” —T.M. Moore
Dan Reiland writes that leaders under sustained pressure may “eventually face a breaking point where caving in no longer looks like a weakness and starts looking like the only option to survive.” He then shares some solid leadership practices to help us stand firm during these pressure-packed situations.
“The sign that the Holy Spirit is in us is that we realize, not that we are full, but that we are empty. There is a sense of absolute need. We come across people who try us, circumstances that are difficult, conditions that are perplexing, and all these things awaken a dumb sense of need, which is a sign that the Holy Spirit is there. If we are ever free from the sense of need, it is not because the Holy Spirit has satisfied us, but because we have been satisfied with as much as we have.” —Oswald Chambers, in If You Will Ask
How cool is this: “Another fascinating clue has been found pointing to Neanderthals belonging to the human population. In a Russian cave, researchers discovered what they believe to be a 60,000-year-old Neanderthal molar tooth with a hole in it. A LiveScience article has dubbed the discovery ‘the oldest evidence of intentional dentistry to date.’” Of course, this human isn’t 60,000 years old, but more like 4000 years old, and shows the intelligence that the Creator endowed in all humans.
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An insidious killer may be stalking your organization. As you look around at your team some of them may have already resigned. They might be showing up every day, but mentally and spiritually they have already quit trying. Join Greg and I as we discuss how resignation can creep in, and how your example of resilience can help stave it off.
Greg and I have co-authored the first book in our new series Business By The Book. Get your copy today.
[0:00] Introduction
[1:07] Resigning isn’t as obvious as someone saying, “I quit!”
[1:55] The attitude of resignation starts way before someone begins their work career.
[4:20] As a leader, is there value in telling people your story of grit? Does that encourage teammates or does it discourage them?
[6:14] Is resilience innate or learned or both?
[8:12] Resilience is often a grind, but it pays huge dividends for those who will stick with it. I share a conversation he had with an NBA player.
[11:08] Greg shares examples of two professional athletes who demonstrated resilience, as well as his own resilience on the football field.
[14:02] Leaders need to push themselves farther and not give themselves an “out.” This is how they show resilience as an encouragement for others.
[15:56] Greg shares how he transitioned an organization from a quiet culture to a hungry culture. I then share how I have helped others become hungry and resilient.
[18:08] Tough times are going to come to every individual and every organization. Leaders need to help prepare themselves and their teams.
[19:53] Is there a time for resigning? I think it’s possible that resigning is sometimes a healthy resilience.
[23:13] Greg shares a quote about resilience being a gift.
[25:01] Leaders are a gift to their entire organization when they are resilient.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here.
Think about this: How do your favorite books end? How about the ending of your favorite movies?
I love listening to old-time radio shows, and I can quote the endings because they are all identical.
In the Bible, how do the epistles end? Most end with the author passing along his greetings, speaking a doxology like, “The Lord be with you,” or even a simple “Amen.”
Now listen to the last two verses of the Book of James: My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back,remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins (5:19-20).
James is a general epistle—not written to a particular congregation—so it was intended to be read to saints everywhere. The same is true for the Gospels:
Matthew: Jesus commissions His followers to go into all the world and preach the Gospel and then He promises, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).
Mark: “Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere” (Mark 16:20).
Luke-Acts: “And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God” (Luke 24:53); they were baptized in the Holy Spirit and more saints went out preaching (Acts 2); Paul “proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!” (Acts 28:31).
John: “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written” (John 21:25). The implication, I believe, is that we are to do this as well—“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in Me will do the works I have been doing and they will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12).
So James writes instructions to the saints in this same posture of an ongoing work. He writes his epistle as a cycle—
He ends with”brothers and sisters” (Greek: adelphos in 5:19-20), and starts with adelphos (1:2),
He ends with a call to prayer (5:13-15), and opens with a call to prayer (1:5-7).
He ends with a call to patience in trouble (5:7-11), and he begins teaching saints about trials (1:2-4).
He ends with encouragement of how maturing saints can triumph over difficult situations (5:16), and he opens with the word of encouragement that our difficult situations serve to mature us (1:12).
In between these bookends is fabulous counsel for daily living: Dealing with temptation, learning from the Word, watching our words, letting our day deeds reflect our faith, growing in wisdom, and seizing each day for God’s glory.
There is no finish line for me while God still has me on earth. If I’m still here, He’s still working on me so that He can work through me. We start our Christian journey justified—a one-time event where we’ve been made just as if we had never sinned. We end out journey when we are glorified—a one-time event when we arrive in Heaven. But along the journey we are being sanctified—an going process (that I like to call saint-ification) the whole time we’re on earth.
Throughout this sanctification process, we are continually growing. See Psalm 92:12-14—
The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon, planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God.They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green.
If you’re still breathing, you should still be…
…maturing through trials
…bearing increasingly more fruit
…useful for the Kingdom
…invaluable to the Body of Christ
So take a deep breath.
If you’re still breathing, God still has a plan for you. Don’t worry about the finish line (God will take care of that), but keep learning, growing, and serving all the way to the end.
Greg and I both have confessions to make about areas we fell short in our earlier careers. But we have learned that those stumbling points can be launching points for greater growth.
“Without God, there could be no American form of Government, nor an American way of life. Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first—the most basic—expression of Americanism.” —Dwight D. Eisenhower
Greg Morse calls out the way pornography addictions are hamstringing the church. “My intention is simply to kindle the abhorrence that every saint should have for this sin. I hate pornography. I hate what it does to young men; I hate what it does to marriages; I hate what it does to older men and even older ministers who trip while crossing the finish line. I hate its accessibility; I hate its covertness; I hate how it is designed by satan to disable the men and women who were made for so much more.”
“But the question is not what we intended ourselves to be, but what [God] intended us to be when He made us. He is the inventor, we are only the machine. He is the painter, we are only the picture. How should we know what He means us to be like? … We may be content to remain what we call ‘ordinary people’: but He is determined to carry out a quite different plan. To shrink back from that plan is not humility: it is laziness and cowardice. To submit to it is not conceit or megalomania; it is obedience.” —C.S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity
“Leadership development is synonymous with personal development. As leaders grow personally, they increase their ability to lead. As they increase their capability to lead, they enlarge the capacity of their organization to grow. Therefore, the most crucial objective for any leader is personal growth. … The most important thing spiritual leaders do is cultivate their relationship with God (John 15:5; Jeremiah 7:13).” —Richard and Henry Blackaby, in Spiritual Leadership
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Is it really true that practice makes perfect? And if so, what exactly does perfection look like?
“On the one hand, God’s demand for perfection need not discourage you in the least in your present attempts to be good, or even in your present failures. Each time you fall He will pick you up again. And He knows perfectly well that your own efforts are never going to bring you anywhere near perfection. On the other hand, you must realise from the outset that the goal towards which He is beginning to guide you is absolute perfection; and no power in the whole universe, except you yourself, can prevent Him from taking you to that goal.”
You may also want to check out a couple of related blog posts:
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here.
Throughout history, no one is ever seen approaching a king like it’s no big deal. Even those who are confident in themselves, still are seen reassuring themselves before they venture into the king’s throne room.
Last week we talked about the King’s royal robes that allow us to enter into His presence. We see that in civic government too (Esther 4:1-2). Mordecai urges Queen Esther to approach King Xerxes to intercede for the Jewish people. She is clothed appropriately (2:12, 15-17) but even she knows that’s not enough (4:11).
We who are clothed in the royal robes of Jesus can approach God’s throne confidently—Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16).
Our next Royal Psalm is Psalm 95. This psalm is both an invitation and a warning.
Invitation: Come (3x)…
…with joyful shouts because He is “the Rock of our salvation” (v. 1; c.f. Hebrews 10:22).
…with thanksgiving because of His greatness (vv. 2-5; c.f. Hebrews 12:28)
…with worship because He is our God (vv. 6-7a; Matthew 2:2, 11)
Remember this psalm is both an invitation and a warning. The warning is the danger of refusing to approach the King. We see a hint of this warning in Hebrews 12:28-29.
Have you noticed that I have been referencing the Book of Hebrews quite frequently? That’s because the writer of Hebrews links back to this Royal Psalm in a way no other biblical author does. Check out how this psalm ends (Psalm 95:7-11).
The writer of Hebrews quotes this royal psalm (Hebrews 3:7-11), and then shares a Spirit-inspired commentary or application in verses 12-19.
Note the words unbelieving and unbelief (vv. 12, 19). These are the same Greek word which means faithlessness. This faithless attitude blocks miracles (Matthew 13:58), which can result in a hardening of our heart (Mark 16:14). Finally, this hardness of heart can keep us from resting in our King (vv. 12, 19); the word disobeyed in v. 18 means refusing to let yourself be persuaded.
Now notice the Therefore…be careful in Hebrews 4:1-7.The unbelief now moves to disobedience (vv. 6, 11), which is really better defined as obstinacy. In verses 8-11, the word Sabbath-rest is unique in all of Scripture. It’s the place of perfect contentment, undiluted and uninterrupted for all of eternity! But in order to enter this Sabbath-rest, we have to cease from our own way of doing things (see Matthew 11:28-30).
Look at how Hebrews 4 concludes: Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (v. 16).
Verses 1-8 quote the Scripture of God’s promised rest, culminating in the Sabbath-rest in v. 9.
Verses 10-11 tell us to learn from the Scriptures the “example of disobedience” so that we don’t repeat it. Verse 12 tells us God’s Word exposes all our faithlessness, disobedience, and obstinacy that may even be hidden from our sight, but know that everything is uncovered and laid bear before our King of kings (v. 13).
Notice the therefore (v. 14) and the then (v. 16). My flesh would have me run and hide when my sin is revealed, but here we see that the conviction of the Spirit through the exposing Word should prompt us to run to the throne of grace with confidence (vv. 14-16).
Confident of what? Receiving mercy and finding grace.
Where is the source of this confidence? Our great High Priest Jesus—our conquering King—has opened the way for us to come to a throne of grace instead of a throne of wrath!
We come joyfully, thankfully, and worshipfully. We come not because of our deeds, but yoked to our King.
In Esther 5:1-2 we see Esther adorned to enter the king’s presence, unsure if she would be accepted. But we don’t have to adorn ourselves. Instead, we are clothed in the righteous, royal robe of Jesus which makes God pleased so that He extends His scepter of Sabbath-rest (Hebrews 4:16)!
May we all desire to enter into this place of Sabbath-rest!
Here’s a quote from John Piper that got me thinking: “God loves His people. He loves for them to get good food, rich food. He knows how to put His shepherds in the vice of affliction and squeeze out of us authentic, prayer-soaked, desperation-flavored insight—the unsearchable riches of Christ for the joy of His people.” Pastor, God wants to use you to shepherd the flock He’s placed under your care. So trust Him to give you what you need. And check out my book When Sheep Bite to help you along through this journey.
“Do more than go to church; be the church. Find a place to serve in the promises of your pastor and fight for that vision like it was your own. Do more than give what’s left; give what’s right. Do more than show up as a consumer; show up as a partner, knowing the day will come when you will need partnership to see your dream come to pass. If your promise is concerning business, then be the best employee of the people for whom you work. If your promise will need generous people involved to make it happen, then be generous in the promises of others. If your promise is about your family, be a blessing to the families of those who are around you. Make their dreams come to pass and you will plant the seeds that will, in time, become the fruit of your God-given why.” —Jim Wiegand, in Why is Greater Than What
“You have noticed, I expect, that Christ Himself sometimes describes the Christian way as very hard, sometimes as very easy. He says, ‘Take up your Cross’—in other words, it is like going to be beaten to death in a concentration camp. Next minute he says, ‘My yoke is easy and my burden light.’ He means both.” —C.S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity
T.M. Moore is beginning a new series of posts on the importance of the spiritual life for the Christian. He writes, “We may thus define the spiritual life in terms of Christ exalted as our focus, Christ indwelling as our sustaining power, Christ at work in and through us as the outcome of our discipleship, and Christ returning as the hope which sustains us through the tests we encounter every day. True spiritual life, in other words, is all about Jesus Christ.”
“The truths of eternity have an infinite power. They are often powerless because we do not give them time to reveal themselves. Taking time to be alone with God is the only remedy. … The Word that we get from the mouth of God brings the power to know it and to do it. Let us learn this lesson: personal fellowship with God alone in secret can make the Word alive and powerful.” —Andrew Murray
Dr. Thaddeus Williams unpacks what Charles Darwin meant when he wrote to a friend, “The horrid doubt always arises whether the convictions of man’s mind, which has been developed from the mind of the lower animals, are of any value or at all trustworthy.” Check out Dr. Williams’ post, which he opens with, “If our minds came from a capital “M” Mind—God—gifted to us as truth-knowing mechanisms, we have a reason to reason. But if our minds came from a non-mind, a literally dumb process of random mutations and natural selection, then our minds are not fundamentally truth-knowing mechanisms, but mere survival mechanisms.”
“Our first birth brought us into sin and sorrow, but our second birth brings us into purity and joy. We were born to die; now are we born never to die, ‘begotten again’ unto a life that shall remain in us for evermore, a life which shall even penetrate these mortal bodies, and make them immortal, ‘by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.’” —Charles Spurgeon, commenting on 1 Peter 1:3-4
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Gentleness is both a safe word and an unsafe word, which makes gentleness such an indispensable trait for shepherd leaders. Check out this clip from my time on the Leading from Alignment podcast.
Here is an excerpt from the chapter that Jim Wiegand was referencing—
I mention this fruit of gentleness specifically because I think it is one of the least understood and one of the most powerful virtues in a shepherd’s life. If you go to a modern dictionary for a definition of gentleness, you might read words like kind, moderate, calm, and tame. If you dig a little deeper into the synonyms, you will discover words like meek and mild.
The Greek philosophers thought and taught extensively about the virtues. For them a virtue was a healthy tension or a balanced response between two opposite extremes. Many philosophers referred to a virtue as a “golden mean” between those extremes. For instance, the virtue of generosity might be described as the golden mean between thriftiness and lavishness; courage could be the golden mean between rashness and timidity; and purity the golden mean between prudishness and immorality.
The gentleman or gentlewoman is not a pushover. They are strong. They know what they believe in and are passionate for the truth. They know when to fight and how to fight. So gentleness becomes the golden mean between a pacifist and a fighter. Gentleness is a lion with powerful muscles, razor-sharp claws, and a jaw strong enough to snap a bone who knows how to velvet its paws and use its nearly invincible strength as a means for good. —from Chapter 3: “A Shepherd’s Gentleness”
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here.
I know we’re not supposed to judge by appearances, but the fact is that we do make quite a few mental assessments by what we see.
I heard about a recently-hired flight attendant who hadn’t received her uniform from the airline before she worked her first flight. Can you imagine what passengers were thinking when someone dressed just like them was giving pre-flight instructions, passing out snacks and beverages, or asking passengers to buckle up? I’m sure they made an assessment about her because of what she wasn’t wearing.
The first mention an article of clothing is when God clothes Adam and Eve to cover the shame of their sin (Genesis 3:21).
There is no mention of the garments and accessories that would be worn by kings, but we see how these things had become recognized outward symbols (1 Samuel 18:1-4). And then there were the kingly crowns (2 Samuel 12:29-30). As we saw last week, David knew God had chosen him to lead Israel, and whether it was symbolic or literal, David saw his kingly crown as coming from God (Psalm 21:1-3, 5).
Swords and crowns were mostly symbols of authority, but there are also garments that show intimacy. We first see this with the priests who were to serve before God in the Holy of Holies. They were given special garments to distinguish them from everyone else (Exodus 28:1-3). These robes would also be saturated with the aroma of the unique incense that the priests offered in God’s presence. So both the appearance and aroma spoke of close intimacy with God.
For a period of time, the ark of the covenant of the Lord was housed in a temporary location, but David wanted to bring it to Jerusalem. As he undertook this, notice his clothing choice (1 Chronicles 15:27). David then offered praise to God extolling His glory (16:8-10), His strength (vv. 11-12), and His majesty (vv. 24-29).
Psalm 93 is a royal psalm—taking what people knew about King David and pointing past him to the King of kings. Notice the same themes in this psalm of this eternal King’s glory, strength, and majesty as David mentions in 1 Chronicles 16. God is referred to exclusively as YHWH (5 times) in this psalm.
David recognized his kingly majesty came from his intimacy with the majesty of God.
God’s clothing of Adam and Eve—the covering of the ravages of sin—was a foreshadowing of what Jesus would do for us. Check out this prophecy in Isaiah 61:1-3, 10. Jesus quoted this in His very first recorded sermon.
Jesus has a royal crown and robe that shows both His royalty and His intimacy with His Father’s majesty (Revelation 6:2, 19:13). And Jesus gives this same crown to His saints (2:10, 3:11).
Remember we said earlier that we naturally make an assessment of people by their robes? What do people assess about you? In the middle of the Isaiah 61 prophecy about what Jesus would do for us is this testimony—
Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the Lord has blessed(v. 9).
Our soiled robes have been exchanged for the King of king’s robe of pure righteousness (Ephesians 5:25-27). Because He is also our High Priest, our robe of righteousness is saturated with His aroma (2 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV; 1 Peter 2:9).
Revelation 22:14 should be our desire—Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.
But we should also desire what Jesus desires: That no one misses out on this—
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. (John 3:16-17).
So let’s make sure our robes are clean and bright, and that the aroma of our life is a pleasing aroma that points others to our King!
If you would like to check out the other Royal Psalms that we’ve already looked at, you can find those here.
Patience is a leadership builder, just as surely as impatience is a leadership killer. When leaders repeatedly make poor choices because of their impatience, there is only one way to fix this leadership killer—lengthen the fuse.
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” —Henry David Thoreau
“Christian sorrow leads to repentance; repentance leads to forgiveness; and forgiveness leads to true joy over one’s reconciliation with God.” —Henry Halley, commenting on James 4:9-10; c.f. Psalm 32:1
“People who were not Christians themselves helped me to Christianity. But usually it is those who know Him that bring Him to others. That is why the Church, the whole body of Christians showing Him to one another, is so important. You might say that when two Christians are following Christ together there is not twice as much Christianity as when they are apart, but sixteen times as much.” —C.S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity
“And so I labored hard to be a man of full integrity in all my dealings, being careful not to fall into temptation, lest the pagan should some pretext have to denigrate my good episcopate and to disparage me.” —Patrick of Ireland
With all the activity inside even the tiniest of cells, how do the cells keep their proper shape? Scientists have discovered a process called CorMR. “Researchers found that CorM, a protein inside the system, forms thin strands just under the inner cell membrane. CorR, another bacterial protein, helps place those strands in the right area. An additional system, MinC, helps keep them away from the cell ends and the division site.” This is just another example of the precise details our Creator superintends in all He has made!
Thomas S. Kidd writes, “Given the mixed personal record of the American Founders, what accounts for our nation’s impressive history of Christian devotion? The most important factor was the Lord’s providence working through thousands of churches to spread the gospel. A second essential factor in America’s robust religious history was the unusual freedom that churches and Christians enjoyed due to religious liberty.” Check out this thoughtful post about the story of Christianity in America.
There should be a heavenly aroma and a winsomeness about us as Christians that attracts others to Jesus the Savior and King.
Craig T. Owens 