As a strategy consultant, our firm primarily does “one-off” projects; that is, a single project for a client. The reason is pretty simple. If we help a client develop a great long-term strategy or resolve a big strategic issue; and if we put in place a clear implementation plan; they shouldn’t need us again for quite a while. In fact, if we did get called back it would mean that the plan didn’t go well (fortunately this hasn’t happened to us!). All this is to say that we have no clear “forward look” to our business. This kind of uncertainty is a faith-builder! But while I can’t see what if any work we’ll be doing a couple of months from now, I can look back over the dozen plus years we’ve been in business and see God’s faithful hand at work.
In uncertain times like these we need to remind ourselves of God’s faithfulness. Each of us can think back and recount times when God’s faithfulness was evident in our lives. We need to think about those times. Also, scripture tells us that he is faithful; it’s his nature. We need to think about that as well. So take a few minutes and think about God’s faithfulness in your life. If he’s been faithful to you in the past, surely you can count on him to be faithful to you in the future! And read the following verses with confidence – our God is faithful at all times and in all situations!
Psalm 86:15 But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
Psalm 89:8 O LORD God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness surrounds you.
Psalm 89:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.
Psalm 100:5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 108:4 For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Psalm 115:1 Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.
Psalm 117:2 For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD.
Isaiah 25:1 O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.
Lamentations 3:22-23 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Attitude
Philippians 2:1-11. "If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Our attitude should be the same as Christ Jesus, according to this passage of scripture: humble and obedient in all circumstances. The quote below from Chuck Swindoll has always been a good reminder of the importance of a good attitude at all times!
"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home. The remarkable thing is that we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our attitudes."
Our attitude should be the same as Christ Jesus, according to this passage of scripture: humble and obedient in all circumstances. The quote below from Chuck Swindoll has always been a good reminder of the importance of a good attitude at all times!
"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home. The remarkable thing is that we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our attitudes."
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
THIS Is the Day!
Psalm 118:24. “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
OK, I confess that sometimes I am writing these posts to myself. This is one of them. Years ago, I found an occupation (strategic planner) that is well suited to my predisposition to think about the future. I like to think about possibilities, and how various influences and events could shape the future of an organization. I like the concept of vision, and how it motivates and aligns people toward a preferred future. I like to think about things as they might be, and how to create strategies to get there.
Often, however, when we think about the future, we think about what could go wrong – health, employment, finances, relationships, and so on. All of us have at least a bit of this in us. I have a friend like this who describes himself as a “negative scanner.” I guess that sounds better than “worrier.”
So I need to keep Psalm 118:24 in front of me regularly. I need to be reminded that today is a gift from God. I need to remember that even though there are a dozen things I could worry about – things that may take a turn for the worse tomorrow or next week or next year – that I have today to enjoy. I need to count my blessings – to appreciate all that God has given me today. I need to remember that God loves me deeply and wants to spend time with me… today.
Sometimes we think of “perspective” as stepping back and taking the long view of things. This has its place. But often we need the perspective of just enjoying today. Take a few minutes to think about how God has blessed you and thank him for it – and thank him for today!
OK, I confess that sometimes I am writing these posts to myself. This is one of them. Years ago, I found an occupation (strategic planner) that is well suited to my predisposition to think about the future. I like to think about possibilities, and how various influences and events could shape the future of an organization. I like the concept of vision, and how it motivates and aligns people toward a preferred future. I like to think about things as they might be, and how to create strategies to get there.
Often, however, when we think about the future, we think about what could go wrong – health, employment, finances, relationships, and so on. All of us have at least a bit of this in us. I have a friend like this who describes himself as a “negative scanner.” I guess that sounds better than “worrier.”
So I need to keep Psalm 118:24 in front of me regularly. I need to be reminded that today is a gift from God. I need to remember that even though there are a dozen things I could worry about – things that may take a turn for the worse tomorrow or next week or next year – that I have today to enjoy. I need to count my blessings – to appreciate all that God has given me today. I need to remember that God loves me deeply and wants to spend time with me… today.
Sometimes we think of “perspective” as stepping back and taking the long view of things. This has its place. But often we need the perspective of just enjoying today. Take a few minutes to think about how God has blessed you and thank him for it – and thank him for today!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Why Is There Evil in the World?
John 3:16. "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."
The question of why God who is good would allow evil in the world has been the subject of numerous books and an untold number of discussions. There is no simple answer, but there are points to be considered. Several of these are summarized below, and some quotes are taken from C.S. Lewis and Tim Keller. Take some time to reflect on these. Some speak to the heart, and some to the head. Hopefully they will help you understand this complex topic.
– The innate sense in humans that there is good and evil, and right and wrong argues for the existence of God; else we would be content with a “survival of the fittest” view which is characteristic of the animal kingdom.
– God’s “divine goodness” and love are far above what we can comprehend. “Love may cause pain to its object, but only on the supposition that that object needs alteration to become fully lovable… We have used our free will to become very bad.” (Lewis) We all have heard stories of how a profound illness, broken relationship, death of a loved one, or other “bad” thing drew someone closer to God. “Though none of these people are grateful for the tragedies themselves, they would not trade the insight, character, and strength they had gotten from them for anything. With time and perspective most of us can see the good reasons for at least some of the tragedy and pain that occurs in life. Why couldn’t it be possible that, from God’s vantage point, there are good reasons for all of them?” (Keller) We should not be surprised that the cure may be painful given the extent of our sickness. God’s standard is love – perfect love.
– Most evil is caused by people, either directly or indirectly (we could have used the trillions of dollars we have spent on wars to find cures to diseases and protect people from natural disasters). “When souls become wicked they will hurt one another; and this, perhaps, accounts for four-fifths of the sufferings of men. It is men, not God, who have produced racks, whips, prisons, slavery, guns, bayonets, and bombs; it is by human avarice or human stupidity, not by the churlishness of nature, that we have poverty.” (Lewis)
– The depth of our suffering on earth makes our eventual experience in heaven all the greater. “The biblical view of things is resurrection – not a future that is just a consolation for the life we never had but a restoration of the life you always wanted. This means that every horrible thing that ever happened will not only be undone and repaired but will in some way make the eventual glory and joy even greater.” (Keller)
– God understands our suffering. He allowed his son Jesus to suffer in order to justify us and enable us to establish a right relationship with himself. He cares for us and comforts us when we go through hard times. While he allows suffering to occur, he understands that we struggle when we suffer and he loves us through it.
The question of why God who is good would allow evil in the world has been the subject of numerous books and an untold number of discussions. There is no simple answer, but there are points to be considered. Several of these are summarized below, and some quotes are taken from C.S. Lewis and Tim Keller. Take some time to reflect on these. Some speak to the heart, and some to the head. Hopefully they will help you understand this complex topic.
– The innate sense in humans that there is good and evil, and right and wrong argues for the existence of God; else we would be content with a “survival of the fittest” view which is characteristic of the animal kingdom.
– God’s “divine goodness” and love are far above what we can comprehend. “Love may cause pain to its object, but only on the supposition that that object needs alteration to become fully lovable… We have used our free will to become very bad.” (Lewis) We all have heard stories of how a profound illness, broken relationship, death of a loved one, or other “bad” thing drew someone closer to God. “Though none of these people are grateful for the tragedies themselves, they would not trade the insight, character, and strength they had gotten from them for anything. With time and perspective most of us can see the good reasons for at least some of the tragedy and pain that occurs in life. Why couldn’t it be possible that, from God’s vantage point, there are good reasons for all of them?” (Keller) We should not be surprised that the cure may be painful given the extent of our sickness. God’s standard is love – perfect love.
– Most evil is caused by people, either directly or indirectly (we could have used the trillions of dollars we have spent on wars to find cures to diseases and protect people from natural disasters). “When souls become wicked they will hurt one another; and this, perhaps, accounts for four-fifths of the sufferings of men. It is men, not God, who have produced racks, whips, prisons, slavery, guns, bayonets, and bombs; it is by human avarice or human stupidity, not by the churlishness of nature, that we have poverty.” (Lewis)
– The depth of our suffering on earth makes our eventual experience in heaven all the greater. “The biblical view of things is resurrection – not a future that is just a consolation for the life we never had but a restoration of the life you always wanted. This means that every horrible thing that ever happened will not only be undone and repaired but will in some way make the eventual glory and joy even greater.” (Keller)
– God understands our suffering. He allowed his son Jesus to suffer in order to justify us and enable us to establish a right relationship with himself. He cares for us and comforts us when we go through hard times. While he allows suffering to occur, he understands that we struggle when we suffer and he loves us through it.
Monday, October 13, 2008
No Separation from God’s Love
Romans 8:35, 37-38. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
This is one of those powerful passages of scripture that gets me all fired up. As a competitive guy, being on the winning team is definitely appealing. And Paul’s statement that we are more than conquerors makes me want to pump my fist in the air and say, “Yes!”
Okay, back to reality. This verse is not about you or me being superheroes and overcoming evil. It’s simply a promise that God loves us and will never withdraw that love. Never. Withdraw. His love. No conditions, no performance expectations, no nada. Think about that for a minute.
This life will have its share of troubles and hardships. We know that. God doesn’t promise to take those away. Instead, he says that he will love us, that he will walk with us through every single challenge we encounter, that he will encourage us. I wouldn’t believe in a God who people say will make everything happy, comfortable and easy. It would just be wishful thinking. But I am passionate to believe in a God who knows the struggles I face and will face, and who promises to be with me through them all. This love, the verse says, is in Christ Jesus our Lord. I can believe this promise because Jesus willingly went to his death for you and me. That’s how much he loves us.
This is one of those powerful passages of scripture that gets me all fired up. As a competitive guy, being on the winning team is definitely appealing. And Paul’s statement that we are more than conquerors makes me want to pump my fist in the air and say, “Yes!”
Okay, back to reality. This verse is not about you or me being superheroes and overcoming evil. It’s simply a promise that God loves us and will never withdraw that love. Never. Withdraw. His love. No conditions, no performance expectations, no nada. Think about that for a minute.
This life will have its share of troubles and hardships. We know that. God doesn’t promise to take those away. Instead, he says that he will love us, that he will walk with us through every single challenge we encounter, that he will encourage us. I wouldn’t believe in a God who people say will make everything happy, comfortable and easy. It would just be wishful thinking. But I am passionate to believe in a God who knows the struggles I face and will face, and who promises to be with me through them all. This love, the verse says, is in Christ Jesus our Lord. I can believe this promise because Jesus willingly went to his death for you and me. That’s how much he loves us.
Friday, October 10, 2008
A Journey to Faraway Places
Genesis 12: 1-2. “The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.’”
I miss my kids. Most of you reading this know that Andrew is in South Africa, Chris is in India, and Lindsay is in Japan. While Skype is a great tool, it’s not the same as face-to-face conversation and certainly can’t deliver a big hug.
God’s people are on a spiritual journey and, very often, on a physical journey as well. God told Abram (later renamed Abraham) to leave his country. Joseph wound up in Egypt. Moses led the people out of Egypt and to the promised land. Nehemiah moved from Babylon to Jerusalem. Paul traveled all around the Roman Empire. Hudson Taylor moved to China. Mother Teresa moved to India. Billy Graham traveled all around the world. And so on.
Relocating to a faraway place with a very different culture can be difficult. Abram had to leave his extended family and all that was familiar and comfortable to him. All of us who have traveled to a foreign country understand this to some extent. Once I traveled to China and had with me a “cheat sheet” of several food dishes I could point to so the server knew what I wanted (of course I could not read the menu). After a week of eating the same food I was a bit bored. I decided to take a chance and pointed to a random item on the menu. What came out was a deep fried whole fish complete with head, scales, and innards. I quickly went back to the cheat sheet.
I don’t know why God had so many people journey to faraway places. But I do know that he did, and when he did, pretty amazing things happened in and through Abram, Joseph, Moses, Nehemiah, Paul and others in more recent times. So while I miss my kids, I have a sense that God has them on a remarkable journey, and that he will do some amazing things in and though them while they are on that journey. Is God calling you on a journey?
I miss my kids. Most of you reading this know that Andrew is in South Africa, Chris is in India, and Lindsay is in Japan. While Skype is a great tool, it’s not the same as face-to-face conversation and certainly can’t deliver a big hug.
God’s people are on a spiritual journey and, very often, on a physical journey as well. God told Abram (later renamed Abraham) to leave his country. Joseph wound up in Egypt. Moses led the people out of Egypt and to the promised land. Nehemiah moved from Babylon to Jerusalem. Paul traveled all around the Roman Empire. Hudson Taylor moved to China. Mother Teresa moved to India. Billy Graham traveled all around the world. And so on.
Relocating to a faraway place with a very different culture can be difficult. Abram had to leave his extended family and all that was familiar and comfortable to him. All of us who have traveled to a foreign country understand this to some extent. Once I traveled to China and had with me a “cheat sheet” of several food dishes I could point to so the server knew what I wanted (of course I could not read the menu). After a week of eating the same food I was a bit bored. I decided to take a chance and pointed to a random item on the menu. What came out was a deep fried whole fish complete with head, scales, and innards. I quickly went back to the cheat sheet.
I don’t know why God had so many people journey to faraway places. But I do know that he did, and when he did, pretty amazing things happened in and through Abram, Joseph, Moses, Nehemiah, Paul and others in more recent times. So while I miss my kids, I have a sense that God has them on a remarkable journey, and that he will do some amazing things in and though them while they are on that journey. Is God calling you on a journey?
Monday, October 6, 2008
The Lord Sustains
Psalm 55:22. “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.”
I have never been a very good investor, because I am too optimistic. Wall Street tends to punish guys like me. So I have someone else invest my money, but it turns out they aren’t doing much better! My story is pretty common in 2008, as most everyone I know has taken losses. But my investment losses are trivial compared to the trials of many of my friends, especially those who face severe health or relational issues.
We have lots of cares and concerns. Some are huge, and some are just daily challenges. Scripture encourages us to cast them on the Lord. This is as simple as saying, “God, I am carrying around this big burden. It’s too heavy for me. It is robbing me of joy. Please help me.”
God promises to sustain us. I like this word because we know that he doesn’t always “make things better” in the sense that we would want. But I firmly believe that God will sustain you and me through the challenges of life. When I think of God sustaining me, I think of him giving me love, encouragement, strength and hope. I think of him giving me this through family and friends. I think of him giving me “the peace that passes all understanding.” I think of my home in heaven that we talked about last time.
We often have trouble accepting this because we don’t understand God’s condition for the promise. The verse says that he will never let the righteous fall. We think, “Well, I guess that promise is for someone else because I’m certainly not righteous.” We’re not, based on our thoughts and actions. But scripture says that we are righteous through our faith in Jesus (Romans 3:22). Despite our unrighteous behavior, God considers us righteous because of our faith. That is good news! Believe, and he will sustain you!
I have never been a very good investor, because I am too optimistic. Wall Street tends to punish guys like me. So I have someone else invest my money, but it turns out they aren’t doing much better! My story is pretty common in 2008, as most everyone I know has taken losses. But my investment losses are trivial compared to the trials of many of my friends, especially those who face severe health or relational issues.
We have lots of cares and concerns. Some are huge, and some are just daily challenges. Scripture encourages us to cast them on the Lord. This is as simple as saying, “God, I am carrying around this big burden. It’s too heavy for me. It is robbing me of joy. Please help me.”
God promises to sustain us. I like this word because we know that he doesn’t always “make things better” in the sense that we would want. But I firmly believe that God will sustain you and me through the challenges of life. When I think of God sustaining me, I think of him giving me love, encouragement, strength and hope. I think of him giving me this through family and friends. I think of him giving me “the peace that passes all understanding.” I think of my home in heaven that we talked about last time.
We often have trouble accepting this because we don’t understand God’s condition for the promise. The verse says that he will never let the righteous fall. We think, “Well, I guess that promise is for someone else because I’m certainly not righteous.” We’re not, based on our thoughts and actions. But scripture says that we are righteous through our faith in Jesus (Romans 3:22). Despite our unrighteous behavior, God considers us righteous because of our faith. That is good news! Believe, and he will sustain you!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
We Are Pilgrims
Hebrews 11:13-16. “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one.”
As a kid, the word pilgrim conjured up images of people who lived a long time ago and wore funny clothes. One definition is “a traveler or wanderer, especially in a foreign place.” Does the world seem like a foreign place to you, even when you are in your home?
Hebrews 11 starts with recounting great people of faith, and then gets to verse 13 and says that they did not receive the things promised – they only saw them from a distance. Their great hope and expectation was not anything they would experience on earth – rather, it was something that they would enjoy in heaven.
The world does seem like a foreign place to me most of the time. There are problems and much suffering. Things don’t seem to be getting a whole lot better. I am at an age where I am very aware of physical limitations that didn’t exist thirty years ago. And although I have wonderful blessings of family, friends, meaningful work, and much more, the world just isn’t the “be all and end all” for me. I think that’s because we are wired to desire heaven, and we know in our hearts that heaven will be a “better country.” So we are pilgrims while we are here on earth.
Now I don’t want this to sound depressing, because God certainly intends for us to live joyful and meaningful lives, and I am a testimony to this truth! Being a pilgrim means being on a journey filled with adventure and excitement. And it’s a journey that is leading to something wonderful beyond our comprehension.
As a kid, the word pilgrim conjured up images of people who lived a long time ago and wore funny clothes. One definition is “a traveler or wanderer, especially in a foreign place.” Does the world seem like a foreign place to you, even when you are in your home?
Hebrews 11 starts with recounting great people of faith, and then gets to verse 13 and says that they did not receive the things promised – they only saw them from a distance. Their great hope and expectation was not anything they would experience on earth – rather, it was something that they would enjoy in heaven.
The world does seem like a foreign place to me most of the time. There are problems and much suffering. Things don’t seem to be getting a whole lot better. I am at an age where I am very aware of physical limitations that didn’t exist thirty years ago. And although I have wonderful blessings of family, friends, meaningful work, and much more, the world just isn’t the “be all and end all” for me. I think that’s because we are wired to desire heaven, and we know in our hearts that heaven will be a “better country.” So we are pilgrims while we are here on earth.
Now I don’t want this to sound depressing, because God certainly intends for us to live joyful and meaningful lives, and I am a testimony to this truth! Being a pilgrim means being on a journey filled with adventure and excitement. And it’s a journey that is leading to something wonderful beyond our comprehension.
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