Intentional Kingdom Living

Loving God and Loving People on purpose

Leadership books make my head swim. 

Always good to refresh the mind with Truth from the Ultimate Leadership Book:

You promise to guide the humble in what is right and teach them Your way.  (Ps 25:9)

Help me to do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility consider others as better than myself. (Phil 2:3)

Help me to clothe myself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. (Col 3:12)

You are the Lord my God.  I desire to love You, listen to Your voice, and hold fast to You, for You, Lord, are my life. (Deut 30:20)

In Your hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. (Job 12:10)

Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God. (Ps 90:1-2)

https://www.intentionalkingdomliving.com/426/

Interesting.  Does any of this resonate with you?

“Where there is no progress, there’s no growth.  If there’s no growth, there’s no life..

Leaders challenge what is for the sake of what could and should be.  That’s the job of the leader…

Beyond the need to challenge what should be changed, leaders have been given the assignment to take people places they’ve never been before. 

Leaders provide a mental picture of a preferred future and then ask people to follow them there.  As leaders we are asking men and women not only to follow us to a place they have never been before; we are asking them to follow us to a place we have never been before.  That takes guts. 

Leaders are not always the first to see an opportunity.  They are simply the first to seize an opportunity.

Failure in any particular enterprise is something a leader can live with.  Even laugh about.  An unsuccessful enterprise is simply a lesson in things not to repeat.  Leaders can much more easily live with the prospects of having tried and failed than not having tried at all. 

Failure is a part of success.  Ask a successful leader how he overcame his fear of failure, and chances are he won’t give you a good answer.  Why?  Because he has never thought about it.  Leaders know the best way to ensure success is to take chances.  While the average person fears stepping out into a new opportunity, the leader fears missing out on a new opportunity.

Tom Watson Sr., founder of IBM, understood this principle.  A junior executive with the company once managed to lose over $10 million in a venture that was considered risky even by company insiders.  When Watson found out about the disaster, he called the young man to his office. 

Upon entering, the young man blurted out, ‘I guess you want my resignation?’

Watson allegedly responded, ‘You can’t be serious.  We just spent $10 million educating you.’

You can’t lead without taking risks. 

You won’t take risk without courage. 

Courage is essential to leadership.”

Andy Stanley, The Next Generation Leader

https://www.intentionalkingdomliving.com/427/

Hello!

I was out of town this weekend, attending my 15 year high school reunion. 

Cra-zay.

I’m getting old.

It was pretty darn fun catching up with people with whom I spent 18 years. 

Parenting sure levels the playing field.

Know what I mean?

None of us know what we’re doing.

Those who used to think they knew, don’t.

Several have special needs children.

We’re all just wanting to do what is best and right.

I enjoyed myself.

Back to reality. 

Thought I’d finish the quote from Alcorn I started last time.  I love using my sanctified imagination to picture what’s in store.  Okay, that last sentence is forcing me to quote a different section first.  Then on to the previous section…

“In 1952, young Florence Chadwick stepped into the waters of the Pacific Ocean off Catalina Island, determined to swim to the shore of mainland California.  She’d already been the first woman to swim the English Channel both ways.  The weather was foggy and chilly; she could hardly see the boats accompanying her.  Still, she swam for fifteen hours.  When she begged to be taken out of the water along the way, her mother, in a boat alongside, told her she was close and that she could make it.  Finally, physically and emotionally exhausted, she stopped swimming and was pulled out.  It wasn’t until she was on the boat the she discovered the shore was less than half a mile away.  At a news conference the next day she said, ‘All I could see was the fog…I think if I could have seen the shore, I would have made it.’

For believers, that shore is Jesus and being with him in the place that he promised to prepare for us, where we will live with him forever.  The shore we should look for is that of the New Earth.  If we can see through the fog and picture our eternal home in our mind’s eye, it will comfort and energize us.”

(Alcorn, Heaven Introduction)

“There will be no temple, no church buildings.  Christ will be the focus of all.  Worship will be unaffected, without pretense or distraction.  We’ll be lost in our worship, overcome by God’s magnificence and the privilege of being his children.

In Revelation 5 we’re told of a choir of angels numbering ten thousand times ten thousand – that’s 100 million!  And then we’re told that the whole rest of creation adds its voices to these 100 million.  The 100 million are merely and ensemble on the stage.  Can you imagine the power of the song?

Will we learn in heaven?  Definitely.  We’re told that in the coming ages God will continuously reveal to us the ‘incomparable riches of his grace’ (Eph 2:7).  When we die, we’ll know a lot more than we do now, but we’ll keep learning about God and his creation and each other throughout eternity.

Will we remember our lives and relationships on earth?  Of course.  (We’ll be smarter in heaven, not dumber!)  Remembrance is important to God, which is why the heavenly city has memorials of people and events of earth (Revelation 21:12-14).  It’s also why God keeps in heaven a ‘scroll of remembrance’ written in God’s presence, ‘concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name’ (Malachi 3:16).  The pain of the past will be gone.  But memories of being together in the trenches, walking with Christ, and experiencing intimate times with family and friends will remain.”

(Alcorn, Money, Possessions and Eternity, pg. 114)

It just keeps getting better. 

https://www.intentionalkingdomliving.com/428/

These words jumped off the page this morning:

“Establishing that the leader’s role is not to set the vision or to sell the vision begs the question:

‘What is the spiritual leader’s role?’

It is to bear witness to what God says. 

Spiritual leaders must bring followers into a face-to-face encounter with God so they hear from God directly, not indirectly through their leader.  Jesus shared the Father’s revelation with his disciples corporately (John 15:15).  Spiritual leaders may never convince their people they have heard from God personally, but once their people hear from God themselves, there will be no stopping them from participating in the work God is doing.  That is because the Holy Spirit will take the truth, shared by the leader, and confirm it in the hearts of the people.  The leader cannot convince people that a particular direction is from God.  This is the Holy Spirit’s task…

We advised [a frustrated pastor] to worry less about the people’s activity in the church and to concentrate instead on encouraging their walk with God.  If their relationship with God grew strong, their obedience would follow…a church program never changed a life.  Only God does that.  Church activities are nothing more than busywork unless God initiates them.  As people see God at work around them and as they are encouraged to join him, they will demonstrate much more than compliance.  They will enthusiastically participate in the things they sense God is doing…people are willing to adjust their lives when they are helped to see God at work…When people sense they are a part of something God is doing, there is no limit to what they will be willing to do in response.”

Henry Blackaby, “Spiritual Leadership” (pgs. 75, 76, 77)

https://www.intentionalkingdomliving.com/429/

Spontaneity fuels my soul.

Don’t get me wrong.  A forced external routine is very healthy for someone like me whose middle name is not consistency or disciplined.  The school year helps provide structure for someone who often requires it.

But that don’t mean I don’t like a little excitement!

It was nothing big this morning.  Little man and I decided to go straight from dropping Caden off at school to our errands.  I always forget the Central library doesn’t open until 10.  So we had 40 minutes to kill.  We drove by the sunken fountains and Caleb goes, “I wanna go see fountains.”

So we did!

I love getting to say yes to something like that.

That’s a floss thingy in his mouth.  He kept it all morning.

It’s so interesting to hang with Caleb without his big brother around.  Different parts of his personality come out when we’re alone.  He’s actually quite a pleaser.  I pray all the time he will have good boundaries and not be a total pleaser.  But to keep his calm, relational heart.

Now.  Don’t get me wrong.  He’s still two.  Testing boundaries.  Figuring out what he can get away with.  Does whining work?  What about emotional manipulation?

I hope my actions always respond with a, “Nope.  Sorry, buddy.”  (You can pray I’m consistent!)

I’ve heard our pastor say on several occasions that for every No there’s always a greater Yes.  The reason God says No to some things is because He has a better Yes to give us.  I like applying that to parenting.  No, we can’t jump into the fountain, but we can splash this part with our hands.  No, we can’t hit or bite, but we can use our words and get along with our friends.  No, we can’t eat a treat right now, but that’s because we’re gonna have a really yummy lunch that will give us more, longer lasting energy when we get home.

Not that toddlers have the ability to absorb the abstraction of that concept, but hopefully in actions they see the greater Yes.

I like each new stage of parenting better than the last.  It’s not that I don’t like babies, it’s that toddlers are so funny.  I like toddlers, but preschoolers can hold a conversation.  I like preschoolers, but school-age kids can absorb abstract lessons.  (Haven’t gotten to tweens and teens yet…feel free to hold onto any negative information about those stages!)

The fun in parenting more than one is you get to remember the things you loved in the previous stages.

Toddlers are fun.

Also.

Downtown.

I really enjoy the energy of a city’s downtown.

When we lived in Nebraska, I worked in downtown Lincoln at a bank (yeah, totally not my calling.  But I loved my co-workers!).

I really liked walking to a restaurant with a colleague for lunch.  Or sitting on the grass near the library for a break.  Or meeting people you may not run into everyday in a more suburban setting.

Today when we were finished with fountains, we drove around downtown.  I saw a girl I know from church off to the side and it looked like her car was broken down.  We pulled over.  The funny thing about God is if you talk about wanting to have justice in all your life, even in seemingly small things, He’ll be like, Okay.  Hope you were serious!

I amused myself as we walked onto the scene.  First because she already had her man there and another guy I don’t know changing the flat tire.  And second, even if she didn’t, what was I gonna do?!  But we provided moral support.  Maybe?

Ah, justice.  I want you in the fabric of my lifestyle.  Foster points out the Hebrew word most often translated justice in the Old Testament is mishpat.  “Mishpat involved morality over and above strict legal justice; it included the observance of good custom or established practice, especially the practice of an equitable distribution of the land.  It was used so constantly in conjunction with the Hebrew word for righteousness that the biblical scholar Volkmar Herntrich believes the two concepts should be viewed as virtually synonymous.  This is vividly seen in the impassioned plea of Amos,

‘Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream’ (Amos 5:24).

This justice involved the wisdom to bring equitable, harmonious relationships between people.  Solomon prayed to receive wisdom to govern the people, and God responded,

‘You have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right [mishpat]’ (1 Kings 3:11).

There were repeated warnings against failure to provide justice:

‘Cursed be he who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow’ (Deut 27:19).

Great was the blessing promised to those who did exercise justice:

‘Happy is he…who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry’ (Ps. 146:7).

We are told that God abhorred all of Judah’s pious rituals because they lacked social relevance.  And we, too, can no longer allow people to engage in pious exercises that are divorced from the hard social realities of life.  Nor can we tolerate a radical social witness that is devoid of inward spiritual vitality.”

Big sigh.  Such balance.  As with most things in life.  What I love about our church is it is such rich soil for all this.  In fact, many many people are already doing justice.  Again, most likely way more than I know about since humility doesn’t demand attention.

But the DNA at our church is depth over breadth.  Go deep with others as you walk alongside and invest in them.  Be faithful and obedient in what God is asking you to do.  If you aren’t maintaining your personal spiritual life, you’re missing the point.

I’ve watched this translate in a more collective way, too.  When we donate items or money for the Crisis Pregnancy Center.  When we show up to pray together for those of another faith here in town and around the world.  When we collected school supplies for a sister church last year or our group’s outreach this year.

Foster goes on with the second emphasis in Micah 6:8:   compassion.

“The theme of compassion weaves its way throughout the Old Testament and can be vividly seen in the theologically rich word hesed.  Hesed is so laden with meaning that the translators struggle to find an English equivalent, often rendering it, ‘loving-kindness’ or ‘mercy.’

But hesed also carries with it the idea of endurance or faithfulness.  It is most frequently used in reference to God’s unwavering compassion for his people.

His wonderful hesed is from everlasting to everlasting (Ps 103:17).

It endures forever (Ps 106:1).

However (and here is the great challenge), this covenant love, this durable mercy, which is so central to the character of God, is to be reflected in our lives as well.  God declares through Hosea the prophet,

‘I desire steadfast love [hesed] and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God, rather than burnt offerings’ (Hos 6:6).

But most amazing of all is the way in which the biblical writers bring together the justice of mishpat and the compassion of hesed.

To give people what is due them is one thing; the quality of spirit through which we relate to those people is quite another.

Zechariah received this mighty word of the LORD:

‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments [mishpat], show kindness and mercy [hesed] each to his brother, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor; and let none of you devise evil against his brother in your heart’ (Zech 7:9-10).

Hosea tenderly pleaded with the people,

‘So you, by the help of God, return, hold fast to love [hesed] and justice [mishpat], and wait continually for your God’ (Hos 12:6).

And of course Micah:

‘He has showed you, O man, what is good;

and what does the LORD require of you

but to do justice [mishpat], and to love kindness [hesed],

and to walk humbly with your God?’ (Micah 6:8)

Compassion and justice blended call us to simplicity of life.”

(Foster, pages 28-32)

This got long.  Have a great afternoon!

https://www.intentionalkingdomliving.com/430/

Saw this on IJM’s Facebook page.

Some reviews on this book:

“Let’s be honest. Trends dominate the contemporary church, but some ideas are too important to succumb to the here-today-gone-tomorrow nature of consumer religion. Justice is one of them. Bethany Hoang recognizes the need to anchor justice to a foundation of theology, Scripture, and communion with God if it is to avoid becoming another disposable trend among Christians. This book is a critical beginning for anyone serious about seeking justice for a lifetime.” (Skye Jethani, senior editor of Leadership Journal and author of WITH: Reimagining the Way You Relate to God)

“Several years ago when I first began learning about human trafficking and modern-day slavery, my one repeated question for my friends at International Justice Mission was, ‘What can I do?’ With beautiful consistency the reply was, ‘Become a person of justice, learn about the God of justice.’ They knew from firsthand experience that taking hold of what it means to live justly had to be as important a task as anything they were doing in the field. Here, Bethany Hoang has created a beautiful journey for the heart longing to be shaped by the God of justice. Before our action can be ‘wise, effective and sustained,’ we must be formed by practices that lead us to the very originator of justice.” (Sara Groves, award-winning singer/songwriter)

“Bethany Hoang and her colleagues at International Justice Mission hold prayer as a vital aspect in their work among the poor and their daily fight against injustice. If we are to truly do his will in a hurting world, we must first understand the heart of our heavenly Father and his unwavering love for the poor. The best way to do this is through a life of prayer.” (Dr. Wess Stafford, president & CEO, Compassion International)

“The initial flame of justice passion easily burns out. Only a radically God-centered, other-centered commitment yields action that genuinely serves victims of abuse. Justice work requires relentless perseverance and long-term investment. Hoang’s guide offers practical, actionable steps disciples need to take in order to last in the Micah 6:8 life.” (Dr. Amy L. Sherman, author, Kingdom Calling: Vocational Stewardship for the Common Good)

I want to read it!  My worst nightmare would be doing anything justice-related on my own strength, with a passion that burns out and a self-focus that does more harm than good.

Jesus, keep Your people grounded in truth, prayer, community – and with individual lives that take justice seriously in every seemingly-small aspect.

https://www.intentionalkingdomliving.com/431/

Today is a short quote.  Mostly because if you think about it – really think about it – you could ponder all day.

“Heaven is our home.  Paul said, ‘As long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord…We would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord’ (2 Cor. 5:6-8).

Paul said we’d prefer to be in heaven, our true home.  Home is the place of acceptance, security, rest, refuge, deep personal relationships, and great memories.

God’s people, aliens and strangers on earth, spend their lives ‘looking forward to a country they can call their own’ and ‘looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland’ (Heb. 11:14, 16 NLT).  The capital of this heavenly country will be a ‘city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God’ (Heb 11:10 NLT).  This city will have all the freshness, vitality, and openness of the country with all the vibrancy, interdependence, and relationships of a city.  A city without crime, litter, smog, sirens, seaminess, or slums.

Heaven will have an endless supply of fresh water and delicious food.  No famine or drought.  Christ promised we would eat and drink with him – along with Abraham and others (Matt 8:11).  We’ll meet and converse with other inhabitants of heaven.  Not only Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but Moses, David, Ruth, Esther, Mary and Peter.  I look forward to conversations with C.S. Lewis, A.W. Tozer, Jonathan Edwards, and Amy Carmichael.

We’ll converse with angels.  Because angels are ‘ministering spirits’ who serve us (Heb 1:14), we’ll get to know those who protected us during our years on earth.

We’ll enjoy and share with others the treasures we laid up for ourselves in heaven while we lived on earth (Matt 6:19-21).  We’ll open our dwelling places to entertain people (Luke 16:9).

God gave Adam and Eve creativity in their unfallen state that was twisted but remained when they fell.  He will surely not give us less creativity in heaven but more, unmarred by sin, unlimited by mortality.  We will compose, write, paint, carve, build, plant, and grow.”

(Alcorn, Money, Possessions, and Eternity pages 113, 114).

That’s not the end of that quote.  But it’s enough to blow your mind for today.  Or disagree with.  Or wonder about.  Or whatever…

https://www.intentionalkingdomliving.com/432/

Look at the corner of your robe in my hand, for I cut it off, but I didn’t kill you.  Look and recognize that there is no evil or rebellion in me.  I haven’t sinned against you even though you are hunting me down to take my life.

– 1 Samuel 24:11

“How easily does a vengeful spirit creep in on you? 

Why do you think God calls us to such a high standard of peacekeeping with one another, even at times when we seem to have grounds not to?

We have already considered God’s unwavering devotion to prepare His children for His service.  Now we will see some of the fruit of God’s preparation in David.  In those caves, God chiseled character into the heart of His king…

In spite of all that Saul had done, David continued to have a tenacious belief that he must respect God’s anointed king…

David’s change of heart offers evidence that he was greatly influenced by the Holy Spirit…

You an I may want to minimize David’s sin against Saul [by cutting off a corner of his robe] because Saul’s offense against David seems so much worse.  We tend to view sin in relative terms.  David’s standard for measuring sin was not the wickedness of Saul, but the holiness of God…

The Holy Spirit works restraint in us when we are tempted toward revenge; if we are fully yielded to the Spirit, we will obey…

David withdrew from taking the life of Saul out of respect for God, not Saul…

If you are willing to honor a person out of respect for God, you can be assured that God will honor you.  Several times I’ve been required to honor a person out of honor to God.  A very strange thing has happened almost every time I’ve been obedient to God in this area: He has restored my respect for the person I had come to resent. 

God is always faithful.  The results of your obedience may differ, but the blessing of your obedience is guaranteed…

Father, I pray that You would enable me to trust so confidently in Your sovereignty and love that I would not only live at peace with everyone – as far as possible – but would seek to bless my enemies in return.  For I know that vengeance belongs to You, Lord, not to me.  You will repay what has been done to Your children (Rom. 12:18-20).”

https://www.intentionalkingdomliving.com/434/

Stewardship

I’ve been so encouraged lately watching God’s people share resources, love on those who need loved, and join Him in His mission.

I’ve been thinking about two books that make this so compelling to me, both by Randy Alcorn:
Heaven and Money Possession & Eternity.

My guess is anyone who has gone through a Biblical financial course has heard many of the concepts in the latter book.  But the uniqueness of it, in my opinion, is how deep he delves in the Stewardship theme.  So deep that he focuses much time on eternity and our rewards there.

Here are some of the things he has to say, based on Scripture:

“In reading Matthew 6, many see something negative and miss the positive.  They think Jesus is categorically against the storing up of treasures.  In fact, Jesus didn’t tell us not to store up treasures.  On the contrary, he commanded us to…

What we keep we will lose.  What we give and share and do in Christ’s name will ultimately come back to us in heaven, in a far better and permanent form…

A person may give up all earthly treasures without ever investing in heavenly treasures.  Jesus is not looking for ascetics or hermits, but eternity-wise investors…

You can’t take it with you, but…you can send it on ahead.

What a stunning qualification.  Who would have dared to think such a thing possible – that we creatures of dust could make choices today that would result in possessing eternal treasures in heaven?

Paul spoke about the Philippians’ financial giving and explained, ‘Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account’ (Phil 4:17). God keeps an account open for us in heaven, and every gift given for his glory is a deposit in that account…

Is Jesus speaking metaphorically when he refers to ‘treasures’?  Although Christ’s words can be applied in principle to investing in God’s kingdom the treasures of our time and talents, the primary meaning relates to our money and possessions…

Luke 12:33:

Sell your possessions and give to the poor.  Provide purses [money belts] for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys…

Not only will there be rewards in heaven for the cup of water given on earth, but those rewards will never disappear.  The act of kindness will be remembered forever and its reward will always last.  Hence, eternal rewards are not only ‘rewards we will receive in eternity,’ but rewards that are themselves eternal, imperishable, inexhaustible (1 Peter 1:4)…

Imagine you’re alive at the end of the Civil War.  You’re living in the South, but you’re a Northerner.  You plan to move home as soon as the war’s over.  While in the South you’ve accumulated lots of Confederate currency.  Now, suppose you know for a fact the North’s going to win the war, and the end is imminent.  What will you do with your Confederate money?

If you’re smart, there’s only one answer.  You should immediately cash in your Confederate currency for U.S. currency – the only money that will have value once the war’s over.  Keep only enough Confederate currency to meet your short-term needs.

As believers, to accumulate vast earthly treasures in the face of the inevitable future is equivalent to stockpiling Confederate money.  It’s not just wrong.  It’s stupid.

Kingdom currency, backed by the eternal treasury, is the only medium of exchange recognized by the Son of God, whose government will last forever.  The currency of his Kingdom is our present faithful service and sacrificial use of our resources for him.  The payoff in eternity will be what Paul called a ‘firm foundation,’ consisting of treasures beyond our wildest dreams.”

Exciting, huh?

More next time!

Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial