Tag Archive | prayers

LEADERSHIP

Dec16

This will be the last post till on or about 12/28.

Are you a leader or a follower? Some people seem to be born leaders. They seem to know from the situation what needs to be done, and they do it! Others wait for someone to step forward, take the lead, and get the job done.

In a democratic society such as ours, we have the privilege and obligation to vote for our leaders. We have choices, but it can be a challenge to choose the right person. That fact has caused me to do some serious thinking about what makes a good leader.

A good leader should have the characteristics of someone he or she would follow. In other words, if you are going to be a leader, you need to determine what kind of person you would follow.

You might say that a good leader is confident, knows where he or she is going, is strong-willed, has a plan, and is not afraid of what is ahead. He or she would be willing to listen to advice from those who know the situation, make a decision based on all the facts, take responsibility for the decisions he or she makes and accept the criticism that is inevitable.

Rehoboam, the son of King Solomon is an example of a leader not willing to listen. I Kings 12 relates the story of Rehoboam’s rise to power over the tribe of Judah. God had divided the kingdom, giving Jeroboam, a servant, 10 tribes over which to rule and Rehoboam one tribe along with a remnant of the tribe of Benjamin.

Jeroboam and the ten tribes approached Rehoboam with a request. They said, “Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke on us, and we will serve you” (I Kings 12:4 ESV).

 For three days, Rehoboam consulted both the old men and his friends. In the end, he took the advice of his friends and increased the burden on the people.

Of course, God had not intended for Rehoboam to rule over all the people. God’s plan was to divide the people, and He did just that. There was that chance that Rehoboam could make the right decision and treat the people fairly, but he did not.

Leaders don’t always think about following, but maybe they should. Leadership should not be based on the way a person looks, the stories they tell, the way they dress, the money they have, or the way they can twist their words to present themselves in a favorable way. Wouldn’t it be refreshing to have a leader that knows what leadership truly means? Wouldn’t it be great to have a leader that consulted God before making decisions?

There is a passage in scripture that presents what true leadership is. It is found in the book of Psalms, chapter 23. David wrote this Psalm about God, the Father represented by a shepherd and the way he leads his sheep.

David first sees the shepherd as a personal leader. He says, “The Lord is my shepherd.” David sees the heavenly Father as one who knows him and what he needs. That is the job of a shepherd, to lead his sheep, to guide, and to protect them. Each sheep is special.

Second, David sees his leader as one that provides safety for him. “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul…” David knew that the Father would protect him at all cost, under any circumstances.

Third, the leader knows the way. “He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness.” The shepherd is leading in right ways, not wrong ways. David knew ahead of time that he could depend on this.

Fourth, David was confident that he had no need to fear. “I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.” Even in death, David knew that his leader would have done everything in His power to protect him.

Fifth, the leader offered protection and comfort. “Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” Once again we see that the protection is offered on a personal level. Everyone is offered the same benefits. There is no partiality.

Sixth, this leader keeps His promises. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” There is a confidence in this statement, because David knows from the history of his leader that He will keep His promises.

In our world, what of this can we expect of the leaders of our country?

  • Can we expect them to know us personally? The answer is, probably not. We can expect them to know the issues that each group of citizens face and make every effort to deal with them.
  • Can we expect safety? We should expect our leaders to know the enemy and do everything in their power to protect us.
  • Can we expect that our leaders will direct us in right ways? If they serve God rather than men, there would be no question that they would guide us in the right way. This country would then be going in the right direction. But we don’t have freedom of religion like we did at one time. We can’t pray anywhere we want. We can’t profess our religious beliefs when and where we want. We need our leaders to bring us back to those right ways.
  • Can we live our lives without fear? If we are living right, we have no fear no matter what this nation faces. Fear is really in disobedience to God, not a physical enemy of this nation.

Remember what Jesus said to Pilate. Pilate had reminded Jesus that he had the power to crucify Him. Jesus said, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above” (John 19:11). That remains true for us today. Rulers would have no power at all if God did not allow them to have it.

  • Can we expect protection? Absolutely, we should. Our leaders are obligated to protect us from harm to the best of their ability. That is why they are leaders.

Maybe the reason we have many poor leaders is because we don’t do our part. Paul told Timothy in I Timothy 2:1-3, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.”

It should be the expectation that any leader be godly and honest. It is our obligation to pray for them. Maybe if we prayed for them more and let them know that we pray for them, they would be more concerned about leading with the help of God.

Sandra Oliver

A Desperate Mama

Oct11

Have you ever thought your child was going to die? I don’t mean in a fit of temper you were going to have to kill them. All of us have had that humorous thought.  I mean have you had a moment or more than one, where you honestly didn’t know if your child would live or die? I have. Three times in the 4 years she has been in this world, I have honestly wondered if my younger daughter would live or die. They are three of the worst moments of my life.

When my baby was still a toddler she wandered out of our house. Somehow she pulled the doorknob, opened the door and then shut it behind her. Talking with a friend, we assumed she was playing quietly in her room. We lived in an urban apartment building beside a drop off-20 feet down to a busy road. When we realized she was gone, I ran through the grassy yard behind our home and peered over the drop off. I thought I would see her body broken at the bottom.I was desperate. I would have begged anyone, bargained anything, not to see that horror.

I was not the first desperate mama. Matthew and Mark both record the story of an anguished woman who came to Jesus. He had withdrawn to Tyre from the crowds which were constantly swarming him those days. A Gentile, she found him there and cried, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed” (Matthew 15:22).  She didn’t just say it once or twice. No, in the fashion of the widow and the unjust judge, she repeated herself over and over again (Luke 18:1-8). She kept calling until the disciples begged Jesus to answer her just to shut her up (Matthew 15:23)!

She pleaded for her daughter’s life.She was desperate enough that Jesus’ surprising reply did not deter her. “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” he said (Matthew 15:24). She fell at his feet and kept begging. He tried again to turn her away with harsh words, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs” (Matthew 15:26). This is the same Jesus who healed EVERY person who came and asked him in the gospels. He refused to do even one miracle for the sign seeking Pharisees but he never once turned down a single sick person or their family member (Mark 8). His answer seems so cold and out of character.

As harsh as it seems, it wasn’t nearly enough to stop her.  “Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table,” she said (Matthew 15:27). Then Jesus said the most curious thing of all, “Oh woman, your faith is great” (Matthew 15:28). What faith had she shown? There was some persistence in her faith. The persistence of great distress I suppose. More than that though she had a deep belief in the compassion of Jesus. Being ignored, being annoying, being rejected, being compared to a dog, it did not change her mind.  She believed that Jesus not only had the power, he had the heart to help her.

When I crossed that yard, I did not find my baby’s body at the bottom of the drop-off. I shouted, and searched and cried and finally she was found by a friend 2 stories up at a neighbor’s house eating cookies. I didn’t know whether to spank her or hug her. I settled on hug her now, and spank her every time she touched the door! My prayers were heard and my life went mostly back to normal. Moments like that though leave me wondering. Do I have enough faith?  If the unthinkable had happened, if in a moment of inattention we had inadvertently allowed our child to die, could I have gone on trusting in the goodness, the compassion of God?

In our moments of terror, we can know two things. God has the power. He urges us to persistence in our prayers. He compares himself to a loving Father ready to give good gifts not cruel tricks to His children (Matthew 7:8-12).  He has the power to solve the problem. God also has the compassion. Even when we are turned down, when our worst nightmares come true, we can choose to believe, like this Gentile woman, in our Savior’s heart. We can know that the Savior, who wept at the tomb of His friend, is ever moved by compassion* (John 11).  He hates death even more than we do; he loves our children even more than we do, and he is moved with compassion when we’re scared, when we’re desperate and when our hearts are broken.

*In the following verses we can see a sample of the times that the gospel writers attribute some action of Jesus to him feeling compassion:  Matthew 9:36,14:14,15:32, Mark 1:41, Luke 7:13

By Helene @ http://www.maidservantsofchrist.com

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), Copyright(c) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

 

WHEN GOD SAYS NO!!

Aug7

Recently while teaching a 1st and 2nd grade Bible class we were discussing a parable dealing with prayer.  To help the children understand the different ways God might answer our requests, we discussed how parents respond when the children would ask them for something they wanted.  Not surprising the children answered that their parents would say;  “ yes, maybe, or I’ll think about it.”  One young girl spoke up and said;  “She usually (meaning mom) says NO!”  At this point she began a very dramatic description of exactly how she felt upon receiving a no answer.  She said; “Well when mom says no, you just have to deal with it!”  She then placed her hand over her heart and with great flare explained;  “and then you have to feeeel the pain!!”  The desire to burst into gales of laughter was very present yet, this little girl without realizing it had come to some understanding that will serve her well as she learns to possess self-control in her life.

Upon further research the children gave me three reasons why they felt their parents sometimes said no to their requests.  First, there was the recognition that their parents were “the boss” of the family. Dad or Mom had the final say in all matters at home.  Second, one child was told that they “didn’t need” what they were asking for.  The third reason was that the parents felt it wouldn’t be good for them.  Wow, in this little group of 8 year olds there was a lot of very useful wisdom for us to reflect upon as adults.  Let’s think about these answers in light of God’s word.

WHO IS  IN CHARGE OF YOU?

In Jeremiah 55:8 the Scripture reveals to us that we have a heavenly Father whose knowledge and ways are far beyond anything we can ever attain.  Because of His infinite wisdom and power He clearly must be recognized as  “The Boss” of our lives.  Earthly parents have lived many more years and have an understanding of life that is far beyond the young mind of their children.  God wants earthly children to obey their parents and respect their authority over decisions (Colossians 3:20).  Likewise, as adult children of God there will be times when God says NO to something we really believe will be good for our lives.  When we are tempted to go against His will and reject His answer because it brings some degree of suffering into our lives,  remember these words from Jeremiah:  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.  “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways. And My thoughts than your thoughts.” Just as we desire children to trust and obey their parents, so also our God expects the same respect and obedience from us. The Creator is without question superior in every way to that which is created!

DO I REALLY NEED WHAT I’M WANTING?

Materialism is a huge problem in our country.  I was taught a principle concerning stewardship of money early in my life.  “Never buy what you don’t need simply because it’s cheap!”  (Thomas Jefferson).  As we go shopping many of us have a pre-written list but do we stick to it?  Do we find ourselves being lured like sheep to something “cute” or “on sale”?  Why not pray before making an unnecessary purchase.  Ask the Lord to give you the will power to resist the temptation to buy things you really don’t need simply because you can.  This is especially important if you are tempted to over use credit cards.  Instead, ask God first.  Remember our heavenly Father has promised to supply all we need in this life both physically and spiritually if we seek Him first and use the resources He has given us in a wise way.   Let’s not act like children who stomp and fuss when they don’t get what they want.   Jesus stated in Matthew 6:32-33: “…for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things (necessities).  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

PERHAPS GOD HAS SOMETHING BETTER IN MIND

Have you ever wondered why the Lord did not grant Paul’s request to remove the thorn in his flesh?  Certainly he was a man worthy of receiving great blessings from God. Our heavenly Father blessed Him beyond measure but said NO to this heartfelt request.    Why?  Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 12:7 saying: “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.”    Paul recognized that God was working in him the type of character that would withstand the challenges of his ministry and allow him to finish his race strong in the power of the Lord.  This was an assurance for Paul that not only was God with him, but that God was answering his prayer in a way that would best benefit his spiritual need.  Success in life and the blessings that come with wealth and fame are difficult to manage and often lead to a path of destruction for a Christian.  Only our heavenly Father knows for what we can handle.  His desire for us is growth in faith so we can prevent stumbling into sinful behavior.  There are things in this life that although not wrong or harmful for others, may not be good for us.  It is a wise child of God who can accept a NO when God has deemed it ultimately unprofitable.

JESUS PRAYED FOR GOD’S WILL TO BE DONE

In the oft quoted “Lord’s Prayer” in Matthew 6:9-13 our Lord makes a remarkable statement.  “…Your kingdom come.  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” (vs. 10).  In reading this verse I am struck with the example of Jesus who prayed to God that His will be done above all else.  Have you ever thought what heaven must be like?  Well it is a place where God’s will is done always!  If this is the place we dream of, the place we are seeking to be for an eternity, then we must admit that doing God’s will must be a pretty awesome thing as heaven is perfect in every way.
Hopefully my little Bible class students will have parents who make good decisions concerning their requests but as humans this sometimes doesn’t happen.  Our heavenly Father however, is able to do “…exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”   Regardless of whether God says yes, no, or wait.  Let’s trust in His perfect understanding of us and the belief that He wants the ultimate best for us always!

–Laura Dayton