While attending seminary, I was working full-time. Add to that a chaplaincy rotation and an internship at a church. I was busy. When my father visited me, he said, “You’re going to have a breakdown.” I shrugged off his warning thinking he was of another generation, and he didn’t understand goal-setting.
I didn’t have a breakdown. But I did experience a very rough, dry season in which I fell into depression. Since then, I’ve learned to listen to warnings—especially from loved ones—more carefully.
That’s what Moses did. He was diligently working, serving as Israel’s judge (Exodus 18:13). Yet, he chose to listen…
A missionary is someone in whom the Holy Spirit has brought about this realization: “You are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19). To say, “I am not my own,” is to have reached a high point in my spiritual stature. The true nature of that life in actual everyday confusion is evidenced by the deliberate giving up of myself to another Person through a sovereign decision, and that Person is Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit interprets and explains the nature of Jesus to me to make me one with my Lord, not that I might simply become a trophy for His showcase.
Jesus Christ is saying here, “Don’t rejoice in your successful service for Me, but rejoice because of your right relationship with Me.” The trap you may fall into in Christian work is to rejoice in successful service— rejoicing in the fact that God has used you. Yet you will never be able to measure fully what God will do through you if you do not have a right-standing relationship with Jesus Christ.
It is not wrong for you to depend on your “Elijah” for as long as God gives him to you. But remember that the time will come when he must leave and will no longer be your guide and your leader, because God does not intend for him to stay. Even the thought of that causes you to say, “I cannot continue without my ’Elijah.’ ” Yet God says you must continue.
Add means that we have to do something. We are in danger of forgetting that we cannot do what God does, and that God will not do what we can do. We cannot save nor sanctify ourselves— God does that. But God will not give us good habits or character, and He will not force us to walk correctly before Him. We have to do all that ourselves. We must “work out” our “own salvation” which God has worked in us (Philippians 2:12). Add means that we must get into the habit of doing things, and in the initial stages that is difficult. To take the initiative is to make a beginning— to instruct yourself in the way you must go.
Whether you’re running a Fortune 500 company, a family, or a lemonade stand, a mission statement is crucial to a company’s success! And today on Discover the Word, Dr. John Townsend joins the group to help us understand the mission that God has for you today. Do you have a personal mission statement? You won’t […]
Good leaders are able to face reality, especially when things aren’t going great! Today on Discover the Word, the team welcomes author and psychologist Dr. John Townsend back to the group! He’ll show us how to develop the character of a leader so God can use us in our sphere of influence. Listen to Discover […]
Have you ever worried if your best attempts to help someone might actually be making matters worse? Today on Discover the Word, Dr. John Townsend joins the team to discuss the difference between enabling bad behavior and loving the people you lead. Listen to Discover the Word today!
What does it take to be a truly great leader? Today on Discover the Word, Dr. John Townsend joins the team at the table to continue a discussion about the characteristics of a godly leader. Dr. Townsend draws from his years as a leadership coach, psychologist, and author to help us reach our God-given potential! […]
We all have people we influence—whether we know it or not. And so in that sense, we are all leaders. Today the Discover the Word team invites Dr. John Townsend back to the table to discuss what it takes to be a godly leader. Learn to lead with integrity and wisdom, wherever God has placed you! […]
In his book Spiritual Leadership, J. Oswald Sanders explores the qualities and the importance of tact and diplomacy. “Combining these two words,” Sanders says, “the idea emerges of skill in reconciling opposing viewpoints without giving offense and without compromising principle.”
During Paul’s imprisonment in Rome, he became the spiritual mentor and close friend of a runaway slave named Onesimus, whose owner was Philemon. When Paul wrote to Philemon, a leader of the church in Colossae, asking him to receive Onesimus as a brother in Christ, he exemplified tact and diplomacy. “Although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do…
It’s not always easy to know what God wants us to do. Sometimes we have to wait. And through prayer and wise counsel we find confirmation and open doors .…
WatchBased on spiritual principles of leadership and character development, this course five-lesson course offers studies on Setting Boundaries, Identifying Travel Companions, Dealing with Toxic People and more. The Ultimate Leadership course will give you practical skills that will increase your success in every area of life.
The Ultimate Leadership Series is offered in two separate courses, to take Ultimate Leadership I click here.
Don’t miss the Ultimate Leadership Workshops with Dr. Cloud & Dr. Townsend (Click here to learn more).
Based on spiritual principles of leadership and character development, this four-lesson course offers studies on Character and Leadership, Knowing God’s Will, Building Trust and more. The Ultimate Leadership course will give you practical skills that will increase your success in every area of life.
The Ultimate Leadership Series is offered in two separate courses, to take Ultimate Leadership II click here.
Don’t miss the Ultimate Leadership Workshops with Dr. Cloud & Dr. Townsend (Click here to learn more).
On August 4, 1991, the MTS Oceanos cruise ship ran into a terrible storm off the coast of South Africa. When the ship began to sink, the captain decided to abandon ship and left with his officers, failing to notify those onboard of any problem. Passenger Moss Hills, a British musician, noticed that something was wrong and sent out a Mayday signal to the South African coast guard. Then, taking matters into their own hands, Moss, his wife Tracy, and other entertainers on board helped organize the evacuation of all passengers by assisting them as they were lifted into helicopters.
