Some Things to Think About

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day on this glorious Friday morning!

 

This morning, I simply want to share a few scriptures/quotes that have really impacted me over the past month or so. I find them thought-provoking and inspiring, and I thought you might as well.

 

“I mean that I want us to help each other with the faith we have. Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you.” – Romans 1:12 (NCV)

 

“Do people walk away more impressed with you, or with the God who created you and whom you serve?” – Steven Sukkau

 

“If you boil it down, just because someone else does the wrong thing we are not exempt from doing what’s right.” – E.A. Bucchianeri

 

“The way you see people is the way you treat them, and the way you treat them is what they become.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

 

“Do not ask for an easy life.

Ask for the strength to handle a difficult one.

The resilience to face challenges.

The wisdom to learn from struggle.

The courage to keep moving forward.

Difficulty shapes character in ways comfort never could.” – Unknown

 

“The weak man is at war with his life.

The strong man is at war with his limitations.

One blames everything around him.

The other fixes everything within him.

Same life, completely different stories.

The battle is always internal.” – Unknown

 

“God is not a God of confusion…

If it does not bring clarity, conviction, courage, comfort or confirmation,

It is not from God!” – Unknown

 

“The best sign of wisdom is the consistency between the words and deeds.” – Seneca

 

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

 

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious family, please be kind, and please stay well!

 

Kev

Get Dressed!

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama!

Earlier this week, I listened to a sermon by Pastor Joel Osteen  titled "Clothed with Love." This message struck a deep nerve with me. I have listened to it several times, and I felt convicted to share it all with you. While last week’s Happy Friday was possibly the shortest ever, this one will undoubtedly be the longest ever.

Below is the entire transcript from the message. I got this from Sermons Love, and you can watch the entire message if you would like here: https://sermons.love/joel-osteen/25724-joel-osteen-clothed-with-love.html

“Clothed with Love in a Noisy World
I want to talk to you today about "clothed with love". There's so much noise in our society. Opinions can become like weapons. People that are argumentative, judgmental, divisive. Everyone has a platform. Through social media, you can speak your mind, set people straight, call them out, insult them. Being harsh, rude, shocking can become normal to us. The more we see it, the more desensitized we are. If we're not careful, we'll become like what's around us. We'll think it's okay to attack, belittle, insult. Everyone's doing it. But God has called us to live by a higher standard, to be the exception.

Don't let all the noise, the hate, the disrespect, people who are loud and abrasive, don't let that poison get in you. Don't become like your environment. Don't let that poison get in you. Colossians 3 says, you must clothe yourself with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowances for people's faults and forgive the person who offends as Christ has forgiven you.

Paul was saying, you have to get dressed each morning in the right clothes. Clothe yourself. Clothes don't jump on you. You have to choose to put them on. Put on kindness. I'm going to be nice and friendly today. Put on gentleness. I'm going to be easygoing and understanding. Put on mercy. I'm going to make allowances when people don't perform perfectly. I'm going to give them grace when they make mistakes.

Choosing the Right Spiritual Garments Daily
Put on humility. I'm not going to go around arrogant, looking down on people. I'm going to treat everyone with respect. Put on respect. Put on patience. I want to stay in peace when things don't go my way. Put on forgiveness. I'm not going to hold a grudge, living offended. I'm going to forgive those that do me wrong. After Paul listed all these qualities that we need to put on each day, he finished by saying, and the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love.

You would think he would say the most important thing is faith. You can't please God without faith. Or truth. It's the truth that sets people free. Or justice. You have to stand up for those that don't have a voice. Help the less fortunate. Those are all good. We should put them on, but the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Because without love, the others aren't as effective. You can be right. You know the other person is wrong. You have the facts. Here's the truth. But without love, it's just noise.

That's what Paul said in First Corinthians: "If I speak with the tongue of men or the tongue of angels and have not love, I am only a loud clanging cymbal." One version says a noisy gong. He was saying you can be gifted, articulate, powerful, have all this impressive knowledge. But without love, you're just a lot of noise. Just a lot of noise. Just a lot of clanging. Not effective. Not changing anything.

Why Love Matters More Than Being Right
A lot of people are sincere. They're passionate. But they're not speaking the truth in love. They're not putting on the most important piece. They become offended, argumentative, disrespectful. They wonder why they're not effective. Why they don't have more influence. There's no love. It's ego, pride, competition, making others look bad so they'll look good. Those are not true. Those are not things God is going to bless. You may be right, but where's the love? Where's the kindness? Where is being merciful and understanding?

You can be gentle without being weak. You can be kind and strong at the same time. You don't have to be harsh and condescending and hateful because someone doesn't agree. Start attacking, confronting. Love is more powerful than loudness. Truth spoken softly is more powerful than yelling at someone. Being offensive, insulting to prove a point, criticizing someone back, that's sinking down to their level.

Do yourself a favor. Put on your coat of love. See, Jesus was strong, but he was kind. He had the truth, but he was merciful. He was God, better than any of us. Never made a mistake, but he walked in humility. He washed people's feet and served others when he could have been served. And yes, he got upset. He threw people out of the temple, but it wasn't out of bitterness and hatred. I'm going to prove to you and push you down. He didn't want to see people being taken advantage of.

Love in Action: Jesus' Perfect Example
Now, I'm not saying to not be passionate and to never stand strong, but you should do it out of love and not out of anger and ego and competition. If you don't have love, your good intentions are going to turn into clanging cymbals. A lot of noise, but little impact. Being loud doesn't equate to being effective. Being harsh, argumentative, trying to force your opinion. You may be right. You have the truth, but you can do it the wrong way and still be wrong.

And I'm not talking about just in a debate or with someone online. How about in your marriage? How about with your children? Are you putting on love? Making allowances for their weaknesses? Or are you harsh? Looking for reasons to correct and prove that you're right? Are you forgiving the wrongs as Christ forgave us? Are you holding a grudge? Making them pay? Giving them the cold shoulder? After all, they were at fault. They deserve it. How about putting on some mercy? How about putting on some gentleness? Be understanding.

The mercy you show others is the mercy God is going to show you. I was in my backyard one afternoon watering the plants. We have some flowers in these big pots and I'd gotten some of the weeds out and put new dirt in. I was hot and sweaty and I'd worked out earlier that morning. Exercise, rode my bike. Victoria came out and said, "Joel, we need to run up to the store and pick something up." Piece of equipment she had ordered.

A Personal Story: What Your "Clothes" Communicate
Well, I was in my workout  clothes. My jeans were on. My gym shorts and this blue t-shirt that I always wear. My children kid me that it's my uniform. I've had it like 47 years and the collar's all stretched out, faded, straggly on one side. I have other shirts, but that's the one I like. And I told Victoria, "I can't go anywhere. I'm not dressed. I'd have to go in, take a shower, put some better clothes on." She said, "No, Joel, you don't have to get out of the car. They're going to put it in the back for us."

So we got there. They loaded it in the trunk. All was good. But as we were driving away, Victoria saw this other store. When she gets close to a mall, there's an unseen force that tries to pull her in. She said, "Joel, let's go in there real quick. I've been wanting to. There's something I really want to see." I said, "No, Victoria, I am not dressed. That's a nice place. I'll go in Home Depot. I'll go to Walmart, but I'm not going in there."

She said, "Joel, you're fine. You look great." I said, "Joel, you're fine. You look great." I'm either so dumb or so naive. She talked me into going. When she said I look great, I lost all sense of reasoning. We walked in, and it was a nice store. There were three salespeople there to greet us. Two men and a woman. The men were dressed in the finest suits, impeccable, shoes shined. The woman was in a beautiful pantsuit, elegant, sophisticated. Looked like they had just stepped out of a fashion magazine. Looked like I had just stepped out of a farming magazine.

The first thing the man said was, "Oh, Pastor Joel, we've never seen you like this." We all laughed and laughed. I thought, yeah, and you're about to have never seen me another way if you keep laughing. Here's my point. When I walked in, I hadn't said a word, but my clothes sent a message. What I was wearing communicated something to them. Not only that, what I had on was affecting me. I didn't feel good about going in. I knew I wasn't dressed appropriately.

The Unseen Clothing: Attitudes That Speak Louder Than Words
People read your  clothing before you say a word. They form impressions before you open your mouth. Depending on how you dress, casually, fun, sophisticated, dressy, that's all communicating something. If you're dressed sloppy, clothes wrinkled, don't fit, out of style, risqué, those are all sending a message about you. Well, that's the physical, in the seen, but it's the same in the unseen. When you put on kindness, gentleness, humility, mercy, you're sending a message to people. Before you say a word, they can sense who you are.

It's creating this impression, love, goodness, respect, that draws people in, that gives you favor, that brings healthy relationships. And sure, the opposite is true. If you get dressed with pride, competition, bitterness, sarcasm, that's how people are reading you. You're projecting it without saying a word. You know how it is. You can sense when someone is arrogant, when they're unfriendly, when they have a chip on their shoulder. You can sum them up in no time by the feeling and how they carry themselves.

In the same way, you know when you have the wrong clothes on. I knew my shirt was old. I knew my gym shorts were dirty. It's the same way in the unseen. You know when you have a bad attitude, when you're condescending, when you're harsh, you won't forgive. It's not just sending a message to others, but it doesn't feel right to you. You don't like who you are. You may get used to it, talk yourself into it, but deep down there's an unrest, an uneasiness. It's because that's not who you were created to be.

You were created to put on love, kindness, gentleness, being merciful, overlooking faults. And sometimes you have  clothes that don't fit anymore. You've grown out of, they're too small, the wrong style. You put them away and get clothes that fit. Maybe you've worn being judgmental, critical and jealous for a long time. Or you put on a coat of pride, bitterness, hard to get along with. That was fine for a while, but now you're growing out of them. God is calling on you. You have to do your part and have a wardrobe change.

Time for a Spiritual Wardrobe Change
Can I tell you, bitterness doesn't look good on you. That sour attitude smells bad. You don't have to say anything. You're pushing people away. The pride or having to always be right, that doesn't fit you anymore. The jealousy, holding on to an offense, that's out of style. Those clothes are over and done. How about a spring cleaning? Don't even send them to Goodwill. Put them in the trash. Put on love. Put on kindness, gentleness, friendliness, understanding, respect. That's the wardrobe God designed for you.

He's your tailor. He knows what fits, what's in style, what's going to make you look good, what's going to be effective. Do you know how it is in fashion? There's always some knockoff brands and some imitations. Not quite the same, but they're good enough. It's kind of close. Don't be fooled. The enemy has his own clothing line. He'll tell you, hey, this pride is going to look better on you. This jealousy, it's the hottest thing going. This greed, being self-centered, only thinking about you, this will look amazing on you. This judgment, being critical, insulting people, this is just your size. Look how flashy it is.

Don't put on that integrity. That's boring. Kindness, patience, mercy. That's old school. That's outdated. Don't fall for his lies. He has fake merchandise. When you put on the wardrobe God designed for you, you'll not only feel better, but you are projecting the right things to those around you. You'll draw in good people, favor and opportunity. You'll be more effective.

Lessons from a Father's Example and Scripture
I saw this with my father. He taught me by example how to put on a coat of love. He was kind. He was kind and merciful. Even back in the 1950s when he was pastoring that church and they didn't understand his new direction and they didn't want him anymore, they asked him to leave. He was never bitter. He never talked bad about the people. Didn't go around with a chip on his shoulder. He was merciful. He forgave them and moved on.

He wasn't accepted anymore in his traditional denomination. There were friends and colleagues he'd gone to school with. And they were no longer for him. They didn't want to have any contact. Like they would be contaminated, couldn't get around him. He said, "Joel, they drew a circle to shut me out, but I drew a bigger circle to shut them in." You can't stop hurt from coming, betrayal, people that are unfair. But when you have your coat of love on, when you're merciful, forgiving, making allowances for people's shortcomings, it doesn't poison you. You keep enjoying your life. And being good to people, drawing in the favor of God.

James 2 says, whatever you say and whatever you do, remember, you will be judged by the law of love. It doesn't say we're going to be judged by how many arguments we won, how many people we corrected, how perfect our doctrine was, how successful we were. No, we're going to be judged by, were you wearing your coat of love? Were you good to people? Are you merciful, kind, forgiving? Did you walk in humility, patience and generosity?

James said, whatever you do, and whatever you say, that means before you post it on social media, before you express your opinion, before you confront someone, ask yourself, am I doing this out of love, out of kindness, gentleness, or are you doing it out of hurt, out of anger, jealousy... I don't believe you. I don't want them to look better than me. I'm going to say something demeaning or I'm not going to let this co-worker get away with being rude to me. I'm going to be rude back to him.

Overcoming Evil with Good, Not More Noise
There's no blessing when you're doing things out of spite, ill will, bitterness. That's going to drag you down and make life more difficult. And this is the way many people live. Disrespect for disrespect. You hurt me, I'm going to hurt you. They're a loud clanging cymbal. We try to answer back with loud clanging cymbals. Let's be louder, harsher, more disrespectful. That's not the way to win. The scripture says you overcome evil with good. When you're kind to those that are not kind to you, Proverbs says it's like you're heaping coals of fire on their head.

When you stay in love, God will fight your battles. He'll vindicate you better than you can vindicate yourself. First Corinthians says love never fails. It doesn't say strength never fails. Being right never fails. Proving your point. No, love never fails. Love brings down walls. Love heals, restores, protects. Love will help you keep your heart pure.

Jesus had a lot of people against him. Critics, naysayers, religious leaders that were jealous. But he didn't spend a lot of time arguing with people, getting into heated debates, trying to prove who he was. He let his actions speak. When he was brought before Pilate, all these false accusations, the scripture says he answered him not a word. He knew they weren't going to change their mind, that they were determined to misunderstand him.

And sometimes we're trying to win over people that are never going to be for us. We're getting all riled up trying to convince them to change and see it from our point of view. We have to accept it's okay if someone doesn't agree. It's okay if they're not for us. You don't need everyone to be for you to fulfill your destiny. And it's really easy to get baited into conflict, argumentative, angered, frustrated, because they're not changing their mind. They're insulting, saying things that aren't true.

Some battles you're not supposed to fight. It's a distraction to try to get you off course, wasting time, stressed over something that you can't control. In the big picture, it's not going to stop your purpose. Jesus didn't answer every critic. He didn't try to change every person's mind. The enemy would love to deceive us into becoming loud, clanging cymbals. You have the truth. You know you're right, but you got bent out of shape, aggravated.

It takes maturity to not get drawn into the wrong battles, because human nature wants to fight, defend, stand up. There are times that's important. But it's not always the case. Those are the  clothes he's designed for us to wear. But sometimes we're wearing knockoffs or hand-me-downs. I got this pride jacket, Joel, from my relatives. This temper, this harshness, it was passed down from my family. My father used to wear it. He was angry. My grandmother gave me this coat. She was jealous. She was bitter.

No, those clothes don't look good on you. Their day is over. It's time to get a new wardrobe. Your heavenly father is an amazing designer. He's already created custom-made clothing just for you. Kindness, gentleness, humility, forgiveness, patience, and the most important piece that you must wear, your clothing of love. Don't leave home without it. If you forget to put that on, bitterness will show up, offense, judgment, jealousy.

Love Shown Through Actions, Not Just Words
First John says, let us stop saying we love each other and let us start showing it by our actions. Paul was saying, talk is cheap. You can say all day long you love me, but if you won't forgive me, if you won't quit being jealous, if you won't stop talking behind my back, there's no proof that you love me. Love is action. There should be evidence that you love people. Express your love all through the day. It may just be a smile, to a stranger, someone passing by. You could ignore them, look down, but you acknowledge them. You're saying, I see you. You're valuable. I care about you. You just deposited something in them.

It may be bringing your coworker a cup of coffee in the morning or filling your wife's car up with gasoline so she doesn't have to. Love should be seen. People that God's put in your life should have some evidence that you love them. It's good to tell them. Words are important, but words alone are not enough. There should be some good deeds of how you're being a blessing. It may be when that friend makes a mistake and hurts your feelings, you could be upset, make them pay, but you're merciful. You let it go and don't try to make them feel guilty. That's love in action.

I was at the grocery store one time and this young woman was at the cash register. It's very crowded and lines were backed up and she was very slow. She was new and didn't know how to work. Everything is taking forever. Well, there were several people in front of me and they were getting very upset, very impatient, and they let her know, making comments, harsh, condescending. But I want to live my life being a part of the solution and not the problem, lifting people up and not putting them down. People already have enough hurts, enough things to overcome and things that we don't know anything about. They don't need another condemning voice, judgment. Come on, do better. Can't you get it right?

No, God put them in your path so you can be a healer, a lifter, a restorer. When I got up there, I simply said, "You're doing great. Everything's going to be fine and we appreciate you being here." I'll never forget. Tears started running down her face. She said, "I'm not going to cheat you." She said, "My baby is in the hospital. I'm so worried. I can't really concentrate on what I'm doing." We took a moment to pray right then and there. You don't know what people are going through. We can be quick to judge, quick to criticize, but if you were to walk in their shoes, you'd probably have more mercy. You'd be more understanding.

Jesus Modeling Love in Every Encounter
The world needs more love. We have a lot of division, strife, people arguing, trying to push them down, prove their point. God is counting on us to express his love, to show his kindness, his mercy. You can help heal, restore, and put people back on their feet. It doesn't happen through judgment, pride, impatience, holding grudges. That's the wrong clothing. All through the scripture, we can see how Jesus didn't just teach about love, but he wore love. He modeled it.

He saw Zacchaeus, a despised tax collector. They were known for their dishonesty. Society had written him off, but Jesus called him out of the crowd and said, "I want to go to your house and have dinner with you today." Jesus went to others. Jesus went to people that others thought were too far gone. Love in action. Or how about when the leper came to Jesus, fell at his feet and said, "Jesus, if you want to, you can heal me." Well, lepers were unclean, contagious. They were supposed to keep their distance. Here, this man put Jesus at risk. He'd broken protocol and gone against safety requirements.

Jesus could have been upset. Get him away from me. You're going to get me infected. But Jesus bent down and touched the man. I can hear the gasp in the crowd. Can you believe it? He's going to get leprosy. The scripture says instantly the man's skin was made whole. Love that can be seen. How about on the cross after being betrayed and mocked? Jesus was up there in great pain. He could have been bitter, angry, but he said, "Father, forgive them. They don't know what they're doing."

Showing love is not just being kind to people, but it's forgiving wrongs, not holding grudges, being merciful. Is there someone you need to forgive today? Family member, you need to let off the hook. Joel, they're guilty. They did me wrong. Only the guilty need mercy. We're not going to be judged by how right we are, how much faith we have, but by the law of love.

Just like you get dressed each morning physically, you need to get dressed spiritually. Put on kindness, humility, gentleness, respect, and then the most important piece of  clothing you must wear is love. Let all you do and all you say run through the filter of love. Not pride, not judgment, not offense, but love.

Maybe today you need to change your wardrobe. You've been wearing a sour attitude, being harsh, jealous. None of that looks good on you. That's outdated. That's the wrong designer. The good news is there's a new wardrobe waiting just for you, already paid for, just your size. Now do your part and start clothing yourself in love. If you'll do this, I believe and declare, you're not only going to feel better about who you are, more peace, more confidence, but you're going to be more effective, have better relationships, and see the goodness of God in greater ways. In Jesus' name. And if you receive it, can you say amen?”

Amen!!! Friends, let’s make sure we are properly clothed today!

Please feel free to contact me anytime if there is anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious family, be kind, and please stay well!

Kev

Steward Your Influence Well

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama!

A couple of weeks ago I came across this quote:

“The stewardship of influence. What have you done with [your] influence?” – Johnny Hunt

I want to share a couple of definitions with you. Both come from Merriam-Webster. You can find them at www.merriam-webster.com.

Stewardship – the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care

Influence – the power or capacity to cause an effect in indirect or intangible ways

I also want to remind us of a couple of statistics that I have shared in previous Happy Fridays. Research has shown that the most introverted person will influence more than 10,000 people in their lifetime, while the average person will influence more than 80,000 people during theirs.

So, back to the quote, “What have you done with your influence?”

I truly don’t feel the need to say much more. We would all be wise to assess the words we speak and the actions we take because they are influencing those around us. We would also be wise to thoughtfully ponder the type of influence we are having. Let me ask it another way; are the people closest to us thriving or struggling? This would be a great indication of the type of influence we are having.

I will close – yes, this is a very short Happy Friday! – with another quote:

“Don’t preach, just set the example. You will influence more people through your actions than your words.” – Germany Kent

Please feel free to contact me at any time if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can contact me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluence.com.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious family, please be kind, and stay well!

Kev

You Are Incomparable

Happy Friday, Friends:

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama!

 

How is it already May 1^st?!

 

I am reading a wonderful book by Todd Mullins titled Don’t Let Doubt Take You Out: Replacing Fear and Doubt with Faith and Truth. In Chapter 4, The Comparison Game: Why nobody wins and how to stop playing, I came to a part that really stood out to me. I want to share it with all of you this morning.

 

“Anytime we compare ourselves to others – what they have or what they’ve accomplished – it can only lead to feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt. We end up undervaluing the good in our lives because it doesn’t seem as good as what others have in their lives. Comparison is more than a harmless habit; it is a corrosive force that undermines our self-worth and distorts our perception of reality. When we measure our lives against the perceived success or happiness of others, we fail to see the unique journey God has laid out for us. Instead of celebrating our own achievements and blessings, we become fixated on what we lack.”

 

Pretty powerful, isn’t it? I want to share a few more things with you and simply allow you and your Spirit to work through them.

 

Galatians 6:4-5

4 Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, 5 for each one should carry their own load.

 

Hebrews 12:1-3

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

 

Ephesians 2:10

10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 

Galatians 1:10

10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

 

“When you compare yourself to others, you either elevate them and devalue yourself or you elevate yourself and devalue them. Neither is pleasing to God.” – Unknown

“Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out?” – Oliver James

 

Friends, you are a unique, beautiful, one-of-a-kind masterpiece. Please simply become all that you were created to become and use all that you are to love, care for, and serve others. Truly, when it comes to you, there is no comparison!

 

I want to close with another excerpt from this great book. It is found in Chapter 5, When Doubt Drives You to Dependency.

“…the way you see yourself is not the way God sees you. God sees all the gifts and abilities He has put inside you. Often we focus on our flops, failures, and mistakes. We think, “How could God use me? I have messed up so badly.” But God is not worried about how much you’ve messed up; He wants you to step up and become the person He’s created you to be.”

 

Please feel free to contact me at any time if there is ever anything I can do for you. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

 

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious family, be kind, and stay well!

 

Kev

Responsibility and Accountability

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama! This day is going to be a great one – I believe and declare this to be true!

 

Last week’s Happy Friday was about ownership and stewardship – who owns our time, talent, and treasure, and what our responsibilities are with those. While most of us like privileges, we are not so fond of responsibility and accountability. The way I explained it to my Tender Warriors when they were younger was: “Most want the privilege of being a man and the responsibility and accountability of a little boy.” Our world is full of people, and the resulting outcomes of people who live life this way.

 

This morning, I want to share excerpts from What God Does When Men Lead by Bill Peel again. This is the continuation of the excerpts I shared last week. They are in Chapter 2, Everyday Leaders.

 

2. The principle of responsibility.

 

“We are given authority and are held responsible as God’s stewards for what happens on earth, to the physical world and the people and creatures that dwell here.”

 

“Whether or not we like it, we are responsible for what God has given.”

 

“God owns everything; we’re responsible for how we treat it and what we do with it.”

 

“Owners have rights; stewards have responsibilities.”

 

“As His stewards, we are to manage His holdings well and according to His desires and purposes.”

 

“A lot of men tell me they’ve never considered that they are responsible before God as leaders for the way they deal with others. But they are, and when it comes to people, God is very clear. They belong to Him, not the leader, and they must be led according to His purposes.”

 

“As Peter reminds us, we are each responsible to use our gifts according to God’s will.”

 

“…one of our most important responsibilities is to empower the people under our authority to discover, develop, and use the abilities God has given them.”

 

3. The principle of accountability.

 

“As we’ve learned, when a leader is given responsibility, he is accountable to the one who gave it.”

 

“Each of us is a steward of everything we have been given, including our time, money, abilities, information, wisdom, relationships, and authority. And we will all give account to the rightful Owner as to how well we managed the things He has entrusted to us.”

 

“For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written: ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’ So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.” – Romans 14: 10 – 12

 

“When we stand before God at His judgment seat, He won’t be interested in how difficult our wives were to love, how uncooperative our children were to parent, how difficult our boss or employees were to deal with, how obstinate the people were at church, or how corrupt a culture we had to endure. We’ll give account for what we did with what He gave us.”

 

Great stuff! Challenging and inspiring! My goal this morning was simply to make sure we all know; it is up to each one of us as to what we will now do with this information.

 

Please feel free to contact me at any time if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

 

Have a great day, a wonderful week, please cherish your precious family, please be kind, and stay well!

 

Kev

Lord or Teacher

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama!

 

This week’s Happy Friday is simply a rhetorical question. Our Pastor asked the question during his sermon last week, and I found it challenging and thought-provoking.

 

“Is Jesus the Lord of your life or just a really good teacher?”

 

A couple of things I will offer all of us as we think about, and ultimately answer this question, for ourselves.

 

Teacher (source: usdictionary.com)

1. Teacher (noun): A person who instructs or educates others, especially in a school or formal educational setting.

2. Teacher (noun): A guide or mentor who imparts knowledge, skills, or values in informal settings or through example.

3. Teacher (noun): An individual whose occupation involves delivering lessons, facilitating learning, and evaluating students' progress.

 

The term "teacher" embodies roles of mentorship, guidance, and knowledge-sharing, spanning formal education and informal instruction. It is a versatile term that captures both the professional responsibilities and the personal influence a teacher has on learners.

 

Lord (source: merriam-webster.com)

: one having power and authority over others:

: a ruler by hereditary right or preeminence to whom service and obedience are due

 

Lord or teacher?

 

I also want to share a few excerpts from the exception book, What God Does When Men Lead, by Bill Peel. The excerpts come from Chapter 2, Everyday Leaders, and in the sections titled The Nature of Steward Leadership and 1. The principle of ownership.

The Nature of Steward Leadership

“By definition a steward is accountable to his master for how resources are invested. So how does this apply to us today? Since God owns all things, He is the Master; He distributes gifts and resources at His discretion. We are stewards, accountable to Him for all that we do with all that we are given.”

 

1. The principle of ownership.

“A leader has privilege, responsibility, and authority because he has been given these by his master. A steward doesn’t own; he holds in trust and uses what he has been given for the one who owns it. Arrogance and pride don’t have any wiggle room in this equation.”

 

“An organization – be it a family, company, or church – is not created for the leader, nor is it created by the leader. Everything we have comes from God. The Bible is clear, He owns it all: “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1).”

 

“Nothing, not even our very lives, belongs to us in an ultimate sense. As much as we might like to define ourselves by the size of our home, the speed of our car, or our title at work, everything we are and have is God’s. As men whom God has called to be leaders, we must be constantly aware that our time, skills, and energy, and every resource, person, and opportunity comes from God. These are not ours to use as we wish, no matter how hard we may have worked and no matter what we have contributed. We are stewards, not owners.”

 

One final time: “Is Jesus the Lord of your life or just a really good teacher?” We all answer this question every day, not through our intentions or the words we speak, but through the lives that we live.

 

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

 

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious family, be kind, and please stay well!

 

Kev

Shine

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama!

This week I want to share a brief reminder, word of encouragement, and inspiration.

Reminder
Just as we pour out of a glass what has been poured into it, what pours out of you and me is what has been poured into our hearts, minds, and spirits. We would not order a soft drink if we expect to drink water; why do we pour negative things into our hearts, minds, and spirits and expect to be positive in our thoughts, words, and actions? It doesn’t make much sense, does it?

I want to remind us all this morning that what we watch, listen to, and read really does affect us. If we don’t like the way we are thinking, speaking, or acting, we would be wise to assess what is being poured in. Such an easy concept to understand, can be very difficult to live.

What will the influences be in your life? The things we consistently listen to, watch, read, and do will determine the lives we live.

Matthew 12:34 (AMP)
34 You offspring of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil (wicked)? For out of the fullness (the overflow, the [a]superabundance) of the heart the mouth speaks.

Luke 6:45 (AMP)
45 The upright (honorable, intrinsically good) man out of the good treasure [stored] in his heart produces what is upright (honorable and intrinsically good), and the evil man out of the evil storehouse brings forth that which is depraved (wicked and intrinsically evil); for out of the abundance (overflow) of the heart his mouth speaks.

Encouragement
Writing the above, I know why the excerpts below from Pastor Joel Osteen’s message titled Feed Your Faith resonated so strongly with me. You can watch the full message, and I copied the excerpts from the transcript, on the Sermons.love website. You can find it all here: https://sermons.love/joel-osteen/17977-joel-osteen-feed-your-faith.html

What You’re Feeding Is Growing
I want to talk to you today about “Feed Your Faith.” You get to choose what grows in your life. What you’re feeding is getting stronger. If you’re feeding doubt, thinking about what you can’t do, and how the obstacles are too big, and how you’re at a disadvantage, because you’re feeding it, that doubt is getting bigger, just like you’re giving it vitamins, nutrients, helping it to grow.

If you’re feeding fear, “What if I get laid off? What if I come down with that illness,” or “I’m afraid for my children,” that fear is growing; you’re helping it to become a reality. Sometimes we’re feeding insecurity, “I’m not attractive, I don’t have a good personality, I’m not that talented.” We wonder why we don’t have much confidence, why we don’t feel valuable. It’s because we’re feeding the wrong things.

You Become What You Eat—in Your Mind
You’ve heard the saying, “You are what you eat.” It’s the same thing in your mind: if you feed fear, you’re going to live fearful. If you feed discouragement, “Nothing good’s in my future. I have so many problems,” you’re going to live discouraged. If you feed the past, “Look what I’ve been through, they hurt me, I wasn’t raised right,” if you keep dwelling on what didn’t work out, the mistakes you’ve made, even though God has beauty for the ashes, even though there are great things in your future, because you’re feeding the past, you won’t see it. You live bitter, in regrets, with no passion.

Pay attention to what you’re feeding. We all have doubt, fear, insecurity, guilt, but we also have faith, hope, confidence, value, victory. Don’t feed things you don’t want to grow. You have to starve your doubts, and feed your faith. Starve the discouragement and feed your hope. Starve the inferiority and feed your confidence. You’ll be amazed at what happens if you’ll quit giving life to the negative, and start feeding the positive.

Starve Fear, Build Faith
When fear comes, trying to get you to worry, “What about your children, are they safe in school? What about the crime, there’s so much violence, what are you going to do?” Don’t feed that fear, it’s not on your diet. Switch over into faith, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not fear. No weapon formed against me will prosper. A thousand may fall at my side, 10,000 at my right hand, but it will not come near me.”

You keep doing that, and fear is getting weaker and weaker, and your faith is getting stronger and stronger. You’re becoming what you eat, you’ll have a peace and a trust, knowing that God has you in the palm of His hand.

Or when thoughts whisper, “You’re not that valuable. You’re not attractive. Look at how beautiful your cousin is. Look at how talented that coworker is, what happened to you?” Just say, “No, thanks, that’s not on my eating plan. I have a very strict diet. I don’t feed insecurity, I don’t feed inferiority, I don’t feed shame and guilt, not up to par. I feed confidence, I feed value.

Father, you said I am fearfully and wonderfully made, you call me a masterpiece, one of a kind. You’ve crowned me with favor. You put royal blood flowing through my veins. I know I’m not ordinary, I’m a child of the Most High God. You go around thinking like that, and insecurity cannot stay. You’ll have a boldness, a confidence to put your shoulders back, to hold your head up high, knowing that you’re a son, a daughter of Almighty God.

“What you feed grows, what you starve dies.” – Gary Greeno

Galatians 6:7-8 (NIV)
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

Inspiration
This song always speaks to me when I hear it on the radio. Please read the lyrics below, and I also want to encourage you to listen to it. Regardless, please never forget “All the darkness in the world can't extinguish one light.” You and I are one, respectively. We have a light. I pray this, and every day we will let it shine!

One Light
Song by Nash Revival
Songwriter: Matthew Soilea

When the day turns to night
When the storm floods in
When you feel the pain and worry within

In the late late hours
When you can't go to sleep
When all the bad thoughts dig deep

Remember, just remember
All the darkness in the world can't extinguish one light
All the bad news swirling can't make us give up the fight
The darkness will retreat if we all raise our light
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine bright
All the darkness in the world can't extinguish one light

When life turns cold
When you shiver in the rain
Don't let that last ray of hope fade away

Remember, just remember
All the darkness in the world can't extinguish one light
All the bad news swirling can't make us give up the fight
The darkness will retreat if we all raise our light
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine bright
All the darkness in the world can't extinguish one light

Seven billion souls on the planet
Let's all light a candle
Build a bridge through the dark
With love in our hearts

Remember, just remember
All the darkness in the world can't extinguish one light
All the bad news swirling can't make us give up the fight
The darkness will retreat if we all raise our light
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine bright
All the darkness in the world can't extinguish one light
All the darkness in the world can't extinguish one light

One light
One light

“All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.” - St. Francis Of Assisi

Matthew 5:14-16 (ESV)
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious family, please be kind, and please stay well!

Kev

Be a Palm

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day on this glorious Friday morning in my Sweet Home Alabama!

 

It may be Friday, but Sunday is coming!!!

 

This morning, I want to briefly share a few things.

 

1.      On this Good Friday, I want to share a quote from my morning devotional:

“It was not nails that held Jesus to that wretched cross; it was his unqualified resolution, out of love for his Father, to do his Father’s will – and it was his love for sinners like me.” – D. A. Carson

I feel so compelled to share Luke 22: 41 – 44. The next time you and I don’t “feel like” doing something for someone, loving the unlovable, etc., I pray that we will remember this scripture.

Luke 22:41-44

41 He [Jesus] withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

 

2.     Earlier this week, I was listening to a sermon by Pastor Joel Osteen titled, Ready To Rise. A section on the palm tree was so powerful to me. I want to share the excerpt from that portion of the sermon with you. You can listen to the full sermon or read the transcript on the Sermons Love website here: https://sermons.love/joel-osteen/6275-joel-osteen-ready-to-rise.html

 

Like a Palm Tree in the Storm

A few years back we had a big hurricane here in Houston. I noticed all the different kinds of trees that were blown down: huge oak trees that were 3 or 4 feet around; I saw pine trees over a hundred feet tall laying in yard after yard—big trees, small trees; none of them could withstand the hurricane-force winds.

 

There was only one type of tree that wasn’t blown down—it was the palm tree. It’s because God designed the palm to withstand the storm. Unlike most other trees the palm is able to bend, so it doesn’t break.

 

Bend But Don’t Break

A certain kind of palm can bend all the way over to where the top is almost touching the ground. During the hurricane it may stay that way for 3 or 4 hours all bent over; looks like it’s done, but when the wind dies down, when the storm is over it stands right back up to where it was before.

 

All these other trees down on the ground—what’s the difference? God put bounce back in the palm tree. It may get pushed over, but it’s only temporary.

 

Psalm 92:12 says: “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree.” The reason God chose a palm and not oaks or pines is He knew we would go through storms; He knew things would try to push us down and keep us from our destiny. So He said: “I’m gonna make you like a palm tree. I’m going to put bounce back in your spirit”.

 

Stronger After the Storm

And you may go through difficulties: a loss, a disappointment, but at some point the winds will stop; the storms will pass and like that palm tree you’ll come right back up. You may be bent over now; you’re facing challenges; thoughts are telling you: “It’s never going to work out"—get ready to rise; you have bounce back power.

 

When that storm is over you’re not going to be laying down: defeated, beat up—you’re gonna rise up healthy, blessed, prosperous. You’re not going to look like what you’ve been through; nobody is going to be able to tell that you even had that difficulty.

 

The Storm Strengthens You

What I love about God is He doesn’t just bring you through the storm; He makes the enemy pay for bringing the trouble. When the palm tree has been bent over during the hurricane, you would think that’s damaging the tree and making it weaker. But research shows just the opposite—when the tree is being pushed over and stretched by the winds, that’s strengthening the root system and giving it new opportunities for growth.

 

When the palm tree straightens back up after the storm, it’s actually stronger than it was before. When you come out of that storm, when you straighten back up you’re not going to be the same—you’re going to be stronger, healthier, better off, ready for new growth.

 

3.     Last weekend, my Beautiful Bride and I watched I Can Only Imagine 2. It is such a great movie and I strongly recommend it to all of you! I will never listen to the song, Even If, the same again.

 

During the movie, there is a scene where Bart Millard, the lead singer for Mercy Me, is talking to his wife about their son. He says something like, “I didn’t have a Dad who was an example. I don’t know what to do.” His wife said something like, “Don’t quit trying.” I, almost involuntarily, said, “That is my testimony!”

 

To all Dads out there, whether you had a father in your life or not, whether your father was a good or bad example, I pray and I beg you to do two things:

 

a.     Show Up…Every day! Truly, I don’t care if you feel like it or not! It is not about you! It is about the precious soul entrusted to you! More than anything, they want and need you! Fully present. Yes, some days you won’t have your “A Game.” None of us has our “A Game” every day…show up! Whether it is convenient or not, show up!

b.     Fight for your relationship with your child. I promise you, they are not your enemy. They are a great gift from God to love, lead, and care for. And I think we would be wise to be mindful of two things: 1) He is going to take them back someday, and 2) You and I are going to give an account to Him for how well we loved, led, and cared for these great blessings!

 

No, you will not get it right all the time. I truly feel like I got it wrong a whole lot more than I got it right. There were so many mornings when I poured out my heart to the Lord, begging Him to forgive my failures, and anxiously waiting for my little boys to get up so I could apologize to them, ask for their forgiveness, and hug them. The goal was never to be right; it was to love, lead, and care for my boys as God has called me to do. Those little boys are now big, strong men. I still don’t get it right all the time; however, I can state without hesitation that each one of my boys knows that I love them unconditionally, that I am always here for them, and that I would do anything I can to help them.

 

Please, fight for your relationship with your kids. They may act like they don’t care, ignore you, etc. Don’t believe them. Keep showing up. Have tough skin. Love the unlovable – they are the ones that need it the most! The goal is not to be right or to win; it is to have a relationship with your child.

 

Please feel free to contact me at any time if there is ever anything I can do for any of you. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

 

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious family, please be kind, and please stay well!

 

Kev