Your Journey Blog

Quiet Thoughts for Driven Leaders-Patience

PATIENCE!That word gnaws at the core of every driven leader. Leaders are doers! Leaders are achievers! Leaders are conquerors! But spiritual leaders are restful. Spiritual leaders are confident in God's sovereign power! Spiritual leaders are conquered by the Conqueror! Today let Fenelon's thoughts feed your impatient soul and quiet your restless heart.

Fenelon's Thoughts on Patience:

"The soul deserts its very nature when it becomes impatient. When it submits without complaint, it takes possession of itself in peace and comes into possession of God. To become impatient is to want what we do not have, and not to want what we do have. In so doing, the soul is handed over to its passions, and neither reasoning nor faith can hold it back, so troubled is it. Such weakness! Such swerving away from the right path!"

 

"Peace on this earth consists in accepting the things that are contrary to our desires, not in being exempted from suffering them, nor in being delivered from all temptations."

God's Word on Patience

"The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride."   

"Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools."  Ecclesiastes 7:8-9 NIV

Quiet Thoughts for Driven Leaders-Prayer

Prayer! That word to a driven leader evokes feelings of frustration and guilt. Frustration with our ability to slow down and commune with God, without one hundred ideas, to do's and leadership issues racing through our minds. Guilt from the sheer lack of prayer in our lives. Every driven leader says, "I know I ought to pray more" and yet struggles with making it a priority. Today, let Fenelon's thoughts on prayer refresh your prayer life and move you from being a driven leader to a drawn leader.

Fenelon's Thoughts on Prayer:

"What a blessing it is to speak to him in trust, to open our hearts to him, and by means of prayer to be united with him as much as it is possible to be in this life!"

"The treasures of God's grace are the only true riches-yet they are the only riches we balk at asking for and expecting. However, we must never stop knocking! The promises of Jesus Christ are always faithful-it is we who are unfaithful in asking for them."

Jesus' Words on Prayer:

"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" Luke 11:9-13 NIV

Quiet Thoughts for Driven Leaders - Success

Success is the drug of the driven leader. We all want to be successful in every area of life. We all push ourselves and those around us to succeed. And yet, when success becomes success for success' sake, it has more to do with self than with God. Today, let Fenelon's thoughts challenge what motivates you to succeed.

Fenelon's Thoughts on Success:

"I resolve not to become keenly excited about anything, because it is dangerous to want to appropriate God's work to ourselves. If we do that, then we do God's work in our own strength; we turn good into bad and we allow pride to take over. And then we become flushed with the pursuit of success. We conceal our illusion by using the pretext of seeking God's glory."

"O God, give me the grace to be faithful in my actions, but indifferent to success. The only thing I ought to be concerned with is to desire your will and to quietly meditate on you-even in the midst of busy times. It is up to you to crown my feeble actions with such fruit as is pleasing to you-and none at all, if that is what you find best for me."

Jesus' Words on Success:

"...Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" Matthew 25:23  NIV 

Quiet Thoughts for Driven Leaders - ReEngaged

Fours years ago I picked up the book, "Talking with God" by François de Salignac de La Mothe-Fenelon (to this day I still cannot pronounce his name correctly)!  I affectionately call him the "French Guy."  Since then I have read everything I could find that is still in print.  His mentoring letters have had a profound impact on my life, touching my heart and providing me with perspective.  Three years ago I wrote 50 devotional thoughts and shared them in a weekly e-newsletter.  I still get emails and comments from people of how God used those thoughts to shape their souls and bring encouragement to their hearts.

Over the summer I want to ReEngage this old saint and share with you some of his penetrating words that have caused the driven leader in me to quiet my heart in the presence of Jesus and reflect on all I do and say. Years ago I remember a leader saying God does not want driven leaders, He wants drawn leaders. God does not want leaders who are driven by their own internal need to achieve but leaders drawn into God's work out of a profound sense of God's presence in their life. My prayer for you is that God will draw you into a deeper sense of His presence and power in your life as you carry forth His missional purposes into this broken world.

Fenelon's Thoughts:

"Whosoever, therefore, with a single heart shall direct his attention upwards to God, and purify himself from all inordinate love or dislike of any created thing, shall be the most fit to receive grace, and worthy of the gift of devotion." (Meditations On The Heart Of God)

"When we take time for one simple moment of inner recollection and yielding ourselves to God, we see and hear more than the intellectual reasoning of all humanity put together. When we hush our desires and thoughts and turn our attention away from outward things, we enter into the light. And then it is that we discover God reigning on the throne of his kingdom-inside us." (Meditations On The Heart Of God)

Jesus' Word

"Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." Matthew 6:33-34 (The Message)

Power of Jesus' Birth

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.

Titus 2:11-12

Our dearly beloved Savior was born today.  Let us be glad!  For there isn't a proper place for sadness when we celebrate the birthday of the Life.  For this Life destroys our fear of death and brings us the joy of promised eternity.  Everyone can share in this happiness. There is the same amount of joy for everyone.  For our Lord destroys sin and death and finds everyone guilty, but has come to free us all.  Let saints rejoice at their nearness to victory.  Let sinners be glad that they are invited to be pardoned.  Let us, then, dearly beloved, give thanks to God the Father, through His Son, in the Holy Spirit.  Because of "His great mercy, wherewith He has loved us."  He had pity on us.  And "when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together in Christ," so that we can be new creations in Him.  So then, let us put off the old self with its deeds and, sharing in Christ's birth, let us defy fleshly works.  Christians, acknowledge your dignity.  As you become a partner in God's nature, refuse to return to the old, wicked behavior.  Remember the Head and the body which you are members of.  Remember that you were rescued from the power of darkness and brought out into God's light and kingdom.

--Leo I

Source: Day by Day with the Early Church Fathers

Steve Harvey & Jesus, Wow!

Johnny Cash and the Post Exilic Prophets

I've spent the last month immersed in the post exilic prophets, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.  Through the fiery sermons of Haggai, the encouraging visions of Zechariah and the straight forward challenges of Malahi my heart has been fired up with a renewed of sense of mission. These prophets were used by God to get His people moving again to complete the task before them - the restoration of the temple.  What task do you need to get refocused on?  What area of your spiritual life needs to be renewed?  What type of encouragement do you need to refuel your soul?

This interesting Johnny Cash video strangely, with its straight forward message and unique images reminded of my experience through the post exilic prophets. 

Need to Watch --- Chilling Video

My daughter Kallie shared this powerful video with me.  What a illustration of redemptive power of God and the liberating love of Jesus, with a tough weekend ahead of me, I needed this image in my mind and my heart.  Thanks Kallie.   The end is the best.

Endings

For close to a year now we have spent our Mondays, gleaning the thoughts of our missional mystic, David Brainerd, a twenty-something church planter whose words were never supposed to be read by anyone beyond his family and acquaintances.  Today we finish with the last words Brainerd ever penned.  May your heart be moved as mine was, to behold the glory of God.

Brainerd's Thoughts:

I endeavoured again to do something by way of writing, but soon found my powers of body and mind utterly fail.  Felt not so sweetly, as when I was able to do something which I hoped would do some good.  In the evening was discomposed and wholly delirious but it was not long before God was pleased to give me some sleep, and fully composed my mind.  O blessed be God for his great goodness to me.  He has, except those few minutes, given me the clear exercise of my reason, and enabled me to labour much for him in things both of a public and private nature; and perhaps to do more good, that I should have done if I had been well; besides the comfortable influences of his blessed Spirit, with which he has been pleased to refresh my soul.  May his name have all the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

My soul was this day, at turns, sweetly set on God:  I longed to be with him that I might behold his glory.  I felt sweetly disposed to commit all to him even my dearest friends, my dearest flock, my absent brother, and all my concerns for time and eternity.  O that his kingdom might come in the world; that they might all love and glorify him for what he is in himself; and that the blessed Redeemer might see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied!  'O, come, Lord Jesus, come quickly!  Amen.'

God's Word:

"For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."  II Timothy 4:6-8 NIV

Thinking

William James said, "A great many of people think they are thinking when they are really rearranging their prejudices."  I find it amazing that Brainerd, on his deathbed, makes an appeal to a friend to move beyond superficial thinking to transcendent thinking.

Brainerd's Thoughts:

I have a secret thought, from some things I have observed, that God may perhaps design you for some singular service in the world.  Suffer me therefore, finally, to intreat you earnestly to give yourself to prayer, to reading and meditation on divine truths:  strive to penetrate to the bottom of them, and never be content with a superficial knowledge.  By this means, your thoughts will gradually grow weighty and judicious; and you hereby will be possessed of a valuable treasure, out of which you may produce 'things new and old,' to the glory of God."

God's Word:

"Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess."  Hebrews 3:1