JULY 20 – RIGHT PLACE…

 Jesus was becoming known. The news was spreading abroad, so that great numbers of people were coming to see Him and to be healed. But, He frequently went away to the deserted areas to pray – alone. (Luke 5:15-16)

                   Do you ever walk away from the crowd? Do you stop in the middle of apparent success because you need to be somewhere else? Because God is calling you to pause?

                   Jesus was not ruled by a schedule. Often, at critical times, He would go the opposite direction from where reason alone may have taken Him. God’s direction may send you to a quiet place to pray and reflect at what seems to be an inopportune time. He may want you to spend time in a different place or with other people, so that He can speak to you through what you see and hear there. It may be that your people need for you to be absent at a critical time, so that they will be more able to allow God to help them grow. Whatever the reason, whatever God’s call, don’t ignore His call and pursue what appears to be best simply because reason and judgment dictate that path.

                   Go to the right place, where the Lord is leading you, in preparation for what He will do in and through your life.

JULY 19 - … AND COMMUNITIES PAY

 And Moses saw the people had lost all reason. They were acting like animals. Aaron had failed to lead them, and so let them become an embarrassment to themselves. (Exodus 32:25)

                  Yes, individual leaders will pay a dear price for their failure to use well the authority they are given. But, that’s only half of the story. Whole communities pay for the failures of their leaders. Do you ever think about how much your people’s futures depend upon you leading them in a way that is obedient to the Lord’s vision for them?

                   The writer of Proverbs explained this dynamic very clearly (Proverbs 29:18). He said, when a leader loses his way and fails to lead his people toward a Godly vision, his people begin to act like slaves; they lose their humanity in the stress. They become anxious and engage in behavior that leads to their individual and group shame and failure. He said (Proverbs 29:19) such a servant will not respond to even wise counsel, but he must be disciplined and ruled by fear of consequences alone. So, rather than pursuing life in peace and joy, the whole community descends into fear and dread. A culture of shame, guilt, and self-preservation results.

                   Your people need your leadership. Use the opportunity God has given you to help them find their way to His prosperity.

JULY 18 – INDIVIDUALS PAY…

 But, when King Uzziah became great and powerful, he became conceited and proud. This led to his destruction, as he entered the temple and sinned against God by lighting the incense on the altar of incense. (2 Chronicles 26:16)

                   Do you ever over-rule the rules? Often, those who achieve great success and become powerful start to think of themselves as being exceptional. The ethical constraints may then come to be viewed as necessary only to control others who aren’t quite so exceptional. This is a dangerous place to be. God opposes this kind of pride (Proverbs 3:34, et al).

    Uzziah not only did wrong by taking on the role of the priests, but when eighty of the priests came to him to correct him, he became angry with them for challenging his authority. Immediately, leprosy began to appear on his forehead. His rule was over. His great and powerful history was reduced to a legacy of having disobeyed God and having to die a humiliating death as a leper. Pride inevitably will lead to the loss of power and influence.

    God’s leaders must resist the temptation to become arrogant. The opportunity to finish well is forfeited when power and authority lead to - even well-meaning – even benevolent - arrogance.

JULY 17 - … RESPECTING THEM TOO

 So, I encourage you to fear the Lord, God, to serve only Him, and to put away every other pursuit. But, if that doesn’t make sense to you, choose to serve who or what you will, but for me; for my family, we serve the Lord God. (Joshua 24:14-15)

                   Have you ever considered that genuine respect for another person includes that you must allow them to be wrong? If so, you may have also realized that your role is never to ‘fix’ that person, fight their battles, nor otherwise to take God’s place in their life. Your appropriate role is limited to what the Holy Spirit leads you to say or do.

                   Joshua must have recognized these truths. In this, his final address to his people, he made clear to them the truth as he understood and lived it personally. Joshua’s Lord defeated all the gods worshipped by the Egyptians. He had driven out all those who had been conquered there in the new land. The evidence was compelling, but still – Joshua respected the people he led enough to acknowledge their authority to make their own decisions. To the end, the great warrior and leader refused to feel entitled to treat them as subjects.

                   Be creative, charming, and persuasive; even be passionate as God leads you to encourage your people. But, be respect them always. It’s their call.

JULY 16 – IDENTIFYING WITH THEM…

 The reason the Father does love me is that I give my life; lay it down, and then finish the work before taking it up again. Not as a victim, nor a martyr, I do it willingly. The Father gave me this work, and the authority to do it. (John 10: 17-18)

                   You have been given a work to do. The Lord either has or He will, show you that work as you follow Him and ask for Him to show you. Just like Jesus, your work will be to serve your people; the people the Father has created you to serve. Will you use the power and authority that God gives you to do that work? Will you focus on; even identify with your people and their need so that you will finish well?

                   Jesus bewildered those listening to Him. It was confusing and unexpected enough for Him to say He would willingly die. But, there have been other martyrs. Jesus made clear that He had great power and authority. This death would be His own decision, and further, His death would be temporary. This was more than the religious listeners could handle. The work that the Father has for you is the same. Can you believe it? He is calling you to willingly lay down your life. Like Jesus, you must do it willingly, identifying with your people’s need.

                   Embrace the temporary death God calls you to. Lay down your life for your people.

JULY 15 – BE UNDERSTANDING…

 Don’t try to fake love for others. Don’t just talk about love – that’s evil! Hold on to the good – real devotion to each other. Give honor to the other person – put them first; worthy of all your effort and passion. That’s how you serve the Lord your God. (Romans 12:9-11)

                   To whom do you give honor? Honor is high respect, privilege, distinction that western culture generally gives now only to the rich, powerful, or famous. In this environment, people are encouraged to seek honor selfishly, without concern for others. Love is only a word in that world. Dignity and equality are words used for self-promotion as a champion of others; but there is rarely any selfless action observed that supports those words.

                   Paul tells the church at Rome they are to really love; not simply talk about love. He defines real love as putting every other person first; honoring them as if each one is special in some way. He calls on believers to serve the interests of all those people with empathy, understanding, and to serve them with all the passion and effort a person can exert – as if doing it for the Lord Himself.

                   Without this conduct, love is not real. It is hypocrisy to talk about love if you don’t act this way, and Paul says that hypocrisy is evil. Honor others today!

JULY 14 – SELFISH AUTHORITY

 Where there is a culture of selfishness and competition, there will be only noise and leadership will be ignored. Then; every manner of evil will flourish. (James 3:16)

    God’s way is a way of respect and honor. That way leads to empathy and giving. In God’s kingdom we see stories that unite and lead people to hope. When you look up to those who lead you, do you seek ways to serve and participate? When you look down, do you see ways to encourage and lift others up?

   James here observes that the world – living in Christ-less selfishness – compares and competes rather than loving. Looking up leads to envy and jealousy, while looking down brings a sense of arrogance and pride. In this culture of unbridled selfishness, there is no chance for unity; no chance that God will be glorified, and lives be transformed through the community’s influence. When people are led to be self-serving and selfish, there is division and incivility. There is no empathy as leaders lose touch with their people. People who have much will take even though they have no need.

                   Your people – those who stick around - become who you are. Look around and see who you have taught them to be.