I love how the Bible is so deep and applicable in various situations. If we will just take the time to read and study it, we will certainly be able to apply it to our lives, regardless of our circumstances. An example is Proverbs 31 [Read HERE] which is normally taught to wives and mothers as the pattern to follow. We will apply it to husbands and fathers today!
Rule #1 in writing a blog is to stay on topic. I am supposed to pick a category or fairly specific area and focus on it, not straying far from it much (if ever). Today, I am going to break Rule #1 (a little). With Mother’s Day just ahead of us, I want to take another look at Proverbs 31 [READ HERE].
At a Chick-Fil-A Leadercast several years ago, Patrick Lencioni told us a story about Southwest Airlines that would cause many CEO’s to cringe or outright panic! Whether you would agree with then CEO Herb Kelleher’s method or not, you will certainly respect his adherence to his company’s core values!
I should have your attention based on the title of this post. For some of you, my claim is not believable, and so you are reading just out of curiosity. Others of you are willing to consider the fact that two simple words can make a huge difference in your life. You are reading with genuine interest, but likely with some hesitation until you see how I plan to back up my claim.
It has probably been suggested to you at some point that you should imagine the end of your life, attending your own funeral. In most cases, the reason likely involves some sort of goal setting or life planning process. I am going to make the same suggestion today, but for a very different reason. Have you witnessed your own death?
I recently participated in a conversation that caused me to stop and reflect on a topic with which I am intimately familiar – ME! I examined my own qualifications, track record, potential, and hope for the future. I will openly admit that it was not the kind of reflection I enjoy. While it was not all bad, it forced me to recognize that I have fallen short of my own expectations in several areas of my life. If you have ever felt this way before, I encourage you to read on for a simple, but real solution!
Are you prepared to make the decision to die for Jesus daily? Have you thought about the kind of gun-to-the-head situation that many Christians discuss as a way to test your true faith? Have you really prepared yourself for that possibility?
Most of us have not thought in depth about this. Maybe we have talked in one of our small group meetings about the future possibility of facing death for our faith. The truth is that most of us have no immediate threat of this facing us now or in the foreseeable future. Without an immediate threat, we really have no idea how we would react.
How would you respond if someone placed a gun to your head and asked, “Are you willing to die for Jesus?” If you are like most believers in Jesus, you want to say that you would remain faithful to Him to the end, regardless of the threat. The truth is that you probably do not know the answer. Until we are actually IN that position, it is next to impossible to know how we would respond.
For most Christians reading this article, the threat I just described is not one we will likely face in the near future, if at all. It is almost a worthless discussion since the threat is so removed from our current situations that we cannot know our heart on the matter.
During any given day in the course of business, we may face dozens of decisions. Some are easy and others are more difficult. While many of the decisions that we face might be categorized as multiple choice, I think the more difficult ones are those that fall under the True/False or Yes/No category. If you are not careful with these decisions, you can get into trouble. How are we supposed to make these decisions?