Finding the Right Person for the Job

'...To Philemon our beloved friend and fellow laborer.' Philemon 1:1 NKJV

Paul called Philemon 'our beloved friend and fellow labourer'. Obviously Paul had found the right person for the job. How do you do that? Perhaps by enjoying their uniqueness. Fred Smith says, 'One young woman worked for me matching colors of ink. She could get tears in her eyes over certain shades of blue. Isn't this a beautiful match? she'd ask. I could never figure out what went on in her head to make matching blue such a remarkable occurrence. But all I needed to do to keep her motivated was to share her excitement and appreciate her work.' We can find the right person by knowing their capabilities. If a musician has limited talent, it's a mistake and a disservice to talk to them about the joys of being a Mozart. In motivation, desire must be matched with ability. Then: by knowing how much responsibility they can handle. Some people can take on full-sized responsibility but not sole responsibility. Something in their psyche says, 'I don't want the whole load. I want somebody to lean on, to report to.' We can find the right person by giving them a reputation to uphold. One leader writes, 'One of my bosses had a way of saying nice things about his workers that got back to them...and we couldn't keep from trying to do more things he could tell. People will work hard to uphold a good reputation.' Finally, by knowing what they thirst for. People have different thirsts. One of the secrets of identifying a person's thirst is seeing what motivated them in the past. People rarely outlive their basic thirst. When we satisfy that, we motivate them.

Learning from the Prodigal Son

'When he came to his senses...' Luke 15:17 NIV

Do you have a prodigal heart? The parable of the prodigal son teaches us that by listening to God we can avoid tragedy; that by living under His rule we're saved from our misguided tendencies. Jesus said, 'There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said...Father, give me my share... Not long after...[he]...set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine...and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out...to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.' (Luke 15:11-16 NIV) When God says no, heed Him. When He pulls back on the reins, thank Him. It's better to be alone and walk with God than be surrounded by those who'll hurt you. Prodigal, things won't improve until you start doing things God's way! Are you willing to repent and come back home? In three back-to-back parables, in Luke 15, Jesus pointed out that the shepherd went looking for his lost sheep, the woman went looking for her lost silver, but nobody went looking for the lost son. That's because he knew the way back. And it happened when 'he came to his senses'. The rebel who left home saying, 'Give me,' humbled himself and came back saying, 'Forgive me.' When he did, his father embraced him and said, 'This son of mine was...lost and is found...' (Luke 15:24 NIV) Today your Heavenly Father is waiting to welcome you home. He loves you...

Life Stabilizers (2)

'...like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm.' James 1:6 CEV

Here are two more life-stabilizers. First, submission. Our ego always wants to 'do it our way', for our purposes and our pleasure. The result is a hardening of the attitudes-a dangerous resistance to God. So His Word says, '...warn each other every day...that none ...will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.' (Hebrews 3:13 NLT) Like a pond gradually freezing in winter, our self-will slowly rigidifies, destroying our spiritual sensitivity. The Spirit's gentle influence no longer moves us; we're left feeling content and justified doing our own thing, to our own demise. It's not wrong to have our own will, and God won't 'cure' or 'deliver' us from it. But He intends us to line our will up with His. A good racehorse must have a will in order to win, but its will must be submitted to the rider's directions or winning will be impossible. 'The sacrifices of God are a broken [submitted] spirit [will]: a broken...heart...God...will not despise.' (Psalm 51:17 NKJV) Secondly, self-sacrifice. The world's philosophy is 'Get and keep all you can!' Few things sabotage our peace and stability like this philosophy. 'Take care of yourself' isn't a Kingdom principle. 'If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for Me, you will find true life.' (Matthew 16:25 NLT) Psychologists say that grasping, and holding on to things and people only makes us anxious, possessive, controlling and difficult to live with! That's why Jesus said, 'Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses [invests] his life will preserve it.' (Luke 17:33 NIV) You've tried everything else-now try giving yourself fully to God!

Life Stabilizers (1)

'...like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm.' James 1:6 CEV
Are you winning or losing most of your spiritual battles? Are you down more than up? Do you feel frustrated? Are you going in circles? Is your experience full of stops and starts, a constant guilt-failure cycle? That's not God's plan for you. You can live a stable, consistent life! But it will require life stabilizers such as decisiveness. Israel wanted to have it both ways: God's blessing, yet the right to disregard His Word; freedom to live like heathen nations, yet be His special people. But Joshua declared it unacceptable. '...choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...' (Joshua 24:15 NIV) The church at Laodicea also wanted it both ways, but God pressed them: '...You are...neither cold nor hot...make up your minds...' (Revelation 3:16,19 CEV) God requires a direction chosen, a goal set, and a mind made up. Wavering classifies you as double-minded and Scripture says That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.' (James 1:7 NIV) To live a stable life, you need faith. You are called a 'believer' because faith must characterize not just some, but every area of your life. 'Without faith it is impossible...' (Impossible! Not unlikely, improbable or difficult) 'to please God...' (Hebrews 11:6 NIV) Faith is not what you study on Sunday morning, it's what you do 24/7! The Bible says, 'My righteous [ones] will live by faith.' (Hebrews 10:38 NIV) You say, 'Where do I get faith?' By meditating on, and living in God's Word (Romans 10:17). Who possesses faith? The spiritually exceptional? No, '...God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.' (Romans 12:3 NKJV) That includes you! Faith, not feelings or circumstances, is what makes your life stable!

God Will Bring You Through

'...I have faith in God that it will happen just as He told me.' Acts 27:25 NIV

On his way to Rome, Paul-and 275 others-were shipwrecked. We can learn three important lessons from their story that will give a look at radical faith. First, that we must listen to God. If we don't, we'll experience heartache and loss: '...Paul warned them, Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss... But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and...the majority decided that we should sail on...' (Acts 27:9-12 NIV) Notice, being in the majority doesn't make somebody right. Who are we listening to? Do they know God? Are they walking by faith or by human reasoning? Jesus said, '...he who receives whomever I send receives Me.' (John 13:20 NKJV) Secondly, the purposes of God will always overcome the plans of men and women. God can actually make mistakes work for our good. Through this shipwreck Paul landed on Malta and introduced the Gospel to its people. Instead of beating ourselves up over mistakes or arguing about who's right and who's wrong, try to see the hand of God in it. Finally, whatever we've lost, God can restore it. '[The people of Malta] honored us in many ways and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.' (Acts 28:10 NIV) Don't limit God. He will use people to bless us-people we haven't even met yet. Jesus said, 'Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure-pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.' (Luke 6:38 NAS) Let's be encouraged; God will bring us through!

Start Praying!

'...Noah...warned by God...[saved] his household...' Hebrews 11:7 RSVAre you close enough to God to hear His warnings when danger approaches? Noah was, and he saved his family. Are you close enough to your family for them to have confidence in what God has spoken to you? You can change the direction of your family without argument or discussion. How? Through prayer. Your loved ones need to be sheltered under the covering of your prayer life. If you don't have one, get down on your knees and say, '...Lord, teach me to pray...' (Luke 11:1) We are emotionally overwhelmed and spiritually depleted because we haven't learned the power of prayer. The lack of it has left us weak and anxious. We blindly make decisions for our businesses, our relationships and our ministries without taking time to talk it over with the Lord. The story of Noah teaches that you can't prepare for trouble without a warning from God. That means staying close to Him and hearing what He has to say. You can do great things after you've prayed, but you can do nothing of eternal value until you've prayed. 'If My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.' (2 Chronicles 7:14 RSV) God promises to intervene on behalf of the person who prays in His will. '...if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us-whatever we ask-we know that we have what we asked of Him.' (1 John 5:14-15 NIV)

God Is Getting You Ready

'...first sit down and estimate the cost...' Luke 14:28 NIV

Before God gives you more, He observes you with what you already have. Furthermore, when He speaks a word over your life it's like a seed; it needs time to take root and sprout. If God has planned it for you, don't be impatient; '...wait for it; because it will surely come...' (Habakkuk 2:3 KJV) Patience develops in us the ability to stand up to the pressures that accompany blessing. Look back; aren't some of the things you've been through the very things that have equipped you to handle what you have now? Had God given them to you sooner you couldn't have handled them, and He loves you too much to let that happen. Think: if you're having difficulty handling criticism from a few people, how would you cope if God made you pastor or company president? Are you ready to pay the price? And, more importantly, are you able to pay it? The more God gives you, the more He holds you responsible for. Jesus said, 'No man builds without counting the cost.' Sometimes we want things because others have them. You say you want a husband and children, for example-but are you ready to start living sacrificially? You say you need a wife, but are you ready to give yourself for her? (Ephesians 5:25) Whatever you're going through today, there's great peace in knowing that nothing the enemy does can pre-empt God's plan. So, 'Don't be impatient for the Lord to act! Keep travelling steadily along His pathway and in due season He will honor you with every blessing.' (Psalm 37:34 TLB) Rejoice; God is getting you ready.