Posts about “Personal Excellence”.
April 27, 2008
”Do not eat the food of a stingy man, do not crave his delicacies; for he is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.” Proverbs 23:7
Another translation says, ”As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”
I read the other day that the brain and the heart share a direct connection and that the heart has membrane that “thinks.” The Bible certainly points out that the heart is the seat of man, or the control tower so to speak.
I have been around some very wealthy people throughout my life, and I’ve noticed a distinctive difference. A person can be wealthy but their riches do not control their emotions. Others can have riches but are never in control of themselves. They worry and calculate constantly. They can’t enjoy their wealth because they are always budgeting and calculating the costs. They spend a dollar chasing a dime.
One time, Kay and I were invited to have dinner at a wealthy person’s home. When we arrived, although we were invited, it felt like we were intruding. We never felt comfortable. I couldn’t put my finger on it for a long time, then I realized that he was constantly calculating, adding things up in his head. He was so distracted by the costs that he could not enjoy relationship. Although this man had achieved great wealth and success, he could not enjoy it, for the fear of spending it.
During the meal, I noticed that I lost my appetite. I was not hungry for his food. I didn’t want anything that he had. Even now when I think of him, my first thought is not how wealthy he is but how poor his life is.
The word stingy actually means evil, disagreeable, miserable, or malignant.
A stingy person literally has a malignancy in their mind. It distorts their thinking. They cannot see things as reality. Although they have wealth yet they are poor in their mind.
”Create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10
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May 01, 2008
I just finished teaching the chapel service at Decatur Master’s Commission. I taught on the subject of “Steps verses Leaps.” Using the life of Joseph, I demonstrated how God leads us in steps not leaps.
Joseph’s life is a series of steps.. the steps of the righteous are ordered by the Lord. His life was a Messianic prophesy on display.
1. He had a dream (Genesis 37). He prematurely told the dream to his brothers. His youth and naivety trusted that his brothers would celebrate his dream. In reality, they despised him for it.
2. Those who don’t dream despise those who do. In the night, God instructed the heart of Joseph. He assumed that his brothers heard from God as well, but they did not have an ear to hear from God.
3. God will NOT speak over your ipod. Most people are afraid of silence. They fill their life with “voices” and “noises”. God will not interupt the “voices” to speak to you in intimacy.
4. The brothers began to identify Joseph by his dream. You know that you have a dream from God when others no longer identify you by your birth-name but by your dream. They said,”Here comes that dreamer.”
5. They feared the invisible dream within Joseph so much that they accepted the spirit of the abortionist. They said, ”Let’s kill him and then see what becomes of the dream.”
6. Instead of killing the dreamer they devised a plan to profit from him. The first attempt on your dream is to abort it. The second attempt is to profit from it.
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May 02, 2008
7. Joseph was SOLD into slavery by his own fraternity. Think about how contemptible it was for his brothers to enslave him to a people who serve another god. The traveling band of Ishmaelites did not worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The modern equivalent to this shameful act is when we sell out our young people who are attending colleges for ministry training. We do so when we allow OUR COLLEGES THAT ARE FINANCED BY OUR GIVING to enslave our future ministers with SECULAR FUNDED LOANS.
8. Joseph became the servant in the household of Potiphar. Joseph learned how to manage an Egyptian household. Unless you can manage a household, you are not qualified to manage a kingdom (1 Timothy 3:12). Joseph was accustomed to a nomadic lifestyle. In the Egyptian household, he learned the system of seed-time-harvest, which would be wisdom that he later used to prosper during the famine.
9. Joseph was so faithful that his master transferred all of his responsibility to him. When the head of the house entrusted the responsibilities of the household, the lady of the house lusted for the one who took care her.
10. Joseph had a great escape-clause. There always comes a time when you must forfeit your present comforts to embrace your future rewards.
-to be continued
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May 05, 2008
11. Joseph was falsely accused. Satan always returns to his bag of tricks when all else fails. His most reliable scheme of choice is the scheme of the question. The first temptation against mankind was in the form of a question, “Did God really say?” The temptation against Christ was in the form of a question, “If you are the Son, turn these stones into bread.” The question wasn’t just on the relationship between Jesus and His Father but was also a question on God’s Word. God had promised that the promised land would a land that ”stones were as iron and bread plentiful.”
12. Joseph faced the injustice of imprisonment. It is in the prison that Joseph begins to “step” into his dream. Think about it - the Bible says, ”Joseph was in prison, God was with him, and he prospered.” It would seem to be the farthest point from prosperity, yet it was in prison that Joseph began to discover the hidden talents within him.
13. Joseph became aware of the misery of others. When you realize that your dream isn’t about you, your dream will come true. Joseph looked at the Cupbearer and the Baker and realized a dream invoked depression. There is nothing worse than having a God given dream without understanding. Proverbs says, “The purpose of a man are deep waters, understanding draws it out.” Joseph used his dream-gift to give them both understanding.
-to be continued
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May 07, 2008
14. The season of promotion was upon him yet it was delayed for two years. Can you imagine? The gift of God within Joseph gave the Cupbearer the interpretation of his dream, yet he forgot Joseph! I have seen this many times during my ministry. God has used me extensively to bless people, to be an instrument of favor in their lives, yet they forget me. Amazingly, many times they are embarrassed to acknowledge the fact that God used me for their miracle. Why? I used to think it was personal but it isn’t at all. Jesus ministered to people constantly yet few ever returned to give him thanks. Even today, God will do a work in people’s lives without ever receiving the return of gratitude.
15. Joseph’s promotion was for a specific season. The famine was scheduled. The elements were aligned. Joseph received his training. Now, the Pharaoh dreams. The BIble says, ”Even at night your Spirit instructs my heart.” The moment has come.
16. Joseph’s gifts make a way for him. Proverbs says, ”The gift opens you up to the presence of the great.” Your promotion will come into your life not because you’re cute, or you’re privileged, but because of a God assigned gift within you opens the door. It is the key that swings the doors of palaces.
17. Joseph’s gift answered the crisis in Pharaoh’s life. Your gift is for the solution of a person’s crisis. Miracles only happen through people. Any assignment of a miracle will involve a relationship. God doesn’t perform magic; He performs miracles.
18. Your gift to others will compensate you. Few people will acknowledge this fact, but your compensation is a direct result of your ability to solve other people’s problems.
-to be continued
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