Archive for November, 2009

Character is something that each one of us must develop on our own – out of the laws of God, the examples of others, and to a large extent from the trials and errors of daily living. Character more than any other factor determines our reaction to adversity, temptation, sorrow, and even impending death. It determines our success. It limits our influence over others and in fact, can decide our destiny.

God has worked through ordinary folks like you and me to lead nations, champion holiness, and change history. Becoming a person of character starts when we are serious to submitting to God, when we have had enough of the world’s deception, when we develop a hunger to see what God could do if He had every muscle fiber of our will at His disposal.

The Bible leaves little doubt that character is gained through adversity and perseverance. Trials and setbacks will never find their way onto our to-do lists, yet they are the means by which God can take you from a person of intention to a person of character.

Tom Landry [former Head Coach of the Dallas Cowboys] once said: “I’ve seen the difference character makes in individual players. Give me the choice between an outstanding athlete with poor character and a lesser athlete of good character, and I’ll choose the latter every time. The person with good character will often perform to his fullest potential, while the individual with poor character will usually fail to play up to his full potential and often won’t achieve average performance.”

Remember that character is something that takes years to build but can be lost in a moment. Allow your character to shine brightly for all to see!

I love you!

Stay faithful and finish strong,

dale

We must realize the necessity to become accountable to a couple of other folks. There is no way that we can journey through life flying solo - - being a person of God is a ‘team sport’.

Our culture does not always look favorably on accountability. People are often driven by their instincts – and many times those instincts go unchecked. Caution must be exercised because instincts are not always the most reliable guidelines for our behavior. Great harm may result when instincts run free without any boundaries. The ‘if it feels good – do it’ attitude can lead to frustration and hurt.

When instincts are filtered by truth and accountability you are prepared to move in sync with the adventure that God has planned for your life. Instincts must respond to who God is, not what you desire.

There are several foundations that are essential in developing an accountability partner. Acceptance – which means allowing your teammate to be who they are and accepting them, ‘warts and all.’ Authenticity – committing to be fully honest with each other [we need to feel safe to say anything]. Confidentiality – whatever is discussed is not shared. Risk builds relationship; relationship builds trust; and trust strengthens character. Encouragement – being supportive, motivating, uplifting, and inspiring.

We need to be surrounded by others who love us enough to challenge us. They serve as ‘guard rails’ to keep us from driving off the side of a mountain road. This is not a short-term project, but a conduit we engage to make certain we look, act, and think like followers of Jesus – all the time.

Let’s see how inventive we can be in bolstering our teammates!

I love you!

Stay faithful and finish strong,

dale

Take a quick spin around your neighborhood. You must admit that you do not really know all of your neighbors. A generation ago - everyone seemed to know everyone. Neighbors were like family - - they watched out for one another. Others had your best interests at heart. They cared about you and for you. How can you care for or be responsible for your neighbor? We are often lucky if we can get a family to sit down for a meal together.

Our personal needs have seemingly expanded to fill all the available time. There is a huge danger in allowing our self-absorbed things to crowd out the most important. Jesus made time for others. He could spend hours talking with one person [like that Samaritan woman at the well in John chapter 4]. I am confident that He must have had a way of looking at you in the eye that made you feel the world had stopped and you were all that was in it.

Perhaps, we need to take careful inventory regarding how we invest our time. The majority of folks spend their time impulsively and often self-serving. Recall how fulfilling it is to celebrate other’s milestones or listen patiently to their joys and even their worries.We must remember that each day is a gift! The world will know that we are Jesus’ disciples - when we take time to love one another.

I love you!

Stay faithful and finish strong,
dale