Tag: Matthew

Categories
Daily Post

The Ever Changing Schedule

Well, I thought today was a work from home focus on work sort of day, but with a quick 15 minute phone call, an examination of my calendar and a sleepy teenager, my day has completely taken a new direction. I even had a great idea for a post today which the changing direction of the day pushed off to later.

It’s days like this when I can tell my patience and ability to listen to God are tested. I start thinking about me and “all the stuff I have to do” and how inconvenient these changes are etc. It’s so easy to get into a position where the world revolves around you and then “boom” the hammer drops and you are in a the place that you didn’t want to be. Maybe its a little road rage, maybe it’s a quick hurtful word to a co worker, maybe it’s just not thinking about others correctly.

It’s days like this I go back to an old favorite in my mind.

    25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

   28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:25-34, New International Version, ©2011)

Categories
Daily Post

Setting The Pegs

It’s Tuesday in the holy week and Jesus spends his last day teaching in the temple.  He covers a variety of topics throughout his teaching on this day – from giving to forgiving.  He also presents a summary of the whole law in two easy thoughts.

And how more can I add to words of the Master himsel5. Just think how he was trying in his last teaching sessions to convince others about the basic principles of thier lives!

 34-36When the Pharisees heard how he had bested the Sadducees, they gathered their forces for an assault. One of their religion scholars spoke for them, posing a question they hoped would show him up: “Teacher, which command in God’s Law is the most important?”

 37-40Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.” (Matthew 22:34-40, The Message)

Categories
Daily Post

Being a Servant

Last night I sat in a class on servant leadership.  Overall and quite surprisingly the class was rather challenging and enjoyable, as this concept of servant leadership was introduced.  During the class several comments where made about leaders cleaning toilets and climbing ladders, and of course there were references to the show Undercover Boss.   This didn’t set well with me, and I have been wrestling with it since.  I started thinking about the CEO of my company, and how I don’t want that guy on a ladder,and I don’t want him cleaning toilets.  And for sure, I don’t want him coming down and doing my job.   He has a job to do a the leader of a large corporation.  I have a job to do building software.  The janitors have a job to do keeping the place operational. In a small company those examples may work great but in a large company it is quite perplexing.

But yet there is still something to this idea of leading by being a servant.  I don’t think it is always manifests itself in “I will do your job for you” type of service.   I think about the people that I attempt to lead, and I will tell you most of the time, they don’t want me messing with their source code or taking care of their job for them, however, they do want something in the form of service.  Some days I think I know what that is, but most of the time I stare at this idea with a little bit of consternation.

Yes, there is something to this idea of servant leadership.  It seems that it is a natural outpouring of a follower of the Christos.  Really look at what he says:

26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:26-28, New International Version, ©2011)

I think I will need to study this a little more and see if I can find some tangible examples of how this really plays out in a large company.  Do you have any ideas to share?

Categories
Daily Post

Making Others Better

Man its tough.  Trying to understand that at times your only purpose in life to to help others.  The selfish impulses that are woven deep inside of us want to take over and push the others out of the way. However, when you are able to swallow pride, develop some patience and provide assistance to others it always seems better in the end.

I know that when I do that I am a better spouse, father, and co worker.  So what is it still so difficult to not just chuck those people to the wind and move on with out them?  Casting aside a personal agenda for the sake of other seem so fundamentally wrong when we examine ourselves, yet is is the cry of the Christ.

16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” (Matthew 20:16, New International Version, ©2011)

and there’s this

25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. (Matthew 16:25, New International Version, ©2011)

So, today, I am trying to figure out how to lose myself, how to give up on my personal agenda and how to make the others that I am blessed to be around better. Any ideas?

Categories
Daily Post

Overtaken With Joy

March Madness continues tonight is full force, even though my bracket is kaput. Speaking of basketball, have you seen this video from this Spanish basketball game that has been circulating the Internet?

Although the end of this game is quit speculator, its the audio commentary that makes this clip – so make sure you have your speakers on. Even though you probably can’t understand a thing he is saying, unless like American Idol star Laura “you speak one language and that language is Spanish”. Anyway, despite the fact that you can’t probably are not sure exactly what he is saying, the emotion, raw and uncut at the end of this game comes through loud and clear. He is clearly overwhelmed, awe struck and full of joy.

I have to wonder when was the last time that I was presented with anything that produced so much joy that I was overwhelmed like this guy?

This was just at a basketball game, consider how others reacted when then encountered the Savior of the world

26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.” (Luke 5:26, New International Version, ©2011)

8 When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man. (Matthew 9:8, New International Version, ©2011)

Maybe today is a day to stop and consider the awe inspiring gifts you have received.

28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28-29, New International Version, ©2011)