#14 Confidence

 

To “be confident” really means to believe in God, firstly, and then to believe in the gifts / abilities and callings that God has put in you. I love the scripture that says “for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable” in Romans 11:29. What this means, to the believer, is that God has given each one of us specific gifts and talents, which He will NEVER take away.

For many, this means that some of these gifts are lying dormant, waiting to be unlocked and used. For others it may mean that you can be confident in this: God HAS given you specific gifts and calling and that no matter how often how fail, you will always have them. This fact gives us tremendous confidence in our God, who trusts us with these and endorses us to be a carrier of them saying “I believe in you, that you’ll represent me well as you use the gifts I've given you. No matter how many times you fail, get up and try again. Together we’ll make a difference.” The other aspect of this is truth is that God Himself is our confidence. He alone can be trusted. He alone is faithful and will do all His will in His time, while using us. Go for it and be CONFIDENT !!

Happy Leading

#13 "The Golden Rule"

I ran into a guy the other day who had many negative critical comments about Joost van der Westhuizen. (Joost, a former South African Rugby player, confessed to committing adultery, while being a Christian). I challenged my friend to respond to Joost’s fall in a more Godly way. I said “how we respond to people who have sinned, reveals the kind of person we are”. He was shocked at first, then blushed and then said he's sorry. He said “I've never thought of it this way. Wow. You are so right”. He sent me a message later that day and said that his whole world is shaken, for the good.

What the world needs is REAL love. Not judgment. Not haughtiness and pride. Not arrogance and being critical. I suppose you can call it “The Golden Rule” as it is commonly known. But actually Jesus said “Matthew chapter 7 verse 12 says “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets”. The Message says it this way "Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behaviour: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God's Law and Prophets and this is what you get”.

Happy Leading (while you love people well)