Before you head off into your weekend, here are three things I have been thinking about his week. Hope they are as helpful and challenging to you as they have been for me.
Have a great weekend!
#1
God uses people only to the extent that they are broken. I know that God cannot use me unless I’m completely shattered and broken. – Dr. David Yonggi Cho by Dr. David Yonggi Cho and Beverlee Chadwick
Not gifts. Not talent. But broken. Let that sink in for a while. Jesus in John 15 says that he will bring about fruit – fruit that will last. I have been captured by that expression as I study for the sermon this week. Can I do stuff on my own? You bet. I have gifts and graces. I even have a little bit of talent. But nothing lasting, permanent, and transcendent is accomplished except through God’s strength and power. His power comes through best in my weakness. Knowing we are broken creates humility that forms the breeding ground for personal and community transformation.
Do you have issues? Yeah, me too. Rather than being disqualified, we are just the people that God chooses to reveal his love. The Apostle Paul was on to something when he said that, “His strength is perfected in my weakness.”
#2
What matters isn’t being applauded when you arrive—for that is common—but being missed when you leave.” — Baltasar Gracián
Self-disclosure: I am a good starter and a poor finisher. I love the excitement of something new and quickly grow tired of the grind that it takes to see it through to completion. But without execution, none of the ideas that I come up with have a chance. Without follow-thru, I am just making noise and causing a lot of energy to expended for no discernible chance at making a difference.
I am growing less satisfied with the initial applause of arrival. Thank you, Lord. Instead, my desire is growing for the real growth accomplished by finishing.
#3
“Wrong decisions are part of life. Being able to make them work anyway is one of the abilities of those who are successful.” — Warren Buffett
Yep. It takes a lot of pressure off the decision when there is a confidence that whatever happens you can make it work. Or better said…that God will make it work.
Be faithful. Trust that God will work through faith and doesn’t need perfect decision making skills into a future that is unknown and unpredictable. To think we need to be future tellers in order to serve God is seriously flawed. He is the only one who is the same today, tomorrow and forever. We make faithful decisions based on our best guess of the future and look to God for the results.
todd nelson 