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Food for the Soul, devotionals to help you in your busy life, written by NEWIM board members and staff.
If anyone in the Old Testament was confident, it was David. As a young man, he saw everything as God’s doing, no matter what was happening around him. Someone else might take a negative view of the same situation, only focusing on the problem and the reasons why it could not be resolved. David, however, would focus on the positive and view it from the perspective of his trust in God.
Read MoreWhen they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.
—2 Kings 2:9 (NIV)
Of all the prophets there was never one more prolific than Elijah. He had raised the dead, spoken fire down from heaven and revealed a devastating drought coming from God. Many in that time probably thought there would never be another man of God like him, but we know that wasn’t the case. Moses was a strong leader who was replaced by Joshua. David was a man after God’s own heart yet Solomon completed the job his father was prevented from doing. Time after time we see God replacing a mighty leader with a successor who was doubly gifted. It was His will and His plan that was important, not necessarily the person in charge of it. Those leaders were not irreplaceable. God has limitless options at his fingertips to accomplish His plan and He will achieve His purpose.
One of the biggest pitfalls of being a leader is to believe we are indispensable in our role. The trap is set when we begin to do all the work ourselves, even if it is out of necessity. When this continually happens, pride can creep in and create the misconception that no one else can do the job as well. By hanging on too long we risk missing the privilege of partnering with God in planning our replacement. It is not a matter of if, but when God determines it is time to bring another leader on board. By failing to recognize the need for a succession plan, we become the problem rather than the solution. Ultimately it is His ministry that suffers.
The measure of a successful spiritual leader is not always the length of their service. No matter how long we lead, the serving is significant because it is for His glory not ours. Following God’s leading includes being prepared, even when that means it is time to pass the torch. He is trustworthy in everything, including His timing. The best thing we can do in our ministry is set ourselves up—for a good ending.
“Outstanding leaders pass the torch with fire blazing. Mediocre leaders pass a dimly lit torch. Poor leaders drop the torch making it difficult if not impossible to pick up again.”
—Reed Markham
Prayer is a normal part of a believer’s routine. We pray during worship services, for our food, before we fall asleep at night or when we wake up in the morning. We pray at Bible studies, in Sunday school and at prayer meetings. Yet when you look at these times spent “in prayer,” they are brief and short on content. Our busy lives make it easy to fall into the habit of grabbing a quick prayer time much like we grab a quick meal at a drive through. And those prayers can become like the dollar we put in a machine to buy a soft drink. Fast, easy and especially all about us. So what else is there?
Read More“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they
may see you good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
—Matthew 5:16 (NIV)
Everyone knows the fairy tale of the pretty princess with the evil step-mother who stood before her magic looking glass every day. She asked the same question over and over again wanting the same answer every time. Her desire was that her reflection be the best.
As leaders, we want the same thing but for a different reason. Because we are not just leaders but believers too, the way we live, relate to others and lead is a direct reflection on Christ whose name we carry. This fact is very real to us in our ministry, but what about the other areas of our lives? What do others see as we drive down the street? When we are standing in a long check-out line, how is our reflection then? Does our image mirror God’s character to our neighbors?
Our reflection is extremely important in the way we live our lives. If we are unforgiving, we could be discouraging someone from seeking forgiveness from our Father. We could show such disrespect in our worship that those around us could lose their respect for Him as well. Even the way we handle the position of leadership could negatively impact another’s attitude toward the authority of God. Are we greedy for the limelight? Do we micro-manage our volunteers? Do we want the last say just because we want the power?
God’s Word indicates that glorifying our Father is essential and we can’t leave it to chance. Our nature is constantly impacted by the broken world in which we live. We need to diligently stand before the mirror of the Holy Spirit and ask daily, “How do I look?” This allows Him to examine our motives and reveal any inconsistency in our lives. The reality is our light is always shining. It is our responsibility to make sure it does not scald and injure, but is sincere and inviting in reflecting the glory of the Lord we serve.
“...ask yourself, “Who’s getting the glory in this ministry?” You see, if we do ministry
OUR way, it won’t be for His glory, because our ways are not His ways.”
—Charles Swindoll
“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”
—Jeremiah 33:3
In the midst of a difficult situation, we may find ourselves qualifying our hope in the Lord and begin to lower our expectations of exactly what He will do. While we believe He can do anything, we fear or question what He can do through us. Moses' situation is a good example of this kind of doubt. When God revealed how He would orchestrate the greatest exodus in the history of the world using Moses as the facilitator, Scripture tells us Moses—incredibly—argued with God. He made excuses. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe God could do the miraculous work but Moses doubted God could do it through him. Unfortunately, this ultimately limited Moses’ ministry for the rest of his life.
Fear is human but it can keep us from experiencing God’s work in unexpected ways. While the context of the verse above in Jeremiah is about the Jews, we can also apply the importance of its implication to ease any doubts we may be feeling. Just “call to Him” and He will answer. No magic words or complicated process. We can always expect Him to do what He says.
When it comes to God’s objectives for our lives, fear has no place. We are not alone because God is with us. We are not inadequate because God is our sufficiency. We are not useless because God has a purpose for us. He is trustworthy. Believe and anticipate as you follow His leading. His grace will be sufficient, His strength will be generous, His provision will be perfect, His peace will be steadfast and His presence will be plenty.
“Feed your fears and your faith will starve. Feed your faith, and your fears will.”
—Max Lucado
“that Christ died for our sins according to Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3b–4, NIV).
This month we celebrate Easter, focusing on the crucifixion and resurrection of the One who came to do for us what we could never do for ourselves. God’s unfailing love sent in the form of His Son, Jesus, to be our Redeemer is a gift of epic proportion. Sin and darkness sought to win, but love was triumphant.
The crucifixion assumed defeat but the resurrection confirmed victory.
The crucifixion caused death but the resurrection verified life.
The crucifixion incited despair but the resurrection yielded hope.
The crucifixion brought distress but the resurrection produced joy.
The crucifixion created desperation but the resurrection generated confidence.
The crucifixion disappointed but the resurrection inspired.
The crucifixion caused division but the resurrection brought unity.
The crucifixion urged doubt but the resurrection compelled clarity.
The crucifixion said, “It is finished,” but the resurrection said, “But I’m not.”
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He is risen!
Christ the Lord is ris’n today, Alleluia! Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia! Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia! Sing, ye heav’ns, and earth, reply, Alleluia! —Charles Wesley, Hymn
“. . . and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing”
1 Corinthians 13:2b (NIV).
Many years ago, a friend and I took a day trip to Beverly Hills. Famous for its lavish boutiques and wealthy residents, we just wanted to have a nice lunch and do some window shopping. As we made our way along one particular street, we couldn’t resist stepping into a women’s clothing store that looked inviting. As we browsed, I noticed the sales person greet a gal who was just entering. She whisked her to a brunch table full of goodies and then immediately took her to the fitting room. At first I didn’t think too much about it. There were absolutely no price tags on anything so I was confident nothing was in my price range. But after the same scenario a couple more times, I realized the sales people had not even said hello when my friend and I walked in. To be honest, the fact we were ignored still makes me smile even now. Since then however, that experience has gotten a lot of mileage in my life from the Holy Spirit.
Being in leadership can sometimes create a cocoon for us. With our team and/or our friends securely around us, it is not difficult to become insulated. Whether or not it is on purpose, we may ignore someone who is new or who appears to fit somewhere outside our comfy bubble. At times I’ve not been immune to this. Not my finest hour, but one which the Holy Spirit makes sure doesn’t go unnoticed. The memory of my Beverly Hills experience continues to be a good reminder that love is not optional.
We are human and there are times love is not an instinctive response. That does not mean we can allow our fallen nature to get the best of us, however. God’s Word tells us: “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love” (2 John 1:6, NIV). The choice is not in how we love but in how we obey.
“God teaches us to love by putting unlovely people around us. It takes no character to love people who are lovely and lovely to you.”
Rick Warren
“Watch me,” he told them. “Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp,do exactly as I do. When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, “For the Lord and for Gideon.”
—Judges 7:17-18 (NIV)
As leaders looking forward to this new year of 2016, we no doubt have a vision for what is ahead. Yet having the idea in our mind is only a small part of our leadership responsibility. The most important aspect of this vision is communicating it to the team.
Gideon knew what the Lord was asking him to do and even though he probably had doubts, when the time came he threw his full weight into the mission. He was able to use his influence to clearly convey what needed to be done and then he did it with his army.
The best way to persuade those under our leadership is not by just sharing the dream in words, but by showing them what we are hoping to do. It all comes down to what they understand. If they don’t grasp it, they will never get on board. Paint your big picture clearly when you are ready to move forward in the direction God is leading.
Good leaders must communicate vision clearly, creatively and continually. However, vision doesn’t come alive until the leader models it.
—John C. Maxwell
“My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior" —Luke 1:46-47 (NIV)
Yes, it is that time again. Seems like we just put the decorations away from last year and here we are, getting them out all over again. Tradition means we’ll do it just like we always have. That’s also the way it is with the Christmas Story. It’s been told and retold for thousands of years. So how do we read it again and expect to get something new from it, year after year?
That is the risk we take we if allow the tradition of the season to be our only focus. Every 364 days we are going to rejoice in God’s love sent to us in the form of the baby Jesus. We all plan on that. Yet, God didn’t just stop sending His love and mercy to us when His Son was born. He has shown up every day since. That means He has been there for us every day this past year as well. Traditions are a good thing. However, if we only concentrate on those, we rob ourselves of the opportunity for something new and spontaneous.
These verses in Luke are an inspiring reminder as we prepare for Christmas. Mary’s praise in this scripture is an unconstrained response of a thankful child of God. She was overwhelmed by the Lord’s goodness and she sings one of the most beautiful and profound songs of worship.
We, too, can allow this time of year to create that kind of response within our hearts. Contemplating the boundless love and mercy our Heavenly Father showed us over the year will no doubt bring something to mind that can cause us to feel the same kind of overpowering gratitude. When we remember His goodness, praise is the best response from a grateful heart.
Even as we move through the chaos and busyness naturally created by this time of year, let’s take time each day to praise the One who came as well as the One who sent Him.
“Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!”
—Stuart K. Hine, 1949
The most valuable commodity for a woman in leadership is her time. It can also be the most difficult to protect. Often our day is perfectly planned, our to-do list organized to maximize completion. Then someone stops by unexpectedly for a chat; a task takes longer than expected; or a crisis call comes requiring that we drop everything to handle it. This is a normal part of the job when you are ministering to others. However, disruptions can become a cause for concern if we allow them to become an excuse to put things off.
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