"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice."  Proverbs 29:2

Without the assistance of the Divine Being I cannot succeed.  With that assistance I cannot fail.  Abraham Lincoln

The true character of a leader is demonstrated in their morals, their commitment to honesty and fairness and their ability to communicate direction.  Ultimately, the leader's success rests on a leader's dependence upon God.  If you know a leader, pray for them.  If you are a leader, ask for prayers.  They make the greatest difference.

"Good people will be remembered  as a blessing."  Proverbs 10:7

If you do not pray, everything can disappoint you by going wrong.  If you do pray, everything can still go wrong but not in a way that will disappoint you.  Hubert van Zeller

On the eve of Thanksgiving, pray for a leader.  It may be needed now more than you'll ever know.

Michael

Happy Thanksgiving

"By wisdom the Lord laid the earth's foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place."  Proverbs 3:19

Character is what a man is in the dark.  Dwight L. Moody

The Empire State Building rises over 1,450 feet into the air and the brick alone weighs in excess of 365,000 tons.  Yet the building will not move more than .75 of an inch even in a 110 mile an hour wind.  A crew of 600 men spent 45 days setting a foundation over 55 feet into the ground and bedrock.  This sure foundation gives extreme strength.

The greatest happiness of the greatest number is the foundation of morals.  Jeremy Bentham

You really don't know someone till you see how they withstand a storm of life.  Then you can see how deep the foundation runs.  When we are sure of our footing, we can withstand the pressures of life.  Each morning you have the chance to set your foundations before you face the daily storms.  Spend some early time with God this week and give the day to him.  See how much better goes the day.

"God has already placed Jesus Christ as the one and only foundation."  I Corinthians 3:11

Michael

"A king wants to hear the truth and will favor those who speak it."  Proverbs 16:13

Sometimes speaking the truth may not seem like the most popular action.  However, when you maintain your integrity and speak truth with kindness and gentleness, you will stand above the crowd.  Honesty should never be used as an excuse to belittle or tear down a friend or colleague.  Whenever possible use your words to encourage others and help them to see the freedom in living a more honest life.

"Trust exists.   Only falsehood has to be invented."  Georges Braque

"The hearts of wise people guide their mouths.  Their words make people want to learn more."  Proverbs 16:23

Determine to build the habit of speaking honestly but gently in your life.  Don't agree with people just to agree and if they ask your opinion, share it graciously.  A lie requires more lies.  The truth doesn't change.

"Man passes away; generations are but shadows; there is nothing stable but the truth."  Josiah Quincy

Say something good and honest today.

Michael

"Do you see a man skilled in his work?  He will stand before kings and not before obscure men."  Proverbs 22:29

Sometimes we are our own worst enemies.  When things don't go well at work or home, we quickly shift the blame.  As believers who seek truth, we must ask ourselves the question: "Am I giving this work my honest effort?  Do I have any reason to doubt my work?" 

"Your reward depends on what you say and what you do.  You will get what you deserve."  Proverbs 12:14

Solomon was not discounting the rotten boss or unfair working conditions but he was reminding us that we work for the Lord and not man.  We are called to excel at what we do because we do it as for the Lord.  What we too often overlook is that God places people in our path who can help us excel.  They may be peer or superior but there are those who can help us do our best.  Look to them for insight.

"Truth, wisdom, learning and good sense are worth paying for but too valuable for you to sell." Proverbs 23:23

Don't sell yourself short by shirking your work or delivering substandard performance.  People will notice and your skill will be recognized.  Just be faithful.

Michael

Proverbs 16:3 (GNT)
³ Ask the Lord to bless your plans and you will be successful in carrying them out. 

How many times have you been waiting in line and someone began to make a fool of themselves?  Your heart went out to the poor attendant and your disgust for the annoying fellow.  We have all been there.  Worse, we have all been that fellow.  Today I want to ask you to prepare for that incident this week that will try your patience.  I want you to pray about it now and how you will deal with it.

"Happiness is not the absence of conflict but the ability to cope with it."  Anonymous

Begin your day by asking God to guide your steps.  Whenever you feel tense or irritated, back up and ask: "Can I do anything to change this situation?"  If you can, do it in a positive way.  If not, accept things as they are humbly and let God fill you with his presence.

"Every word of God proves true; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him."  Proverbs 30:5

"I have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all/ but whatever I have placed in God's hands that I still possess."  Martin Luther

Be a light in the darkness this week.  Let God lead you.

Michael

John 1:1-5 (MSG)
¹ The Word was first, the Word present to God, God present to the Word. The Word was God,
² in readiness for God from day one.
³ Everything was created through him; nothing—not one thing!— came into being without him.
⁴ What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by.
⁵ The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn't put it out.

Sometimes we tend to treat God's Scriptures like a self-help book.  We look for daily insights and formulas to more effective living.  Not a bad goal in itself but far short of what the living Word of God truly is.

"There is, in a word, nothing comfortable about the Bible until we get so used to it that we make it comfortable for ourselves.  But then we are perhaps too used to it and too at home with it.  Let us not bee too sure we know the Bible.  Have we ceased to question the book and be questioned by it?"  Thomas Merton

Few factors defined the depth of our spiritual life than the struggle we engage in scripture.  It is not simple in its structure nor its message.  It is a living and breathing entity.  Renew yourself in your respect and desire for its content. 

You hold the living Word of God in your hand and heart.  Tremble a little.

Michael

Pray for our New Orleans team.  They left early this morning.  And remember Bain Harbaugh.  He is hospitalized just now.

Let me begin by saying it is good to be home.  Jan and I have been away for what seems an eternity in Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia.  Like the apostles of old, we have taken the prayers and affection of our church family here and shared it with those who labor on foreign fields.  It was humbling and inspiring.  It has changed my faith forever in a grand and gracious way. 

I will reflect on that journey in the weeks to come.  It has reminded me of both my blessings and my opportunities.  We are all pilgrims walking in a land that is not our own.  Strangers headed for our rightful home.  But the journey is as important as the destination.

Proverbs 11:28 (MSG)  "A life devoted to things is a dead life, a stump; a God-shaped life is a flourishing tree."

It is good now and then to walk with people for whom things are truly temporary.  A knock on the door and their world changes.  A wave of the hand and their possessions and freedom are gone.  It enhances the gifts enjoyed but reminds you of the things that cannot be taken away.

There was joy to be found among the sorrow.  Hope amid the despair.  But there were also dead people walking.  Poor souls who had given up on life and were just abiding their dismal days till death delivered them.  There was a hollowness to their eyes that betrayed an empty life.

It is good to return to a time of thanksgiving.  To be reminded of the need to say thanks to God.  Time among the stumps makes you appreciate the trees.

Give thanks today that God is in your life.

Michael