The PF Women Team at our Annual Team Retreat ~ 2018 Today on Seth Godin's blog, he said: It's tempting to decide to make a profit first, then invest in training, people, facilities, promotion, customer service and most of all, doing important work. In general, though, it goes the other way. Yes, it does. If you are waiting to make a profit before you do these things, in my experience you're not going to make a profit. So many organizations, ministries and churches are struggling with financial issues. I know your pain. As anyone who follows our story knows, our ministry was in a ton of debt four years ago when I came on as director. Since that time, we've gotten out of debt and turned a profit every year. God has done amazing things through out team, for which we give Him the glory! I find that what Seth is saying here is absolutely true, with one disclaimer. For Christian leaders, spiritual disciplines must always be first. Before we started i...
Today in My Utmost for His Highest (Oswald Chambers):
" . . . unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven —Matthew 18:3
"These words of our Lord refer to our initial conversion, but we should continue to turn to God as children, being continuously converted every day of our lives. If we trust in our own abilities, instead of God’s, we produce consequences for which God will hold us responsible. When God through His sovereignty brings us into new situations, we should immediately make sure that our natural life submits to the spiritual, obeying the orders of the Spirit of God. Just because we have responded properly in the past is no guarantee that we will do so again. The response of the natural to the spiritual should be continuous conversion, but this is where we so often refuse to be obedient. No matter what our situation is, the Spirit of God remains unchanged and His salvation unaltered. But we must "put on the new man . . ." (Ephesians 4:24 ). God holds us accountable every time we refuse to convert ourselves, and He sees our refusal as willful disobedience. Our natural life must not rule— God must rule in us."
Ah yes, letting God rule in me. This is the story of my life. I'm getting saved every day. I am "working out my salvation" as the scripture says, and trust me, this is quite a work for me. Was I already saved? Yes, but every day I have to make a renewed commitment to living this way. Because when anything in my life is stressful or not working...I want to give rule to something else that is so much a part of my natural self, like emotional eating or perfectionism. I know this is a process of me being "continually converted" to be more like Him and less like that carnal part of myself.
Like Oswald said, "Just because we have responded properly in the past does not mean we will do so again." How well I know that. Take eating last week, for instance. I had several days of doing just the right things -- doing all that was good for me. Then again I had a day where I ate a Johnny Rocket's burger. A day where I had a piece of pumpkin pie (yes, it was Christmas, but still...), a day where I ate some pure out junk, like regular potato chips. Okay, so I'm getting saved from that all over again. :-) Some people might laugh at that, but I'm serious. This for me is a very spiritual issue. Either the Lord rules in you, or He doesn't. Many times in my life 7-Eleven ruled. Seriously. I was addicted to Slurpees. Friends laughed hysterically the other day when I confessed to them that one time I ate an entire BOX (yes BOX) of Sam's chocolate e-clairs...in one sitting! Why? Stress. But no matter. Does the Lord rule over stress, or do Sam's eclairs? That is the question. In the past, whatever happened to be in front of me at the time ruled. If nothing particular was in front of me, I would plan what I would get in front of me next.
Well, as I said, here I go, it's December 28, and I am saved once again for another day. And I'm on to my next weight goal, and my next life goals. These are not just pipe dreams for me...I've seen quite a few of my goals come true these last few years.
It really helps in achieving your goals if you decide to get saved every day.
" . . . unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven —Matthew 18:3
"These words of our Lord refer to our initial conversion, but we should continue to turn to God as children, being continuously converted every day of our lives. If we trust in our own abilities, instead of God’s, we produce consequences for which God will hold us responsible. When God through His sovereignty brings us into new situations, we should immediately make sure that our natural life submits to the spiritual, obeying the orders of the Spirit of God. Just because we have responded properly in the past is no guarantee that we will do so again. The response of the natural to the spiritual should be continuous conversion, but this is where we so often refuse to be obedient. No matter what our situation is, the Spirit of God remains unchanged and His salvation unaltered. But we must "put on the new man . . ." (Ephesians 4:24 ). God holds us accountable every time we refuse to convert ourselves, and He sees our refusal as willful disobedience. Our natural life must not rule— God must rule in us."
Ah yes, letting God rule in me. This is the story of my life. I'm getting saved every day. I am "working out my salvation" as the scripture says, and trust me, this is quite a work for me. Was I already saved? Yes, but every day I have to make a renewed commitment to living this way. Because when anything in my life is stressful or not working...I want to give rule to something else that is so much a part of my natural self, like emotional eating or perfectionism. I know this is a process of me being "continually converted" to be more like Him and less like that carnal part of myself.
Like Oswald said, "Just because we have responded properly in the past does not mean we will do so again." How well I know that. Take eating last week, for instance. I had several days of doing just the right things -- doing all that was good for me. Then again I had a day where I ate a Johnny Rocket's burger. A day where I had a piece of pumpkin pie (yes, it was Christmas, but still...), a day where I ate some pure out junk, like regular potato chips. Okay, so I'm getting saved from that all over again. :-) Some people might laugh at that, but I'm serious. This for me is a very spiritual issue. Either the Lord rules in you, or He doesn't. Many times in my life 7-Eleven ruled. Seriously. I was addicted to Slurpees. Friends laughed hysterically the other day when I confessed to them that one time I ate an entire BOX (yes BOX) of Sam's chocolate e-clairs...in one sitting! Why? Stress. But no matter. Does the Lord rule over stress, or do Sam's eclairs? That is the question. In the past, whatever happened to be in front of me at the time ruled. If nothing particular was in front of me, I would plan what I would get in front of me next.
Well, as I said, here I go, it's December 28, and I am saved once again for another day. And I'm on to my next weight goal, and my next life goals. These are not just pipe dreams for me...I've seen quite a few of my goals come true these last few years.
It really helps in achieving your goals if you decide to get saved every day.
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