Trustworthy - Part 3

Becoming a leader God can Trust involves an element of Steadfastness. Or, in real people terms, staying steady. Leadership is alot like a sailboat ride on a choppy sea.

There's gonna be alot of ups and downs and you're likely to throw up a time or two before it's all said and done.

If you want to be found Trustworthy, then learn the art of staying steady. I'm not sure I do a super job of this all the time, but I'm working on it. Here's a few thoughts on what that looks like in real time...

1. A Shock-Absorbing Spirit. I just gotta tell you, I have a team who knows how to absorb the shock that comes from ministry. These guys (& gals) know how to take hits and keep right on moving. That's trustworthiness.

2. A Long View of Reality. One of my favorite lines to quote to myself is: "it won't always look this way..." Regardless of the circumstance, be it good or bad, the truth is, "your reality probably won't always look this way." Learning how to take a long view of where you are, makes the difficult bumps easier to endure.

3. Establish a Sustainable Pace. Ministry is a marathon not a sprint, I work with too many pastors & leaders who want to see success in a 100 meter dash, and can't figure out why they're dying at the 1 mile mark. They have failed to find their rhythm and settle into a sustainable pace for the long haul. It takes stamina and rhythm to go 26.2 miles in a marathon.

Trustworthy means Steadfast. The ability to remain steady, no matter what bumps may come on your journey.

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt

Good Advice from a Great Friend

This morning I ran across a motivational thought written by Max Lucado, a Christian author. Since we're in a series on Trust, I thought this was so amazingly appropriate. If you've been struggling with trust, then this is for you.

The same God that gave us commandments such as "Do not commit adultery, do not murder" said, "Do not worry." It's a violation of our relationship to God to question his authority by worrying.

Has any good ever come out of any worrying that you've ever done? Worry only compartmentalizes us and makes us unable to do what we set out to do. If you are worried about a problem, what you need to do is simply trust the Lord and do good.

The word worry comes from a word taht means "to divide." When you worry, you divide your energy.

Amazing insight isn't it? A few things that jumped out at me:

• "Do not worry" is a commandment of Jesus. It's not just a nice suggestion. That means Jesus thinks we can actually do it... not worry, that is.


• To worry is a violation of our relationship with God. As a command of Jesus, then to not do it is... a violation.


• No good comes from worrying.


• Worrying compartmentalizes us. In other words, it breaks us down instead of builds us up. Worry really does divide us.


• Worry keeps us from doing what we know we need to do... Trust Him and Do Good.

Great advice on a Thursday,

Just a bloggish thought,

Matt