Monday; November 2

The other day I was messing around and asked “Alexia” who I should vote for. No, I am not in the habit of seeking the input of artificial intelligence on major issues, but this time it paid off. While I was expecting an answer that promoted the leanings of Amazon, what I got was the response that voting is a personal choice and it was up to me to decide. On one hand, I found the answer humorous, but then it dawned on me that was probably the most accurate I had gotten all election season. For once, no one was trying to sway my opinion and I appreciated that!
As I thought about Alexia’s wisdom, I got to thinking about how important it is for us to take our decisions seriously and personally. Not only should we invest ourselves in discovering the building blocks of wise conclusions, we need to have the courage and conviction to take control of our own decision-making process. We must overcome the temptation to let other people think for us and step forward with understanding and fortitude to make good choices.
Interestingly, this challenge is something that should play out more than in politics, it is also important in our own spiritual lives. Thousands of years before anyone could consult Alexia on such matters, the Apostle Paul wrote, “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to desire and to work for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12-13). When we stand before the Lord in judgment, we will not be able to blame anyone else for our decisions – we might as well invest our lives in making the best choices we can. We are going to have to live with our consequences, so we had better do our homework and apply the best wisdom we can find.
I wish our nation the best on our choice this week. More importantly, I encourage each one of us to be diligent in our spiritual decision because that decision will last more than the next four years, it will determine our eternity.

Think About It!

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday; November 29

The biblical story of the Good Samaritan has changed our world. Notice I didn’t say that it had change religion or even Christianity, it has influenced the world. There are very few people who don’t know the moral of Jesus’ parable about the Good Samaritan. In fact, the phrase has become a common description of everyday people doing good to their neighbors. While Jesus’ parable from Luke 10 shares several spiritual lessons, one of the most practical is that good can be done by anyone. You don’t have to be a church official to do good, it is not only possible for each one of us to help, it is required of all of us. If a Samaritan can be good, so can we! After presenting the parable, Jesus asked the man who had originally asked the question about being a good neighbor which character in the story was a good neighbor, “… he said, ‘The one who showed mercy toward him.’” at which point, the discussion from theoretical to personal, “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do the same.’” (Luke
Read more

Thursday; January 12

The other day I was watching a television show that used a rather common term applied to overcoming challenges. When organizations experience unexpected setbacks – especially when they lose key people – they rely upon the concept of “Next Man Up”. In essence, when our starters (or stars) go down, effective organizations rely upon their next levels to step into the vacancy. While this is an effective response, have we given much thought as to how we prepare to be the “next people up”? First, we must know our job. Even when we aren’t the primary players, we need to be preparing ourselves to be ready when we get the opportunity to shine. Second, we must do our best when we get the chance. Knowledge is important but what turns potential into talent is effort. Yet, maybe the most underappreciated aspect of this concept is a willingness avoid excuse-making and whining about the unfairness of our situation. When we complain about the circumstances that caused the need for replacements
Read more

Monday; September 25

When I was a youngster, I remember hearing about this thing called the Generation Gap. I was a little bit too young to be active in the social movements of the 1960s, but I do remember listening to the challenges the generations were experiencing way back then. Interestingly, now that I have been on both sides of the aging process, I have to admit that the Gap of the 1960s was nothing new. With the development of each generation comes conflict. The young people don’t feel like the older people understand them and the older folks tend to believe their input is being underappreciated. Too often trust is the casualty when two generations collide. The sad thing is that it doesn’t have to be this way. When we can capture the innovation and energy of the younger folks and harness the wisdom of those who have been around for a while we can develop a winning combination. No, we won’t always see things eye-to-eye nor will we necessarily speak the same emotional language, but when we app
Read more