Imagine what might happen with a little more God-confidence in your life .

In one of the most popular stories of the Old Testament, Joseph, highly favored son of the patriarch Jacob, was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. As events would unfold, he’d find himself wrongfully imprisoned in Egypt’s royal prison—the place where the Pharaoh’s fiercest enemies were kept. His one opportunity for freedom relied on his ability to interpret a troubling dream the Pharaoh had dreamt the night before. Rushed to the throne, the Pharaoh presented the challenge, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard is said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it” (Gen 41:15).

If there was ever a time to perform, this was it. Joseph’s freedom was on the line. He needed only to impress the king with an interpretation—something no wise man nor magician had been able to do (Gen 41:8). Joseph’s first words must have brought more disappointment to the Pharaoh’s ears, “I cannot do it.” You can imagine the crestfallen face of Pharaoh lighting up again when Joseph continue, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires” (Gen 41:16). In telling Pharaoh the meaning of his dream the king was so impressed he put Joseph in charge of all of Egypt saying, “Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you” (Gen 41:40).

Why would the Pharaoh give such a generous reward by promoting an enemy of the state one day to his most trusted Second the next? Would he have given the same reward had one of others been able to do so? It’s doubtful and here’s why. His motivation for promoting Joseph was clear from a simple question he posed to his advisors, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?” (Gen 41:37).

What set Joseph apart from all who went before him was not his ability, but his dependence on and confidence in God. He had the spirit of God. Imagine what might happen in your life with a little more God-confidence too.

Your thoughts? In what areas could you use a little more God-confidence?

Share/Save

Most of us have something about ourselves that we don’t like. It might be a physical attribute we despise—ears that poke out of our hair more than we’d like, or an overly distinctive nose, for instance. Or maybe we don’t like our temperament—we wish we were more extroverted, for example. Or maybe we’d prefer having a talent we admire in others. The number of attributes to compare ourselves to and become personally dissatisfied with is endless.

Psychological researchers have discovered that the average person talks to themselves 50,000 times each day. And what they found is that an astonishing 80% of it is negative. We literally talk ourselves into a conspiracy of self-diminishment. Over the last few months, I found that the volume of my own negative self-talk was way up. It probably well exceeded the national average. If negative self-talk were a commodity stock, my head was Wall Street during a bull market. But such trash-talk is more than mere mental self-decay. When I compare myself with others and harbor the self-diminishing thoughts that follow, I’m also trashing the very Creator of this creation called me. Conversely, when I repudiate such self-decay, I’m doing more than just trying to play nice. I’m thanking the Creator for His creation and submitting myself to a richer plan for me than I can yet envision.

Your thoughts? In what ways has self-diminishment affected you?

Share/Save

We’ve all had occasions when we’ve said things we’ve regretted. Unfortunate words have a habit of slipping out at the worst times, usually when we’re in a heated argument, or tired. Once out, they can never be retrieved. Like a fire that destroys a forest, it can set our own world on fire (see James 3:5-6).

But Psalm 141:3 offers a simple, but powerful prayer. One worth committing to memory. As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. And what could be better than having the One who knows us best standing guard over the thing that can so easily get us into hot water?

Your thoughts? What disciplines do you practice to guard your tongue?

Share/Save

I witnessed a tender moment this morning. As we sang the choral refrain “my Savior, my Savior lives” in worship, I heard a father softly say behind me, “See? Mommy lives with Jesus, too.” His words of comfort to his children captivated me. After the service, I learned that his wife of 15 years had passed away just three weeks before after a long battle with cancer, leaving behind a grieving husband, 11-year old son, and 9-year old daughter. In that moment of worship, they were knit together by the most profound promise of Jesus: “Whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”

Earlier this week I had the honor to attend a funeral of another woman who also led a remarkable life, loving and serving everyone she came in contact with. As person after person stood to tell of the amazing impact she had on their lives, I was struck by the frequent use of the past tense to describe her—as if she were no more. Naturally, it’s difficult to give testimony about one’s life without using the past tense. When we leave this earth, all that we have done will be relegated to the past. But for those of us who believe Jesus’ words, who we are remains very much alive, just as a seed, when planted, produces something even greater than it did as a seed (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). We’ll be made better. As the father of the two young children I met this morning put it, “My wife’s even more of who God made her to be.” That’s something we can all take comfort in.

Your thoughts? Like Jesus’ words to Martha, do you believe this?

Share/Save

Reading can be a dangerous thing. When I was a young boy I was captivated by the idea of flying a plane. I remember reading Jules Bergman’s book, Anyone Can Fly. The book so fascinated me that I was sure after my many readings that had I set foot inside a Piper Tri-Pacer, I too could fly. In my own mind, absent of any hands-on flight training, I was already a pilot. Among my friends I boasted like I was one too.

So it is with anything we read or hear. It’s easy to think we could master — or even more deceptively, think already have mastered — something just because we read about it. This self-deception is especially pernicious when it comes to God’s word. We can read Matthew 22:39 about loving our neighbor as ourselves, for instance, and quickly pass over that familiar verse because we’ve heard it a million times. Or, we could have listened to a message from the pulpit and thought of all the other people we know who could have benefited from hearing it. In neither case do we ask, “In what ways I could I apply this truth today?” Could it be that when we stop asking that question, it’s because we’ve already deceived ourselves into thinking we don’t need to change. Yes, reading can be a dangerous thing.

Your thoughts? What have you read recently that you intend to act upon?

Share/Save

As you start the new year, here’s an idea: why not dedicate yourself to fulfilling the law of Christ? It’s not as esoteric as it may seem, just carry another’s burden. Jesus told his disciples the same thing on their last evening together. “Love one another,” he reminded them (John 13:34) after demonstrably washing their feet. Love is birthed with messy hands helping another in their need. And there’s plenty of need to go around. You likely don’t even have to leave the walls of your home to find another whose burden you could lighten today…and every day.

Of course, implicit in this command is that you have a burden, too. One that could be made lighter by another’s help. Refuse someone’s assistance and you’ve merely exchanged a gift of love for preservation of pride, with loss to both giver and refuser. And implicit in this command is that you carry another’s burden in spite of your own. Along the way yours will be lightened as well.

Two who loved Jesus deeply, could only watch helplessly as He hung on the cross. Both were in pain. Both were burdened by their pending loss. The narrative of what happened speaks for itself:

Jesus’ mother, his aunt, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene stood at the foot of the cross. Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her. He said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that moment the disciple accepted her as his own mother. (John 19:26-27 NIV)

Two who loved the Man hanging on the cross fulfilled His final words to them in their care for each other. We show our love for Him in the same way.

Your thoughts? Whose burden could you help carry today?

Share/Save

The other day I left home late for a meeting at my office. That’s not altogether unusual. Often, I try to squeeze too many things into too little time, leaving little margin for error. On that day, error was abundant. Rushing out the door to the garage, I pressed the wrong garage door opener. Arrgh. When your running late, even seconds count. As I backed my car out the garage I heard the annoying warning ding that signaled my convertible roof was open. It was not; but my car has a mind of its own. More precious seconds slip by as I stop the car, put on the emergency brake, and hit the stupid roof-up button until the warning stops. Finally, on my way…for about a mile. That’s when I discovered I left my mobile phone on my desk. Since I conduct most of my business from my mobile phone, I had to turn around to fetch it. We’re way beyond seconds now.

Come on, Gates! I chastised myself out loud. What’s wrong with you? Why do you always put yourself in these situations? Clearly, I was irritated and ready to heap a serving of scorn on myself. I soon as I said it, I realized I’d been speaking scornfully to myself a lot lately. There are days when negative self-speak seems to run rampant. This was one of those days. A course correction was sorely needed.

Thankfully (and I mean that word purposefully here), Ephesians 5:20 came to mind. Can I really thank God for everything? I decided to give it a try: Thanks, God, that I remembered I left my mobile phone at home before I got too much farther. Thank You that I have a car to get me to work…and back to home again. Thank You that I have the health to get out of my car and climb the stairs back to my office. Thanks that I found my phone and didn’t need to go hunting for it. Thanks, God, that I’m on the road again.

As it turned out, I arrived late for the meeting. And I was thankful to be there.

Your thoughts? What are some of your experiences in turning anxiety and negative self-talk into thankfulness?

Share/Save

Anna and I often joke that we have a “cellular relationship.” Not just the kind of cellular that come from knowing each other after thirty years of marriage, but the kind that comes from being unable to spend face-time with each other. Our only connection when those busy times occur is with our cellular phones. Without them, and our commitment to carve out time alone, our cellular relationship would have decomposed a long time ago.

Sometimes the pursuit of a mission means setting aside such necessities as face-time for awhile. Jesus and disciples were so busy ministering to the crowds that surrounded them that they didn’t even have time to eat. (Just for the record, I’ve never been that busy.) They set aside their sustenance to fulfill their mission. “My food,” Jesus declared on another occasion, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” (John 4:34) Possessing a mission more grand than the mere pursuit of necessities separates us from the animal kingdom. Yet, while we may aspire to be like Him, none of us are Jesus and even He needed rest from the mission.

Your thoughts? Are you running so hard you’ve forgotten how to rest without feeling guilty?

Share/Save

Are you easily distracted? By definition, a distraction is something that takes you away from what you intended to do. Our world is filled with sources of distraction, all vying for your attention. Advertisers and merchants want us to heed their latest offers. Entertainment devices — televisions, computers, iPods, and the like — relentlessly dispense sensory fodder. We cannot escape them. We even take them with us on our mobile phones.

Yet, as pervasive as those distractions are, a more insidious form lurks about — the distraction of comfort. Face it, we all want to be carefree, pain-free and work-free. When the pursuit of comfort, however, trumps the pursuit of a more worthy goal, it’s a distraction. Jesus had friends, even among the Pharisees, who offered some distracting advice. “Flee to safety, your life is in danger” (Luke 13:31), they told Him. But even a threat to His life would not distract Jesus from His most worthy goal. “I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day,” He replied. The next time you find yourself tempted to distraction by devices or detractors, make it your resolve to keep going today and tomorrow and the next day.

Your thoughts? What are some of the most common forms of distractions in your life?

Share/Save

It’s the rainy season. It may look warm and dry where you are, but take a closer look at the faces of parents with college-aged children and you’ll see what I mean. Tears by the bucketful are being shed as parents all across the country entrust their students to less hospitable institutions of higher learning. Mingled in the parential downpour of tears are my own and those of my wife, Anna. Having just returned from releasing our third child into remote collegiate settings, we know the rainy season well: the goodbye embraces, the contemplative silence on the journey home, the sense of sudden disconnection, and the what-if worries for their future. Empty place settings at dinner, vacant rooms and unfamiliar family dynamics are daily reminders that it is a rainy season and not just a storm.

This rainy season is a powerful force of transformation for parents and students alike. For them, it brings new friends, new learnings and new opportunities to hone their mettle. For us parents, this season is a reminder that children are our arrows. We are meant to powerfully release them into the world and not hold them selfishly in our quiver — even if it means wading through our own torrent of tears to do it.

Your thoughts? What are ways you’ve found to powerfully release your student?

Share/Save