I have some things that I treasure a lot. Ok, I’m a guy, and that means that I like my
truck, my guns, my lawn mower, my TV remote and other stuff like that. But through the years I have learned that
these are not the best things in my life.
The best things are the people that God has brought my
way. My family is awesome. God blessed me with an incredible wife. We have 3 kids that have my heart in big
ways. I have the best parents and brothers that a guy could have. I get to work with some gifted, precious
people, and I am pastor a group of people that I dearly love. Those really are the best things in my life.
But there are some tools that make my life even better,
and I thought that I ought to close out this week sharing just a few tools with
you. This is not an extensive list of
stuff I use or things that I am passionate about. These things mean a lot to me because they
help me do well with what God has called me to do.
Put
on all of God’s armor so that
you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.
To
those who use well what they are given, even more
will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing,
even what little they have will be taken away.
The Bible is a tool that brings life my way from God. I believe that God fills His word, the Bible,
with what I need. It teaches me wisdom
and gives me a path to walk. It gives
truth and builds a foundation for my life and for those around us. I am lost without God, and His word continues
to change my life. Each day I spend time
in it. Let me point you to www.youversion.com because this is where I
read each day. The Bible through God’s
grace will transform your life.
Some incredible
authors stick out in my mind through the last 20 years and helped shape who
I am, how I work and the thought and planning process I use. Some of these people write short articles or
blogs. Some of them write books about
the Bible. Some of them write about God
and pursing life. Here are a few of
them: Mark Batterson, A.T. Robertson, Mark Harvoth, Margaret Feinberg, Frances Chan, John Maxwell, Shaun King, Joe Sangl and others. Without people pouring into me, I’d be in
trouble and be a poor minister.
My calendar is a tool that I have to refine and redirect
often. Let me first say that my iPhone,
iPad and my MacBook all work so much better because they sync well with Google
Calendar. I recently preached a series
called MARGIN, and my calendar is the place that describes the fact that I have
or don’t have margin. It is important to
make your calendar a working document and use it well. One thing I am learning is that I need to say
NO to good things so that I can say YES to the best things. My calendar is an important tool that can
either run me or I can run it.
Relationships
matter. This is a simple but powerful point. When we get busy with the stuff of life, we
can mistakenly push away the most important people in our lives. People are tools in our lives. I need to learn from people. God brought these folks into my life. I believe in networking, and it is evident
through the relationships I have that God uses these people to help me and to
serve many. This is seen in a person I
met last year. I frequent their
business, but the best thing I can say is that I see this person loving people
and sharing blessings with others. We
need to cultivate relationships. This starts at home and stops at home.
These tools mean much to me. As I said earlier, there are other tools that
are as important and some even more important.
But the things I have shared with you today can help me be a fully
devoted follower of the God who loves me and you so much.
Use wisely the great tools that God has put in your
life. Don’t take them for granted.
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