Proverbs 28:2 NLT, “When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily. But wise and knowledgeable leaders bring stability.”
Moral rot is widespread. Morals have drifted far from the hearts of many and have been replaced with self gratification. Ungodly desires for control, money, possessions, and sexual perversion have saturated our world. God’s Word, the Holy Bible, provides us with the moral standards we need to live successful and balanced lives. May we hold tightly to the truth of His Word. Please continue to pray for leaders worldwide, that the Lord would give them knowledge and wisdom to make decisions that are rooted in love and justice that are in line with His Word. Thanks for praying. 🙏🙏🏽✝️🙏🏻🙏🏿
Psalm 28:7 NLT, ”The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.”
Dear Father,
Thank you for allowing us to see this new week. Thank you for your presence with us. Please give us strength as we go about our daily tasks. Help us to walk in your ways and be a light and a blessing to those who are around us. We give any worries and concerns that we have to you; thank you for giving us your peace in return. Help us to trust in you no matter what may come our way. We know you have promised to provide our needs. Help us to hear your voice and obey your instructions so that we may be who you have called us to be, and do all you have called us to do. Thank you for hearing and answering our prayers.
Proverbs 24:17-18 NLT, “17 Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall; don’t be happy when they stumble. 18 For the Lord will be displeased with you and will turn his anger away from them.”
One of the best things we can do for an enemy is to pray for them. Rejoicing when we see others fall is not pleasing to the Lord. The love we show to our enemies can make a difference in their lives. When it’s not easy to be kind to difficult people, we can ask God to help us and give us wisdom about how to approach the situation.
Through our prayers, we can have hope and know that God will intervene in the best way, at the best time. When we’re tempted to rejoice because an enemy has “gotten what they deserve”, instead we can be thankful that God’s will has been done, and pray for His continued work in the person’s life.
Matthew 5:44 NLT, “But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!”
Proverbs 18:17, NIV, “In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines.”
It can be easy to form an opinion when we hear one side of a story, but if there are two people involved, that means there are two stories involved. Therefore, we must be careful not to jump to conclusions. Even in our own lives, it is pretty easy to point fingers when we encounter conflicts, however, it pays to examine ourselves and see areas where we may have faults. This doesn’t mean the other person involved has no faults, it just means that in humility we realize that we, or those we love, may also have faults. Prayer is a huge help with this, the Holy Spirit will help us to see truth in every situation.
Satan is the accuser, who is always trying to accuse and condemn us (Revelation 12:10); I’m thankful that God is merciful, and willing to hear our side of the story when we go to Him in prayer and repentance. We should strive to extend the same kindness to others whenever possible.
Proverbs 11:13 NIV, “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.”
It’s a blessing when God places trustworthy people in our lives who can keep a secret. Many individuals have been hurt because of people who betrayed them by gossiping. Gossip ruins reputations and destroys relationships. As children of God, one of our goals should be to love and protect people. Gossip does neither.
Photo by: Ben White of Michigan, USA 🇺🇸
Before we “share information”, we should take time to think before we speak, and consider our motives for sharing the information with others. We should also consider how our sharing will affect all of those involved, and even more importantly, we should pray regularly to ask God for strength to stay away from gossip and other ungodly conversations.
May God help us all to be trustworthy people who He can depend on to show His love to others, and help fulfill His purposes here on Earth.
📷 Photography above by Ben White, who says, “I consider myself a servant of Jesus Christ. I love finding beauty in simple things. I want everything I do to bring honor and glory to God...”.
Whatever season of life we are in, as Christians, we are called to be people who exemplify Christ like love, character, and service to God and others. In doing so, we become people who are set apart, people who shine in the darkness, people who, “lead like Jesus”.
I decided to start these, “Lead Like Jesus” posts to occasionally share inspiring lessons that I come across on my journey of learning to lead like Jesus. It’s a blessing that we can learn from one another, and apply what we learn to our lives, rather we’re serving at home, at work, or elsewhere in our communities.
Photo by: Christina Morillo of NY, NY USA 🇺🇸
In a Christian business ethics book, I recently came across an interview with Jim Sinegal, the president, CEO, and director of Costco Wholesale Corporation. He shared some insight on leadership.
But first here are a few facts about Costco Wholesale Corporation…
🔹Costco operates more than 782 stores as of 2019
🔹Costco employs more than 254,000 people as of 2019
🔹Costco has more than 98 million members who shop at its stores as of 2019
🔹Costco has earned over $138.4 billion in sales as of fiscal year 2018
Mr. Sinegal expressed the following thoughts about leadership. As leaders in God’s kingdom, we can apply these pointers to our daily life.
1. Good leaders are determined.
2. Good leaders know how to communicate effectively.
3. Good leaders are people of integrity.
4. Good leaders are consistent and have guiding principles that they follow.
5. Good leaders are responsible.
6. Good leaders consider how today’s decisions will impact tomorrow’s outcomes; in other words, they take time to reflect and make plans.
🍃Scripture Meditation and Prayer:
Proverbs 22:29 NKJV, “Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men.
**Remember, as Christians we are ultimately working for King Jesus.
Dear Father,
Please help us to be people of integrity who implement godly leadership where ever we are. Help us to draw others to Jesus as we work with excellence in all our daily tasks. Thank you for the example we have in Jesus. In the name of Jesus, amen.
Hebrews 11:1 NIV, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
I remember some years ago, I was making a copy on the copier machine at work. When I went to grab the copy off the machine, the paper was blank. I held the paper up to the light to see if I was missing something, but I wasn’t. The paper was really blank. As I held the paper up to the light, I remember the Holy Spirit gently speaking to my heart and saying, “Faith is not what is seen, but what is unseen.” I don’t know why God chose the copier machine to remind me to have faith, but I’m glad He did.
Photo: Leon Macapagal of Chicago, IL, USA 🇺🇸
As Christians, we get to live our lives by faith, having a confident hope in God, knowing that He will perform His perfect will in our lives. We can be sure of His love, be sure of His protection, and be sure of His provision. We are not limited by what we can see. The things we can see in the natural, are only a portion of the bigger things that God is doing in our lives, in the world around us, and especially in eternity to make preparations for our entrance into heaven.
John 14:2 NIV, “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?”
Keep walking by faith and remain confident in the Lord’s ability to take care of you!
Drawing Closer to Christ 