Tuesday, October 31, 2017

The space between Stimulus and response

The space between Stimulus and response
S- Mark 8
31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And He was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. 33 But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and *said, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”

O- this is a cool scripture in which we see Peter rebuked Chrsit in an effort try to defend Jesus from the crowds. But Jesus rebuked Him which might seem to be backwards but Jesus just got through telling the disciples that he must suffer many things so that he might rise again and redeem all of humanity. When Peter came against this uncomfortable plan Jesus recognize this was not Gods spirit in Peter but a spirit of fear, The kind in which Satan likes to use most in distracting us from our ministry for God here on earth.

A-The application for me is to understand that sometimes I don’t like to experience God’s plan in trying seasons and I am as susceptible to fear planted by a whisper of doubt or a feeling of uncomfortableness.  In my current circumstances where I am dealing with my own past, and my family, I am finding myself wanting to avoid the pain when in fact this is gods plan. Rather than waiting to get rebuked by Jesus I need to recognize his plan and that his grace and power are sufficient to get me through this situation.  So how do I actually do this. I must learn to wait and follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit, vice responding instantly to the feelings of my flesh and the worries of my mind. Stephen Covey said there is a space between stimulus and response, this is a space that God has given us in our design so that we may choose our response. You see animals have instinct so strong they are not given a choice, it’s fight or flight, it’s migrate, or it’s hibernate, it’s things that are beyond their choice of control (as I am learning from our dog Sophie who struggles with bathroom control inside the house), but God has made us different. He has made us like him, In his image so that we might understand him better and choose his ways over the worlds ways.


P-dear Heavenly father, thank you for your patience with me and speaking truth into my life through Scripture. I pray Lord that you help me in this season to take the pause necessary between stimulus and my responses. Lord make your voice clear to me and your guidance through so that I might respond in a way that honors you. I pray all this in Jesus Christ name, amen.

Sunday, October 29, 2017

Managing my anger with compassion like Jesus

Managing your anger compassionately like Jesus
S-Mark 
2 They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. 3 He *said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” 4 And He *said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?” But they kept silent. 5 After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He *said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians

O-Jesus here is ministering to the lost as well as teaching the Pharisees the wrongness of their ways. He started with a great question, “is it lawful to do good work to do you harm on the Sabbath?“  their silence indicated both their ignorance and hardness of heart. Jesus chose to teach them even though they had this  hardness of heart, which even angered him.  Instead of lashing out at them he eventually grieved this hardness of heart, and showed them what to do, which is to be compassionate and serve others.

A-The application for me is both deep and real. I have struggled with my own anger and lashing out over my life. I know this anger comes from both a place of passion and deep concern, but also can be influenced by my scars from my own past. Today I understand Jesus’ perspective on how he handles things that anger him, And I hope to apply these lessons to my life. What I have learned is that anger is an emotion that should inform you, Jesus was angered because of the lack of compassion he saw from the Pharisees. I need to first recognize what I am angry about. In this case Jesus was then grieved by the hardness of their hearts, meaning he felt sorry for them in their condition.  What I need to do once I understand, communicate what my anger is about. I then need to be like Jesus and compassionately Grieve the injustice in those in front of me. The last step is to follow in Jesus’s footsteps to show them what good looks like.


P- Dear Heavenly father thank you Lord for this daily devotion, Lord I ask that it would not just be cemented to my heart but it would break down all of those things in my heart which are not from you and replace them with your truth.  I pray this in Jesus Christ name, amen.

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Saturday, October 28, 2017

My redeemer lives

My redeemer lives
S Job 19
23 “Oh that my words were written! Oh that they were inscribed in a book!
24 “That with an iron stylus and lead They were engraved in the rock forever!
25 “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.
26 “Even after my skin is destroyed, Yet from my flesh I shall see God;

O- what great faith job shows here, in the 19th chapter of the book which was in scribed with an iron stylus on slab so that all of us may know Jobs faith. We see the trials that job has gone through, the support he got from his wife and close friends (not really) the physical pain and anguish he suffered, and yet he makes a bold statement he knows his redeemer lives. Back in those times redeemer was an actual person from your family who could buy back your freedom even if you’ve been committed as a slave. In the old testament the Lord gave a method for this redemption. In the New Testament he gives a permanent fix.  That fix is Jesus our redeemer the one who reconciles that’s from slavery to sin to freedom in Christ.

A- The application for me is to understand that I must at all times understand I am redeemed under the blood of Christ. That is not to say I won’t face trouble times be enslaved by the events around me, even my own sin. But I too need to remember that my Redeemer lives. Jesus is  is not dead he is alive, and therefore I can always go to him. My habit of coming to him at least daily in the morning reading his word reflecting on it and praying to God is a way that I can come to him daily and be redeemed. As long as I live in this fallen world I will face the effects of it, I am not immune,  but I know my Redeemer lives.


P- dear heavenly father thank you for today’s devotion, may it be sealed to my heart. I pray Lord for redemption today freedom from my own past sins, freedom from the past sins of my family, freedom from the effects of sin of this world. I pray Lord that you would help me to walk in your peace knowing you live, at the right hand of the father, and that you are interceding for me. I pray all of this in Jesus Christ name, amen.

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Spirit led evangelism

Spirit Led Evangelism
S-Acts 8
25 So, when they had solemnly testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, and were preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.
26 But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, “Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.) 27 So he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.” 30 Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: “He was led as a sheep to slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He does not open His mouth.
33 “In humiliation His judgment was taken away; Who will relate His generation? For His life is removed from the earth.” 34 The eunuch answered Philip and said, “Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him. 36 As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch *said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 37 [Early mss do not contain this v And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”] 38 And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he kept preaching the gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea.

O-This passage is truly the first spirit led documentation of evangelism. We can see that Philip guided by the Holy Spirit simply went where he was prompted and shared the gospel with the eat Ethiopian eunuch. Up until this point evangelism had occurred closely within the areas where Jesus and his disciples went in they didn’t carry the good news. The difference now is that Jesus has ascended to heaven and the Holy Spirit has been given to the disciples and all who serve Jesus, and now they can continue God’s ministry to Jerusalem ,Samaria, and beyond.

A-  The application for me it’s really quite simple it’s to follow Philip’s example of obedience, By putting myself in a place where the holy spirit can guide my decisions on where to go and who to talk to. Like Philip, I have a desire to see your Jesus guide me,but often let the busyness of my life prevent me from being flexible to spend time where God is calling me. Today I think I need to consider leaving space in my schedule for the Holy Spirit. That means well and pointman tomorrow important to keep in my plans are well thought out, his plans are greater than mine and I need to be Spirit lead and all that I do.


P-Dear heavenly father thank you for this devotion this morning Lord me at PCL to my heart. Lord I pray that you would show me how to be spirit led, to help me participate in the plan, but not designed the plan. I pray this all in Jesus Christ name amen.

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Facing giants in your life

Facing giants in our life
-Job 1
6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.” 8 The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.” 9 Then Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.” 12 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.


Job 2
9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!” 10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed

O-this passage is exactly the challenge I would likely not choose to take and in the end somehow pray to God I would only do as well as Job does with it.  You see God is very strategic and intentional. In a gathering of his sons he allows Satan to participate despite knowing Satan’s character. The Lord asks seating and what are you doing and Satan answers simply roaming the earth looking for people to lead away from you.  The Lord sees this answer coming, and says have you considered my faithful servant Job. The devil retorts why would I consider him you have put up a hedge protecting all around him and given him everything he’s ever needed. Ironic because Satan thinks somehow that’s an insult to God, Whilefor me as a follower of God it’s a word of encouragement knowing He can and does protect us and provide for every need. And then God replies well even if I didn’t provide for every need of Job he would be faithful. And so the trial of Job began.  It started off very bad first the Lord allowing Satan to afflict Job’s body with boils from head to toe, followed up withby a less than supportive wife who tells him “curse God and die!”. 

A-so what is my application. Comically it’s to pray the Lord never tries me the way he allowed Satan to try Job. Realistically I should recognize I am tested each day I’m in this world by the influences of Satan and therefore I need to prepare myself to have the faith that Job had and build a deep relationship with God so that when those trials come I can respond In a way that honors God.  I am to also prepare for even such a trial as Job faced.  I believe my last season I faced not Boils but deep emotional challenges to the core of my soul that caused me doubt my own faith, doubt in my own relationship with God, and doubt in my future. My lesson in that is that the time before the big trial is what’s most important, these are the times of setting the deep roots in your foundation of a relationship with God and the depth of your faith. In the end, or in the valley, all you will have is your Faith which though may be diminished,is deep enough you will still have it at the required level remaining when you are in the valleys for seeking how to respond.

P- dear heavenly father thank you Lord for today’s devotion may be sealed to my heart. Lord I pray that you would give me the faith of Job, and that depth of love and relationship with you that he had. I pray this so that I can be ready to faithfully testified to who you are in my life, and I might face great trials with the integrity and grace that Job had shown. I pray this in Jesus Christ name, amen.

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Monday, October 16, 2017

Tithing where you are


Tithing where you are
S-Malachi 3
8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. 11 Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the Lord of hosts. 12 “All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land,” says the Lord of hosts.
13 “Your words have been arrogant against Me,” says the Lord. “Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ 14 You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept His charge, and that we have walked in mourning before the Lord of hosts? 15 So now we call the arrogant blessed; not only are the doers of wickedness built up but they also test God and escape.’”

O- Malachi writes that God has spoken to him that his people needed to quit robbing him of the simple offering of a tithe. Malachi comes as the priest after the exiles return from Babylon, rebuild the walls of Jerusalem under Nehemiah, and begin restoring the nation of Israel. Malachi‘s words here indicate the need to get back to the basics, and one of the Basics is putting your trust in Him through the simple offering of 10 percent of the provision God has already blessed you with. This principle comes with a promise, when you put your trust in the Lord, acknowledge him in all that you have and all that you do, he will open up his treasures in heaven for you.

A- The application for me today is to  get my tithes and offerings realigned to our new home church here in Bremerton. I have likely waited too long to do so as we seek to make sure this church is our home church. I have kept my tithes and offerings going to New Hope in a Oahu because I know our hearts are still there. But God is showing me that we are to make this our home church and leave down this offering at his church his feet and trusting his ways.


P-Dear heavenly father, thank you for today’s lesson may it be forever sealed it to my heart. Lord thank you for growing me in this trust and obedience of your love and your provision. The lesson of tithing I have learned before, the lesson to trust you with this tithe. I look forward to the blessings you pour out on this church and my family here in Bremerton, not for my glory but for yours.  I pray all this in Jesus Christ name, amen.

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

The source of my strength

The source of my strength
s-Nehemiah 6
15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 When all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they recognized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. 

O- The Scripture comes right after Nehemiah gather a team to rebuild the wall in Jerusalem. Now there was much going against what he was trying to accomplish, many people did not wish to see the wall built, but Nehemiah persevered. What is most interesting and relevant is that the people who were against him in this endeavor lost their confidence because they recognize the work I’ve been accomplished with the help of God, and who are they to go against God. This was likely due to Nehemiah letting everyone know where his strength came from Kerry of the mission

A- The application for me is to first recognize where my strength comes from, the Lord. In all that I do if I do it for the lord then it needs to also be obvious to those I am serving and to those around me who may oppose me. Because in my life there will be adversaries and foes who do not support what I am trying to accomplish in the name of the Lord. I must let them know not so that they are scared but so that when God helps me accomplish the task at hand I can easily give God all the glory, and their hearts can be changed


P- dear heavenly father thank you for today’s devotion, may it be sealed to my heart. Lord I pray that you give me a heart of Nehemiah as a leader, who is passionate about the mission, who knows how to lead, and puts his trust in you. Help me to ensure I give you all the glory to those around me at work at home and in the community, so that they will know where my strength comes from.  I pray this in Jesus Christ name amen.

Monday, October 9, 2017

Leading Change


S -Nehemiah 2

Nehemiah Inspects Jerusalem’s Walls
11 So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. 12 And I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I did not tell anyone what my God was putting into my mind to do for Jerusalem and there was no animal with me except the animal on which I was riding. 13 So I went out at night by the Valley Gate in the direction of the Dragon’s Well and on to the Refuse Gate, inspecting the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were consumed by fire. 14 Then I passed on to the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was no place for my mount to pass. 15 So I went up at night by the ravine and inspected the wall. Then I entered the Valley Gate again and returned. 16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; nor had I as yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials or the rest who did the work.
17 Then I said to them, “You see the bad situation we are in, that Jerusalem is desolate and its gates burned by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that we will no longer be a reproach.” 18 I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me and also about the king’s words which he had spoken to me. Then they said, “Let us arise and build.” So they put their hands to the good work. 19 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard it, they mocked us and despised us and said, “What is this thing you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” 20 So I answered them and said to them, “The God of heaven will give us success; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no portion, right or memorial in Jerusalem.

O- The book of Nehemiah is a reflection on what a leader needs to do when he goes to rebuild. In this case Nehemiah has been given permission by Nebuchadnezzar to restore Jerusalem. Once Nehemiah arrives the first thing he does is takes a few good men with him to inspect the wall. He did so somewhat in secrecy so as not to arouse suspicion in fear in those in and outside of Jerusalem. Once complete with his inspection he knew what he needed to, to carefully recruit people to rebuild the wall while being politically sensitive to those in leadership in and around Jerusalem.

A-The application for me is one of learning to lead change. Almost all organizational change comes with great risk organizationally, but promises great potential. What Nehemiah does skillfully is ensures he Follows a couple of principles in leading this change. 
1.First he takes and builds a coalition trusted advisors.
  1. He does a gap analysis of what is to what should be.
  2. Then he announces his plan for change, and the source of his authority. In this case it came from both Nebuchadnezzar, and from God, two very credible sources.

P-dear heavenly father thank you for this morning‘s devotion may it be sealed to my heart.  Lord I pray that you would help me to apply this lesson to my own leadership of people that you have placed before me in the organizations that you have called me to lead. I pray that you give me the homeowners of heart in the words of wisdom to lead this kind of change, that you had Nehemiah lead. I pray this in Jesus Christ name, amen.

Thursday, October 5, 2017

The humble will be exalted

The humble will be exalted
S Luke 18
9 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

O - Holy Spirit thank you for today's message. I prayed for guidance for a situation at work I am facing and at first read of this passage I didn't get it and now I do. This parable is about me. Who at times places too much trust in myself that I am righteous and at times views those who report to me with contempt because they are not acting in a disciplined manner or like I am ( I.e. Arrogant). Jesus is delivering the parable to his disciples so they understand their role is not to judge but to repent, to lead humbly and help others come to repentance. The picture he gives is of the Pharisee praying a long prayer how good he is versus the sinner who in few words repents.  God wants us to know those who humble themselves will be exalted in those who exalt themselves will be humbled.

A-The application is definitely for me is to be wary of my own self righteousness.   Throughout my life I have gone through many challenges where I felt incompetent and unworthy to do the job I was in. But God found a way to help me through those times despite my incompetency. my humble spirit is what allowed him to lead me and allowed me to hear him.  What I have to understand now is those I lead at times are feeling equally incompetent and I must do for them as Jesus has done for me. I must listen and wait for a humble spirit willing to listen. If I bulldoze my way in to give direction, it was not well received. Even the humble in spirit feel an offense when they are not ready to receive help.  I must remember to give each individual that the choice to choose to seek help.  Well that doesn't mean the passive and watch someone go to their destruction,  but it does mean that like Jesus has done for me, I wait watch and protect those he has given me to shepherd.  When someone is in harms way and unable to protect themselves I am obligated to be a good shepherd and Step in.



P- dear heavenly father, thank you for this message this morning. I pray that you would help me to be a good leader and wise counselor, and a good shepherd like Jesus. I pray this in Jesus Christ name, amen.

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Forgiving like christ

Forgiving like Christ does
S Luke 17
1 He said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3 Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”

O-This  passage in Luke reminds me of a conversation I had with my own kids just yesterday. Jesus here is saying to the disciples there is innocence in men still, and in its purest form we have the children.  Children have not yet been worn down by the worlds ways and are in many cases closer to God's original intention for his creation, than us world torn adults. It is because of our evil ways, and in the influence of the devil in this world that our children become like us eventually separated from God because of sin.  God gives a warning that the person who is a stumbling block to repentance and reconnecting with God is much worse off than a simple sinner them selves. But then Jesus goes on to describe gods grace.   He says if a brother comes to you and repents we are to forgive them.   Because Jesus knows our cynical heart, he describes what we are to do if that same person sins against you seven times a day, he explains we are to forgive him even then. You see we think Grace is earned, God thinks Grace is his to give.  God would like us to be more and more like his son Jesus each and every day therefore we must learn to forgive with the grace that God does.

A - The application for me is actually very simple because of how Jesus has set the words and example to me what God's grace is. I need to forgive and show grace like Jesus does. Oh that doesn't mean I have to be soft on sin.  It means I have to hate the sin and not hate the sinner. It means that I can hold my brothers accountable but when in repentance comes I must be willing to freely give forgiveness. The second part of forgiveness is forgetfulness, in becoming more like Christ. No longer can I go back and hold onto the previous in on that person's account, I must move forward as if it never occurred. This could be a big challenge but I am confident through Christ all things are possible even in me a sinner who judges and holds grudges.


P-Dear heavenly father thank you for today's devotion. May it be sealed to my heart. Lord I pray that you would help me to respond to sin like Jesus did, and help me to give grace and forgiveness like you have exampled through your son.I pray this all in Jesus Christ name, amen.

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Unrighteous leadership corrected

S - Luke 16

1 Now He was also saying to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions.2 And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ 3 The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg. 4 I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes.’ 5 And he summoned each one of his master’s debtors, and he began saying to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ And he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He *said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8 And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light. 9 And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.

O -  Wow, I hope I get this observation right, I am sensing I have a new understanding of this parable that Jesus is telling his disciples. He is telling of a manager who is not doing such a great job. The master is about to discipline and take away all his authority, when the manager decides to act very shrewdly and forgive debts of those fellow managers which will bring him favor with them even if he gets fired. In the end the master gives praise to the unrighteous manager because he acted shrewdly. Then comes the warning that Israels leaders in that age Jesus was in would not act shrewdly in their case. I believe that Jesus was telling this to his disciples so they would not be like the Pharisees who had not been acting as unrighteous managers of God's people when Jesus came down to correct them. He will be replacing the leadership of God's people with his disciples, and the Pharisees didn't see it coming, and those who did didn't act as shrewdly as the unrighteous manager did.  

A- The application for me is not to be arrogant that I am on the sides of the disciples and Jesus, but that I am more likely to act like Pharisees if I don't guard my heart seek Jesus, and follow the Holy Spirit. For me this does happen periodically I can think of times when I became confident in myself, or confident in my position, and have allowed my extreme discipline and high standards to take me too far in my leadership of my people. I recognize that it is good to have high standards, or understand the standards of God, but I must recognize all fall short and God's grace and love is sufficient to bridge the gap. For me my leadership I must also understand the high standard on which I desire us to operate, but so there is sufficient grace and love to bridge the gap between where we long to be and where we are.


P-dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for this morning's devotion and your revealing of this parable of the unrighteous servant. I believe Lord you were speaking directly to my heart as a follower of Jesus, and a leader of men. Lord help transform my mind and heart in this leadership role you have placed me in here at Puget Sound Naval shipyard, help me to lead like Jesus. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

Monday, October 2, 2017

The source of our strength and peace


The source of our strength and peace
S- Psalm 147
10 He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.
11 The Lord favors those who fear Him, Those who wait for His lovingkindness.
12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For He has strengthened the bars of your gates; He has blessed your sons within you.
14 He makes peace in your borders; He satisfies you with the finest of the wheat.

O- this song is for those like me who at times and allow pride to get in our way. God's people because they follow him often times find themselves in favorable situations.  This can leave them falsely to the conclusion that your hard work and their talents have gotten them to this place of peace and abundance. And that's the cycle that men and women of God begin to delight in their own strengths and lose their reverence for what the Lord is doing in their lives. This song is an exhortation and a warning.

A-The application for me is to be both encouraged by this song, and cautious of myself righteousness. I am to be encouraged because God is with me he favors me because I fear him and wait on him. He allows me to be disciplined when I rely on my own strength he allows me to be bound by this world when I begin to feel free from him.  God is faithful to me either way, but I know the way in which I desire to live is one in which I fear the Lord and trust in him.


P- dear heavily father thank you for today's devotion,  for its simplicity and for its depth.  Lord I pray that you help me to walk this walk that you have described here in which I am to genuinely fear and have reverence of you and never forget you are in my life and in this world.  Lord thank you for the many many blessings you've already given in lord if I haven't done it enough I want to give you praise glory and honor for the piece you brighten to my family and my life in the strength knowledge and skills you have blessed me with. I pray all of this in Jesus name, amen.

Sunday, October 1, 2017

Leading with humility

Leading with humility
S Luke 14
7 And He began speaking a parable to the invited guests when He noticed how they had been picking out the places of honor at the table, saying to them, 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him, 9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place. 10 But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

O  This parable was given to Jesus'  disciples so would understand the lesson in leadership that we are to lead with humility. In the traditions of the times, when invited to someone's house for dinner there was a order of precedence at which people sat at the table. The guest of honor and the host at the head, and then the more distinguished guest closer to the head of the table. What Jesus teaches his disciples here is that to leading with humbleness first ensures that you are not humiliated, but come as a humble servant.  This insurers your heart is in the right place to serve, and that you are not exalting yourself above the one who sent you, or called for you.

A The application for me seems clear, that I am called by God the father, to serve and to lead. When I allow my arrogance to take over, I am exulting myself above him who sent me. This particularly resonates in me as I experience my taking the role as the operations officer at Puget Sound Naval shipyard. God has set me to serve, and when I see the gaps in what I believe good looks like, I have at times attacked the people have not the process.  I have not started at the end of the table I have a mediately exulted myself to the top. This is especially true when leading the project superintendent's in my shipyard. I need to begin my approach with them by sitting at the end of the table and waiting for the project superintendent to invite me in.


P. Lord this is my prayer that you grow me to be a humble servant leader. That you would help me to example what Christ has done for all of us.  Help me to do this at home and lead my wife and children, at work with those I work for, and those who work for me and finally the peers in which I lead along side. I pray this in Jesus name amen.