"And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, 'Wash, and be clean'?" ~ II Kings 5:13 REFERENCE: II Kings 5:1-14 The spectacular and supernatural often impress people. We forget that we live in a world with tangible realities that God created and whose laws He rarely violates but works through to achieve His purposes. God does miracles, but not always. The tired person will need rest and not pray...
"No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you." ~ John 15:15 REFERENCE: John 15:9-17 Jesus models friendly leadership to us in our text. We have seen how He, God in human flesh, chose to call His 'subjects' friends. The philosopher Cicero said, "Life is nothing without friendship." Understanding this as a leader should motivate you to build a culture of friendship amongst and with your team, remembering that they spend...
"No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you." ~ John 15:15 REFERENCE: John 15:9-17 Jesus set a new standard for leadership by calling his team members friends. Little wonder they took His message to the ends of the world after his death. The impact of His decision to become a friendly leader is still felt today. Young king Rehoboam, in one of yesterday's texts, was advised to become a friendly...
“No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.” ~ John 15:15 REFERENCE: John 15:9-17 Friendship takes every relationship to the next level. We often downplay friendship, but it is a powerful force. A marriage stands a better chance if the spouses are friends; you would do better in math if your teacher were your friend and would relax to let a doctor who is also a friend perform...
"And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"” ~ John 4:51 REFERENCE: John 4:46-54 God is not a respecter of persons but a respecter of principles. What He does for one, He will do for another if they follow the same steps. Wherever God sees faith, He extends a blank cheque for men to fill. From a place of anxiety and desperation, the Nobleman received healing for his dying son. God can do the same for you, no matter how dire your situation is; but how did this miracle...
"Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives." So, the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way." ~ John 4:50 REFERENCE: John 4:46-54 A most distressing situation for any parent is to have a sick child whose sickness has lingered and defied medicine. A sense of confusion and hopelessness must have overwhelmed this Nobleman's mind, wondering how he would help his son. He appealed to Jesus on a not-too-sure platform in his request. Still, we eventually see him rise to an admirable level of faith. We hear the irritation in...
"The sick man answered, 'Sir, there is no one to help me get into the water when it starts moving. I try to be the first one into the water. But when I try, someone else always goes in before I can.'" ~ John 5:7 (ERV) REFERENCE: John 5:1-9 (ERV) We often find ourselves in situations where we wish to get something, be somewhere, or have the opportunity to meet someone, but our wishes elude us. A sense of hopelessness soon engulfs you, and you mutter, "I have no one to help me." Especially in a country like ours where it...
"Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." ~ Proverbs 27:6 REFERENCE: Proverbs 27:5-6 Our text sounds like an oddity; 'wounds of a friend.' This is not how many of us see friendship; we see it as a safe space, a platform for expressing and receiving love, and it is. However, there is more; friendship hurts sometimes, and many who do not understand this have been hurt by it and have vowed to be loners, unwilling to mingle with others because of such hurts. We are humans, limited in knowledge and a bag of...
"But Moses said to God, "I am not a great man! How can I be the one to go to Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt?"– Exodus 3:11 (ERV) REFERENCE: Exodus 3:7-11, 4:1-10 (ERV) Ask many people; they will tell you they believe that God can do great things, but they are not sure He can do it through or for them. God may use some well-known person with an illustrious background, but rarely them. It is a mindset that says, "I am not a great man, so don't expect great things from me." Before you can...
"This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare." ~ I Timothy 1:18 REFERENCE: I Timothy 1:18-20 Every Word spoken by God is a sure word of prophecy that has the potential to produce whatever it promises. You can trust the integrity of the Word of God and the God behind the Word to do what He says. Prophecies or bible promises won't just happen, however. It would be best to position yourself to war with prophecies until you see them manifest. You...