Posts Tagged "perspective"

Sometimes Jesus can be such a downer. In Mark 13:1-2, the disciples comment on the glory and beauty of the temple, and rather than join them in admiring the structure and stones, He replies, "Do you see these great buildings?  There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." Indeed, the word of Jesus was fulfilled in 70 A.D. when the temple was destroyed by the Roman empire, whose soldiers actually did tear apart one stone from the other in order to extract for Rome's treasuries as much as possible of the building's ornamental gold.

His heart is beating...but he cannot breathe on his own. Only his life support tube keeps him functioning. His heart is beating, but he can do nothing but lie there, draining the resources of his caregiver. His heart is beating, but he is causing great stress to his family, for whom it would be so much easier to pull the plug...

If I am a leader, how should I pray? “[Jesus] said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.’” - Luke 22:25-27 The true leader’s prayer of thanks is not, “Thank You for these people to lead,” but rather, “Thank you for these people to serve.” Indeed, the heart and essence of Christian leadership is Christ-like service, which places the good of the others above our own...

“So now today we are slaves in the land of plenty that You gave our people for their enjoyment! We are slaves here in this good land.” -Nehemiah 9:36 How quick we are to blame God for our misfortune, when it is infinitely more likely that He is the one who brought us in to the Promised Land, and we are the ones who threw it away. Let us take our eyes off the land, however good or bad it may be, and let us look instead on the Lord who gives all good things. In this, we may soon find our hearts open to enjoy the blessings He’s already given, and our hands open to receive the ones on the way.

If a person or plan fails miserably, congratulations are rather unwarranted. Why is it, though, that God often treats us just the opposite?