Leadership

Can Being Grateful Improve Your Life

Leadership
November 25, 2024 by Stan Ponz No Comments

Views: 48

I find November is a particular time of year time to reflect upon what the Bible has to say about gratitude. It is a busy season for ministry and business leaders because we’re preparing for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, and even preparing for the following year. Our calendars are full. 

Also, as we enter the year’s final weeks, it’s an important time to reflect upon the past year while preparing for the upcoming year. And gratitude is an essential part of that process.

Reading through Scripture will reveal how vital gratitude is to God. I read that over 400 Bible verses reference Thanksgiving or gratitude. From them came two major themes. 

First, God wants gratitude to be the leading motivation behind everything in our lives. Paul tells us this in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (NKJV).

Next, God rewards gratitude with blessings and benefits. Even scientific studies have shown in recent years the many benefits and blessings. Here are a few and some new ones.

What are some of those benefits?

  1. Gratitude can improve brain and physical health.
    Doctors and, most important, Scripture says that gratitude is a healthy human emotion. It improves your brain and your physical health. “A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22 NKJV).
  1. Gratitude can increase happiness.
    Some of the happiest people are those who are the most grateful. Focusing on the good things God has done in your life will bring you joy. David wrote, “The LORD has done great things for us, and we are glad” (Psalm 126:3 NKJV).
  1. Gratitude can be the remedy for toxic emotions.
    Gratitude defeats emotions such as worry, depression, anger, and fear. It is impossible to be grateful and worried at the same time. 

Here is what Paul says about gratitude and the kind of peace that overcomes negative emotions: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV).

  1. Gratitude can improve relationships.
    Whether it’s your relationship with your spouse, children, coworkers, or neighbors, gratitude will improve it. You’ll likely have fewer arguments when you express more genuine thankfulness for the people in your life.
  1. Gratitude can provide more opportunities.
    When you express gratitude, you receive new opportunities you may not have otherwise. People respond to appreciation. 
  1. Gratitude indicates spiritual maturity.
    It is easy to know someone is growing spiritually when you see them express gratitude. Colossians 2:6, 7 says, “As you, therefore, have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.” (NKJV).
  1. Gratitude will please the Lord and bring his blessings.
    God says in Psalm 50:23, “Whoever offers praise glorifies Me;” (NKJV). Praising and thanking God often go together in the Bible. It has always baffled me that we spend very little time giving thanks to the Lord on Thanksgiving Day. We spend hours planning for the day with decorations, preparing meals, watching football, and hanging out with family. Then we may spend a couple of minutes thanking God before dinner.

We enjoy hearing our children say, “thank you,” the Lord wants us to express gratitude when we stop our busy lives (or Thanksgiving celebrations).

Let’s make Thanksgiving Day all year long.

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Reading time: 2 min
Leadership

Three Reasons Why Faithfulness Is Important

Leadership
November 18, 2024 by Stan Ponz No Comments

Views: 51

“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” 
2 Chronicles 16:9 (NKJV)

The Bible expresses three truths about the importance of faithfulness in our lives:

  1. God is looking for faithful people.

God is actively taking the initiative to look for faithful people he can bless. “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”  2 Chronicles 16:9

God is looking for faithful people whom he can use.

  1. Faithful people are hard to find.

The Bible says in Proverbs 20:6, “Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, but who can find a faithful man?” A lot of people talk the talk, but they don’t trust God. They say they believe in God but don’t trust him regarding their finances, health, or job.

Psalm 53:2, 3 says this: “God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. Every one of them has turned aside;

They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, no, not one.”

  1. Faithfulness is the key to blessing and victory.

First John 5:4-5 says, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” 

The Bible says in Proverbs 28:20, “A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.” God wants your life to be overflowing with his blessings. But to have those blessings, you must learn to trust him. Will you let God grow you in this area so you can be a person of faith?

 

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Reading time: 1 min
Leadership

Five Marks of A Spiritually Mature Leader

Leadership
November 11, 2024 by Stan Ponz No Comments

Views: 75

God wants all of us to grow.  Maturity is one of God’s purposes for our lives.  Hebrews 6:1 tells us, “Let us press on to maturity” (NASB). God intends for us to continually pursue spiritual growth so that we may “be conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29 NKJV).  

One of God’s purposes for your ministry or Christian business is to help your people grow toward spiritual maturity.  Yet there is much confusion about what Christian maturity looks like.  As you’re making disciples, you must make it clear what it is to grow in the Lord.

Maturity isn’t about how old you are.  You can be a Christian for many years and still not be mature. The Lord doesn’t want us to grow old in Christ but to grow up in Christ.

Maturity isn’t about what you look like.  Some people may look like they are spiritually mature, but they aren’t.  You aren’t holy just because you look dignified. 

Maturity isn’t about accomplishments.  You can achieve much without being mature in your faith. 

Maturity isn’t about scholarship and knowledge.  A Bible college or seminary degree doesn’t make you spiritually mature. 

You don’t get to be mature by comparing yourself to anyone else.  You become mature by comparing yourself to the Word of God.  The book of James is a manual on how to be mature.

It gives us five marks of spiritual maturity.

  1. A mature leader is positive under difficulty. “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing” (James 1:2-4 NLT).

    Just because you trusted Christ as your Savior and then chose to follow Him doesn’t mean you won’t face troubles.  The question isn’t whether you’ll experience problems but how you respond and react to them.  Do you get nervous, uptight, or negative?  Do you grumble?

    You can be full of Bible knowledge and still grumpy under challenges.  A mature Christian can be under stress and still be joyful.

  2. A mature leader is sensitive to people.“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well;” (James 2:8 NKJV).

    When children are immature, they are entirely self-focused. But mature people don’t just want their needs to be met; they want the needs of others to be met. 

    In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus states we’ll be judged for how we treat others—not how many Bible verses we know or how often we attend church. 
  3. A mature leader has mastered his mouth. “For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.” (James 3:2 NKJV). 

    When you go for a checkup, doctors often say, “Stick out your tongue.” The doctor looks at your tongue to begin to determine the condition of your health.  In a similar way, the Lord does that spiritually, too.  

    James 3 gives us several illustrations regarding the tongue.  The chapter calls it a bridle to a horse (3:3), an udder to a ship (3:4), and a spark to a fire (3:5-6).  James 3:8 says, “But no man can tame the tongue.  It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”  (NKJV)

    Earlier in the book, James writes: “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.” (James 1:26 NKJV).  Gossip, spreading rumors, and constant negative talk are signs you’re immature in the faith.
  1. A mature leader is a peacemaker, not a troublemaker. “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?” (James 4:1 NIV). 

    Don’t we all know Christians who seem to make more trouble than they make peace?  Conflict isn’t a Christian virtue.  It’s a true sign of immaturity. 

    James states that being selfish and judgmental are the two most significant sources of conflict.  Both prevent us from having the Christ-like maturity Jesus asks us to pursue.  Pride keeps us from admitting we’re wrong.  It is not our place to be judgmental; only the Lord has that right.  

    Christian maturity means learning to stop being selfish and judgmental because it regularly causes conflict.

  2. A mature leader is patient and prayerful. “…be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.  You also be patient.  Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” (James 5:7-8 NIV).

    Patience and prayerfulness go together.  They both identify an attitude of dependence upon the Lord that demonstrates the marks of a spiritually mature leader.  As James 5 notes, it’s the demeanor farmers understand.  Farmers must do a lot of waiting.  No crops mature overnight.  Just like patient farmers, we must wait for God to work in our lives.  If you can’t wait, you can’t be patient.  Patience is a key element of maturity.

As you’re trying to help people grow spiritually, don’t fall victim to the trap of thinking the people in your ministry or business who know the most Scripture are necessarily the most mature.  Instead, look at how God is transforming their character into His likeness.  Ask yourself:

    • How does this person handle difficulties?
    • Is this person sensitive to the needs and personalities of other people?
    • Does this person manage the way they speak to others?
    • Is this person a peacemaker or troublemaker?
    • Does this person pray without quitting?

That’s the kind of person who is mature and growing into Christlikeness.  And those are the marks of a spiritually mature leader.

 

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Reading time: 5 min
Leadership

Five Ways to Maintain Unity and Harmony in Your Ministry or Business

Leadership
November 4, 2024 by Stan Ponz No Comments

Views: 74

Unity and harmony within our ministries or businesses have been strained and tested over the past few years.  The world has become more divided, causing people to take sides on many issues.

As a leader, you need to guard the unity and harmony of your ministry or business. 

For God to move in your ministry or business, it needs to be united—no matter what’s occurring in the culture and worldwide.  I’m convinced that we’ll have the church’s power in Acts when we have the church’s unity in Acts.  Then we’ll be able to set aside our petty differences and disagreements and unite around one thing: the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 4:32).

So how can you maintain unity and harmony when forces surrounding your ministry try to split it apart?

Here are five ways to safeguard the unity and harmony of your ministry or business. 

  1. Cultivate an attitude of acceptance in your ministry or business.

Accepting people where they are is essential, not where you want them to be.  It is wise not to major on minor issues.  It is not necessary to require that everyone agrees on every minor detail. Romans 14:1 says, “Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.” (NLT).

Notice that Paul recognizes those “who are weak in the faith.” You won’t agree on everything and don’t need to do so to have unity in your ministry. 

  1. Concentrate on your shared purpose.

First Corinthians 1:10 reminds us, “I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other.  Let there be no divisions in the church.  Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose” (NLT).

Focusing on a shared purpose leads to unity.  That’s why we focus on our purpose to exist at Make It Clear Ministries and Clarity Christian College.  It helps us stay on the “same page.” I wouldn’t want to be a part of another ministry unless I was confident about where it was going.  Therefore, I shouldn’t expect others to do so, either. 

  1. Control your what you say.

Don’t let gossip fester in your ministry or business.  When someone comes with a problem, have your leaders ask themselves: “Is this a valid concern?” If it is, they need to know where to take the concern.  If it’s not, they need to have the other person stop gossiping.

The Bible says gossip is a sin.  When you listen to it, you become a cohort in it.  Ephesians 4:29 says, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” (NASB).

Rick Warren asks and answers, what is gossip?  Gossip is when you’re sharing a problem or criticism with someone who is neither part of the problem nor part of the solution.

  1. Communicate that people should support their leaders.

Hebrews 13:17 should get the attention of everyone in ministry leadership: “Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say.  Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God.  Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow.  That would certainly not be for your benefit” (NLT). It’s not the part about people obeying leaders that is most important to me.  It’s the part that says, “They are accountable to God.” 

One day we will stand and give an account before the Lord for the people we lead.  He’ll hold us accountable for the direction of the church or business and the spiritual development of those we lead.

  1. Continue God’s method of conflict resolution.

Matthew 18:15-17 gives us the plan to follow when the unity and harmony of the ministry are under attack.  The solution is to go directly to the person with whom we have a problem.  If that person doesn’t listen, you should bring along with you another observer.  If the person still doesn’t listen, bring them before the senior leadership and let them decide how much further this should go.

What happens if the person still doesn’t listen and gets into the “unity room”?  You still love them but don’t have them continue in your ministry or business.

If you’re a Christian leader, unity and harmony are your responsibility.  Jesus tells us that our unity will be a witness for Him (John 13:35).

What do your ministry’s or business’s unity and harmony tell the world about God?

 

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