9/9/18

God changes us through people, in-spite of our shortcomings

for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.
1 Corinthians 16:9 ESV

My friend Jason asked me to listen to Ron Carpenter's levels. A teaching that affirms God isn't a God of a lottery but of levels. It's based on Ruth 2, where Ruth had to go into the field to be seen by Boaz. He teaches that being faithful with little things leads to bigger things. I can see how this teaching is valuable for getting un-stuck. God meets us where we are but doesn't leave us there.

Bigs idea: Realize God's blessings, when helping someone in need and accepting good advice (doing it faithfully)

  • You can't go into your future dragging your past (Ruth 1)
  • You can't have favor unless someone sees you (Ruth 2)
    • Our world has representatives (Preachers, Christians represent God). When someone prays and I show up - I'm Jesus to that person. God doesn't always like how he's represented.
    • We've experienced disappointment in our representatives' politicians, realtors, lawyers, managers, employees
  • You've got to change people (Ruth 2:8)
    • Get involved with believers, go and become part of what God is doing in the church
    • Be under the protection and guidance of godly ministry
  • Things can change
    • Nothing we are dealing with is a terminal sentence (finance, health, emotions, relationships)
    • God is all about change, Jesus came to change things, sent the Holy Spirit to change things
    • Jesus came to give life, don't be addicted to church

So then yesterday, I met Vince Miller of beresolute.org. He talked about mentoring as being a little skill and a little time invested in someone for some time. Jesus had 12 guys and 22 months. I've asked him about presenting at my work (SALT) and he gave me this great book, Thirty Virtues That Build A Man. He said every problem in the world is the fault of gender men. Our worst enemy is apathy. Men don't mentor men for two reasons, 1) don't have time, 2) don't know what to do.

I'm signed up for man-up-2018-fall-emaw-fridays.



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