Doing What He Says..

Walk in obedience to all that the Lord  your God has commanded you.—Deuteronomy 5:33

I needed an underground water tank and knew precisely how I wanted it constructed, so I gave clear instructions to the builder. The next day when I inspected the project, I was annoyed when I realized that he had failed to carry out my instructions. He had changed the plan and therefore the effect. The excuse he gave was as irritating as his failure to follow my directives.

As I watched him redo the concrete work, and as my frustration diminished, a guilty conviction swept over me: How many times have I needed to redo things in my life in obedience to the Lord?

Like the ancient Israelites who frequently failed to do what God asked them to do, we too often go our own way. Yet obedience is a desired result of our deepening relationship with God. Moses told the people, “Be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you . . . . Walk in obedience to all that [he] has commanded you” (Deut. 5:32–33). Long after Moses, Jesus urged His disciples to trust Him and to love one another.

This is still the kind of surrender of our hearts that leads to our well-being. As the Spirit helps us to obey, it is good to remember that He “works in [us] to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Phil. 2:13). —Lawrence Darmani

Lord, thank You for second and third chances. Please help us to want to follow Your ways and to follow through in obedience.

The closer we walk with God, the clearer we see His guidance.

INSIGHT: The Bible’s overarching story is the loving God reaching down to rescue His broken, rebellious creation and His ultimate expression of love in His Son, Jesus. Jesus Christ came to rescue and restore us to the relationship with the Father we lost in the fall. Deuteronomy, which is part of that story, is the final book of the Pentateuch, the opening five books of the Bible. These books form the platform for the entire Bible, which is God’s instruction to us. They are also known as “the five scrolls” and, in Judaism, as theTorah (the “instruction” of Moses). They cover both a long and short period of human history.

Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.

A Legacy Life...

A good name is more desirable than great riches. —Proverbs 22:1

While staying in a hotel in a small town I noticed that the church across the street was having a service. People were jammed into the church with a standing-room-only crowd of both young and old flowing out onto the sidewalk. When I noticed a hearse by the curb, I realized it was a funeral. And given the crowd, I assumed that it was the celebration of the life of some local hero—perhaps a wealthy businessperson or a famous personality. Curious, I said to the desk clerk, “That’s an amazing turnout for a funeral; it must be for a famous person in town.”

“No,” he replied. “He wasn’t rich or famous but he was a good man.”

This reminded me of the wisdom of the proverb that says, “A good name is more desirable than great riches” (Prov. 22:1). It’s a good idea to think about what kind of legacy we are leaving for our family, friends, and neighbors. From God’s perspective it’s not our resumé or the amount of money we’ve accumulated that matters but rather the kind of life we have lived.

When a friend of mine passed away, his daughter wrote, “This world has lost a righteous man and in this world that is no small thing!” It’s that kind of legacy that we should be seeking for the glory of God. —Joe Stowell

When We Don’t Understand...

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord . —Isaiah 55:8

Although I depend on technology every day to get my job done, I don’t understand much about how it works. I turn my computer on, bring up a Word document, and get to work on my writing. Yet my inability to comprehend how microchips, hard drives, Wi-Fi connections, and full-color displays actually function doesn’t get in the way of my benefiting from technology.

In a sense, this mirrors our relationship with God. Isaiah 55:8-9 reminds us that God is far beyond us: “ ‘My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord . ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ ”

Even though we don’t understand everything about God, that doesn’t prevent us from trusting Him. He has proven His love for us. The apostle Paul wrote, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). Trusting that love, we can walk with Him even when life doesn’t make sense. —Bill Crowder

Heavenly Father, thank You that although I cannot comprehend You, I can know You. I’m grateful. Remind me that even though You and Your ways might be beyond me, I can always count on Your love for me and Your presence with me.
Share your story of God’s faithfulness onourdailybread.org/story.

The Top 10 Leadership Competencies...

What are the most important leadership skills? How many do you possess?

Posted Apr 27, 2014

Managers, aspiring managers, and top-level leaders are all concerned with developing the competencies they need to become more effective leaders. More than 100 years ofleadership research has outlined the successful skills and abilities that are associated with leadership effectiveness. Here are my top 10, derived from our own research and the broader research literature. 

1. Social Intelligence (SI). This is not only one of the best predictors of effective leadership, but it is poorly understood and under-researched. Social intelligence is quite broad, but can best be seen in terms of understanding of social situations and dynamics, and ability to operate effectively in a variety of social situations. Our research suggests that social intelligence, which we define as a constellation of social performance, sensitivity to social situations, and role-playing skill are critically important for effective leadership.

How to develop SI? Expose yourself to different people, different social situations, and work to develop your social perceptiveness and ability to engage others in conversation.More on this here.

2. Interpersonal Skills. Interpersonal skills could be seen as a subset of social intelligence, but these are the more relationship-oriented aspects of social effectiveness. We often talk about the “soft skills” of the leader, and these are best represented by interpersonal skills.

How to develop interpersonal skills? Become an active listener, work on conversational and speaking skills, (join toastmasters; networking groups), and work on your personal relationships with friends, relatives, and your significant other. These skills will generalize to workplace relationships. More on soft skills here.

3. Emotional Skills/Intelligence (EI). A complement to social intelligence, emotional intelligence is our ability to communicate at the emotional level, understand emotions and emotional situations, and be in tune with our own emotions. These are particularly related to leadership “charisma.”

How to develop EI? Practice “reading” others’ nonverbal cues, particularly cues of emotion. Learn to regulate and control your emotions and your emotional outbursts. Practice expressing feelings and become an effective emotional “actor” – learning how to express emotions appropriately. More on emotional communication here.

4. Prudence. Prudence is one of Aristotle’s cardinal virtues. A synonym is “wisdom,” but it comes from being able to see others’ perspectives and through being open to and considering others’ points of view.

How to develop Prudence? Listen to others. Work to be more open and more broad minded. Learn to ask for others’ opinions and consider them as you choose a course of action.

5. Courage. A second cardinal virtue is “Fortitude,” or courage. This is having the courage to take calculated risks and the courage to: (a) stand up for what you believe; (b) do the right thing.

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How to develop Courage? This takes some effort, but is rooted in developing and holding onto strong personal values. If you truly value something or someone you will have the courage to stand by your principles (and your people). More on leader virtues here.

6. Conflict Management. This is a “higher order” interpersonal skill that involves helping colleagues to avoid or resolve interpersonal conflicts. Leaders are often called upon to adjudicate when members are in conflict, but it also involves having the ability to either avoid or resolve your own conflict situations.

How to develop Conflict Management Skills. There are courses and workshops available to help you understand and learn conflict management strategies. A big part of conflict management is helping conflicting parties to collaborate (a win-win outcome) or to compromise (each party needs to be flexible and give up something).

7. Decision Making. One of the core competencies for leaders is the ability to make good decisions or lead a good decision making process. There are better and worse ways to make decisions, and a good leader understands when to make a decision, when to consult subordinates or peers and bring them into the decision making process, and when it’s time to step back and let others decide.

How to develop Decision Making Skills. Experience and studying when decisions have gone wrong and gone right is the best way to hone these skills. We often learn more from our mistakes than from our successes.

8. Political Skills. Let’s face it. Every group or organization is, at its core, full of politicking. People will try to bend rules, gain allies, push their personal agenda, etc., in order to try to get ahead. An effective leader is a good political player, who knows how the game is played, but can also manage political behavior so that it does not lead to group or organizational dysfunction.

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How to develop Political Skills. Similar to many of the more highly-developed leadership competencies, political skills are learned through experience and learning about people and social dynamics.

9. Influence Skills. At its core, leadership is about influencing others, so a great leader is a master of social influence, and able to wield power effectively and fairly.  Calling on your interpersonal ("soft") skills can make you much more influential in a leadership role. 

How to develop Influence Skills.  Training in debate helps with making reasoned, well-thought-out arguments.  Seeing things from another's perspective can help you understand what they want from a negotiation, and allows you to focus on win-win situations.

10. Area Expertise/Competence. Many people might list this first, but in today’s world, knowledge of all aspects of the job is not as important as it used to be. In high-tech industries, or creative firms, team members may have more relevant knowledge and expertise than leaders. Still, it is important that leaders develop their expertise in the particular situation, organization, or industry in which they lead.

How to develop Area Expertise. Like all of these competencies, development is a lifelong process. Effective leaders gain expertise and competence and try to learn as much as they can about their product, their organization, and their team members. Study the organization. Study competitors. Continue your education. 

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https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201404/the-top-10-leadership-competencies

No Fear...

The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid.” —Luke 2:10

Nearly every time an angel appears in the Bible, the first words he says are, “Do not be afraid” (Dan. 10:12, 19; Matt. 28:5; Rev. 1:17). Little wonder. When the supernatural makes contact with planet Earth, it usually leaves the human observers flat on their faces in catatonic fear. But Luke tells of God making an appearance on earth in a form that does not frighten. In Jesus, born in a barn and laid in a feeding trough, God finds at last a mode of approach that we need not fear. What could be less scary than a newborn baby?

Puzzled skeptics stalked Jesus throughout His ministry. How could a baby in Bethlehem, a carpenter’s son, be the Messiah from God? But a group of shepherds in a field had no doubt about who He was, for they heard the message of good news straight from a choir of angels (2:8-14).

Why did God take on human form? The Bible gives many reasons, some densely theological and some quite practical; but the scene of Jesus as an adolescent lecturing rabbis in the temple gives one clue (v. 46). For the first time, ordinary people could hold a conversation, a debate, with God in visible form. Jesus could talk to anyone—His parents, a rabbi, a poor widow—without first having to announce, “Don’t be afraid.”

In Jesus, God comes close to us. —Philip Yancey

I’m humbled, Lord, that You would come near to me. But I’m grateful. Thank You.
For further study read Is Jesus God?

MY GREATEST TREASURE...

The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field which a person finds… – Matthew 13:44

 

       In January 1991, my officemate, Perci, invited me to their weekly prayer meeting. I obliged and joined their worship and listened to the talk. During the sharing portion, I had the boldness to share, “I feel that this is where I belong.” I felt I was home and they were my family.

       Through the years as a member and servant of The Light of Jesus Family, I’ve learned a lot from the teachings, seminars, workshops and trainings of the community. I’ve served in various ministries. I’ve found God in people I’ve met and in the service that I do.

       I believe that I have found my greatest treasure — a personal relationship with God who loves me unconditionally, who forgives me unendingly, who searches for me untiringly, in a community that helps me in my journey to holiness and wholeness. Meann Tee

 

Reflection: What do you value most in life? Have you found your greatest treasure? God is searchable and reachable. He is waiting for you to receive His love and forgiveness.

 

Father, thank You for helping me find my greatest treasure — You. May I help others find theirs, too. Amen.

GOOD NEWS OR BAD NEWS?

For in truth it was the Lord who sent me to you, to speak all things for you to hear. – Jeremiah 26:15

 

       Let’s admit it. It’s difficult to take correction from others. Or put in another way, it is hard to acknowledge the errors of our ways when others point them out to us. We don’t like to be told we are wrong. More so, if we strongly believe there is really nothing wrong!

       In today’s First Reading, this is exactly how the religious leaders felt when Jeremiah exhorted them and their community to reform their lives. So much was their indignation that they wanted Jeremiah executed. Their pride got the better of them. They saw Jeremiah as meddlesome and failed to realize that he was actually a bearer of good news.

      Today’s reading challenges us to rethink our response when someone disagrees with us or points out what he thinks is our mistake. It also challenges us to acknowledge that maybe we needed to hear that correction. It reminds us to set aside our pride and be open to the criticism and correction by not reacting to them but responding with love and understanding. We will be the better person for it. Erwin Roceles

 

Reflection: “Never assume that every critic is a hater. Not everyone is hating on you. Some people are telling you the truth.” (Unknown)

 

Dear Lord, grant me the grace to accept my many shortcomings, especially those that others have graciously pointed out to me. I pray that I may learn from them and strive to be better in my ways. Amen.