Let Your Praise Come from Others

 Proverbs 27:2

Let another praise you, and not your own mouth;

someone else, and not your own lips.

This is a challenge for most of us.  We would much rather make sure everyone knows all the great things we have done instead of waiting for someone else to tell the world.  I think, so often, our biggest fear in this matter is that no one will.  We fear that no one will talk about how awesome we are and tell others about us.  This fear drives us to boasting and praising ourselves.

How much do you enjoy being around people who are constantly singing their own praises?  How much fun is it to spend time with a self-promoter?  How often do you fall into the trap of being one of these two characters?

Being around proud and arrogant people is miserable.  People get sick of them very quickly.  If this is you, I have news for you:  The reason no one is talking about your awesomeness is because you aren't.  No one cares about how great you think you are.

Letting someone else edify you and tell others about the great things you have done is difficult.  It requires humility.  Most of the time, the things other people think are awesome about you and tell others about is stuff you don't think is that big of a deal.  It's just a natural part of who you are, but some people see it as what makes you amazing.

This brings up another point about boasting.  Often the stuff we boast about isn't really that great.  People hear it and think, "Really?  You think that's awesome?  Everybody does that, they just do it better."

What we say, and how we say it tells people alot about us.  If you want people to think highly of you it's time to stop making that the focus of your interactions with others.  Be humble.  Talk about them.  Ask them questions about themselves and be impressed with what they tell you.  Stop trying so hard to be impressive to others.  Stop praising yourself and let others praise you-if there is anything worthy of praise.

God bless.

Jason Fredrick

Fear of Man is Dangerous

 Proverbs 29:25

Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD will be kept safe.

The fear of man is a great roadblock for many people.  Worrying about what others will say, what they might think, or if they will approve keeps people living in fear and is an obstacle to accomplishment.  When you have a big decision to make in life, one that requires serious deliberation, what are the factors you consider as you think through your decision?  I am willing to bet that at some point you come to, "What will so-and-so say if I do this?", or "How will so-and-so react if I decide to make this change?"

There is nothing wrong with considering other people when making big life decisions, but fear of what they might say or do cannot stop you from making the right decision for you and your family.  No matter what decision you make someone will criticize you.  No matter what you accomplish in life someone will criticize you.  Guess what, criticism is the byproduct of doing something with your life.  That's why Solomon writes in the Proverb above that it's dangerous to let "fear of man" run your life.  It all comes down to one decision: Are you living for God, or are you living for your critics?

If you're living for God the only question that needs to be answered is, "How can I best serve Christ and his Church?"  This is what the second half of the verse is talking about.  When you have a big decision to make seek first to honor God and his will, and he will bless your decision however he sees fit.  It often ends up being even better than what you had envisioned.  Submitting to God's will is always the safe choice because he loves you more than anyone else can.  Submitting to man's will is dangerous and puts you at risk of living a meaningless life or doing something stupid that will ruin your life and possibly even lead you to hell.  Which option sounds better?

I understand that most decisions in life aren't that cut and dry.  We don't know the mind of God and it's futile to try to guess it.  The best strategy for making big decisions is to read God's Word everyday and pray about it.  Then after taking a reasonable amount of time to consider all the known aspects of the situation, make a decision.  Choose whichever option you feel allows you to serve Jesus best and you are confident is in line with God's will based on what you have been reading in Scripture.  The most important thing is to let God's Word be your guide, not the fear of man.

God bless

Jason Fredrick

There Is a Way That Seems Right to a Man

 Proverbs 14:12

There is a way that seems right to a man,

but in the end it leads to death.

Worldly wisdom is no wisdom at all.  That's why it is so sad to see "great" scholars and scientists dedicate their entire life to trying to disprove the existence of God.  They concoct foolish schemes and theories to try to explain the world we live in, but without God.  As if God's creation could exist independent of him.  They close their eyes to the fact that we live in a complex, systematic world.  Our world could not exist for a single second if it was governed by random chance.  That kind of chaos would have torn it apart the very second after it came into existence.  Random chance and change leads to total chaos.  That is not what we see in our world.  We see order, logic, complexity, and systematization.  These things are in antithesis to randomness and chance.  It is the foolishness of human "wisdom" that led the Apostle Paul to write to the church in Corinth the following:

        

        Where is the wise man?  Where is the scholar?  Where is the philosopher of this age?  Has not 

        God made foolish the wisdom of the world?  For since in the wisdom of God the world through 

        its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached 

        to save those who believe.- 1 Corinthians 1:20-21

That's a pretty good explanation of what Solomon was saying in Proverbs 14:12 nine hundred years earlier.  

The bottom line, that most people don't want to accept, is that because of sin, we just aren't that smart.  We like to think we are.  We try to convince everybody else that we are.  But we aren't.  Sin has made us fools.  Faith in Jesus makes us fools to the world.  It is only through the gift of faith that we can see the foolishness of the world. 

It's kind of like living in The Matrix.  Most people walk around thinking they have life all figured out, relying on their own wisdom and understanding.  Then we come along- sharing our perspective and worldview, and the world doesn't even understand what we are talking about.  They look at us like we're speaking a completely different language.  Faith inspired wisdom is foolishness to the world.  It is just as foolish to unbelievers, as their worldly "wisdom" is to us.

If that's the case, why does the way that seems right to men lead to death?

God gave us the answer to this question way back around 1500 B.C. when he instructed Moses to write:

        The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every 

        inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.- Genesis 6:5

It's also in the explanation from Paul in 1 Corinthians above.  Because of sin, man left to himself does not know and believe in God despite all the evidence God has given to everyone through his creation and our consciences.  But even when people do understand that there has to be a God through the natural things God has used to reveal himself to people, no one can ever come to a knowledge of Jesus on their own.  Jesus doesn't make sense to worldly minds.  He is counterintuitive to worldly wisdom.  That is why a man's own way only leads to death.  His own ideas and wisdom will never lead him to Jesus.  Notice in the 1 Corinthians passage above Paul talks about "the foolishness that was preached".

There are only two ways people can learn and know about Jesus: reading the Bible themselves, or having someone share God's Word with them.  It all comes down to God's Word.  The Bible is where Jesus has revealed himself to us.  It is only through that revelation in the Bible that we can know and believe that Jesus is the Savior of the world.  It is only through God's Word that the Holy Spirit works faith in hearts.  This is why Solomon's wisdom is just as true today as it was the day he wrote it.  A man's own way leads him away from God and his Word.  And that is why it leads to death.  Spiritual death is eternal separation from God, and left to our own "wisdom" we will always go our own way.

That is why Paul continued on in this passage from 1 Corinthians:

        Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified:

        a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both 

        Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  For the foolishness of God

        is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.

        -1 Corinthians 1:22-25

God bless.

Jason Fredrick

        

Got Wisdom?

Proverbs 17:16

Of what use is money in the hand of a fool, since he has no desire to get wisdom?

So here it is.  1600 years before Ben Franklin said it we see that it was actually King Solomon who said it first:  The best investment you can make is in your own education (in yourself).  

Solomon is saying here that you can keep giving a fool all the money that you want, it won't help him.  He will continue to squander it on things that don't return, and that don't really add value to his life, or anyone else's.  The fool uses his money to indulge his desires and passions.  

He doesn't save any.  He doesn't invest any.  He doesn't appreciate the value of education and wisdom so he certainly doesn't invest any there.  Money runs through the hands of a fool like water.  This is why some of the brokest people in our country are people who earn high incomes ($100,000+/yr.).  They use their income to raise their debt level.  They don't actually own anything, the bank does.  Their whole lifestyle is financed.
The bank owns their house.  The bank owns their car(s).  The bank owns their college diploma.  The bank owns their clothes.  This is the person whom Solomon is calling a fool.

Around the world, people are learning just how foolish this is.  As global economies crash, people are finding out the wisdom of Solomon's words.  Right now is always the best time to start investing in your education, if you haven't up to this point; but ten years ago would have been better.  (At the end of this article I will provide some resources for you to go to work on your education, NOW!)

The best place to start your education is the Bible.  God's Word has everything you need, the only thing you need.  As you can see from the Proverb above, God's Word does teach sound financial stewardship.  That's not the most important thing that it teaches, though.  Teaching us about our loving God and our Savior Jesus is the most important thing the Bible teaches.  All of the practical life lessons the Bible teaches is a display of how much God loves us.  He teaches us exactly how to live a life that pleases Him.  The more we try to live life according to God's guidelines, the better off we are.  The better life is.

Notice in the Proverb above that Solomon says that the fool "has no desire to get wisdom".  Why is that?  We can answer that with two Psalms:

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; 

all who follow His precepts have good understanding.

To Him belongs eternal praise.- Psalm 111:10

The biggest problem for the fool is not his low Financial IQ.  His biggest problem is that he doesn't fear the Lord.  He is primarily focused on pleasing himself.  He has made stuff and self his god.  That's why King David wrote this second Psalm that answers the above question:

The fool says in his heart, 

"There is no God."- Psalm 14:1

This is the reason why even people who are smart financially can still be fools.  Anyone who denies the Lord God Almighty and His Word is a fool.  The fool rejects Jesus as his Savior, and instead turns to the things of this world for pleasure and distraction.  Sadly, the final end for all fools is eternal death in hell.

Thankfully, Jesus died for all sins, even the sins of laziness and apathy.  If you still have breath in your lungs it's not too late to receive Jesus as your Savior.

Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of  your sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-- for all whom the Lord our God will call.- Acts 2:36-37

God bless

Jason Fredrick

Educational Resources 

1. Let's Read Together
2. Christ for Disciplers Podcast
3. The Hidden Secrets of Money
4. Financial Fitness Program
5. Leadership Courses from LIFE Leadership
6. Rascal Radio

Jesus' Love Empowers Us to Be Generous

Proverbs 11:24

One man gives freely, yet gains even more;

another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

What an appropriate message for Christmas...and Solomon never even got to celebrate Christmas!

Do you ever wonder why people become so generous at Christmas, but the rest of the year they won't even share the crust of a piece of bread?

Is it because they bury themselves in credit card debt at Christmas, and then they're miserable the rest of the year trying to pay it back?

My encouragement to you this year is this:  Pay attention to how it feels to give to others.  Pay attention to how it feels to do something amazing for someone else...something they never expected.

Then try relive that memory often, at least once-a-day.  This is how you create the habit and desire to "give freely".  This is how you fall in love with blessing others.  God wants us to be generous.  He wants us to help people out when they need it.  This is what Jesus meant by "storing up your treasures in heaven".  If you can break the emotional attachment to stuff, you will find true joy in giving.  You will actually start looking for new ways to give, and new people/organizations to give to.  

A spirit of giving is born out of trust for God.  Trust that He is faithful and will provide in the way that He has promised, and you will never hesitate to give when the opportunity presents itself.

Ultimately, our motivation for giving freely to others is the incredible gift that has been given to us:  Eternal life through faith in Jesus!

It is this gift from our Heavenly Father that fills our hearts and overwhelms us to the point of wanting to share all of our blessings with the world!  Everything that we have, including our faith and salvation, is a gift from God.  We have done nothing to earn or deserve any of it.  "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (James 1:17)

If God has given us everything- everything that we have, and everything that He has- why wouldn't we want to share that with the world?  This Christmas, and every other day as well, let's show the world God's love and generosity through our love and generosity.  And let's share the most important  gift of all:  Jesus!

God bless!

Jason Fredrick

Your Life is an Open Book to God

Proverbs 5:21-23

For your ways are in full view of the LORD, and He examines all your paths.

The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them; the cords of their sins hold them fast.

For lack of discipline they will die, led astray by their own great folly.

This can be a little scary to think about.  Everything we do, everyday, is in full view of God.  Even the things we think we are doing in secret.  There are no secrets with God.  He knows it all.  He sees it all.  This even means our thoughts, what's going on in our heart and our head.  How does that make you feel when you take a moment to reflect on your day?  God saw all of those sins that know one is supposed to see or know about.  You may be able to hide those things from your spouse, your boss, your co-workers, and the rest of the world; but none of it has been hidden from God!

I don't even have to list out secret sins.  You are already thinking of yours.  

For most of us the majority of our secret sins occur in our thought life.  How would you feel about having all of your thoughts for a 24-hour period recorded and available on YouTube?  It would show words and video.  Would you have any friends left after that?  Would you still be married after your spouse saw it?

Many of these sinful thoughts we're not even aware of.  Judging others.  Looking at someone lustfully.  How about all of those thoughts you have while you are driving?

God sees, and hears them all.  Our lives, thoughts and actions, are like a never-ending YouTube video to Him.  He never turns it off, and we can never block Him from it.  Every aspect of our lives is lived out in full view of Him.

This is how the wicked are ensnared by their evil deeds.  They think that they are "getting away with it" so they arrogantly don't repent.  Their sins bind them tighter and tighter.  They think they are smarter than God- somehow they can trick Him and hide their wickedness from Him.  

The more they think they are getting away with their sins, the more they push the envelope.  They get bolder.  They get more wicked.  They get more extreme.  

This is the lack of discipline that will destroy them.  Their pride and arrogance is their great folly.  It will destroy them.  Unrepentance kills.  They continue to reject Jesus' free gift of salvation because they truly believe that they don't need it.  They believe that they are fooling God.  Even when they are confronted with their sins, they harden their hearts and dismiss the person who loves them enough to confront them. 

It is for this reason that they will die.  They reject eternal life and salvation, and instead fight for their sins.  Sadly, God will let them keep them.  It's too bad that their pride and selfishness has blinded them to the fact that Jesus has already freed them from those chains.  They are free to live a life of freedom and joy.  Instead they choose to remain shackled by the chains of sin.  They choose to remain a slave to Satan and their sinful flesh.

This is why John the Baptist came preaching his sweet message:  Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is near!

And then after we repent, we have the message of hope from Peter on Pentecost:

Repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call.-Acts 2:38-39

God wants everyone to be saved.  That's why He sent Jesus to pay the price for ALL sin.

He wants us to turn from our folly and wickedness, and "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is near!"

Happy Advent!

Jason Fredrick

Love Your Enemies Because Jesus Loves You

Proverbs 25:21-22

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you.


Let's face it, it's tough to love our enemies.  After somebody has just been a jerk to you, you don't really feel like helping them out.  How much do you want to serve someone who is always mean and disrespectful to you?

Notice that this Proverb isn't saying that we need to start hanging out with our enemies and spend hour-upon-hour socializing with them.  What it is saying is when you see your enemy in need, help him out.

If your enemy is a co-worker look for ways to serve her.  Grab her a cup of coffee when you go to grab one for yourself.  Share information with him if you know that he is struggling on a project.  Take her to lunch if she has just been kicked in the teeth by a client or a prospect.

If your enemy is at church take the time to get to know him.  Let him know that you have a problem with him, and be clear about why that is.  Then give him a chance to explain himself.  Sincerely try to understand him.  Try to see the world from his perspective.  What are some of his experiences that influence his attitude?  After this you may still not be friends, but you will gain more respect for each other.

When you make this effort to love your enemies you may only get more venom in return.  If you are truly one of God's children, then you need to do this no matter how the other person responds to your efforts.  Jesus didn't command us to win our enemies, He commanded us to love our enemies.  The reward for all of your love me only be "the heaping of burning coals on their head".  Meaning that your display of love will expose them to the world, and to themselves.  This doesn't mean that they will thank you for your love and kindness; they may grow to hate you even more, because your love has exposed their hateful heart to themself.

No matter what the response is, keep serving them...keep loving them.  They need it most of all.  Be thankful that Jesus kept loving you, even when you didn't appreciate everything He has done for you.  There was a day when you were Jesus' enemy.  He died for you even though you still have days when you treat Him with contempt and in-gratitude.

We can love our enemies, because while we were still sinners Jesus died for us.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jason Fredrick

Watch Your Mouth

Listen to this Article

Proverbs 15:4

The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.

What does it mean to have a perversion in our tongues?  The dictionary defines perversion this way:  The alteration of something from its original course, meaning, or state to a distortion or corruption of what was first intended.  The original perversion took place in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve's sin perverted their relationship with God.  In regards to speech, God lays out His definition of undistorted speech in Philippians 4:8.  Does your speech match God's definition, or does it pervert and distort what God calls good? (Character Matters, p. 10, Dr. Steve and Megan Scheibner)

There a a number of ways that a "soothing tongue" can be a tree of life.  There is encouragement, compliments, edification, words of comfort, words of love, a soft and loving tone, forgiveness, understanding, etc.  

There are just as many ways that a "perverse tongue can crush the spirit":  Lying, cursing, vulgarity, course joking, gossip/slander, verbal abuse, yelling, belittling, betraying a confidence, etc.

I like how the Scheibner's go all the way back to the Garden of Eden to begin the conversation of perverse speech.  Think about it.  Satan's first attack was a verbal assault on God's Word, "Did God really say?"

Then Eve indulged him by exaggerating what God had actually said.  The conversation spiraled downward from there.

The same is true for us.  You probably have people in your life whom you are more prone to perverse speech when you are around.  This is one of the reasons why we have to watch our associations closely.  It is an easy trap to fall into.  We automatically talk like the people we are around.

Words are amazingly powerful.  Unfortunately, most people don't wield that power with much responsibility.  That's why we need to.  Shower words on people with your soothing tongue.  Be intentional about your words being a "tree of life".  You have to do this in conjunction with eliminating the habit of using your words to crush spirits.  This isn't either/or.  It takes both.  Increase your soothing words with everyone, while also eliminating the perverse words that crush the spirit.

Let's finish with two passages of Scripture.  One tells us how God wants us to speak.  The other is a warning against what perverse speech looks (sounds) like.

Ephesians 5:4-5

Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or course joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.  For of this you can be sure:  No immoral, impure or greedy person--such a person is an idolater--has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God.

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

God bless

Jason Fredrick

Avoid the Path That Leads to Death

Proverbs 21:16

Whoever wanders from the way of understanding

will rest in the assembly of the dead.

This paints a pretty dramatic picture.  Clearly there is no room for compromise here.  If you wander from God and His Word, you will die- for all eternity.  Jesus warned about how the wide gate and the easy path lead to destruction.  This is a very stern warning, but it also offers hope.

If wandering from the way of understanding leads to death, then staying on the path of understanding leads to life.  See how the solution is in the warning?  Understanding this is the easy part.  Disciplining yourself and doing it is the hard part.  Let's look at some ways to help you stay in the way of understanding.

Read God's Word everyday.  This is crucial for building and strengthening your faith.  Developing the habit of reading every day is essential for success in life; developing the habit of reading God's Word everyday is essential for staying on the "narrow path".  This is how you stay on the path of understanding.  This doesn't need to be complicated.  It can be as simple as starting in Genesis, and reading one chapter every day.  How much you read at a time isn't the most important part, especially when you're first getting started.  
Creating the habit of doing it every day is what is most important.  This isn't a race to finish the book as a quickly as possible.  This is the process of building the foundation for your whole life.  Work on it every day.  Take your time.  Build it strong.
There is no reward for simply reading the entire Bible.  The reward is what the Holy Spirit is doing in your heart as you are reading it.  So take your time and study it.  This is for your life, not for a book report.

Listen to podcasts or the audio Bible everyday.  This is a powerful way to keep you focused on Jesus and what you are doing- is it glorifying Him?  Listening to audios is a powerful method of learning.  It is also more versatile than reading.  You can listen to audios just about anywhere, anytime:  while driving, working out, at work, anytime that you listen to music currently.  Listening to audios daily will go a long way to checking your attitude and keeping you focused on what's most important.
Here are some places to get started, if this isn't a habit in your life already:

• Christ for Disciplers podcast
• Gird Up! podcast
• C4D discipleship audios
• Bible Gateway or You Version Bible app

The final piece is associating with other Christians.  This is the piece that most people recognize, but they are also most resistant to it.  Many people have had a bad experience with church and are no longer interested in being part of a church.  The Bible encourages us, as Christians, to "not give up meeting together".  Meeting together with God's people is so important because we are relational beings.  This is also a time that we can encourage each other and lift each other up.

Going to church every Sunday isn't the only way to associate with fellow Christians, but it is a powerful one.  Another way of associating with your brothers and sisters in Christ is by attending a weekly Bible study.  This is a great way of studying God's Word while building each other up.  A Bible study is also a great way to get familiar with the Bible if you currently aren't.

These are three simple steps to help you stay on the path of understanding.  It is your responsibility to actually do it.  Use these three simple suggestions, and may the Lord bless your discipleship.

God bless

Jason Fredrick

Where You End Up In Life Matters

Proverbs 11:14

Without guidance, people fall, but with many counselors there is deliverance.

Who is...your mentor?  ...your coach? ...your most trusted adviser?

If you don't have one, or several, you are setting yourself up for a fall.  Notice that Solomon recommends that you have "many".  None is a long way from many, but in all fairness, if you aren't planning on accomplishing anything in life you don't need much guidance.  If you don't plan on going anywhere, then wherever you end up is just as good as anywhere else.  Right?

Sadly, most people don't plan their life or live it intentionally, but where you end up matters.  It matters a lot.  This needs to be looked at in the two aspects of your life:  temporal and eternal.

Your Temporal Life

Your temporal life is the here and now.  Your time of grace.  Your time here on earth, in the flesh.  Ephesians 2:10  tells us that God has prepared in advance works for each of us to do.  How we use this life that He has gifted us matters to God.  

In the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30, the master entrusts a number of talents to three of his servants- "each according to his ability." (Matthew 25:15)  

The point of the parable is that God gives talents and abilities to everyone of us.  He expects us to use what He has given us to the best of our abilities.  The gifts and abilities He gives each of us are not for our own pleasure and enjoyment.  We are to invest them into the world.  We are supposed to use our talents to bless others.  We are to use our talents "to be the salt and light of the world".

In the parable, the master is overjoyed with the two faithful servants who wisely invest their talents and get a return on them.  He says, "Well done, good and faithful servant!  You were faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Share your master's joy!"

With the wicked servant who lazily buried his talent in the ground, the master is angry:  

"You evil, lazy servant!  ...you should have deposited my money with the bankers.  And when I returned I would have received my money back with interest.

So take the talent from him and give it to the one who has 10 talents.

And throw this good-for-nothing servant into the outer darkness.  In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Clearly what we do with our lives matters to God.  We are to develop and use the talents he has given to each of us.  We are not to sit around on our butts wasting and killing all of the talents and abilities that He has given us.  We cannot earn our way into heaven with works of any kind, but we will be called to account for our lives on our last day.  

This brings us back to Solomon's advice:  get guidance in your life from many wise counselors.  These counselors can come in different forms:

• A coach or mentor.
• Books
• Audios
• A Pastor.
• An accountability partner.
• A parent.
• Your spouse.

The reality is that you don't know everything.  You have blind spots.  You need to utilize the perspective and wisdom of people who aren't you.  They can see things about your life that you are blinded to.  They aren't emotionally hijacked by your challenges so they can be objective.  

The caveat here is that if you aren't doing anything with your life, you don't need any guidance.  You can accomplish nothing just fine on your own, you don't need to waste anybody else's time if you are lazy and apathetic.  

You only need the guidance of many counselors if you want to use all of your gifts to the best of your ability, if you want to avoid the fall.  What is your mission in life?  What can you be the best in the world at?

It is okay if you don't know the answer to these questions.  That's where the wise counselors come in; they can help you identify your mission and life's purpose, as well as helping you to recognize and develop the gifts and abilities that you have been given.  You have been given gifts that you are probably unaware of, and the only way you will ever utilize these is if somebody points them out and pushes you to develop them.  Because notice from the parable, we can waste our gifts and never use them.

This is the temporal deliverance that we get from wise counselors.  Instead of wasting our gifts and abilities we can use them to live a meaningful and purposeful life of service.

However, the important implications (what this verse is actually speaking to) of this verse is what it means to our eternal life.

Your Eternal Life

Real success isn't all the goals you hit, or your net worth, or all the stuff you accumulate over the course of your life.  Real success is measured by one parameter:  how well did you use your life in service to Christ's Church?

This is the real point of the Proverb above.  "Without guidance, people fall..." 
Left to our own thinking and actions we will always come up short in life.  No matter what our earthly life of "success" might look like, without Jesus it will be empty and meaningless.  This is why we need guidance.  On our own, we are acutely aware of the need for a Savior, but without someone sharing God's Word with us we will never know that Savior.  We all have a natural knowledge of God and His Law.  We don't have a natural knowledge of Jesus and everything that He has done for us to earn our salvation.  In fact, everything that Jesus has done for us is counter-intuitive to human "wisdom" and logic.  It just doesn't make sense and we can never come to it on our own.  That is the fall that this Proverb is referring to,  the fall into hell- eternal damnation.

That is the fate of everyone who rejects the guidance of God's Word and chooses to live life by their own rules.  God has given us His Word for exactly this reason.  He doesn't want anyone to perish.  He wants everyone to come to repentance and be saved.  It is only in God's Word that we find out just how much He loves us. 

Do you want the counsel of many qualified men?  God used over 3 dozen men, over the course of about 1600 years to give us the Bible as we have it today.  The Bible has endured in its current form for about 1900 years.  The greatest thing about these "many counselors" is that all of them were guided and inspired by the Holy Spirit.  How's that for wise counsel?  With these "many counselors there is deliverance".  That's because all of these counselors constantly point to Jesus.  They show us our need for Jesus.  They tell us everything He has done for us: 

How He humbled Himself to be born as a human (becoming true God and true man).

How He lived a perfect sinless life.  Something none of us is capable of doing.

How He took all the punishment for every sin for us, despite being innocent and blameless of any sin Himself.

How He was raised from the dead, in the flesh, on the third day to defeat sin, death, and the devil so that they no longer have any hold on us.

How he ascended into heaven to take His place at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

How He will come again to judge the world one final time.  Damning the unbelievers to hell, and rewarding the faithful believers with eternal life in heaven.

This is the deliverance that is offered by the wise counsel of God's Word, because through His Word the Holy Spirit works faith in our hearts which empowers us to believe in Jesus as our Savior.  Always remember:  God does not want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).  That is true success.  That is why we need many wise counselors to help us stay on the narrow path.  Thankfully, God provides us with those counselors.  We just need to listen.

God bless

Jason Fredrick

Learn to Love Discipline

Proverb s 12:1

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.

Do you love discipline?  Do you even like discipline?

Most people do not.  

I love the results of discipline, but I cannot honestly say that I love discipline.

One thing that I have learned is that self-discipline is preferable to external discipline.  The reality is that you will be disciplined; it will come from three different sources: Yourself, God, and the world (God's natural laws, i.e. The Law of Cause and Effect).  So, if you are going to be disciplined anyways, doesn't it make sense that you would discipline yourself as much as possible?

Let's look at what Solomon said above:  Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge...
Wisdom and real, beneficial, knowledge is tough to acquire.  It takes discipline.  There are so many distractions in our life that we have to be intentional about learning and self-improvement.  The reality is that discipline can be painful or uncomfortable sometimes.  It can seem like we have to give up something that we really love, and maybe you will.  The reality and purpose of discipline is that there is something better available for us, something that we want most, something that is perfectly aligned with God's plan for our lives, and ultimately there is a right and wrong way to live our lives.   It takes discipline to walk the narrow road, and it is the narrow road that leads to life- eternal life in heaven.

This needs to be our motivation for self-discipline.  We want to discipline ourselves to walk that narrow road as a way to say, "Thank you" to Jesus for everything that He has done for us.  This doesn't just mean curbing our sinful actions and desires; it also means disciplining ourselves to develop and use all of the gifts He has given us.

This is why Solomon said, "...but he who hates correction is stupid."  When we look at discipline in this light, won't we love it?  Won't we want more of it?  Anyone who doesn't is stupid.  Anyone who hates discipline hates being led back to Jesus, and His plan for us.  Sadly, because of our sinful nature we are all guilty of being stupid at times.  Fortunately, Jesus loves us enough to be patient with our stupidity and to continually discipline us.

What's the best way to learn to love discipline?  Results.  The results of discipline help us to learn to love it.  When we see how Jesus pulls us closer to Him through discipline, we love it and want more of it because we want to be closer to Him.  When we see our health and fitness improve because we discipline ourselves with regular exercise and a healthy diet, it motivates us to love that discipline.  When we have better ideas and greater understanding from the discipline to read an hour every day, we learn to love that discipline.  When we see the positive impact our lives and our efforts have on the people God has placed in our lives, we love how Jesus has disciplined us over the years.  Eventually, we even become thankful for all the discipline we have received over our lifetime.

It's interesting that Solomon is saying here that knowledge comes from discipline and correction.
Anyone who loves discipline and correction ultimately loves knowledge.
Anyone who hates discipline and correction hates knowledge, and is therefore stupid.

Proverbs 15:10  Stern discipline awaits him who leaves the path; he who hates correction will die.

Matthew 6:13-14  "Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

My prayer for you is that Jesus will continue to love you with His discipline.

God bless
Jason Fredrick

Real Servant-Leadership is Powered by Christ

Proverbs 28:10

He who leads the upright along an evil path will fall into his own trap, but the blameless will receive a good inheritance.

Here is the difference between good leadership and bad leadership:  Where are you leading people?  Not only is is this Proverb talking about your skill and ability as a leader, but it really speaks to your heart.  What are you leading people for?  What is your desired outcome?

Often, leaders who are leading people down an evil path don't realize it.  They have been so deceived by Satan that they believe what they are doing is good.  Often times they even convince people that what they are doing is from God.  This is just as true for cult leaders as it can be for business leaders.  One of the easiest ways to tell a Godly leader from an evil leader is by honestly looking at who's being served by the efforts of the leader and the team.

Sadly, too many people develop their leadership skills for the purpose of personal gain.  They learn people skills so they can win people's trust which makes it much easier to manipulate them.  People skills can also be used to build loyalty which also makes it much easier to manipulate people.  Ultimately, this bad leader is a con-man, a charlatan.  He knows how to gain people's confidence with psychology and acting, but this deception cannot last forever.  Eventually he falls into his own trap.

We don't have to look far for examples of this.  We see this fall from grace in business, in politics, and sadly, even in the church.  How many times a year does the news tell us all the sordid details of the implosion of one of these leaders.  There are almost always warning signs, but people become so enamored with the vision or the "cult of personality" that they become blind to them.  If anyone tries to point out these warning signs often times the members of that community will become very defensive.  They will either want to argue with you or just avoid the conversation altogether.  This is how the upright end up on an evil path.

What are some of the warning signs?

• Every single aspect of the organization is about the leader.
• All information coming into the community has to be filtered through the leader.
• People are taken advantage of for financial gain.  
• The leader is becoming wealthy or famous off the efforts and finances of his followers.
• Certain aspects of the organization contradict, or even attack God's Word. 
• You have been warned by two or more people about your organization, and especially the leader.

Sadly, because we live in a sin-cursed world there is an abundance of examples of the bad leader.  Ultimately, that is the default mode of every human being.  We are all, by nature, selfish.  So how can there be truly good leaders if that is true?

The answer to that question is actually quite simple, but most people don't want to hear it:  JESUS!

The only way to become a good leader is by being empowered by Jesus Christ.  We can only become a selfless, servant leader through faith in Jesus.  We can only have faith in Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit working in us, it is entirely a gift from Him.  The Holy Spirit can only work in us if we are baptized, and constantly reading and studying God's Word (the Bible).

I told you it was simple.  I also told you that most people don't want to hear it, but the truth is the truth.  It is not subject to anyone's desires or feelings.

The reality of Leadership Development is that you can work on yourself until the cows come home, but if you don't have Jesus- you don't have anything.  Without Jesus all of your efforts are selfish and ultimately for yourself, no matter what you might claim to the contrary.

Isaiah 64:6

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

Thankfully, Jesus has died for our sins.  All of our sins have been washed away by His blood.  It is Jesus who gives us the power to live for Him, and please our Heavenly Father with a life of selfless service.  

To be God be the glory!

Jason Fredrick

Jesus Empowers Us to Kill Laziness

Proverbs 6:9-11

How long will you lie there, you sluggard?  When will you get up from your sleep?

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest-

and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.

Laziness destroys lives and undermines every good intention.  Look at how this section begins.  It is almost a desperate plea to get the sluggard to do...something.  It is so easy to get caught in the trap of laziness.  It's so much easier to sleep in than it is to get up early.  It is so much easier to sit and watch t.v. than it is to get up and do what needs to be done.  This is the negative pull of our sinful nature.

This lazy attitude is fueled by our selfish, self-indulgent sinful nature.  We naturally seek ease and comfort over work.  In our day, laziness takes on many other forms than just oversleeping and resting too much.  Laziness can be found in over entertaining yourself, a lack of self-discipline, not thinking about or respecting others, not serving others while expecting them to serve you, etc.   Ultimately laziness is played out in an unwillingness to serve.

Think about it.  When you think of someone as being lazy, what are they not doing?

They are not serving others, but they are instead indulging their own selfishness.  A lazy person doesn't pick up after himself because he knows someone else will do it.  The lazy person doesn't do quality work because he doesn't really care; and after all, if someone wants it done better, they will fix it.  The lazy person is always trying to do just enough to get by.  The problem is that "just enough" is never enough.  Trying to sneak by in life on the bare minimum is a loser's game.  

Sadly, when you try to help a lazy person they get very defensive because they have convinced themselves that they are actually a top performer.  Lazy people don't value honest feedback about their performance.  They instead choose to play the victim.  They are constantly being "picked on" by those mean producers and performers.  They actually view performers, anyone with a strong work-ethic, as being arrogant and "just trying to make them look bad".  

The reality is that no one has to put any effort into making lazy people look bad, because they spend their whole day making themselves look bad.  They will clock into a job for 8 hours and hardly get anything done, and of what they do get done much of it is done wrong.  This is why Solomon says, "and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man."  What company can afford to keep the lazy person around, especially if she is unwilling to be coached to improve her effectiveness and competence?

The same can also be said for organizations that tolerate laziness and incompetence.  If a company adopts Tolerance as a core value it will not be competitive in the market place for very long.  If it is able to somehow stay in business, it will only do so as a bottom-feeder in its industry.  It will never be among the elite in its industry.  This is true for one very important reason:  Top performers and high achievers will not tolerate a culture of laziness and incompetence for very long.  Eventually they will leave.  Sadly many companies don't intentionally develop their people to eliminate this aspect of the Five Laws of Decline (watch the short video for Orrin Woodward's teachings on the 5 Laws of Decline).

How then do you develop work-ethic, kill laziness, and fight the Five Laws of Decline?

That is the million-dollar question.  Would you like the million-dollar answer?

FIX YOUR THINKING!!!!

Pretty profound stuff, huh?  That isn't meant to just insult your intelligence, it's also intended to actually get you thinking.  Your terrible thinking is what is responsible for your laziness and your terrible results in life (or in your company/organization)!

Here is how you fix it:

• Start a self-directed education program.
• Read 15-30 minutes every day.
• Leadership 3000 TOP 5o Book list
• LIFE Leadership TOP 50 Book List
• Listen to at least 3 educational audios every day.
• Antioch Academy Audio Library
• Rascal Radio (LIFE Leadership)
• Christ for Disciplers Podcast
• Gird Up! Podcast
• Reduce your t.v. time to less than 2 hours/day.
• Get time around high achievers/top performers.
• Leadership Challenge Group 
• Bible Study
• Classes/Workshops 
• Set a goal. (personally or professionally)
• Study God's Word (the Bible) 30-60 minutes at least 3 times/week.
• "Do what you do better. Do more of what you do."- David Schwartz (The Magic of Thinking Big)
• Toughen Up!  Stop running from pain, discomfort, and challenges!
• Look for ways to serve someone else EVERY DAY!
• ...whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)
• "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet.  I have set an example that you should do as I have done for you...Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them." (John 13:14-15,17)

Note that this list will help you kill laziness and improve your competence and effectiveness in life, but doing these things will not earn you a place in heaven.  There is nothing that you can do to earn heaven.  I want to make this very clear because I did quote Scripture at the end of the "How to" list.

The only way to heaven is through faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior.  That is a free gift given to us by God.  It is only by His grace and the gift of the Holy Spirit working faith in our hearts, that we are able to believe in Jesus.  He has done it all!

This needs to be our ultimate motivation for everything that we do in life.  We should strive to live a disciplined life of service as a "thank you" to God for the precious gift of Jesus that He has given to us all.

That is ultimately how you kill laziness!

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

Jason Fredrick

Your Life. Your Education. Your Responsibility!

Proverbs 23:12

Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.

When is the last time you willingly opened yourself to instruction?  How often do you actively seek out knowledge?

The challenge with both of these things is that it requires humility.  In order to do what Solomon is saying here requires us to admit that there is something that we don't know or understand.  What areas of your life would be served by applying this Proverb?  I could make a case that every area of your life would be well served by applying this principle to it.  

If that's true, then how do you do it?

I have written about the Plan-Do-Check-Adjust (PDCA) process before.  I have also written about the concept of Read-Listen-Associate.  And once again, that is what is being addressed in this Proverb.  We need to have a program of life-long self-education.  You can call it what you want:  Personal Growth, Personal Development, Leadership Development, Self-Directed Leadership Education, etc., but the reality is that you need to have a plan to intentionally educate yourself for the rest of your life.

If you are not currently involved in a program of self-directed learning let me give you some suggestions on how to get started:

• Commit to read a minimum of 15 minutes every day from a book.
• TOP 50 Book list from Leadership 3000
• Participate in the Leadership Challenge Group
• The Homeschool Helps page on the Leadership 3000 website
• The Leadership page on the Leadership 3000 website
• Commit to listening to a minimum of 2 educational audios every day.
• Audio Library on the Leadership 3000 website
• Christ for Disciplers Podcast
• Gird Up! Podcast 
• Rascal Radio from LIFE Leadership
• Find a Mastermind group or start a Mastermind group to facilitate regular discussions about what you are learning.
• Leadership Challenge Group
• Church group
• Bible study group
• Get together weekly with a group of friends who are also plugged in to a self-education program.
• Find a mentor

The key to a successful program of lifetime education is to keep it simple, especially at the beginning.  Once you have been doing it for a while feel free to make it as complex as you want, but even then simple is always better than complex.

The easiest way to get started if you have never been involved in any kind of program of self-education is to find a coach or mentor to help point you in the right direction.  If you don't have access to someone who can help you with this, use this website.  That is one of the main reasons why I started this blog.  I know the incredible impact Leadership Education has had on my life and I want to pass it on to as many people as I can.  I can also be a resource for you, feel free to contact me anytime with any questions you have.

Going back to the Proverb that we started with, look at how it is your responsibility to do this.  You must take the initiative to invest in yourself and your education.  Solomon says, "Apply your heart..."  This isn't something that anybody else is going to do for you.  They can't.  This is something that you have to do for yourself.  You must take responsibility to begin this journey.  

The good news is that you can do it.  And more than that, you don't have to do it alone.  Once you get started, you will find that there are a number of people who want to be a part of your journey...a part of your story.  It just takes a little courage from you to take that first step.

My encouragement to you is simple:  Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.

God bless

Jason Fredrick

REAL Relationships Make Your Leadership

Proverbs 18:2

A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.

If you're like me, as soon as you read this Proverb someone's face popped into your head.  Sadly, one of those faces was mine.  We all have experience with the "over-talker", the "story-topper", and the "never-stopper".  Which one are you?  Which one are you most often guilty of being?  Before I began my leadership development journey, I was an "over-talker" and a "personal attacker".

My self-esteem was so low that I would constantly attack people and their ideas, because I thought somehow this was making me look smart.  I would argue with people even if I actually agreed with them.  Thankfully, God threw me the life-line of personal development and leadership development because that is what He used with me to hone me into the man He had always intended for me to be.

Normally, low self-esteem and low/no self-confidence is the cause of why people become the fool.  Sadly, this disease leads to multiple bad attitudes:  being...unteachable, sarcastic, argumentative, using profane and vulgar language, boastful, self-centered, and disrespectful.  When you look at this list it is easy to see why the fool "takes no pleasure in understanding".

In order to "seek to understand", you have to be humble and teachable.  You have to stop talking and listen to the other person.  The only way that we gain understanding is by listening; whether it's listening to another person, reading a book, or listening to an educational audio.  In conversation, try this little experiment:

Ask a question to start the conversation.

After that, make every statement you make end with a question mark.

Do not make a demonstrative statement, or an "I" statement, until you are asked a question.

What's the point of that little experiment?

When you are asking questions, you can't "air your own opinions".  When you are asking questions you are showing that you delight in understanding the other person.  When you do this, you are making huge deposits into that relationship.  Imagine the affect this could have on your marriage.  What if you actually did this with your children?  What about your friends?  If you start doing this you could actually end up with all 3!😃   

The reality is that we all want to be liked, even people who claim otherwise.  The quickest way to get people to like you is to ask them about themselves.  Most people love to talk about themselves.  So let them.  Let them impress you with how awesome they are.  They will love you for it!  The kicker is that when you do this you will find out that people actually are amazing.  They have great ideas.  They know some stuff that you don't.  They have done some stuff that you have never even imagined doing.  

This is how real relationships are built.  This is how you have a mature, grown-up conversation.  This is how you build influence.  This is how you build a large social network.  The more meaningful relationships you have, the greater your impact will be on the world.  When you start building social capital like this you will become the Great Connector.  You will be able to connect people together who otherwise would have never met.  Imagine the impact two, or more, passionate mission-minded individuals will have on the world once you introduce them to each other!

I have talked about the ripple effect before, but if you will become this kind of leader you will never see the end of your impact.  This is the way that you impact the next 100 generations.  You could never do that on your own. 

In Launching A Leadership Revolution (LLR) Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady talk about Level 5 Leadership: Developing Leaders Who Develop Leaders.  In the past, I looked at this selfishly.  I looked at it as though I would be personally mentoring leaders who would mentor leaders...and so on.  Part of Level 5 Leadership is personally mentoring leaders, but that's not all there is.  In the LLR book they actually call the five leadership levels: The Five Levels of Influence.  Leadership is influence.

The reality is that you don't have enough time to mentor every leader that is needed in the world, but what if you could start connecting leaders to each other and then let them expand their influence synergistically around the world?  If you keep a Connector's mindset, and focus energy on connecting leaders to each other their passion, vision, and mission will ignite a Leadership Revolution around the world.  This is something you could never do on your own.

Remember how this all started:  seek understanding and stop airing your own opinions.  Leadership starts when people actually like you and respect you.  There is no short-cut to Level 5 Leadership.  You only get there by listening to the wisdom of Solomon.  Then submit to God's plan and watch Him bless it however He chooses.  It will be greater than you could possibly imagine!

God bless 

Jason Fredrick

The Stupidity of Sinful Habits

Proverbs 26:11

As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.

This bit of wisdom really paints a picture, doesn't it?

Every time you return to your addictive, sinful habit, you are the dog.

Have you ever seen a dog puke a pile, and then come back a few minutes later and lick it up?  This is what you and I look like to God every time we return to pornography, or cigarettes, or cocaine, or gambling, or shopping, or junk food, or...you name it.  You know what yours is.  

I will share one of mine with you.  Pornography.  Pornography is a temptation I have to battle almost every day.  The challenges with pornography are that it's so easy to access in our internet age and also that it is so prevalent in our culture today.  "Sex sells".  Maybe it is so prevalent because it is so easy to get.

For me, the challenge is very difficult because of how young I was when I was first exposed to pornography.  I was somewhere between 10 and 12 years old.  There is never a good time for someone to be exposed to the depravity of pornography, but 12 years old is way too young.  I was way too immature, spiritually and emotionally.  One exposure was all it took for me.  It grabbed ahold of me and dominated my life for the next 20 years!  Being so immature, I didn't even begin to battle it until I was introduced to Leadership Development at age 32.  Before then I lived my life entirely for myself.  The entire decade of my twenties was marred by sex addiction.  It was the primary motivator for most of my daily choices.  I would go almost anywhere, anytime to indulge.    

The problem with any addiction or compulsive behavior is the damage it leaves in its wake.  I hurt a lot of people in those 20 years, caring about nobody but myself.  The number of damaged and destroyed relationships from that time is almost uncountable; none of us can ever really know the exponential damage of the ripple effect.  I do know that I hurt my family daily in those years.  The shame and guilt of my "secret sin" robbed me of my self-confidence and self-esteem.  I hated myself, and everybody around me paid the price.  I was argumentative.  I swore constantly.  I would say mean and hurtful words to anybody at anytime.  

Like I said before, at age 32 God threw me a lifeline.  He brought Leadership Development into my life.  That turned out to be the tool He used to bring me out of all of that.  Today, 10 years after starting my Leadership journey, I am married; I have an incredible son; and all of my relationships are better and stronger than at any time in my life.

In my teens and twenties God let me go my own way- daily returning to my folly.

In my thirties and forties He has brought me back to the path that I was supposed to be the whole time.  My life has literally been that of "The Lost Son" (Luke 15:11-31).  

The Takeaways

The first takeaway from my story is: God is Faithful.  He was always with me, always watching over me.  It is only by His grace that I am not demon-possessed or suffering eternal judgment in hell.  It is only by His grace that I was able to leave behind that life of selfishness and depravity.

Secondly, persistent sin destroys.  Because of my willful, sinful, selfish lifestyle I faced several years of demonic attack.  Also, I think I have made it clear that I hurt countless people and destroyed relationships.  The same is true for you.  Your "secret sin" that you think that no one knows about is ravaging the people who love you most.  Whether either of you realizes it or not, it is.  By you daily returning to your folly you are playing with fire.  The people who will be burned the worst are the people you claim to love the most.

Finally, you can put your folly behind you.  God loves all of His children, including you.  In fact, He loves you so much that He sent His son, Jesus, to pay the price for ALL of your sins.  He is powerful enough to pull you out of the pit you have fallen into.  He wants to help you, stop resisting Him!  You will never be totally free of the temptations, Satan knows our weaknesses; but God is powerful enough to help us resist Satan's  lies and temptations.

I still battle temptations to look at pornography, almost everyday, but now, I battle them instead of indulging in them.  God is powerful and God is love and can help you leave your folly behind.  Through the power of the Holy Spirit you can finally stop being the dog.

God bless

Jason Fredrick

Win the Lost With LOVE

Proverbs 29:10

Bloodthirsty men hate a man of integrity and seek to kill the upright.

Bloodthirsty men hate.  Have you ever seen hatred?  Real, burning hatred makes men do unspeakable things.  Bloodthirsty men hate; and men who hate are bloodthirsty.  

Maybe no one has ever threatened your life, but has anyone ever tried to kill your reputation, or kill you emotionally?  In our society most of the attacks by bloodthirsty people are done with words.  Words hurt.  Words kill.  Words cut deep, and the scars last a lifetime.  Hateful words can destroy a life.  They certainly destroy relationships.  

Why do people hate?  In a society that preaches tolerance and that life is meaningless- that it doesn't matter what you believe or what you do, because when you die you die.  That's all there is-  Why do people even care enough about others to hate them?  Why do they even bother to take notice?

The apostle John answers this question in 1 John 3:12-13:

Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother.  And why did he murder him?  Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous.  Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.

Ultimately, people hate because of sin.  God is love, but sin separates us from God.  Because of sin, we are all naturally bent toward sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like (Galatians 5:19-21).  Without God we are incapable of love.  "This is how we know what love is:  Jesus Christ laid down His life for us." (1 John 3:16) and "We love because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).  It is only by the grace of God that we are not all "bloodthirsty men" who hate.  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

When you see hatred, or are the victim of hatred, don't respond with hatred.  Jesus tells us to love our enemies.  Hateful people are to be pitied.  They are children of satan on their way to hell.  So don't respond to hatred with hatred.  Respond with love.  Let the love of Jesus shine through you in situations like this.  Love that hateful person enough to share Jesus with them.  God did not put you in that spot to justify that other person's hatred; He put you there to tell that person about what Jesus has done for him.  God wants all people to be saved.  It is our responsibility to respond to every difficult person and situation with love and God's Word.  Every act of hatred is our opportunity to win another soul for heaven, but the Holy Spirit can only work if we open our mouth tell that person, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Jesus died for the bloodthirsty just as He died for you and me.  It is the unbelievers who need to hear this message, believers already know it, and they will only hear it if you respond with love.

God bless

Jason Fredrick

Be a Life-Long Learner

Proverbs 16:10

The lips of a king speak as an oracle, and his mouth should not betray justice.

An oracle is a person who delivers authoritative, wise, or highly regarded and influential pronouncements.

When Solomon says that a "king speaks as an oracle" he is revealing the great responsibility of holding a position of authority.  All of you reading this right now hold a position of authority somewhere.  If you are a parent, teacher, pastor, an older sibling, or over the age of 12; this proverb is for you.  We all have influence in this world.  The only question is:  Are you intentional about how you are influencing others?

Most people want to hold the position of the king because all they see are the benefits and blessings of his success.  The problem is that few people want to do the heavy lifting of becoming worthy to be the king.  It is hard work to intentionally work on yourself.  It takes time, study, and hard work to develop the wisdom to lead effectively with love and justice.  Look at the definition of "oracle" above.  How many people do you know that meet those qualifications to be king.  Too many people don't care about justice.  All they care about is what they want, what benefits them personally.

Solomon makes it clear that with the blessing of authority comes great responsibility.  What are you currently doing to make sure that your lips are speaking wisdom and justice?
If your answer is, "uhhh" or "Nothing", then you are failing those who have been entrusted to your leadership.  If you are not reading, listening, and associating everyday with the intention of getting better, then you are taking your blessing of authority (leadership) for granted.

If your attitude is:  "The Holy Spirit will give me what I need when I need it", you are putting the Lord to the test.  It is true that the Holy Spirit can just give you the wisdom needed for your situation, but the reality is that the Holy Spirit generally, and almost always, works through a means.  He works through your hours of preparation.  He works through your daily Leadership Education (read, listen, associate).  The Holy Spirit gives wisdom and profound insights to those who are working at it through their daily self-directed education.  Being lazy in your education and study isn't faithfulness, it's arrogance. 

I encourage you not to put the Lord to the test.  Take responsibility for your life-long education and marvel at how He chooses to use you.  If you do this, you will be greatly blessed.

God bless
Jason Fredrick