|
Knowing God's Will
by Phil Tolbert
Executive Director
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him and he will make your path straight." -King Solomon (Proverbs 3:5-6)
One of the problems most frequently encountered by serious-minded Christians is how to discover the will of God in a given situation. This is not a small matter. To countless thousands of Christians it is vitally important. Their peace of heart depends upon knowing that God is actually guiding them, and their failure to be sure that He is destroys their inward tranquility and fills them with uncertainty and fear. They need help to regain their confidence.
Here is a modest attempt to provide help. First, it is absolutely essential that we be completely dedicated to God's high honor and surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. God will not lead us except for His own glory and He cannot lead us if we resist His will. The shepherd cannot lead a stubborn sheep. The evil practice of using God must be abandoned. Instead of trying to use God to achieve our ends we must submit joyously to God and let Him work through us to achieve His own ends. Now, granted that we are wholly committed to God with every full intent to obey Him, we may expect actually to be led by Him. The Scriptures that teach this are so many that one scarcely knows where to begin quoting. It only remains for us to believe they mean what they say.
|
|
Priorities - A BLE Testimony
featuring BLE Small Group Member Taylor Rhodes
Nine years into his spiritual life, Taylor Rhodes began attending a BLE small group to learn more about living out his faith at his work in the IT services industry. Since then, he has learned a great deal about embodying the Biblical description of a leader, deepening his relationship with his wife and others, and fearlessly sharing his faith and God's presence with his employees.
Taylor meets every Tuesday with a group of men from his church at 6 am. While some may cringe at a 6 am meeting, Taylor says it is actually easier for their group to prioritize the study and the turnouts are always good and consistent. "We all see a lot of value from BLE, so we have agreed to make it a priority of our lives. It's well worth it!"
The group has studied the BLE books Investing My Life, Marketplace Excellence, and The Christian Work Ethic. Taylor says these weekly studies have taught the group to focus on eternal things rather than just the temporal tasks of the workplace. They have come to understand that their jobs place them in a position of influence over their employees, and with this position they have the opportunity to care for and serve these employees and represent a Biblical description of a leader as a servant.
Taylor also says his marriage has been deepened by the growth and
learning BLE has provided him.
"My wife sees me continuing to grow in my walk with God, and applying the
lessons we are learning in my relationship with her and our children. In turn,
she is growing in her trust of me and her desire for me to be the spiritual
leader of our marriage and family."
As for the future of the group, the consistent membership and extensive spiritual growth of each member is testimony to the group's strength and its desire to continue. The expectation is that as this growth continues, more will be willing to start leading additional groups and expand the ministry even further into the workplace. |
|
BLE Small Group Leader Training
For
Christians to impact the world, they must first impact each other. To
do this, we believe in raising up leaders in the workplace to lead
their own small groups. If you would like to become a small group
leader, please mark your calendar to attend our next small group leader
training.
Date: Saturday, August 15th
Time: 8 am - 12 noon
Place: BLE Office
For more information or to register, please call 344-4544.
|
Christian families have a tremendous opportunity today to live a lifestyle that witnesses to the lost world about the health and wellness benefits from living our lives according to God's Word. Imagine how many people would demand to know Jesus and His teachings if Christians stood out as the healthiest and most energetic Americans with the greatest longevity. Proverbs 4:10-13 states, "Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble. Hold on to instruction; do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life."
Stephen Aldana, Ph.D. in his book The Culprit and the Cure: Why lifestyle is the culprit behind America's poor health and how transforming that lifestyle can be the cure, says that, "The adoption of a healthy lifestyle can have a greater national impact on chronic disease and death than any other single factor known in all of medicine." If Americans will adopt healthy lifestyles there will be a public health revolution.
Research has shown that 91% of diabetes, 82% of heart disease, 70% of strokes, and 71% of cancers in general are preventable. The solution is not any miracle diet or drug but is simply adopting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines lifestyle as "the typical way of life of an individual, group, or culture." What is the way of life for most American families? Unfortunately most follow what has become known as the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) which consists of far too many calories, most of which come from poor food choices and which provide very limited nutritional value. As a result, Americans are for the most part overfed and significantly undernourished. In addition, we are physically inactive and live very sedentary lives. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, our lifestyles are the leading cause of health risks. 80% of Americans have a poor diet, 78% are physically inactive and 67% are overweight or obese.
We all know that earth is only our temporary living quarters and that we all will die, but in America today we are living too short and dying too long by ignoring God's eternal truth. Why don't we, as born again believers and followers of Jesus Christ, commit to adopting the healthy lifestyle principles found in Scripture so that the public health revolution in America begins in the churches of America? Is there a better place to start?
|
|
Visit Our E-newsletter Archive!
Did you not receive past Ministry Moments and want to know what you missed?
To read previous articles, find recommended links and catch up on BLE news, check out our e-newsletter archive by clicking here.
|
|
How You Can Help
|
Thank you to all of you who support this ministry financially and prayerfully. Your support is invaluable and through you God provides encouragement and provision for this ministry to bear fruit for the Kingdom.
If you would like to make a contribution to BLE, please mail your check or money order to:
Biblical Leadership for Excellence
P.O. Box 781148
San Antonio, TX 78278
|
|
All donations are tax-deductible.
|
