Good to Great in God's Eyes: 10 Practices Great Christians Have In Common
by Chip Ingram
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True North
by Steve Stoner
For many thousands of years Polaris, the North Star, has been used as a guiding star and reference point for navigators and astronomers. Through experience and observation wayfarers discovered the North Star lights the way to true north.
In ancient times, locating the North Star was crucial to navigating long distances through the wilderness. The beauty of using the North Star for navigation is that, unlike a magnetic compass, the North Star always points to true north. There is no magnetic declination to deal with. Simply by finding the North Star, travelers are able to determine the points of the compass. Locating the North Star enables travelers to determine if they are off course and use true north to do a course correction if necessary.
What does this interesting information have to do with us? Well, it leads to several questions. First of all, what is your destination? We would all be more than a little nervous if we boarded an airplane and the pilot came on and said: "Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. Welcome aboard Flight 100 to an undefined destination. We will be cruising at an altitude of 35,000 feet at an air speed of 300 knots for as long as we can. Enjoy your flight."
If I have no destination then I can never be off course because there isn't a course from which to deviate. To help determine our destination some important questions to ask are: Where am I heading? What do I want the measure of my life to be? What is the legacy I leave behind? What worthwhile goals am I currently pursuing? How will the world be a different place because of me?
Once we know our destination, once we have a course, then the concept of "true north" becomes important. In practical terms, the actual North Star isn't much help in getting us to our life destination. But embracing the concept of "true north" is. "True north" is the set of values that guide us on the course to our destination. Values like commitment, integrity, loyalty, compassion, humility, love and faith are the guiding lights that keep us on course to our destination.
Occasionally, we need to locate our "true north" and make sure we are still on course and make whatever course corrections are necessary to get us to our destination. The Apostle Paul says it this way: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith." 2 Timothy 4:7
Are you on course?
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Taking God Off the Shelf
featuring BLE Small Group Member Carlos Ramirez
Professing God in the secular workplace can be quite taboo but Carlos has learned over the past few years that it doesn't have to be. God does not need to be kept on a shelf during the work day but rather He can be discussed and praised right in the workplace. This is one of many powerful truths Carlos learned in his BLE small group.
Carlos began attending and then leading a BLE small group in 2006 when BLE staff member Steve Stoner put together a group of men from the wholesale electrical distribution industry to meet weekly for Bible study. Carlos did not know the other group members before he joined them, but they have since grown together as brothers for the cause of Christ.
During their meetings, the group has studied the BLE materials God's Plan for Husbands and Understanding the Bible 101. They have learned from each other and grown together on each of their spiritual journeys. One discipline practiced in the group that has significantly impacted Carlos has been the power of corporate prayer. The vulnerability and openness of praying for one another out loud has led him to an even deeper level of intimacy with God.
Carlos says the group has been significant for him in his spiritual walk because, "It allows you to be yourself with others that welcome God's presence. It sets aside an extra hour to meditate and reflect with business professionals with common conflicts as myself. And it creates dialogue to better plug into the Word."
Equipped by God with a humility that allows him to share God's message in a friendly and unobtrusive way, people in his workplace have been very receptive and respond to Carlos' friendliness. He makes it a priority to focus his thoughts on God, and the overflow of kindness bears witness to God's goodness and shines His light to others. Through his small group, Carlos has been encouraged by his brothers to remain firm, to keep going even when work challenges get in the way, and most of all, to keep his eyes focused on God.
To read more stories from BLE members about how God has transformed their lives, click here.
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Honoring God with your Body
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body." -1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Americans are paying too little or no attention to the teaching of the Scripture concerning the care of our physical bodies. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) findings, America's current national prevalence of health risks are: poor diet 80%, physical inactivity 78%, overweight or obese 67%, high blood pressure 30%, high cholesterol 30% and smoking 21%. Another 30% of the U.S. adult population is considered pre-hypertensive or on the brink of high blood pressure. Further study reveals that the two leading health risks are poor diet and lack of physical activity, and both lifestyle and personal choices or behaviors account for or are leading causes of three of the other four most prevalent health risks. If we would only live Godly disciplined lives, especially in the areas of diet and physical exercise, we could very likely prevent, arrest, manage or possibly even reverse the top five leading national health risks.
Unfortunately, as believers many of us have also paid little or no attention to the teaching of the Scripture concerning the care of our physical bodies and in essence we have "cherry picked" those Scriptures with which we have comfort, living the lifestyle we choose and not what God commands. Romans 12:1 says, "Therefore I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. |
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