“Stephen Covey once said, ‘Be sure that, as you scramble up the ladder of success, it is leaning against the right building.’ Many people work hard to achieve goals that they think they want only to find, at the end of the day, they get no joy or satisfaction from their accomplishments. They ask, ‘Is this all there is?’ This occurs when the outer accomplishment is not in harmony with your inner values. Don’t let this happen to you.^“2

Time and again I have asked classes I have taught, “How many of you believe that God has a purpose for your life?” Most of the hands are raised but then, when I ask them to spell out their God-given life purpose, very few have any idea what it is. This reminds me of an old ditty I heard as a teenager that said, “Blessed be he who aimeth at nothing for he shall surely hit it.”

I don’t know about you but when I stand face to face before God and have to give an account of my life I don’t want to go into heaven empty-handed.³

God does have a divine purpose for your life. Make sure that you know what it is and that you are, with God’s help, fulfilling it. God’s purpose for you will have to do with discovering, developing, and serving God by using the natural and spiritual gifts God has already given to you. And remember that we serve God by serving people. Also make sure that your life-purpose is in harmony with God’s will so that your ladder isn’t leaning against the wrong wall.

I have written out and/or stated my life-purpose probably thousands of times. I have done this pretty much daily for many years and plan on doing so for all the days of my life. Repetition with feeling helps program your life purpose into your unconscious mind and belief system. This helps to operate on automatic pilot. I encourage you to write out your God-given life purpose and repeat it at the beginning of every day as part of your daily devotions.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you have a divine purpose for my life. Please help me to discover what it is and to get excellent training so that I can do my utmost to fulfill your purpose for my life and, in so doing, bring glory to your name. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Philippians 3:14 (NIV).

2. Brian Tracy, http://www.briantracy.com.

3. “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” Hebrews 9:27 (NIV).

I have read how “H. Gordon Selfridge built up one of the world’s largest department stores in London. He achieved success by being a leader, not a boss. Here is his comparison of the two types of executives:

The boss drives his men; the leader coaches them.

The boss depends on authority; the leader on good will.

The boss inspires fear; the leader enthusiasm.

The boss says ‘I’; the leader says ‘we.’

The boss fixes the blame for the breakdown; the leader fixes the breakdown.

The boss knows how it is done; the leader shows how.

The boss says ‘Go’; the leader says ‘Let’s go!’”²

The greatest way to lead is by example. This principle also applies to parenting, for unless we model what we say and teach, our words may do more to drive our children away from, rather than draw them to the good we desire for them to learn and put into practice. Children catch on pretty quickly when we are being hypocritical.

And above all, when it comes to modeling authentic Christianity, it is imperative that we lead and teach by example. While the right words at the right time are very important, it’s what we do much more than what we say that counts. As the old saying goes, “To win some we need to be winsome.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to be genuine and authentic in all that I am, do and say so that my life will model what it means to be a true Christian and follower of Jesus Christ, first for my family, and then for every life I touch. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NIV).

2. Gordon Selfridge. Cited in Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations, by Paul Lee Tan, Page 719. Assurance Publishers, Rockville, Maryland. © 1979.

In the book, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Chuck Webster tells a story about Monty Roberts, the son of an itinerant horse trainer. Growing up Monty went with his father from stable to stable, farm to farm, and ranch to ranch training horses. Consequently he missed much of his high school education. As a senior he was asked to write a paper on what career he wanted to pursue. That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing in great detail his goal to build and own a dream horse ranch.

The next day he turned his paper in. Two days later he received it back. On the front page was a large red “F” with a note that read, “See me after class.” When he saw the teacher, he asked why he was given an “F”.

“The teacher said, ‘This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. You have no money. You come from an itinerant family. You have no resources. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money. You have to buy the land. You have to pay for the original breeding stock and later you’ll have to pay large stud fees. There’s no way you could ever do it.’ Then the teacher added, ‘If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.’”

After thinking about it for a week, he turned the paper back in exactly as he had first written it saying to the teacher, “You can keep the F and I’ll keep my dream.”

Today, “Monty Roberts owns a 4,000-square-foot house in the middle of a 200-acre horse ranch in San Ysidro [California]. Oh, and he still has that school paper framed over the fireplace. He didn’t allow his teacher to crush his dream.² I believe that he also owns a ranch in Santa Ynez Valley in Southern California.

Do you have a dream—especially if it is a God-given dream—don’t let Satan or anyone else “pouf” it out.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to know what your God-given purpose and dream for my life is, and give me the faith and persistence to never give up until it is fulfilled. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Matthew 9:29 (NIV).

2. Chicken Soup For the Soul, as quoted by Chuck Webster, “Dream Big,” The Words of Truth, Sept. 2003, p. 3. Cited on KneEmail. http://www.oakhillcoc.org/

“Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is,” said one insightful person.

To achieve anything worthwhile in life that has eternal value and dividends, we need to genuinely serve God. To do this we may need to go out on a limb and be willing to swim against the tide of popular thought, to be different but not odd, assertive but not aggressive, strong but not pushy, meek but not weak, honest and truthful but not unkind.

We may, at times, even be considered a little bit crazy, but as another has said, “You’ve got to be a little bit crazy because if you always keep both feet on the ground, you can never get your pants on!”

Seriously, to serve God, also means knowing what your God-given life purpose is; that is, knowing what God wants you to be and what he wants you to do with your life. It will include having a worthwhile goal and work into which you can put your heart and best efforts. But doing this can be scary because like Noah, Abraham and other men and women of faith we, too, (even if it isn’t to the same extent) may need to step out in faith and go out on a limb! But remember, that’s where the fruit is.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me the courage and help me to so live in harmony with your will that, when necessary, I will not be afraid to go out on a limb, so that whatever I do—with your help—will be fruitful, productive and bring glory to your name. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Joshua 24:15 (NIV).

In training for Christian ministry I recall one of my professors stating that every church had a church boss; that is, someone or a small group who, often behind the scenes, control the happenings of the church. This isn’t usually the pastor or priest. Today we call these people control freaks. They have a neurotic need to control others in order to feel okay about themselves, when in reality they do this because deep down they don’t feel okay about themselves.

William Easum calls them bullies. After years of consulting with churches he said, “I have seen a disturbing pattern: Most established churches are held hostage by bullies. Some individual or small group of individuals usually opposes the church’s making any radical change, even if it means the change would give the church a chance to thrive again. Courageous pastors often ask, ‘What do I do when one or two persons intimidate the church so much that it is not willing to try something new?’”²

Easum’s response was either to convert them, neutralize them, or kick them out. To which some cry, “That’s not very Christian.”

The point is that sometimes (not always, by any means) we Christians are just too nice. That’s more because we are too afraid to stand up to bullies and call their bluff—not because we’re Christian. We’d rather keep the peace than rock the boat.

True, we are to be loving, but that doesn’t mean we always have to be nice. I recall hearing an employer share how he was accused of not being Christian by an inept employee he was firing. So he said to the employee in question, “Well I’m going to lovingly fire you.” If, after being given several warnings and help to improve, an employee is not pulling his or her weight, it isn’t loving to let him off the hook. In fact, it is reinforcing his irresponsibility, which is anything but loving. Neither is it loving to allow bullies to control a church.

Jesus knew the value of tough love. Not that it’s easy. In fact, it can be very difficult, but we need to exercise it too when such is called for.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, I confess that I am often afraid to exercise tough love for fear I won’t be liked. Please help me to overcome my fear and give me the courage to exercise tough love when tough love is what is required. And give me the insight and grace to know how to do this in a firm but loving manner. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV).

2. William Easum, “On Not Being Nice ‘For the Sake of the Gospel,’” Net Results, April 1997.

Did you ever stop to think that what the mind dwells on the body acts on!

Consider, for example, how temptation works. A thought comes to mind from seemingly nowhere—maybe from ourselves or from the tempter. We choose (mostly unconsciously) to harbor and dwell on that thought and, as we do, it hooks into our emotions, and the more we think about it, the stronger we feel about it. Then we begin to visualize in our mind what we want to do and then, unless we make a conscious choice to stop thinking about it, we give in to the temptation.

The battle is won or lost in the mind before we ever act out the temptation.

One of many dangers in continually giving in to temptation is, as another has pointed out: “If we don’t live the life we believe, we will end up unhappily believing the life we live.”

We do this because as long as we don’t consistently live the life we believe, our mind experiences what is called “cognitive dissonance”; that is, mental disharmony. Because we can’t tolerate this mental conflict, we can end up changing our beliefs to match our behavior and rationalize everything we do—a dangerous path to follow. The Bible calls the consequence having a dead conscience.²

In other words, “If we don’t live the life we believe, we will end up unhappily believing the life we live”—a dangerous and self-destructive way to live.

No wonder the Bible teaches us to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”³ And, “…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.”⁴

When I am battling a temptation, I like to pray, “Jesus help” or “Holy Spirit help.” When I am consistent with this prayer and truly mean it, soon the tempting thoughts leave my mind. This is a simple way to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to guard against harboring negative thoughts that could lead me into temptation and sin. Help me to remember to look to you for help, and to dwell on positive and wholesome thoughts that will lead to positive and wholesome living. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. James 1:14-15 (TLB)(NLT).
2. James 1:15.
3. 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV).
4. Philippians 4:8 (NIV).

Michael Josephson of Character Counts, whom I often quote, talks about the difference between success and significance. He says, “The irony is that living a life focused on the pursuit of significance is so much more gratifying than one devoted to the treadmill of success. Whatever sacrifices are involved tend to enlarge rather than diminish personal satisfaction…. Quite simply, it feels good—really, really good—to be valued and valuable.

“So, people who pursue significance are concerned with making the most out of their lives. They help others not only for the sake of those they help but for their own sake. When we use our mental and material resources to make a positive difference in the lives of others, we are rewarded with a sense of satisfaction that’s hard to get any other way. Success can produce pleasure, but only significance can generate fulfillment.”²

Sounds like good advice to me—as does the timely advice attributed to Stephen Grellet, the Franco-American Quaker (1773-1885)—who said: “I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow-creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”

We don’t have to be famous to be significant. Every kind deed, kind word, thoughtful action, is significant. Added up over a lifetime, in God’s eyes they make a life both significant and truly successful.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please deliver me from wanting to be successful only in human terms, but rather significant and successful in your eyes by being ‘as Christ’ to every life I touch every day. So help me God. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Galatians 6:2 (RSV)(NIV).

2. Michael Josephson, “A Road Map to Significance,” Character Counts (324-2), www.charactercounts.org.

In my early days of ministry I was the South Australian director of Youth for Christ. At that time my most effective ministry was teaching Religious Instruction classes in the public high schools. Even though Australia is a very secular country, back then all students in public grade and high schools were required to attend a half-hour religious instruction class every week in school time. Strange as it may seem, students had to have a letter from their parents to be excused from attending these classes.

The classes were taught by the local churches and students could attend the class of their choice. However, the various church denominations voted to discontinue teaching these classes. At the time I remember talking to the assistant chief of police (superintendent) who was not a religious person, and he was furious at the churches for doing this. He said to me, “Students badly need religious training.” (NOTE: I have since learned that there has been instituted an Office of Chaplains for South Australian Schools which is now placing fulltime church-paid chaplains in all state-run high schools and many grade or primary schools.)

Also in the city of Adelaide, the local city council in the area where I lived emphasized the importance of the work that local churches were doing for the betterment of the community. There was none of this obsession about the separation of church and state supposedly being a part of the U.S. constitution. In fact, even non-religious people wisely acknowledged the need and importance of religious training and the work of the church for its social service and its teaching of morals and ethics.

Admittedly, there are some failures in church and religious circles but unfortunately it’s these stories that the news media thrive on. They neglect to report on the tremendous impact that the church makes on society. Imagine what America and other countries would be like if all the church doors were forced to be closed? Sad to say, today too many anti-religious groups are accelerating their aggressive attacks on Christianity and tearing down our Judeo-Christian morals and ethics—the very foundation on which this nation was founded.

And here’s just the tip of the iceberg of the effect this is having on our society. Chuck Colson in BreakPoint writes: “A reporter for Forbes magazine observed an ethics class at Harvard Business School in which the professor and students discussed case studies but avoided coming to any moral conclusions. Students were graded on how well they could logically defend their position, not on whether their position was actually defensible. The reporter wrote that students in this kind of class, rather than developing moral principles, merely “develop skills enabling them to rationalize anything short of cannibalism.”²

“A poll by George Barna³ showed that 54 percent of people who called themselves born-again Christians do not believe in ultimate moral truth—without which, of course, there can be no ethics.”⁴

If you and I are going to make a difference and have an impact on our society, we need to first of all live what we say we believe. And there is no greater resource than God’s Word, the Bible, for knowing what is ethical and what is not. Furthermore, unless we Christians believe that God’s Word holds ultimate moral truth, there is no hope of transforming society. Without this authority every man becomes a law unto himself.

Furthermore, if you would like a simple and effective formula for ethics, consider the following. In the book Ethics for Today, which was a text book for a college course I took a number of years ago, the author, whom I believe was Harold Titus, said words to this effect: If anything is helpful to myself or another—physically, emotionally, socially or spiritually—it is ethical. On the other hand, if anything is harmful to myself or another—physically, emotionally, socially or spiritually—it is unethical.

May God help each one of us to live accordingly.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, in this day of the accelerating erosion of our moral and ethical foundation, please help me to know your Word, believe your Word, and live in harmony with your Word and thereby help to make an impact in my world. And help all Christians and Christian churches to find a way to make an ever increasing impact on our nation to rebuild and strengthen our moral and ethical foundations before we pass the point of no return. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus name, amen.”

1. Matthew 7:26-27 (NIV).

2. Dan Seligman, “Oxymoron 101,” Forbes, 28 October 2002.

3. “Americans Are Most Likely to Base Truth on Feelings,” Barna Research Online, 12 February 2002. http://www.barna.org/

4. Chuck Colson, BreakPoint, http://www.breakpoint.org/