10 commitments for the New Year for me

1. I WILL equip more people and seek to do less of the ministry

Ephesians 4:11-12 says that the purpose of leaders in the church is to equip the people to do the ministry of the church.

2. I WILL build into the ministry of others rather than seeing them as tools to build my own ministry

Jethro told Moses that trying to be the solitary authority figure was wrong (Exodus 18:13-24). Jesus chose to invest into building 72 other ministers (Luke 10:1), 12 heavily, and three of them intimately so! I have heard many great leaders say that if they had their time again they would invest more in training and developing other leaders. Let’s have a plan!

3. I WILL develop a kingdom perspective, realizing that building the ministry of others will multiply the impact of my life

Jesus went out of his way to make sure people understood how much he demanded before they became his followers. For Christians, giving time to ministry is not optional! All must have a strong work ethic and give themselves completely in service to God. Someone once told me you will never build a great church and be able to go to the beach every other weekend. Think about your own commitment before judging others!!

4. I WILL be an encourager of others in ministry

In a world full of negative attitudes and criticism, I will demonstrate Christ’s love by celebrating the accomplishments of others more. I will seek to push others to excel and take steps of faith.

5. I WILL call people boldly to become who God has called them to be

I will boldly invite them to contribute their time to the most significant cause in the universe.

6. I WILL devote resources to developing others

I will seek more ways to assist the training and equipping of the leaders that work with me. I will continually challenge them to personal growth and development. I will give more constructive feedback,

7. I WILL laugh more!

The eternal consequence of one soul is worthy of the most serious effort there is for sure. However, the Bible speaks of love and joy as a hallmark of a follower of Christ. Infact, the Bible says that the joy of the Lord IS my strength. Laughter is like medicine to the heart and is crucial for the journey ahead.

8. I WILL forgive myself for past mistakes

God chose me to do what I do. He chose to work through me knowing that I am not perfect. I will spend time consciously determining what I need to learn from my mistakes and then I will join God in casting them into the Sea of Forgetfulness.

9. I WILL remember the ONE Thing

In Luke 10:38-42, Jesus reminded Martha that while all her attempts to serve him were good, the ONE thing most important was developing a growing relationship with Jesus. I will remember that ultimately it is not about my ministry or my church. Ultimately, it’s about developing a growing relationship with Jesus.

10. I WILL keep these resolutions longer than the one about dieting and exercise

Don't need to comment any more on this.

If you are a leader, why not join me in this and see where we are by the end of 2010.

Oral Roberts died

Dr. Oral Roberts, a legendary evangelist who rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most influential Christian leaders of the 20th century, died today in Newport Beach, Calif., due to complications from pneumonia. His son, Richard, and daughter, Roberta, were at his side. The founder of Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association and Oral Roberts University was 91.

Another general of the Christian faith is finally called home to heaven and to the saviour he loved and gave his life in service to spreading the gospel around the world. An extraordinary man with great faith and endurance who has inspired leaders for many years and has been used by God powerfully. I salute him and know that heaven would stand in applause of this man. His life has brought honour to the name of Jesus.

Oral will be sadly missed and my prayers are for his family at this time.

I am just left today thinking again about my own legacy and impact in this world for Christ. The baton is in our hands for just a short time and then it's passed on whether we plan to do it or not! We all grow old and will surely die. I want to make a difference with every moment of my life and not waste a single minute. I have prayed today that Jesus would strengthen me to run my race in my day with the same attitude as the Apostle Paul, like I have not obtained ANYTHING (become complacent and too comfortable) and stay focused on RUNNING (Urgency and effort) towards the goal of being Christ's ambassador here on earth.

Let's ask God to use us for his honour and glory in this generation.

So funny!!

Calling Jesus Lord is not good enough to get you into heaven!

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." Matt 7:21

Jesus reall just says it as it is. You see it's easy to just say the words but what Jesus wants from us is to be fully surrendered to his Lordship and living a life of obediance to God's will. I will say this again in case you missed it, OBEDIANT TO GOD'S WILL in your life. Many struggle with this and have even walked away from Jesus because the ask is to great. I think this is where the rubber really hits the road for us who profess to be fully devoted followers of Christ.

I once heard someone say, "It is not how high you can jump that matters, but how straight you can walk when you hit the ground again." You may be able to say all the 'right things'. but if your faith does not impact the way you live, it is meaningless. In truth, you may not have a real relationship with God!

I once read something that really challenged me and I will leave it with you to think about. This was engraved on a Cathedral wall in Germany:

Thus speaketh Christ our Lord to us,
"You call me master and you obey me not;
you call me light and you see me not;
You call me the way and walk me not;
You call me life and live me not:
You call me wise and follow me not;
You call me fair and love me not:
You call me rich and ask me not;
You call me eternal and seek me not;
If I condemn you, blame me not."

I simply believe that God is looking for genuine believers whose walk matches their talk. What about you?

Thoughts - Who is God?

Pharaoh once said, "Who is the Lord that I should listen to him?" What a question! I think many around us today would ask the same question. This is a challenging question to attempt to answer. The fact is that it is difficult for our limited minds to grasp hold of the limitless, eternal, omnipotent God!

The Bible promises one day everything about God and his character will be made perfectly clear to us (1 Cor 13:12) BUT until then we can find out everything about him in his word 'The Holy Bible'.

There in his word we discover the following:

1. God is ALL-knowing, EVER present and ALL-Powerful. The creator of the universe knows every detail of his creation (Matt 10: 29-31)

2. God is Holy. His holiness merits our worship (Rev 15:2-4)

3. God is Loving and Just. This is amazing but his justice is tempered by his love. (2Peter 3:3-9)

4. God is Personal. This sets him apart from the so-called 'gods' of other religions (Acts17:22-31)

5. God is in Control. Even when things around us seem in chaos, he is in control! (Rom 11:33-36)

6. The God of the Bible is the One True God. Only HE is worthy of our worship and devotion (1 Cor 8:4-6)

I could go on and on...... As we continue to dig into God's word there is so much more for us to discover about who God is... My comments above is just the start over the amazing revelation to us of how AMAZING and ALMIGHTY he truly is.

However, what is equally amazing to me is that ALMIGHTY God came to this world at Christmas time in the person of JESUS CHRIST so that the world might know who God is. Jesus said, 'if you have seen me you have seen the father'. We will get to know God by knowing the son. Christmas points us again to a saviour sent for us to take away our sin and a God who wants a relationship with us all mankind. TOTALLY AMAZING!!

Determined to make a diffence in someone else's life

So what can you do for someone else?

As I watched this I was reminded that who ever we are and whatever circumstances we find ourselves in in this life, our attitude changes everything and can make all the difference. Infact, I believe having the right attitude mostly changes us.

Over the years I have seen people do great things, creative things, rise up and find solutions, to be an inspiration to many and make a real difference in the lives of others. How? Just by having the right attitude. What about you?