motivation

The Treasure in Measure

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

25_powerlockI’m certain that I’ve seen and spoken the word “measure” thousands of times in my life, and I’ve read Romans 12:3 many hundreds of times.  When I read it again a moment ago I noticed something different. I saw the three words found in measure:  me-a-sure.

 For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one. ~Romans 12:3

While me-a-sure has nothing to do with the meaning of measure or the theological significance of Romans 12:3, me-a-sure motivated me to think of the things that I can be sure of knowing, like:

  • Eternal Life: These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God (I John 5:13).
  • The Truth: You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32).
  • The Good Shepherd: I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own (John 10:14).
  • The Hope: I pray that the perception of your mind may be enlightened so you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints (Ephesians 1:18).
  • The Love of Jesus: You may know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19).

In the third chapter of Philippians, Paul said there was one thing he was sure of, and it was the need to forget the things that were behind him and to focus on the “prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (3:14).”

How does your relationship with God measure-up?  How have you been reassured in times of trials and heartache?  How has your confidence in God been strengthened?  I’d like to know, so share a comment or two with me.

Who Will It Be?

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

I usually have the TV on of a morning while I’m getting ready for work.  Wednesday morning a story was aired about the Kauffman Foundation and the ad they will run during the Super Bowl.

The question they ask is one of motivation:  Will it be you?  The ad and the related material they plan to make available is designed to encourage the entrepreneurial spirit among our aspiring youth.

As I thought about the challenge of the Kauffman Foundation, I thought of two people from history who get little mention.  The first is William Booth the founder of the Salvation Army, and the second is Clara Barton who founded the Red Cross.  Both of these individuals saw a need and they stepped up and stepped out to make a difference in the lives of the suffering.

When I think of the legacy of Booth and Barton, I ask the question:  Who will it Be?  Who will be the next person to step up with a new program to alleviate suffering?

Hundreds of years before Christ was born, the prophet Isaiah recorded a message in the form of a question:  I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”   Isaiah did not let the question die as a weakening echo.  He captured the essence of the plea, and He responded:  Here am I, send me.

That question has been asked in one form or another for many centuries.  Jesus restated it in the form of a mandate to His disciples.  We are told that when He saw the people as sheep having no shepherd.  He instructed the disciples to pray for more workers in the harvest.

The question of the Kauffman Foundation is a thought worth thinking–Will it be you?  Will you be the next person to take a risk for the benefit of others?  Will you be the one who will help shepherd the sheep. 

If you pray the prayer that Jesus spoke of, why not do it in front of a mirror?  If you do, you may see the answer to your prayer.