The Make It Happen Moment ® Life Coach

January 1, 2012

Gary J. Borgstede The Make It Happen Moment ® , , , , , , , 3 Comments

Michael Jordan and Dean Smith photo at UNC gam...

Quote: “You have the potential – no, you have the responsibility – to be a mentor and be mentored!” – John Wooden

One afternoon at a business conference, I learned some important leadership insights from the game of basketball as taught by an excellent speaker at the conference.  Prior to the speaker’s presentation, I had never really thought about the fact that a basketball player really only has the ball in his hands for two to three minutes in a 40 minute game.  So then, what does a player do with the other 37 to 38 minutes of the game?  For great basketball coaches, the answer to this question is quite potentially the real difference between their team winning and losing; therefore, they effectively prepare their players for playing well the other 37 to 38 minutes when they don’t have the ball.  The speaker emphasized that this insight is so crucial because the real game of basketball is actually played away from the ball and great coaches instinctively know that if you take care of the little things away from the ball, the big things with the ball will take care of themselves…provided of course that the little things do in fact lead to the big things.  For instance, learning how to thank your team mate for passing you the ball after you make a score is a little thing “away from the ball” that leads to big things “with the ball” – more scoring opportunities because of the small expression of genuine gratitude and humility with your team mates.

I recently read a quote from Michael Jordan at www.twitter.com/air_jordan which stated, “Years of practice amounted to years of achievement.”  Obviously, Michael Jordan is recognizing the importance that practice played in direct relationship to his achievements on the court.  And I think his statement also clearly affirms the leadership principle that the big things in our life will not happen without us first taking care of the little things that lead to the big things.  So what are some of the little things in life that we must focus upon and diligently practice in order to properly position and equip ourselves for the big things in life? 

I have learned from my Senior Pastor as well as from real life personal application that we can learn life lessons in one of two ways: revelation (mentors and wisdom) or tribulation (mistakes and pain).  Personally, I’ve tried both ways and I so much prefer the revelation way that I now spend many hours seeking revelation wisdom from wise qualified mentors who can teach me the little things away from the ball that will prepare me for the big things with the ball.  The great apostle Paul clearly understood this wisdom principle when he encouraged his disciples to diligently observe him, learn from him, and do like him as a qualified wise mentor of faith who imitated his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  In fact, through his secure personal relationship with Jesus Christ, Paul confidently states in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”  Wow, this is real life mentorship at its best!  Therefore, with a spirit of wisdom and humility, may we be like Paul – qualified wise mentors of faith and revelation who freely give others life lessons that we have freely received from the Lord and other qualified wise mentors of faith.

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Have a blessed “Make It Happen” day!

Edited by The Make It Happen Moment ® Editorial Team

The Make It Happen Moment ® Life Coach Copyright 2009, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint The Make It Happen Moment ® Life Coach, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

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End Of The Spear

December 18, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede Leadership Insights , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Nate Saint

When Steve Saint was only five years old, his father Nate Saint, left on a plane with four other missionaries – Jim Elliott, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, and Pete Fleming – to reach the indigenous savage people group known as the Auca Indians.  On the day his father left, little young Steve did not know that his father and the other missionaries would all be speared to death by the Waodani tribe and he would never see his father again.  However, instead of allowing this tragic experience to mark his life with bitterness and unforgiveness, Steve learned how to forgive the men who killed his father by actually going to live with his aunt among the Waodani tribe when he was 10 years old.  Through his family’s tenacious missionary efforts and Steve’s willingness to forgive his father’s transgressors, the Waodani people became believers in Christ.  Through Steve’s outrageous act of love and forgiveness, the man who actually killed Steve’s father was transformed by God and became Steve’s brother in Christ – powerfully demonstrating the good news of the Gospel.

The Power of Forgiveness

I’ve heard it said that there is nothing more powerful in human affairs than the act of forgiving the least and even the most unforgivable offenses.  I believe this is true simply because of the reality of the Cross in my own life.  At the Cross, Jesus looked at His guilty offenders (you and I through the sin of Adam) and He forgave us by freely giving His life that we might have life.  Like Jesus, Steve Saint’s father, Nate Saint, gave his life as a martyr so that others – guilty offenders – might have an opportunity to receive the power of forgiveness through the Cross.  As a legacy to his father’s martyred life, Steve pressed through his painful loss to help complete his father’s mission by demonstrating the power of the gospel through the incontestable act of forgiving his father’s killers.  What else can the heart of a person do but melt at the foot of the Cross, when they have committed an unthinkable, unpardonable sin against another and that person chooses to forgive their offense.

Give What You Cannot Keep To Gain What You Cannot Lose

In his life, Steve Saint quotes one of the missionaries killed with his father as saying, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” From his painful life experiences, it is evident that Steve learned how to allow what the enemy meant for evil to be turned to good by giving into his heavenly Father’s hands what he could not keep – his relationship with his natural father – in return for the eternal life of his father’s killers and many others through the powerful demonstration of the gospel in his own everyday life.  In fact, it has been written about Steve that his life has been shaped by James 4:17 and other similar verses stating, “Anyone who knows the good he ought to do, but doesn’t do it, sins.” With such a powerful verse shaping Steve’s life, it is no wonder the powerful impact that he is having in his missionary efforts around the world. 

Dead Faith Is Worthless

In my opinion, Steve Saint’s everyday faith is an inspirational testament to the responsibility that all Christ followers have to fulfill the Great Commission by demonstrating our own faith through good works that God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. About the purpose and course of his life, Steve Saint states, “I have long dreaded the thought of getting to the end of life and regretting that I allowed my own timidity or other people’s expectations to determine the course of my life. I had decided at a much younger age that several of my beliefs should determine the course of my life.  I believe that Waengongi, the Creator, has an epic script into which my minute presence has been written.” For “Great Commission” works to be fulfilled and completed in each of our lives, I believe that all Christ-followers must believe as Steve Saint, that our Creator – Father God – has a good plan for each of us and He will be faithful to complete the good work He begins in us as the Author and the Finisher of our faith.  And if we dare to be so bold to believe the fullness of God’s Word for our own lives, we would have no need to be concerned with “dead faith” which Steve says “is as worthless as a 5-day old chewed up piece of gum.”  Therefore, as we live life at the end of the spear, trusting the Lord to teach us all things, lead us into all truth, and direct our steps on a daring faith adventure into eternity with Him, may our faith never be dead on the journey.

Question: As a Christ follower in the marketplace, how do you live your life at the “end of the spear”?  

End of the Spear Copyright 2011, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint the leadership article, End of the Spear, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

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The Make It Happen Moment ® Lion Chase

December 8, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede The Make It Happen Moment ® , , , , , Leave a comment

Quote: “Lion chasers don’t hide from the things they fear.  They chase lions into pits!” – Mark Batterson

Contemplating my future, I fought some momentary bouts of fear in my mind as I answered personal questions of faith and destiny.  Would I let the safety and security of more than 16 years of dedicated service as a corporate leader supersede my faith in God and possibly steal the adventure and excitement of completely fulfilling my destiny in the Lord? Would I be content as a lion caged by the safe confines of a certain job or would I embrace a potential departure into a faith-filled future as a lion chaser in the kingdom of God?  With the peace of God in my heart and the support of family, natural and spiritual, I overcame my fear and embraced what many might consider unthinkable, crazy, reckless – I gave up the emotional safety net in a steady tenured company position, for instead, a steadfast trust in the Lord to direct my steps into the good plan that He has for me as a lion chaser in His kingdom!   

Spiritually speaking, do you know the oldest strategy in the devil’s toolkit is to try to steal, kill, and destroy our destiny in God through personal fear and intimidation in our minds?  In fact, 1 Peter 5:8 states, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”  Notice the Word of God says that the devil walks about like a roaring lion; therefore, we can conclude that he really isn’t a lion at all, but rather, he’s nothing but a lying devil.  His roar is only meant to scare us through fear and his false accusations in our minds are only meant to intimidate us into thinking that we must live our lives less than the full potential that God has destined for us. 

But praise God that the devil was totally and completely defeated by Jesus at the Cross of Calvary and not only that, Jesus has given us His authority to put the devil completely under our feet.  In Luke 10:19 Jesus says, “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy [the devil and all his demons], and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”  This means that we don’t have to be “fraidy” cats when the devil is trying to steal our destiny in God by holding us captive to our personal fears.  Instead, as believers with a spirit of faith as well as the mind of Christ, we can be lion chasers in the kingdom of God with the authority in Christ to chase the devil into a pit and totally overcome his scare tactics in the battlefield of our minds!

Furthermore, Romans 8:31 states, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”  Believing in the present that God is for us and not against us makes all the difference when leaving yesterday’s memory and reaching for tomorrow’s dream.  In chasing our God-given dreams, lion chasers choose to believe God and seek Him because Hebrews 11:6 states, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him [God], for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”  With a spirit of faith, embrace your future and your destiny in the Lord as a lion chaser who believes God because with Him all things are possible!

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Have a blessed “Make It Happen” day!

Edited by The Make It Happen Moment ® Editorial Team

The Make It Happen Moment ® Lion Chase Copyright 2010, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint The Make It Happen Moment ® Lion Chase, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

Our Father’s Kingdom

December 3, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede Leadership Insights , , , 2 Comments

For me, one of the most profound and exhilarating statements presented in Douglas Layton’s book, Our Father’s Kingdom, is found in the introduction where Mr. Layton frankly states,

“While righteousness in a nation undoubtedly begins with the commitment of individuals to Christ, more souls and more churches alone will not make it holy.  Godliness comes when a nation’s Christians make it their all—consuming passion to see God’s glory reflected in every domain of the land, its arts, sciences, media, government, schools, businesses, families – in every domain.  Unless they do, their salvation will benefit only them personally, and Christ’s laws and principles will not guide their nation as He intended them to do.”

Wow!  This bold statement so identifies with the Spirit of God in me that I can’t help but seriously think that this is actually the real reason why we do not see more of God’s kingdom truly reflected in every domain of our country as mentioned by Mr. Layton.  Personally, I believe this is precisely the reason our nation continues to slide farther and farther away from our Judeo Christian heritage and values in everyday marketplace life.  Unfortunately for our nation which was founded on the principles and values of the Bible, I think we have forgotten how to teach people to practically live the principles and values of our Father’s kingdom in their respective domains of influence outside of our churches and our families.  As a result, far too many Christians lack the practical knowledge and Holy Spirit inspired boldness to bring the values and principles of our Father’s kingdom to their spheres of influence in a way that facilitates real transformational change in our societal domains.

So then how do we practically do this? Personally, I believe that the only way we can effectively do this is if genuine Christ followers make an intentional effort to focus on the entirety of Jesus’ commandment in His Great Commission of His Church as stated in Matthew 28:18-20. “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” As disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, when we objectively measure our effectiveness in fulfilling the entirety of the Great Commission as commanded by Him, we are without doubt effectively building churches that are adding souls to the Body of Christ and even building more churches to do so in the kingdom; however, by the condition of our society in America, it just doesn’t seem to me that we are being as effective as we need to be in teaching disciples how to observe all things that the Lord commands us in the different societal domains of our nation.  If we were effective in doing this, I believe that our news stations would be different, our movies and films would be different, our government would be different, our businesses would be different, our schools would be different; but sadly, all too significantly often, these domains of influence in our nation are not different and they do not reflect the values and principles of our Father’s kingdom.

In his book, Mr. Layton brings further clarity to our Father’s kingdom mandate, stating, “When we speak of ‘winning a nation’ or ‘turning our nation back to God,’ we are really speaking about bringing God’s influence, laws, principles, and kingdom authority into each of these spheres. Anything less is less than what God commanded His church to do.”  So if this is what it means to win a nation for the kingdom of God, then who is strategically thinking about how to equip the saints of God to effectively bring God’s influence, laws, principles, and kingdom authority to each respective domain of societal influence? In order for the values, laws, and principles of the kingdom of God to have any real transforming influence in any societal or cultural domain, the Lord’s kingdom values must be practically lived by the power of the Holy Spirit and the authority of God in the context of each respective domain.  To me, this means that spiritual leaders especially anointed by God in each respective domain have a spiritual leadership responsibility in the kingdom of God to live the values of our Father’s kingdom in their respective domain and simply teach others to do the same. Therefore, as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, when we effectively equip, engage, empower, and encourage spiritual leaders to do this in their respective domains, I believe our nation will experience real transformational change in every domain of our land.  In fact, Mr. Layton profoundly states in his book that “When the Church is doing its job, the society around it will eventually reflect God’s laws and principles as well.”

Consequently, Christ followers working in the business domain are not absolved from this foremost spiritual leadership responsibility to reflect Christ in the marketplace. What an extraordinary spiritual reality for business leaders called by God and anointed by Him to lead in the business domain! But God doesn’t stop there, because the Great Commission doesn’t stop there. The spiritual reality of our Father’s kingdom is that He wants to raise-up influential godly spiritual leaders in every sphere of domain influence in our nation and the nations of the world.  Personally, this gets me very excited because it affirms that God has a full-time God-ordained spiritual leadership purpose, destiny, and kingdom responsibility for all marketplace leaders who love Christ and are called by Him to build the kingdom of God in their respective spheres of influence.  With that said, as a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ and a minister of the Gospel, you can count me ALL IN, by His Grace, for helping marketplace leaders to make it happen in Christ!

Question: As a Christ-follower in the marketplace, do you feel engaged, equipped, empowered, and encouraged to reflect the values and principles of God’s kingdom in the marketplace?

Our Father’s Kingdom Copyright 2011, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint the leadership article, Our Father’s Kingdom, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

The Lord Delivers

December 1, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede Personal Devotions , , , , , 1 Comment

Scripture

Psalms 34:7 “The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them.”

Psalms 34:17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.”

Psalms 34:19 “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.”

Observation

In this psalm, David declares three times that the Lord delivers the righteous out of all their troubles and afflictions.  By declaring this promise of the Lord three times in the same psalm, David is saying that this promise is BIG and means a lot.  According to Bartlett’s Roget’s Thesaurus, this means that when the Lord delivers me, He saves me, rescues me, comes to my rescue, throws me a life-line; snatches me from the jaws of death, saves me at the last second or minute, rescues me at the eleventh hour, saves me by the bell; extricates me, unravels me, untangles me, extracts me, gets me out; unfastens me, unlooses me, unties me, unbinds me, unfetters me, unchains me; unburdens me, disburdens me, disencumbers me, rids me of, saves me from, relieves me; releases me, emancipates me, liberates me, frees me, declares me free, sets me free, sets me at large; unlocks me, unbars me, lets me out, lets me go, lets me off, gets me off, reprieves me, acquits me, exempts me, excuses me, dispenses me from, spares me; redeems me, ransoms me, bails me out, buys me off, purchases me; salvages me, retrieves me, recovers me, brings me back, and restores me. There is no promise bigger or better than the Lord’s promise to deliver the righteous!

Application

Personally, “by not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith,” I am declared righteous in the Lord’s sight (Philippians 3:9).  Therefore, “being the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus” (2 Corinthians 5:21), the Lord’s promise to deliver me applies to me and everyone else who calls upon the name of the Lord and is righteous in His sight through faith in Christ. This is good news!

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I praise You for You are Jehovah Tsidkenu, The Lord our Righteousness!  Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for me so that I could be delivered from the power of darkness and brought into the kingdom of Your Son whom You love. I am forever grateful for Your promise and Your faithfulness to deliver me in Christ! I love You Jesus! Amen!

The Lord Delivers Copyright 2011, Gary J. Borgstede.  You have permission to reprint the personal devotion, The Lord Delivers, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

Heart of Thanks

November 24, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede Personal Devotions , , Leave a comment

Hearts

Almighty God, The Loving Father

In You Only Will I Trust

Thank You Jesus

For Creating Me

From Nothing But The Dust

Almighty God, The Worthy Lamb

I Was Blind And Could Not See

Thank You Jesus

For Dying On The Cross

And Setting Me Completely Free

Almighty God, The Merciful King

There Is No Other Holy Name

Thank You Jesus

For Your Precious Blood

That Covers All Of My Shame

Almighty God, The Reigning Lord

Your Spoken Word Is The Breath Of Life

Thank You Jesus

For The Special Gift

Of My Loving And Graceful Wife

Almighty God, The Abundant Provider

Your Tender Mercies Endure Through The Night

Thank You Jesus

For Each of My Children

Your Blessing And My Heart’s Delight

Almighty God, The Righteous Judge

Your Majesty Reaches To The Heaven

Thank You Jesus

For My Church Family

And All Of My Spiritual Brethren

 Almighty God, The Great Physician

You Know Every Hair On My Head

Thank You Jesus

For Purpose And Destiny

That Uplifts My Spirit From The Dead

 Almighty God, The Living Deliverer

You Are Always So Very Near

Thank You Jesus

For Rescuing Me

 From All Of My Mental Fear

Almighty God, The Holy Redeemer

You Are My Savior, This I Know

Thank You Jesus

For Washing Away My Sin

And Making It As White As Snow

Almighty God, The Solid Rock

Your Glory Shines For All The Days

Thank You Jesus

For Your Holy Spirit

To Walk In All Of Your Ways

Almighty God, The Good Shepherd

You Lead Me Each Morning Dawn

Thank You Jesus

For The City of New Orleans

The Place Where I Was Born

Saying Thank You Jesus

Just Doesn’t Seem Like Enough

To The Holy One Who Gives So Much

So I Give You Thanks Lord

With All Of My Heart

As It Daily Beats For Your Unfailing Touch!

 All Glory, Praise, and Honor Be To You Jesus!

Forever and Ever, Amen!

Heart of Thanks Poem Copyright 2009, Gary J. Borgstede.  You have permission to reprint the Heart of Thanks Poem Poem, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

 

The Make It Happen Moment ® Use Your Mind

November 14, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede The Make It Happen Moment ® , , , Leave a comment

Quote: “Learn to use your mind or your mind will use you!” – Gary Mack with David Casstevens

I’ve heard it said once that the average American watches nearly 6 hours of TV each day.  If this is true, and unfortunately I believe the source to be credible, especially if you include internet surfing hours, then there is no wonder why advertisers spend millions of dollars to promote their goods and services on television and computer screens.  The pictures and images that daily bombard our minds through digital media sources have a powerful impact on the markets and greatly influence our daily lives.  For better or worse, the pictures, images, and thoughts that we put into our minds have a way of becoming reality in our life.  Proverbs 23:7 states that “as a person thinks in their heart, so are they.”  This truth means that the things people think about manifest in their character and the person they become on the inside.

So let me ask you – do the things you think about each day help you to build character and to become a person of excellence or do they bring you down and cause you to live a mediocre life of subpar potential?  While the TV and internet dupes people into living a vicarious life of fantasy and adventure through other people on the screen, the reality is that we are allowing our minds to use us as we settle for a boring life at best in the “easy chair”.  Don’t let this happen to you because your potential is far greater than what you might think and your own real life adventure awaits an active pursuit of your God-given destiny!

Learning to effectively use the mind God gave you instead of allowing it to use you as a “couch potato” or “surf junkie” is an important key to becoming all that the Lord created you to be and living the life of excellence He has destined for you.  Therefore, turn off the TV, step away from the monitor, and start feeding your mind with thoughts, images, and information that can help you learn, grow, and develop into a person of excellence.  Paul states in Philippians 4:8, “whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.”  As you and I begin to do this with a spirit of commitment and excellence, the peace of God will rule in our hearts and lead us on an adventurous journey with God to become everything He created us to be and to do all that He purposed for us to do in His Righteousness and His Glory!

The Make It Happen Training And Development Value: “Make It Happen” People Invest And Participate In Training And Development!

Have a blessed “Make It Happen” day!

Edited by The Make It Happen Moment ® Editorial Team

The Make It Happen Moment ® Use Your Mind Copyright 2007, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint The Make It Happen Moment ® Use Your Mind, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

The Make It Happen Moment ® Serving Life

November 2, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede The Make It Happen Moment ® , , , 2 Comments

Two men looked out from prison bars...

Two men looked out from prison bars, one saw mud, the other...stars.

Quote: “Life is so much fuller and more significant when we spend it engaging others around us!” – Dino Rizzo

Years ago when I first started serving in the prison ministry of our church, I attended a bible study at the Rayburn Correctional Institute in Bogalusa, Louisiana.  At the end of the study, several inmates gave personal testimonies about their life and their relationship with the Lord.  I will never forget the story that one of the men shared that day.  He started by saying he had been in prison for more than 14 years of a 20-year sentence and that he spent his first several years depressed, angry, bitter, and miserable.  All he did each day was murmur and complain about his 20-year sentence as he constantly told everyone how unfair it was and that he didn’t do anything to deserve it.  He said that his misery continued day in and day out until one day when a more tenured fellow inmate had the courage to confront him with the simple truth in love.

His friend said, “George, I’ve been listening and watching you be miserable in this prison every day since you came here.  If you have any hope at all to make it, there are a couple of things you need to do.  The first thing is that you need to accept responsibility for your actions and admit that you did do something deserving of your judgment.  And the second thing you need to do is stop focusing on yourself and complaining about your 20-year sentence because there are other guys who have it much worse…30 years, 50 years, and even life.  If you can do these two things George, then the time will stop doing you and you will start doing the time.”

After George shared what his fellow inmate told him, he said that he took the advice to heart with the help of the Lord and his whole life changed.  He concluded by saying that doing time in prison is not easy by any means and that being on the down side of a sentence term [14 yrs of 20] is so much better than being on the upside; however, regardless of how many years that were left, he said his choice to take responsibility for his actions before God and focus on others rather than himself made all the difference.

As I reflect on this true story, I have wondered just how many of us can myopically live inside the same kind of prison walls as George was living, even though we don’t actually live in a brick and mortar prison.  I’m talking about a narrow internal walled-in place of depression, bitterness, anger, etc. – blaming everything and everyone for the results of our own poor life choices without any regard for the Lord or other hurting people.  I know firsthand that if we would heed the advice given to George and apply it to our own lives, we will discover by the grace of God that life will stop doing us and we will start doing life.  In fact, this is exactly the way the Lord intends for us to do life – focused on others and serving them rather than ourselves.  The Bible states in Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man [Jesus] did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”  Just imagine how life would be if we really did give our lives to genuinely love and serve others as Jesus did.  I’ve read that Thomas Jefferson observed, “A candle loses nothing when it lights another candle.”  With a spirit of commitment and generosity, may we brightly serve our life to others with the love of Christ poured out from our hearts so that we can brighten a hurting and broken world around us!

The Make It Happen Service Enthusiasm Value: “Make It Happen” People Are Five Star Service Enthusiasts!

Have a blessed “Make It Happen” day!

Edited by The Make It Happen Moment ® Editorial Team

The Make It Happen Moment ® Serving Life Copyright 2009, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint The Make It Happen Moment ® Serving Life, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

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The Promises Of God

October 29, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede Personal Devotions , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Scripture

2 Corinthians 1:20 “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”

Observation

In this verse, the Apostle Paul makes an extraordinary statement that all of God’s promises are Yes in Him, and in Him Amen, to His glory through us.  Wow! This means that God says Yes to every one of His promises to us that He has made to us in His Word.  Furthermore, Webster defines Amen as a solemn ratification which means that God solemnly ratifies each of His promises to us by His Word. Simply put, God will do what He promises to do in His Word because He is not a man that He should lie (Numbers 23:19) and He is faithful (1 Corinthian 1:9).

Application

Regardless of my circumstances in life, I know that God is good, He is faithful, His Word is true, and He will fulfill His promises to me when I place my trust in Him!  In fact, in 2 Timothy 2:13, the Apostle Paul says that “if we are faithless, He (the Lord) remains faithful, because He cannot deny Himself.” I am grateful that even in the times of my life when I’ve been faithless, God has remained faithful to fulfill the promises of His Word in my life because He is faithful and He cannot deny Himself.  Because the Lord’s faithfulness reaches to the clouds (Psalms 36:5) and His mercy endures forever (1 Chronicles 16:34), I have hope in Him that He will solemnly ratify His promises in my life to His glory through us. Amen!

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I praise You for You are El Elyon, God Most High, Creator and Possessor of Heaven and Earth!  Thank You for the truth of Your Word that brings comfort and peace to my life and my soul! In You alone I place my trust to fulfill Your promises in my life, work all things together for my good, and complete the good work that You have begun in me. I love You Jesus! Amen!

The Promises Of God Copyright 2011, Gary J. Borgstede.  You have permission to reprint the personal devotion, The Promises Of God, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

The Make It Happen Moment ® Faith In Action

October 24, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede The Make It Happen Moment ® , , , , Leave a comment

Care Bear Portrait

Care Bears

Quote: “I couldn’t care more!” – John Maxwell

Have you ever observed someone who cares so much that they live life full of energy and passion to serve others and solve problems that make a difference in life?  Perhaps some additional qualities come to mind when thinking of people whom possess such enthusiasm for life:

  • An infectious positive attitude
  • A compassionate heart willing to meet the needs of others
  • A flexible nature able to embrace, accept, and create change for the better
  • An unexplainable optimism in the midst of uncertainty
  • A teachable spirit full of curiosity and desire to discover the unknown

Unfortunately, I think many people find it difficult to naturally demonstrate this kind of enthusiasm for life on a consistent basis because this kind of enthusiasm isn’t found naturally, but rather supernaturally through faith.  A writer named Henry Chester stated that “enthusiasm is…no more or less than faith in action.”  So then what is “faith in action”? Romans 10:17 says that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”  The Apostle James encourages us to be “doers of the Word and not hearers only.”  Therefore, faith in action – enthusiasm – simply means hearing the Word of God and doing it in real life terms. When someone has this kind of faith operating in their lives, it becomes easy to be enthusiastic about doing things that make a difference in the lives of others because the Lord tells us in Matthew 25:40 that when we take care of the needs of others, we actually take care of Him.  As you ponder this reality, the compassion of the Lord will stir your faith into action and move you to enthusiastically serve others with the heart of God.  Giving glory and honor to the Lord, the Author and Finisher of our faith, enthusiastically serve others and solve problems that make a difference in life!

The Make It Happen Service Enthusiasm Value: “Make It Happen” People Are Service Enthusiasts!

Have a blessed “Make It Happen” day!

Edited by The Make It Happen Moment ® Editorial Team

The Make It Happen Moment ® Faith In Action Copyright 2005, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint The Make It Happen Moment ® Faith In Action, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

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