There are times during a Sunday morning teach when I feel as though God is talking straight to me. Most of the time, this is a really great thing - God working in my heart, teaching me how to be a better person for Him, and I'm grateful for it.
Other times, it's not so great. Oh, He's still working in my heart, teaching my how to be a better person for Him, and I'm grateful for it. But it hurts. Or it's embarrassing. Or I am otherwise reminded how far I still have to go in my journey as a dedicated Christ follower.
We all have mornings that hit us particularly harder than others, depending where we are in our journey or what God wants us to work on. Yesterday was one of those days for me.
When I find myself struggling with whining, and the selfishness that gives it flight, I have this thing I use. You may remember it, Dennis put it out there in a sermon awhile back. I revisit it myself because, man, I think it's just such great advice. It's on the wall over my desk:
Real Servants Serve God with a mindset of five attitudes
- Servants thinks more about others than about themselves
- Servants think like stewards, not owners
- Servants think about their work, not what others are doing
- Servants base their identity in Christ
- And servants think of ministry as an opportunity, not an obligation
How much unnecessary crud could I eliminate from my life if I was as intentional - and consistent - about this as I want to be? Seriously, every whining opportunity I get...gone. Boom.
I have something new on the wall next to my desk. It's a sermon outline called "Smoking out the Whiner within you." Appreciate my blessings. Accept God's challenges. Prioritize. Get control of my mouth. It's got some great verses on it.
Smoke 'em if ya got 'em.
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