In our society, we have replaced obligation and responsibility with rights and privileges. Across the nation, people are fighting for their rights -- demanding what they want and what they think they deserve -- because they perceive something as unfair. Fewer and fewer people are taking care of their obligations and responsibilities. This attitude of entitlement is destroying our country.

The word responsibility means the state, fact, or position of being accountable to someone, or for something. To be responsible means we must stop making excuses, and do the right thing. Sadly, excuses are abundant in our society. Everyone -- from our children to our President -- is always quick to blame someone else, with an attitude that says, “It’s never my fault.”

The real question we need to ask ourselves is: Who determines what is fair? If we really got what was fair, or what we deserved, we would be condemned to eternal death. Thankfully, God doesn’t give us what we deserve -- He gives us what Jesus deserves. Instead of demanding what we think we deserve, we need to take responsibility for our lives and be grateful for the gift of eternal life.

Just a Thought,

PSS

Do you see the world as a place of adversity or a place of opportunity? Whatever you see, whether it’s the problem or the solution, your success will be determined by it. Unfortunately, most people focus on the problem rather than on the solution.  If you can learn to see the opportunity behind every obstacle, you will be able to move forward and begin to be successful in life.

If we only see the problems in life, we will never attain or accomplish very much. Sadly, many of us spend so much time and energy dwelling on our past that we are unable to move forward. As a consequence, we aren’t nearly as successful as we would like to be because we don’t change our attitudes. We need to realize it’s all about our attitudes and the way we think.

Have the courage to move past the setbacks, problems, and discouragements, which life can bring, and learn to focus on the possibilities. Eventually, you will see that all things are possible with God and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). With God, there is always an answer or solution to the problems we face, but we must be willing to change our attitudes.

Just a Thought,

PSS

One thing a mentor of mine said to me, which has stuck with me ever since, is: “Learn something new every day.” Read the newspaper, read a book, read the Bible -- learn something new every day. I believe we should constantly be growing and developing. When I first started pastoring, I realized I didn’t know much about leadership -- how to lead, cast visions, etc. -- so I began studying leadership almost daily. It was important for me to develop my leadership ability in order to lead people (the greatest of all God’s creation). Learning leadership principles, and how to apply those principles, has helped me in more ways than I can express.

To be successful, we must be teachable and willing to learn. If we are not, we will be left behind in the companies we lead, our ability to motivate people, our families, and our communities. If you study leadership, you will realize everything rises and falls on it. For instance, good leadership results in good company and a good family. Bad leadership, however, results in bad company and a messed-up family. Some are so stuck in their ways that it keeps them from moving forward in life. Our country is so messed up because we have the worst leadership in the history of our country.

Stay teachable, and don’t get so set in your ways that you are closed to new ideas and ways of doing things. Instead, develop your skills by learning something new every day. Let’s believe God to teach us, so we can grow and develop to reach our full potential.

Just a Thought,

PSS

If we are not careful, we can become accustomed to giving up and make quitting a habit, especially when it comes to the things of God. Some of the leading causes of habitually quitting are false expectations and a lack of knowledge of God and His Word. Sadly, quitting has become the norm for so many today, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Generally, when we think of winning or losing, it’s based on a scoreboard. But when it comes to life, it’s really about learning to never quit. Unfortunately, when things don’t go our way or when negative things happen, we tend to think, “This is too hard,” or, “Nothing ever works out for me.” But we have to realize, the enemy of being a winner isn’t failing--the real enemies are fear and discouragement.

We need to learn to win. A winner is one who never quits or gives up. In fact, the most successful people (winners) have one thing in common: they never quit. If only we could get this in our hearts and minds, and remember that we have God on our side and we will never lose, as long as we don’t give up or quit, then we would get in the habit of winning.

For most of us, getting in the habit of winning is learning how to keep moving forward through adversity and setbacks. Whatever your dream may be, as long as you don’t quit or give up, you will be a winner. As a result, we will see more of our hopes and dreams come to pass. With God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26), so let’s learn to win!

Just a Thought,

PSS

Hate is a very destructive emotion and it should not be a part of our lives as Christians. Hate is the feeling of intense or passionate dislike for someone or something, but the world has defined hatred as disagreement. To disagree, however, simply means I don’t agree with your behavior, point of view, or opinion on something. Just because I disagree with you, doesn’t mean I hate you. It’s amazing how we sit back and allow the politically correct to redefine the meaning of words; so-called Christians still believe in the rhetoric of the lost who don’t believe in Christ or His teaching.

On the contrary, to truly hate someone, means you don’t care about a person, or group of persons, at all. As a consequence, you have no compassion for that individual or group. Clearly, most of us would never physically murder anyone, but when we hate someone in our hearts, the Bible says it is like murder (I John 3:15). By saying this, God was letting us know that our intentions are just as important as, if not more important than, our actions. We may not have to go before a judge in a courtroom, but one day we will have to go before the Righteous Judge.

How long will we allow someone or something to have such an ill effect on our lives (I John 1:9)? I don’t hate anyone to the point that I wouldn’t care if they died. If the person I dislike the most came to me and wanted to get their life right with God, I wouldn’t hesitate to help them. But when we hate someone, it separates us from God; and the effects of hate, in our lives and in the lives of those around us, can be detrimental. Let’s confess our sins to God and watch what happens; if hate was your issue, anger will leave and depression will subside. But first, we need to forgive, and then, we need to let it go.

Just a Thought,

PSS