Author Archives: lrbartel

Nov 29 2018
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Devos

Arrogance and Pride – A sure way to get on the wrong side of God!

Arrogance and Pride…

Arrogance and PrideThey’re not just observable actions and activities directed toward other people (sometimes no more than a person’s “body language”)… Facts are arrogance and pride begin with attitudes of privilege and superiority (we think somehow we’re better than other people)… attitudes and actions like that are spiritually dangerous – even deadly! In fact, they’re sin! … and they put us on the wrong side of God (not a good place to be)! That’s the message of 1 Peter 5:5-6:

“Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,”

God helping me, I never want to be guilty of the sins of arrogance and pride! “Search me O God and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! See if there be any wicked way in my and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24) I want to heed the prophetic admonition of this Scripture… “Humble yourself, therefore, under the mighty hand of God!”

Nov 27 2018
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Devos

Leadership lessons from two guys in the Bible… Asa and Jehoshaphat

Leadership lessons from the BibleThe last couple of days, I’ve encountered some very important leadership lessons from a couple of guys in the Bible named “Asa” and “Jehoshaphat”… After reading their stories, I only wish leaders in our nation would learn from their example! (2 Chronicles 14 – 20 in your Bible – Believe me, these chapters are worth reading! Here’s just a taste of what those chapters tell us…)

Asa

“Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God… And he commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandments… The kingdom had rest under him… He had no war in those years for the Lord gave him peace… Asa said, ‘We have sought the Lord our God and he has given us peace on every side.’ Zerah, the Ethiopian came out against them… And Asa cried to the Lord his God, ‘O Lord there is none like you to help between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you! O Lord, you are our God; let not man prevail against you!’ So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.”

Jehoshaphat

“The Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier way of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel. Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand… His heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord… He sent his officials and with them the Levites to teach the book of the Law of the Lord. They went about through all the cities of Judah and taught among the people… And Jehoshaphat grew steadily greater… Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, ‘a great multitude is coming against you”… Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast… And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord… And Jehoshaphat said, ‘O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you! … Oh our God, we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you!’ And the enemy was routed… Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at their head, with joy, for the Lord had made them rejoice over their enemies…. So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.”

Tragically, however, both leaders toward the end of their reigns, fell prey to self-sufficiency, pride and arrogance, did evil and did not seek the Lord! (read 2 Chronicles 16:7-12 and 20:35-37)!

Nov 27 2018
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Devos

Kind of a lived “parable” today, I guess – Lessons learned from running “Perimeter Trail North”

Mission Trails
Kind of a lived-“parable” today, I guess…
 
A few days ago I decided to take a run in Mission Trails Regional Park in San Diego that I hadn’t run before. I consulted the trail map posted online and decided the route I would take. It involved a trail entitled “Perimeter Trail North” along the park side of Highway 52. I began my run and enjoyed it, but there were some areas that were challenging (the map entitled them “difficult”). I reached a particular spot and had to make a decision… would I run left or right? Right looked pretty – left looked more interesting. I opted for left… I ran past a sign that pointed back to the trail, but ignored it. I pressed on… I even saw a sign that indicated Highway 52 was just ahead and pressed on, thinking there just had to be a place to rejoin the Perimeter Trail… The sign warned me again “Bicycles (and runners) do not enter Highway 52!” I pressed on past the sign, along the highway, thinking there just had to be a place along the highway to rejoin Perimeter Trail. On the other side of the highway I saw the trail – but no place to get over the high fence back on the right trail… (Finally, after extra miles, I found a place where I was able to scale the fence and rejoin the trail).
 
Lessons learned… You want to pay attention to the map and the signs (for me, in life, that’s God’s word – the Bible)!
 
Another lesson… It’s not enough to stay as close to the fence as you can. You want to stay on the right side of fence! I know people who try to do it in life and, according to the Bible, being on the wrong side of the fence leads to the wrong destination and lots of pain and regrets along the way!
 
Final lesson… “Riding the fence” is a dangerous thing. I can tell you, first of all, it was difficult to find a place to scale the fence – and secondly it was a dangerous enterprise once I found a place to cross! I would not recommend “riding the fence” as a way to live your life and serve the Lord!
 
You know, I’ve decided that in serving the Lord, I want to follow the map (what the Bible teaches). And I need to pay attention to the sign posts along the way and not strike out on my own (doing what is “right in my own eyes”). Finally, if I find myself on the wrong side of the fence, I want to get back on the right trail as quickly as possible (even if it is a bit painful and embarrassing)!
 
Just a few life lessons learned on a day of running the trails of Mission Gorge.
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