Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Mark Batterson from his book, Double Blessing (p. 71). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) That’s an interesting thought but also a true one! Mark says, “This simple revelation changed the way I live, the way I lead. Sin will complicate your life in ways it should not be complicated. The blessings of God will complicate your life in ways it should be complicated.” He goes on, “When Lora and I got married, it complicated our lives. Praise God for a quarter century of complications! We have three complications named Parker, Summer, and Josiah, and I cannot imagine my life without them! The larger the organization you lead, the more complicated it gets. The more money you make, the more complicated your taxes are. I didn’t know it at the time, but when I prayed that double portion prayer at the foot of my father-in-law’s casket, I was asking God to complicate my life times two! And I prais

A thought by Mark Batterson from his book, Double Blessing (p. 07). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) But it is so much better to react like one, isn't it? Mark says, “You cannot control how people treat you, but you can always control how you treat them. I’ve made some difficult decisions as a leader, decisions that not everyone has agreed with. And that comes with the territory, right? Leaders get to make the decisions no one else wants to, and that means we’re the lightning rods for people’s complaints. Or worse, we’re their punching bags! But I refuse to react! Sure, I’ll confront people if I don’t agree with their tone or their tactics. But I made a resolution long ago that I will do my level best to make sure everyone I encounter feels loved and heard and blessed . “Proverbs 19:11 says, ‘It is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.’ In other words, make it your goal to be unoffendable!

A thought by Mark Batterson from his book, Double Blessing (p. 37). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) We understand all about withholding tax, don’t we? Mark says, “If you want to posture yourself for God’s blessing, integrity is on par with humility. It’s so tempting to take shortcuts and cut corners, isn’t it? Especially when no one is watching. But if you compromise your integrity, you short-circuit God’s blessing.” Mark goes on, “The good news? If we operate with integrity, there is no withholding tax on the blessings of God. And that’s the goal, isn’t it? To live in such a way that God is able to give us His full blessing—blessings beyond our ability to ask or imagine. Don’t settle for anything less or anything else. If you have to compromise your integrity for an opportunity, it’s not an opportunity. That’s called temptation. Don’t sacrifice the favor of God for the promotion of man. Just as