A leader must develop a disciplined and prudent character so that they will do what’s right, just, & fair.  The rub comes when the leader doesn’t know what is just right, and fair.  That’s why Solomon cautioned that ‘inexperienced’ leaders need wisdom.  Proverbs isn’t a decision-making textbook, but this wisdom-packed book is God’s gift to help us make the best decisions possible.

Proverbs 1:1-6 informs us that the proverbs to follow will help the reader develop the mental sharpness needed to process complex information.  Even though technology helps us gather and manipulate information, a sharp mind must still apply solid logic to that information in order to make good decisions.

The proverbs help us to accomplish this goal in a godly manner.  They sharpen the mind and reveal God’s insight to ensure that our decisions may be in sync with his eternal perspective.  Therefore, I encourage to read these verses again, this time including verse 7.  Then study the Book of Proverbs as a foundation for exceptional decisions making.

Question: Have you ever made decisions without consulting God?  If so, what was the outcome?

In carpentry, measure twice cut once means you’ve only got one shot at cutting a sheet of drywall.  Therefore, be positive you have the right measurement or you could end up with too short of a piece.  When a sheet of drywall is cut to the wrong length, it’s hard to find another use for it.  Additionally, it’s impossible to regain the lost time.  Consequently, the more valuable the materials and time-consuming the process, the more important it is to get it right the first time!  As a young man, my father pounded this into my head – “always double check all of your measurements just to be safe.”

You measure and “cut” into your resources every day – your time, your team, your money, or your church.  So getting it right the first time is critical.  Before committing yourself to a course of action, take time and analyze the costs and benefits (measure twice, cut once).  If you’re recommending something new, research the impact it will have on other people, your church, your company, department, or group.  In each case, “measuring twice”  (by making sure you’ve gotten all the information you need before you spend resources) you’ll actually save time, energy, and money.

Have you ever had to do something over because you didn’t measure twice?  If so, what did you learn?

Today, I challenged our congregation to tell the 2nd greatest story ever – THEIR STORY!  Additionally, I challenged them to write it & share with others how God transformed their lives.  You don’t have to attend Mars Hill to write your story.  In fact, I challenge you to join us and tell the world about Christ’s transforming power!

Here’s how you do it:

Writing Your Story

Will you accept the challenge?

The author describes the main subject of his book as “thin-slicing:” our ability to gauge what is really important from a very narrow period of experience.  In other words, spontaneous decisions are often as good as—or even better than—carefully planned and considered ones.   Gladwell explains how an expert’s ability to “thin slice” can be corrupted by their likes and dislikes, prejudices and stereotypes.

Whew, that was pretty heavy.
Take a deep breath…relax…are you still with me?

Here’s what Gladwell is saying:  People rarely make decisions as a product of long deliberation.  They make take weeks to announce a decision but often make the decision in minutes, perhaps seconds.

People do not gather data to make a decision;
they often gather it to JUSTIFY their decision!

They are not accumulating understanding; they are seeking comfort and support.  Most decisions are made, and then justified, rather than the other way around.

Therefore, that leads me to one obvious implication: “First impressions are really lasting impressions.”  The first impression, with startling frequency, is also the FINAL DECISION.

HERE’S THE POINT:
The first thing to plan for is your first impression.
Why, once a mind is made up, seldom does it change.

Has anyone judged you based on their first impression?

Have you ever judged someone based on your first impression?

The reason that many successful people had mentors is that people destined to succeed ATTRACT all kings of people, including mentors.  They attract mentors, fans, followers, and even HATERS.  So the way to attract a mentor is to display those traits that will lead you to success anyway.  Like begets like.  Birds of a feather flock together.  Will a mentor lead you there?  Perhaps.  Will one help you in some smaller way?  No Doubt.

Here’s my advice: Don’t seek just ONE mentor.  Instead, focus on doing the things that might attract people, including mentors.  If you do find a mentor, make sure you include others.  Remember, mentors are people, people are fallible, and even gifted doctors misdiagnose.  Fortunately in many of those cases, the patient sought second and third opinions.  YOU SHOULD TOO!

Having just one mentor is overrated;
having several is not.

What do you think?  Do you agree or disagree?

FYI: I thinking about starting a mentoring group this Spring.  If you are interested and live in the greater Chicago area—please email me (urban.pastor@gmail.com) and I will outline the details for you.

Here’s a fact: Those who are comfortable with the status quo do not grow!

This is because remaining in a comfort zone encourages people to do the BARE MINIMUM.  Thus, their only goal is to keep things the same way they’ve always been.  To become successful (according to your predetermined standards of success) you must be willing to push yourself outside your safety zone over and over again.  In other words, you must plan to escape from the “Prison of Comfort.”

Realize that your comfort zone is holding you back – then step outside of it!

Pushing your limits is like stretching your body.  You will know it’s working when you start to feel uncomfortable.  When you feel that twinge, be assured that you are inching your way closer to your ultimate goal.  Let this be the year you decide to break free from the “Prison of Comfort.”  I know you may be afraid, but, I’m encouraging you to be bold and courageous.  I once heard someone say, “Courage is not the absence of fear; It’s moving ahead in spite of your fears.”

What would you do if you knew for sure that you would not fail?

I just started reading a book by Jim Collins (author of Good to Great) titled, How the Mighty Fall. Collins unveils several years’ worth of research on why great companies collapse. These are companies like Zenith, Circuit City, Bank of America, Merck, IBM, etc. They were at some point leaders in the industry and seemingly invincible, but they have all suffered horrendous falls. Collins says there are five stages of decline.

Here is an interesting quote:

“I’ve come to see institutional decline like a staged disease: harder to detect but easier to cure in the earlier stages, easier to detect but harder to cure in the later stages. An institution can look strong on the outside but already be sick on the inside, dangerously on the cusp of a precipitous fall.”

Here is what struck me in the first few chapters: stage 1 of decline is “”Hubris Born of Success”, i.e. pride. Collins is not writing from a Christian perspective, but his research states that great companies begin a skid to irrelevancy and death by pride. The insidious cocktail of entitlement and arrogance begins to course through the company’s veins and eventually seduces it into stage 2, and thus, the decline is well under way.

What is true for the organizations we work for and serve is also true about our own lives. Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Or perhaps Proverbs 11:2, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.” Lastly, Mark 7:20-22 says, “And he said, ‘What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come…pride.”

Dictionary.com defines “pride” as, “a high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.” The antidote for pride is humility. Humility is the root of any virtue and all graces flow from it. The purest form of humility was displayed in the life and death of Jesus Christ. The One who deserves all accolades and praise came to serve. The One who is esteemed above all else emptied himself and died on a cross (Phil. 2:1-11). He laid down his life for the proud, but then, our pride is what keeps us from seeing and savoring this.

A team must be committed to a common vision and purpose, and it must be willing to work in unity for the improvement of the whole rather than the advancement of any one member.

Synergism can be defined as the interaction of elements that, when combined, produce an effect that is greater than the sum of the individual parts.  Therefore, synergy is a joint action that increases the effectiveness of each member of a team.  Synergy is exactly what Jesus had in mind when he chose His twelve disciples.

From a large pool of disciples who were following him, Jesus designated only twelve men who would become his disciples.  This was such a significant decision that the Lord prayed all night to prepare for it (Luke 6:12-13 & Mark 3:14).

Jesus knew that this was the team that would be with Him for the rest of his ministry, and He was prepared to pour Himself unreservedly into their lives.  Jesus’ actions, the unshakable reality of the resurrection and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit turned a group of men who were characterized by confusion, infighting, and self-interest into a genuinely synergistic team.  Today the church (the body of Christ on earth) is not an organization but an organism that manifests both unity and diversity. 

What does Ephesians 4:4-16 tell us about the dynamics and purpose of this organism, and what do 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 and Romans 12:3-8 tell us about how spiritual gifts contribute to the effectiveness of the groups of believers?

Don Bennett was the first amputee to climb Mt. Rainier.  His testimony is simple – if you try such a feat with only one leg, “you can’t do it alone.”  However, Bennett understood that not just anyone could help.  Bennett did not recruit his helpers in a nursing home.  He built a team of people who WANTED to climb a 14,410-foot peak and who COULD climb a 14,410-foot peak.  One who attempts mighty feats had better be capable of recruiting a mighty team.

David did just that.  His was one of the most celebrated teams in the entire Old Testament.  This group was the all-star team of his battle-hardened warriors.  Several things stand out as we consider how David pulled his team together.

First, he spent time with them in battle. These men were welded to David by the hot fires of battle.  His inner circle consisted of those men who had fought alongside him.  He knew their capabilities, because he had seen what they could do with their own eyes.

Second, he sacrificed for them. When three of his mighty men risked their lives to obtain drinking water for him during a battle, David refused to drink it, choosing instead to pour it out onto the ground (vv. 13-17).  That act of sacrifice communicated a depth of devotion and love that had to have impressed those warriors.

Third, they enjoyed victory together. Time and time again David and his mighty men faced seemingly insurmountable odds and saw God deliver them.

Finally, David honored them. These men were well known throughout the land as “David’s Mighty Men.”  That phrase served as a banner that set them as extraordinary.  As you read this account, one thing becomes clear: David knew he couldn’t do it alone.

We all have done things like starting a business with no business plan.  Quitting a regular and somewhat satisfying job to get back to our millionaire dreams.  For me decision making was always simple and fast.  “Just follow the heart.” I never cared to think if it was right or wrong and I don’t allow myself to regret past decision or choices.  This rule of thumb allowed me to make decisions which at times others thought were crazy and outrageous (at least I was happy).  Following your heart is like a roller-coaster ride and we can safely admit we enjoy it.

While it may not be specifically true, the heart has been considered the seat of our emotions. Within the heart is located a still, small, voice that some refer to as our conscience.

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?  Jeremiah 17:9

According to Jeremiah 17:9, the heart serves as a metaphor for the human will and emotions.  The author describes it as deceitful; like a tortuous, uneven, and crooked bad road.  Furthermore, he describes it as desperately sick & medically incurable.  God makes it very clear why we sin – it’s a matter of the heart.

Our hearts have been inclined toward sin and from time we were born.  Therefore, it cannot be completely trusted.  The heart must be balanced with the head.   I no longer live by the mantra, “just follow your heart.”

Here’s why:

“Your heart can’t be trusted. The truth is, if you let it, your heart will direct you down a path that leads to the very spot you most want to avoid.”

Following our heart can take us on some good paths and some bad paths.  People say, “just follow your heart and it won’t lead you wrong.”  Well, sometime it will and sometime it won’t.  We all make decisions everyday.  Some we have to give a lot of thought and lots of prayer.  So, when someone says, “follow your heart,” that is not always the best thing to do.

So, what do I think of the statement: “follow your heart,” It’s a good statement if you have received a new heart and you are constantly filling it with the Word of God.  When we tell people to follow their heart, we must know what’s in their heart. Because out of a new heart will flow goodness and out of an old heart will flow evil.

If you follow your heart today, where will you be tomorrow?