Author Archives: Gary Davenport

If something requires effort or time, it must not be meant to be, and we feel thoroughly justified giving up.

Worse yet are those who believe legitimate goals may be sought through illegitimate means, provided that those means offer a short-cut to the goal in mind.

Take, for example, the professional athlete who chooses to illegally enhance his performance through the use of steroids. Not only has he cheapened himself, he has robbed his fellow athletes of any kind of fair competition. He does this simply because he does not want to put in the time and effort necessary to better himself.

How many of us REALLY believe that you can get something valuable for nothing?

Common sense reveals that some of the best things in life demand effort and prove worthy of whatever amount of labor we endure in the pursuit.

• The best relationships require work.
• The best businesses and sports teams have been built on the blood, sweat and tears of their leaders.
• Even our spiritual growth is reflective of our faithful investment. G.K. Chesterton once quipped, “The Christianity has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult, and left untried.”[1]

Of course, this is nothing new. Thousands of years ago, God asked, “Who is he who will devote himself to be close to me?” (Jeremiah 30:21). We don’t want to hear it, but the fact of the matter is that following God involves sacrifice, effort, devotion.

Nike’s famous slogan “Just Do It” doesn’t really mean, “Just run 100 miles every week like marathon runners do.” “Just Do It” means, “Just buy the shoes – swift feet sure to follow.”[2] As if you’ll become magically fit simply by purchasing the proper footwear.

Leaders know the truth of Theodore Roosevelt’s words: “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”

Godly men and women understand that effective leadership flows from being deeply committed to the right things. As followers of Christ, the single most important commitment of our lives is, obviously, to God. Any lasting success we experience as leaders will flow from that commitment. This is why the apostle Paul writes:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will. — Romans 12:1-2

We sacrifice our selfish desires and misguided ambitions as we strive to align ourselves with God’s will. Once this act of commitment occurs, our talents and dreams will be surrendered to his purpose. And the more we give ourselves to him, the more he will bless and use us.

We naturally expect people to conform to their environment. The phrase most often used in this vein is, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Those of us who have been justified, sanctified and consecrated to God, however, face a different set of expectations. People who have received God’s grace and been transported out of darkness into his kingdom of marvelous light will be shaped and molded by their new experience. Such an overwhelming experience is bound to have some impact on our lives. That is only logical, isn’t it?

The God Who Commits

Douglas Rumford makes a profound statement in his book Soul Shaping. He writes, “We make our commitments, then our commitments make us. Once they are chosen, many other choices follow as a matter of course.”[3]

Once we commit to follow Jesus, many other decisions in life must fall into line or we overturn our prior commitment.

But how are we to know that our commitment to God will be honored? All of the commitments we make should flow from the commitment God has first made to us. Once God committed himself to our highest good, his will toward us was sealed. God tells us that he is committed to all who are in Christ, and that our relationship with him will last forever. Jeremiah 31:31-36 shows us the covenant of commitment the Lord made with his people:

“The time is coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord.

“This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

This is what the Lord says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar – the Lord Almighty is his name: “Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,” declares the Lord, “will the descendants of Israel ever cease to be a nation before me.”

The ultimate basis for security and significance in life relates to commitment (security) and to how long something will last (significance). In these six verses, God provides for his people a sense of both security and significance – a sure word that his commitment to them will never fail.

In spite of the rebelliousness of the people of Judah, the Lord assured them through the prophet Jeremiah that he was committed to their ultimate good. Judgment was inevitable because they had flagrantly violated God’s commands, but the prophet looked beyond this impending condemnation to a time of consolation. There will be a faithful remnant, and God’s people will eventually enjoy the blessings of forgiveness and complete renewal.

In this covenant, God commits himself to the welfare of the house of Israel and Judah and predicts a time when they will all know him and when his law will be written on their hearts. “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11).

God’s grace is always previous to our response and demonstrates his unshakeable commitment to us. “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10). When we love God, it is “because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

Lewis Thomas, scientist and philosopher, described humans best when he said, “We are, perhaps, uniquely among earth’s creatures, the worrying animal. We worry away our lives, fearing the future, discontent with the present, unable to take in the idea of dying, unable to sit still.”[4]

God’s promise of abiding love and commitment to our well-being enables us to live above worry, above fear. His commitment to us empowers us to follow through on our commitment to him. As Martin Luther said, “It is not imitation which brings about our sonship of God, but our sonship which makes possible imitation.”[5]

Choose one chair.”

“When Luciano Pavarotti was a boy, his father, a baker, introduced him to the wonders of song. “He urged me to work very hard to develop my voice.

Arrigo Pola, a professional tenor in my hometown of Modena, Italy, took me as a pupil. I also enrolled in a teachers college. On graduating, I asked my father, ‘Shall I be a teacher or a singer?’

“‘Luciano,’ my father replied, ‘if you try to sit on two chairs, you will fall between them. For life, you must choose one chair.’ “I chose one. It took seven years of study and frustration before I made my first professional appearance. It took another seven to reach the Metropolitan Opera. And now I think whether it’s laying bricks, writing a book—whatever we choose—we should give ourselves to it. Commitment, that’s the key. Choose one chair.”

In keeping with the biblical goal of spiritual growth and greater levels of maturity, we often find in Scripture the call to abound or excel in Christian character, especially in the various ways we can express love to one another. Spiritual maturity is a quest for character for which there will be little progress without the pursuit of excellence.

Without pursuing excellence, life will remain bland, very vanilla, lukewarm at best (see Rev. 3:15-16). The quest for excellence fuels our fire and keeps us from just drifting downstream gathering debris. This focus and need becomes quickly evident from the following verses.

Ecclesiastes 9:10: Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.

1 Corinthians 10:31: So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

2 Corinthians 8:7: But just as you excel in everything–in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us –see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

Philippians 1:9-10: And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, {10} so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,

1 Thessalonians 4:1: Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.

From these verses, it should be clear that God wants His people to abound or excel in both what they are (inward character) and in what they do (behavior or good deeds). It would seem obvious that there is simply no way one can love God with all his heart (Matt. 23:37) without seeking to do his or her best to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31).

Since that is so, the pursuit of excellence is both a goal and a mark of spiritual maturity. However, for this to be true, the pursuit of excellence must be motivated by the right values, priorities, and motives. If we go astray here, the pursuit of excellence can quickly become a mark of immaturity and just another result of man’s obsession with his own significance, which, as mentioned previously, is a perilous pursuit.

Because of who Christians are in Christ, because of our eternal hope, and because of the enabling grace of God available to all believers in Christ,  seeking to do our best and choosing what is best is part of God’s will and an evidence of genuine spiritual growth and maturity. However, there is one distinction that needs to be stressed up front.

Brian Harbour made this comment in Rising Above the Crowd: “Success means being the best. Excellence means being your best. Success, to many, means being better than everyone else. Excellence means being better tomorrow than you were yesterday. Success means exceeding the achievements of other people. Excellence means matching your practice with your potential.”

Excellence isn’t determined by comparing our score or performance to someone else’s. The pursuit of excellence comes from doing our best with what we have to God’s glory and with a view to growing and improving, but not with a view to the score or who is watching from man’s standpoint.

So then, biblically speaking, the pursuit of excellence refers to pursuing and doing the best we can with the gifts and abilities God gives, giving our best to the glory of God. But ideally, it is done without the spirit of competition or seeking to excel simply to be better than others. Excellence includes doing common, everyday things, but in very uncommon ways regardless of whether people are watching.

The reality is that God sees our work and rewards us accordingly (1 Corinthians 15:58)  “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain..”

“In our society, there seems to be an emphasis on the idea of ‘get out there and show what you’ve got,’ rather than ‘stay in and develop what you’ve got,’” says Laurie Helgoe, Ph.D., a psychologist, associate professor of behavioral sciences at the Ross University School of Medicine, and author of Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength. That can make it tough for introverts, who tend to focus on what’s happening internally instead of on their external surroundings, to find their niche.

But what does it mean to be an introvert? Well, it’s complicated. Generally, introverts are energized from time alone rather than social time and are more focused on what’s happening internally (thoughts and feelings) instead of their external surroundings and what others are doing. This tendency to hold back and stay in makes many people dismiss introverts as “aloof,” “reserved,” or “shy.” But not all introverts are shy, and not all extroverts are outgoing. “Shyness refers to social reticence, while introversion refers to a way of processing information,” Dr. Helgoe explains. “Introverts may seem shy when they are quietly reflecting, but that is a misinterpretation of what is happening. The introvert is not withdrawing from interaction to avoid people, but simply out of a need to focus internally.”

And nobody is purely introverted or purely extroverted. “It’s a continuum,” says Dr. Helgoe. “We’re not either/or. We’re more or less, basically.”

If you’re wondering where on the spectrum you fall, think about the last time you found yourself in a crowded bar or at a networking event full of people you didn’t know. Did you feel right at home, or were you ready to leave five minutes after you got there? “How soon you want to exit a high-stimulus social situation would probably determine whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert,” Dr. Helgoe says. “Extroverts tend to get energized by social interaction, whereas introverts want to pull away and recharge by processing and listening to their own thoughts.” In other words: “We could sort extroverts and introverts by how soon they leave the party,” the self-proclaimed introvert jokes.

Although Dr. Helgoe cautions that there’s no such thing as a “typical” introvert—“We make up half the population!” she says—there are some common qualities that emerge when you look at introverts as a group.

What does it mean to be an introvert? Here are some common qualities introverted people share:

1. You enjoy alone time. A night (or three) at home isn’t going to throw an introvert off their game. Quite the opposite, in fact—research shows that introverts see improvements in their moods and energy levels after quality alone time. “I think the ability to enjoy solitude is a huge life skill, because the fact is, we’re going to have times when we’re alone,” says Dr. Helgoe. Score one for introverts.

2. You tend to be less motivated by external rewards. There’s tons of research to suggest that introvert and extrovert brains process the exact same stimuli differently. One study from 2013 found that extroverts actually get a rush of dopamine from their external surroundings. (When dopamine is released, we feel contentment, and our brain starts to associate the situation/person/thing we were around with pleasure.) But outside stimuli (people, places, events) doesn’t necessarily result in the same chemical reward for the introverts—which in Dr. Helgoe’s view is a good thing.

“I think there’s a huge advantage to the fact that we are less dependent on external rewards than extroverts tend to be,” says Dr. Helgoe. “Extroverts tend to experience activation in brain areas that pursue rewards in the environment.” Because introverts aren’t as easily influenced by their surroundings, they’re more likely to stay the course, regardless of what’s happening around them.

3. You usually think before you speak. Everyone knows somebody who doesn’t talk much, but manages to cut right to the heart of the matter every time they do. Those loved ones, coworkers, or acquaintances are all likely introverted. “Introverts process information internally and privately,” Dr. Helgoe explains. Because of that, they take however much time they need before they share their thoughts with others. Extroverts, meanwhile, “process information interactively,” Dr. Helgoe adds—making them more likely to chime in as they work to make sense of things.

4. You prefer one-on-one interactions. Another common misconception about introverts? That they’re cranky and antisocial. “We crave connection too,” says Dr. Helgoe. “We just crave it differently.” Introverts would rather spend quality time one-on-one or in small groups, rather than interacting with a lot of people all at once, while extroverts get bored in quieter settings with limited opportunities for interaction.

Neither approach to socializing is superior—they’re just different.

But when you’re raised in a culture that puts a premium on qualities like gregariousness and boldness, it can be easy to start feeling like there’s something wrong with you. The key, says Dr. Helgoe, is self-acceptance, and with that comes owning your introversion—not apologizing for it. “Party does not equal fun for everybody. We’re allowed to say, ‘Yeah, not for me. That’s not my thing,’ and not have to explain it,” she says.

Despite their differences, extroverts and introverts are more than capable of forming successful friendships or partnerships with one another. But compromise and communication are key, Dr. Helgoe notes. If your extroverted bestie is stressed about a party she’s hosting and really wants you there, don’t let her down by staying home. And if you’re the extroverted one in this scenario, agree to let your favorite introvert choose the activity next time—and don’t take it personally when they say they need alone time. The more out in the open everything is, the more solid the introvert/extrovert relationship will be. Who knows? They may even find themselves leaving the next party at the same time.

Still not sure if you’re more of an extrovert or an introvert? Take this quiz. And here’s how to make friends when you’d rather just stay at home and read. 

Being a godly example is not an option, it is commanded in Scripture.  We have no choice in being an example of some kind and having an impact on those around us, but we do have a choice in the kind of witness and impact we provide.

Someone is going to follow us and be influenced by us. The questions are: Do we know where we are going? Are we providing the kind of example that will enhance their lives, or are we like the blind leading the blind?

“I once saw a bumper sticker that said, “don’t follow me, I’m lost too.”  That’s the state of the world and, unfortunately, of many well-meaning Christians. They are like the commercial pilot who told his passengers, “I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is we are lost, but the good news is we are making good time.”

Motion in itself does not mean direction. Activity in itself never means effectiveness. We need quality lives with quality motion aimed in the right direction with specific, biblical objectives.

We need Christian maturity that provides people with real honest-to-God examples of authentic Christ-like living. Effective ministry to others is often equated with such things as dynamic per­sonali­ties, with talent, giftedness, training, enthusiasm, and with charisma. But these things alone are inadequate. Much more is needed.

In the Bible, the qualities that lead to effective ministry are found in the elements of spiritual character, in the character of Christ reproduced in us by the ministry of the Spirit (see Eph. 4:12f.; Gal. 5:22ff). Look at the disciples. How would you like to launch a worldwide campaign with the likes of Peter and his comrades? Yet, with these common, average, uneducated men, the Lord launched a campaign that has spanned the globe and turned the world upside down.

Was this because of their unique and imaginative methodology? No! It was because these common men knew the Lord and began to experience His life and His qualities of godliness. He took common men and made them into great men who became spiritual leaders because they were experiencing Him through the power of the Spirit of God.

Mature Christians and leaders have a responsibility to maintain a consistent example. This is a constant theme of the Bible. Other than the raw power of the Word itself, nothing is so determinative for spiritual change in the lives of others as one’s own example.

To be a disciple of Christ requires that we are disciplined in our life of faith, which comes alive and becomes faithful in love. It means we exercise self-control, engaging only in activities that enhance our walk with the Lord, while at the same time resisting the demon of busyness and finding a healthy balance between the “doing and being sides” of our lives.

Reuben Job wrote: “Consider it a gift when you keenly feel the tension between doing and being. It is a positive sign of your awareness of God’s call, a sign of your maturity in Christ, and one of the places where every Christian must experience significant growth and renewal.”

It is God’s priority that we understand our “being,” for it is there that we discover him more intimately! Being in Christ requires that my soul first listens to His still, small voice our of my love and obedience to His Word, His Lordship, His reveled truth and His will for my life.

(Matthew 22:34-40)  “Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. {35} One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: {36} “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” {37} Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ {38} This is the first and greatest commandment. {39} And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ {40} All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.””

(Luke 10:38-42)  “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. {39} She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. {40} But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” {41} “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, {42} but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.””

The Latin root for the word “obedience” means “to listen.” Only after we have first taken time to listen for God’s Word will we be able to fully respond to His love and Word in obedience.

Dallas Willard said: “There is nothing that requires more energy for the typical American Christian than the discipline of doing nothing. The hardest thing you can get anyone to do is to do [and say] nothing. We are addicted to our world, addicted to talk…The goal of Christian spirituality is conformity to Christ—not togetherness or meditation or acceptance. The issue is discipleship. Discipleship is learning from Jesus Christ how to live my life as He would live it if He were me.”

Henri Nouwen: “We do not take the spiritual life seriously if we do not set aside some time to be with God and listen to him…The amount of time will vary for each person according to temperament, age, job, lifestyle, and maturity…The more we train ourselves to spend time with God and him alone, the more we will discover that God is with us at all times and in all places. Then we will be able to recognize him even in the midst of a busy and active life…The discipline of solitude enables us to live active lives in the world, while remaining always in the presence of the living God.”

When the prophet Elijah, zealous for the Lord, was sent to the mountain to wait for God to pass by (1 Kings 19:9-13), was God in a powerful wind? In an earthquake? A fire? No! Surprisingly, the Lord made his presence known through a gently whisper.

So often we come to God and want to be “zapped,” tingling with His presence, when all the while he wants us to rest in him, be comforted by his love for us, and listen carefully for his gently whispers.

Beyond our busyness and our lack of communication with God, what are some of the other distractions we face? The occupations and pre- occupations that get us off course from the direction we should be heading as Christ-followers?

The lure of the evil one. Satan’s activity level is heightened when he thinks we are vulnerable to his attacks and his cunning nature. We need to be fully aware of his sly movements that seek to destroy and devour God’s people.

Messed-up priorities. Too often, we are not wise in the use of our time and energies, and the tyranny of the urgent far outweighs what’s truly important. It may be time to reassess your priorities and realign your schedule so you can spend time developing your heart for God and his Word.

Our desire to climb the ladder of success. When our hearts and minds are fixated on adding wealth to our portfolios, we are distracted from spiritual formation and pulled away from a sacrificial lifestyle of love and generosity. The needs of others tend to wait until it’s more convenient for us to give. But Jesus calls us to a life of sacrifice, service, and surrender.

We hunger and thirst for things that don’t feed our souls. A carryover to the success syndrome is the accumulation of things and experiences that thrill us, often to the neglect of the spiritual life. We have computers, laptops, handheld gadgets, boats, ski-boats, golf sets, summer homes, winter homes, fancy cars, expensive vacations, and a ton of other “stuff’ that gets accumulated over the years. The more we have, the more we want; all the while our excitement for being alone with God and his  Word wanes. I am convinced that the judgment on our generation will be focused on the almighty dollar and how we spent it so luxuriously on ourselves, often to the neglect of the poor and needy.

Skepticism. In many respects, we don’t take seriously the role of the Keeper of our soul, mostly because we are skeptical if he’s really necessary. We are an independent people who like to make it on our own. This works for a while, but eventually our attitudes and speech reveal the state of our souls. If we fully believe in the fruit of ongoing spiritual disciplines, though, our skepticism will be reversed and heartfelt commitment will return.

A lack of models. We are human “doings” much more than human “beings,” so creating a quiet center is generally more difficult. But we need to be modeling for each other what a healthy spiritual life looks like. I long to see the day when local church leaders hold one another accountable for their personal spiritual life and see this role as more significant than the work they are called to accomplish together.

We are more self-reliant than God-dependent. We are very confident in our own abilities, so we don’t depend on God for our day-to-day needs. In crisis moments we cry out for mercy and strength because of our desperate need. But in the mundane aspects of our life in him, we tend to walk the walk how we see fit.

We are far more reactive than proactive. Instead of reacting to the issues of life all around us, we need to proactively choose to step off our treadmills and find a place and time to be alone with God. It takes focused! discipline, but it’s absolutely essential.

We have lost our first love. This is the most difficult possibility to raise and sometimes the most difficult to discern if it’s true. If you sense that you are falling out of love with God, remember that He is still faithful. He has always been by your side, available and aware of your heart cries. He has always longed for your love and is waiting with open arms to receive you once again.

If you are a prodigal child and need to return home, he will be there to greet you. Don’t let your feelings of love lost  for God hinder your return to him today.