Rick Howard starts the book off with a recounting of a dream where he was taken to heaven and allowed to see several people at the judgment seat of Christ. The judgment seat is where people receive their eternal rewards for works done while on earth (not salvation). Rick saw a college buddy lose his potential rewards because he chose not to follow his calling to the mission field, but instead married the trophy wife and stayed home.
The book has many chapters about Christian living that touches on many subjects. I thought the chapters were OK, but did not connect back to the original dream, which dramatically emphasized an eternal perspective.
The appendix includes the The Vision of William Booth, the founder of The Salvation Army. This vision is vivid and detailed. Booth gets to witness the absolute approval of many of the saints who were obedient to the Lord while on earth. When Booth finally looked at Jesus face to face, he did not receive a look of approval or rejection, but was told, "Go back to earth. I will give thee another opportunity. Prove thyself worthy of My name. Show to the world that you possess My Spirit by doing my works, and becoming, on My behalf, a savior of men. You shall return here when you have finished the battle and I will give you a place in My conquering train, and a share in my Glory." Booth went on to start the Salvation Army, which now does humanitarian work in 110 countries. Clearly, Booth was driven by his vision of eternity and desiring above all else to be a good and faithful servant.
Howard's chapter on Developing a Servant's Heart was my favorite. Howard says we develop a servant's heart by:
- Casting our cares on the Lord. In particular, trusting God's will for your life to the point where you don't worry about it. You truly trust God.
- Focusing on the interests of others. You serve the Lord by serving others. You count others more important than yourself. This is the cure for so many of life's problem.
- Boredom. God has called you and me to a higher purpose: to live with the same mindset as the One who "came not to be served, but to serve." (Matt 20:28). When I am bored, the opposite is true of me. I am seeking not to serve, but to be served. I am here to be entertained. To free ourselves from boredom, we must begin to love and serve others. Only then do we discover a life of purpose, adventure and significance. And as God uses us to build His Kingdom, boredom becomes a thing of the past.
- loneliness is also cured by focusing on other and asking ourselves, "Who can I serve today?"
4. Stage Fright. Make love your goal. Concentrate on the individuals with needs, on how you can help them, on how you can best love them. And in this way you will be pleasing in God's sight.
If we want to be people God can use, we must walk through the door of humility. If our secret motive is to exalt ourselves, the Holy Spirit wants no part of it. If our motive is to benefit people, on the other hand, then the Holy Spirit will help our preparation and our presentation as well.
At the Judgment seat of Christ everyone's motives will be revealed. It should be an interesting day!
Opportunity Enablers article by Morris Rudick
This is a prophetic word for Opportunity Enablers by Morris Rudick. I particularly like the closing paragraphs:
The Opportunity Enablers
The unique characteristics, of those bearing the mantle of generational change, begin with an authority that challenges the status quo. They operate outside the box. They prevail. They exhibit a maturity that judges righteously, with a father's heart. When change yields, they become the opportunity brokers. Joseph was an opportunity broker. Opportunity brokers are equippers and community-builders. They are enablers and dispensers.
In other words, opportunity enablers operate uniquely to build community; to facilitate, mobilize and equip others. Enablers bear the mark of the highest calling among leaders. They don't build institutions that serve to perpetuate their own existence. Their organizations are outward-driven or integrated into the broader community. They flow with a modus operandi that is consistently serving to extend opportunity to others.
Long ago, there was a pivotal tribe of Israel known as Issachar, who understood the times and knew what to do. They were a comparatively small tribe among the twelve, yet extremely potent in their function. They stood at the point of change, knowing what to do. Within the same context, Jesus admonished us to understand the times and seasons.
The status quo is the enemy of opportunity. Flashpoints of fire will bring change. Change rightly responded to yields opportunity that advances the Kingdom of God.
