26 December 2016 - Perspectives

Some reflection and prayer provide an interesting perspective

Thinking about communication, actions, and how I often live

Before I get irritated when someone does try to me cheat

I should remember what Jesus sees from his heavenly seat

Before fretting if someone does my earthly possessions steal

I should remember the eternal ones are so much more real

Before I get worked up about someone telling another lie

I should remember that my own sins caused Jesus to die

Before complaining that someone causes a schedule delay

I should remember that it gives me another chance to pray

Before I get insulted when not being shown proper respect

I should remember that my behaviour is even more suspect

Before I get affected by others and any unjust accusation

I should remember that via Jesus there is no condemnation

So before a minuscule speck in someone else's eye I do magnify

Per Matthew seven, I must remove the plank from my own eye

Dear Jesus, please forgive me for all the pain I have caused you

And give me the strength to live a life that is to your word true

17 July 2016 - ENCS

As part of the Leadership series, I was asked to speak today

Talking about "Competence : Not a Laughing Matter” I did say

All of us are leaders, Pastor Josh said a couple of weeks ago

As we influence others, the Oxford dictionary also does show

Leadership is stewardship of every God-given competency

It is a process, not just bossing people around, we did see

Competence is doing something successfully and efficiently

Paul shared another definition in his second letter to Timothy

Doing our best, being proud of our work, and the truth to tell

So in addition to being leaders, we can be competent as well

God wants us all to be competent leaders, make no mistake

And like Christ, that means a servant attitude we should take

But per a Joey Bonifacio post, serving is not always leadership

Although true leadership is always serving, he did aptly quip

Books on competent leadership, there is clearly an excess

Four attributes competent leaders must biblically possess

The first attribute of competent leaders is heartfelt humility

In Deuteronomy, Moses said that God gives us the ability

Do not think too highly of self, in Romans twelve Paul wrote 

Second Corinthians twelve has the “thorn in the flesh” quote

We should be humble because from God, all talents come

Without humility, being a servant leader would be very glum

Biblical leaders were Moses, young David, Jesus, and Paul

Humility is one word that can be used to describe them all

In practical terms, better results humble leaders generate

As a team working as one, individual skills will amalgamate

I tried to give credit to the team while shouldering any blame

And got in a fight with my boss for refusing to provide a name

In conclusion, competent leadership often requires humility

And effective leadership benefits from humility, we often see

In Philippians chapter two, Paul added more perspective

With Christ-like humility and without conceit is how to live

Remember the Proverbs adage that pride precedes the fall

This has been seen both in business circles and in football

Samson and the older David both fell into the trap of pride

Fortunately, they were redeemed for God was on their side

Unlike false humility, true humility comes from one's heart

From a balanced perspective, we should try not to depart

Honesty is the best policy should be used in both directions

Both over and understating reality should elicit objections

The second attribute is that competent leaders are aware

Of their talents and competencies, honestly to compare

In Deuteronomy, Moses said choose wise, respected men

Boast of unique talents, in Second Corinthians, Paul did pen

Knowing one’s strength, as per the Sun Tzu classic quote

Allows your team to build a sustainable competitive moat

Knowing your talents also enables you to others best serve

Sometimes what matters is where you sit on the bell curve

Being aware of resulting talent gaps is at least as important

Per Exodus four, Moses’ speech impediment was not a stunt

Paul said we have different roles in First Corinthians twelve

Comparing to a body’s unique functions, he did then delve

For whenever you veer away from your core competencies

Odds of success decrease and the stress will not please

Competent leaders therefore try to hire to fill talent gaps

Hiring top tier talent allows the leader to take more naps

Honing their talent is the third competent leader attribute

Per First Timothy six, with our gifts we should be resolute

For there is always more to learn and knowledge to expand

Luckily for us, the Bible and prayer are far from contraband

The fourth attribute is that competent leaders must apply

Joseph and Paul used their talents to successfully glorify

Paul said he was an expert builder in First Corinthians three

In that one sentence, he expressed awareness and humility

Of course, leadership is not confined to Christians alone

But Christian leaders must act in line with God’s throne

So the why and the how are as important as the what

Because a competent Christian leader is not just a robot

To be respected more than liked, leaders should choose

When faced with the choice, Biblical leaders did not refuse

Making faith visible, competent Christian leaders should

This helps their leadership and marketplace ministry good

In conclusion, we are all leaders and competent ones too

Thus a servant leadership mentality we should all imbue

Humility, awareness, honing, and applying are attributes

For stewardship of leadership, there are no substitutes

29 September 2013 - ENCS

One year on and on the same passage I was asked to speak 

The conclusion is that from it, more lessons we should seek

God has a sense of humour, I said as an aside

For today's title came from last year's final slide

A lesson learned is that when our minas and talents grow

Stewardship is what we do with them, as we now know

 

"Be A Good Steward...Going Beyond Finances" was today's topic

About stewardship of talents, opportunities, and self I also did pick

Managing what we have been given is how stewardship is defined

Making a profit for our Master is our objective, I did remind

The concept of stewardship is evident in Luke 19 verses 12 - 27

There is a parallel between the rich man and God in heaven

 

In the finance field, savings equals investments economists say

We need savings to fund growth - and to help on a rainy day

We must tithe first, as in Proverbs 11:24 we do see

Else we are robbing God, per Malachi chapter three

Second, some savings we should set aside, per 1 Corinthians 16:2

That is also what erudite Benjamin Franklin said we should do

Keeping track of what we spend is helpful hint the third

So we can know what we can change, so we heard

From a spiritual angle, everything comes from God above

So we should tithe and bless others freely and with love

Then He blesses us even more, the virtuous cycle does continue

These may not be financial, but they will be more than a few

When we bless others, we are often in return blessed

For compared to receiving, giving to others is the best

But savings do not equal investments in a spiritual perspective

For saving lives and souls - not dollars -  is how we should live

"He who dies with the most toys still dies" is an expression neat

For remember that when we die, it is God whom we will meet

He sent his Son to save us, a sacrificial gift that was so great

To be good stewards, a profit on this gift we must generate

 

With talents and gifts that are all different we are indeed blessed

Per 1 Timothy 4:14, not neglecting our gifts should be our quest

Since all our gifts come from God, they must be considered good

We should thank Him for the gifts and use them, that is understood

These gifts therefore belong to God and we should tithe them too

Tithing our talents ten percent of the time is the least we can do

God's gifts to us are in fact both a privilege and a responsibility

We should use them for His glory so that others can His love see

Our response-ability is how we respond to each of God-given gift

For in utilising these talents and abilities, others we should uplift

 

But our talents would be wasted without having an opportunity

Luckily, opportunities abound every day, as we can easily see

In his letter to the Ephesians 5 verse 15-16, so wrote Paul

We are to be very careful and make the most of opportunities all

It is a waste to have faith without any deeds, James did say

We have a platform in the marketplace to use every day

As Christians we are held to higher standards here on earth

But that merely gives us more chances to show God's worth

Doing the right thing, based on my memory and records

Leads to its own set of earthly and heavenly rewards

God's GPS, or God's Positioning System keeps on recalibrating

No matter what we do, more opportunities He is always creating

There are God-incidences that happen all of our days

For "every blessing you pour out, I turn back to praise"

"Yesterday is the past, tomorrow is the future"

"Today is a gift and the present", that's for sure

Taking advantage of opportunities, I did then quip

Is how we can create a legacy of stewardship

 

If I did not talk about stewardship of self I would be remiss

In Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 6, Paul talked about this

Our bodies are a living sacrifice and are used to honor God

So in taking care of our bodies, we should not be slipshod

Remember that Jesus' spirit in us does continually reside

And to utilise our talents, to healthy habits we must abide

 

In conclusion, remember that God looks at our deeds and our heart

For "stewardship is heart work" is the core message I tried to impart

God gives us plenty and challenges us to be stewards good

Our legacy is what we do with our talents, that is understood

What matters is not what is said on Sunday, but done in the week

That is where our stewardship legacy is defined, so to speak

Of our finances, talents, opportunities, and self we are responsible

When we are good stewards of these, the results will be incredible

23 September 2012 - ENCS

About Luke 19:12-27 Pastor asked me to speak
So into three different translations today we did peek
'Grow by making the right choices' I titled the sermon
The 'In It to Win It' series is therefore almost done

First reading from the traditional NIV
“The parable of the minas” we did see
The literal translation focuses on investment
We should try to generate returns, Jesus meant
Remember the positive effects of compounding
And that the cost of inflation is astounding
This applies to investment, I did sayeth
But is just as relevant for one’s faith
Remember that God is the course of all things
That is something about what Psalm 24 sings
“The love of money” said apostle Paul
Is the root of kinds of evil all
For getting rich is not the objective
Having more allows us more to give
And if we always tithe our ten percent
I am sure we can always pay our rent
For God will reward those who tithe
And will not make us squirm or writhe

But also, if we manage to generate a good return
We can bless others, so about Jesus they can learn
And remember that from God everything does come
So be a good steward every day, not just some

About talents we read from Matthew 24
Versus a mina, a talent is sixty times more
Gifts from God is what our talents are
They can spread the Word both near and far
We must also invest in talents to make them grow
We should not be shy about letting them show
For talents are valuable gifts from God
So many gifts, Paul did give a nod
In regards our talents, if we do not use them
Then rest be assured that we will lose them
I started writing poetry to ensure my eyes did not close
Now this math major finds it easier than writing prose
As with minas, we must be good stewards of our talents
For they are worth more than dollars and cents

In order to put our investments and talents to work
We must seize opportunities, for everywhere they lurk
Our faith must be demonstrated by our good deeds
Maximising our own abilities, make sure nothing impedes
We should try to excel in everything all of the time
If we put in effort, the result will be no crime
Generating returns on opportunities allows them to grow
Helping the church and blessing others are what our actions show

So what stops us from growing in this way?
Three points come to mind this fine Sunday
A poor self-image is point number one
Doubt sets in before he have even begun
But we were made in God’s image and have talents
So trust in God, for He makes the most sense
The second point is that we have fear
About risks, not rewards, we tend to hear
But remember that fear hinders faith, that is dumb
And the other side of fear is actually freedom
Miplaced priorities was point number three
But remember that fear hinders faith, that is dumb

And the other side of fear is actually freedom
Misplaced priorities was point number three
But God is where direction we can really see
There are also consequences of not being stewards good
Using minas, talents, time, and opportunities we should
If the church was a business and I was an employee
Would I keep my job or a year-end bonus ever see?

We need to take our minas, talents, and every opportunity
To generate a return, help grow the church, and bless those we see
GROW stands for Generating Returns on Opportunities Wisely
So we can be good stewards and make the right choices daily