LifeCoachMack

Forgiveness is something we do to unburden ourselves. Forgiveness for a major wrong is not easy, and sometimes when we think of the wrong, we have to forgive over and over again. It can take time. Unforgiveness eats away at our relationship with God who forgives us just by turning to him and asking. Lord, show us all things that stand in the way of our relationship with you. Cause us to deal with these things that they would not hinder your will and guidance in our lives.

Q2. (2 Corinthians 1:24 - Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.) What does it mean to lord it over someone? It means that you do not honor that of God in that other person. Jesus was (and is) the Lord, and yet he invited (not forced) the disciples to follow him. The Lord himself did not lord it over his followers, why should we? Invitation is much more powerful than coercion. What is the balance between (1) good, strong leadership =the first responsibility of a leader is to define reality, the last is to say thank-you, and in between to become a debtor and a servant (by Max DePree) (2) micromanaging =assuming you have good, competent people, micromanaging shows a possible lack of trust and inability to delegate effectively (3) a complete laissez-faire =this "hands off" style works very well with leading professional people who know what to do, but it can be disastrous in leading people who don't know what to do and need help or mentoring What are the dangers of an authoritative leadership style? =Mutiny and desertion of your followers. You also lose the full buy-in, wisdom and participation of the followers. A great leader knows when to be a follower. What are the dangers of a weak leadership style? =A weak leadership style is not leadership. Without a vision, people are unrestrained. I believe our challenge is to lead ourselves in a Godly manner. Programs can be very good, and also very distracting from our callings. We can no longer simply trust others or our company or our church to hand us all the programs. I sense God calling us into undiscovered opportunities and needs for ministry, and this can be scary and challenging to our faith.

What means the sealing, the earnest, and our hearts? Perhaps we can see God's dream in this. When you read the verse 2 Cor 1: 21b "and hath anointed us, is God; 22* Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." I am deeply touched that God, himself, has sealed us unto himself as a done deal. Whatever is given as the earnest is given as a sign of serious intent, and God has given us himself as the earnest in the form of the Holy Spirit. So we know that God has given himself in the form of Christ Jesus to die and be risen for our sins, and God has given himself in the form of the Holy Spirit for our continued guidance, and is serious in his intent. Further, we read in the Old Testament Jer 31:33* But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. —we could say that God began by writing his law in our hearts, but with the sacrifice of our Christ, he has fulfilled and covered the law in our hearts with the grace of the Holy Spirit. In a sense, he has replaced our lawful hearts of stone with a grace-filled heart of flesh. We also might ask, "What is God's so very serious intent that he would give himself for our sins and give himself into our hearts as his earnest?" and we find the answer in the Jeremiah passage where he says he shall be our God, and we shall be his people—this is the deal that God has actually done. To answer the question, in God's own heart, I believe God's "dream" is that he desires to have us as his people and for us to embrace him intimately as our God in glory. The Spirit in our hearts bears witness to this, that we are already one with our Maker through Christ Jesus our Lord. I know I'm not a Biblical scholar. Please feel invited to nudge me if you feel I'm off track.