Friday, July 24, 2026

Serve with excellence, with integrity and godly character. "WHATEVER YOU DO. DO IT ALL FOR THE GLORYOF GOD." 1 CORINTHIANS 10:31

Serve with excellence in character, attitude, and in the area of producing quality.. all that goes beyond what's expected.

Choose to serve with excellence - start small and stay humble in the Lord walking circumspectly. Be all in for Christ. Do every task heartily as unto the Lord like a good witness would do. I like to emphasize the core principles like faithfulness in ordinary tasks, a willingness to serve anywhere, and keeping proper motives.

“Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before unknown men.” ~ King Solomon (Proverbs 22:29)

Excellence is the gap between average and exceptional. It’s the ability to exceed expectations and consistently deliver superior quality. In developing habits of excellence, leaders gain influence and stand out from the crowd. By cultivating a culture of excellence, a business attracts customers and wins their loyalty.

Excellence Means What? It Includes…

1) Consistency

Excellence is not an act so much as it is a habit to keep choosing. To gain a reputation for excellence necessitates delivering results whenever you’re called upon. Hit-and-miss performers are neither trusted nor respected. On the other hand, those who repeatedly demonstrate competence gain credibility, and their credibility paves the way to influence.

2) Improvement

Legendary basketball coach Pat Riley defines excellence as “the gradual result of always striving to be better.” People with a spirit of excellent continuously improve; they make sure to be better tomorrow than they are today. Excellent leaders are voracious learners. Since they’re constantly growing, they always have fresh insights to impart to their teammates and new skills to contribute to their organization.

3) Creativity

Creativity attracts others to you and to your ideas. We enjoy interacting with people who open up our imaginations through the originality of their work. Creativity also gives rise to excellence by facilitating problem-solving. Sometimes creative persons break new ground; at other times they simply find innovative ways to apply existing concepts. Either way, they add value by enabling their organization to move beyond the obstacles that had previously held it back.

4) Going the Extra Mile

“To excel” literally means to go beyond average. Responsible people can be counted upon to do what is expected of them, but excellent people routinely do more than asked. Persons of excellence deliver results in such a way that leaves their customers pleasantly surprised.

I've served for years at the Ritz-Carlton With wonderful people who. Diligently go the extra mile beyond what's expected and consistently produce excellence.. I use my Mont Blanc pens to write a lot daily when I there - they're reliable, sturdy and excellent!

I guess I'm a tent maker so to speak, but I want only top-notch tents that can go the distance for people. How would a plastic tent serve people well or long? I would love to be more like the Lord and like Paul who both served god with excellence. Paul must have made quality tents of excellence. That's how he was. 

Produce excellence selflessly. Walk in the Spirit with the fruit of the spirit. I want to encourage you to serve the Lord with excellence. Do you keep all your promises. Do you over promise and under deliver. Do you work consistently with all your heart to please and glorify God with the right motivation, spirit and attitude?

During my college days and beyond served at the Adolphus (helped to room Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles in room 820 and went shopping for her and the original. Neiman Marcus with her Butler), at the Anatole, The W, at The Joule, at the Hall Arts Hotel (where I gave an art tour daily and the modern art was excellent). Forbes people audited me there and I passed -- glory to God! Not always so easy to pass their audit. 

What's your Christian walk like? What's your active listening like? What's your conversation like? Are you available to be used to the Lord? Having Godly character having the right motivations having the right spirit having the fruit and follow through (closing the loop of follow-up until the guest is fully or more than satisfied) are so important!

A Christian (in a vital relationship with Christ, having) godly character knows this is formed through repeated obedience to Jesus the Living Word of God, through disciplined practice, perseverance, and faithful habits empowered by God's grace.

Serve the Lord with excellence, It can be done with consistency. Opt to rely upon the Lords empowering. Serving the Lord with excellence means living as a faithful and laser-focused servant of Christ -- biblically. It requires pouring your whole heart into daily duty to please the Lord rather than self, rejecting worldly measures of success (those are inferior), and obeying God's Word with total dedication to Jesus. Produce excellence intentionally, not haphazardly or occasionally.

Need Some Biblical Principles of Service and True Motivation: 

Serving out of love for God and His truth rather than for ego, praise, or fear.

Wholehearted Effort: Doing every ordinary task—whether working a job, fixing cars, or teaching—as a direct offering to Jesus Christ.

Spiritual Focus on the Lord and his example: Staying constantly on duty, absorbed in God's calling without a divided mind.

Faithful Stewardship: Being found trustworthy with the specific responsibilities and flock the Lord has provided.

They often tell us this stuff and I wonder how true it is - "We're what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit" ~ Will Durant

My identity is in the Lord with how He leads me to live, not in what I put out. In Christ, you're more than what you did--you have great value to Gid regardless of what you do or don't do. But we can still form good habits and produce excellence.

Old Testament

Walking consistently with God

  • Genesis 5:22-24 — Enoch walked with God.
  • Genesis 6:9 — Noah walked with God.
  • Genesis 17:1 — "Walk before me, and be blameless."
  • Deuteronomy 5:32-33
  • Deuteronomy 6:5-9
  • Deuteronomy 8:6
  • Deuteronomy 10:12-13
  • Deuteronomy 11:18-22
  • Joshua 1:7-9
  • Joshua 22:5
  • 1 Kings 2:2-4
  • 1 Kings 8:61

Diligence and Excellence

  • Proverbs 6:6-11
  • Proverbs 10:4
  • Proverbs 10:5
  • Proverbs 12:24
  • Proverbs 12:27
  • Proverbs 13:4
  • Proverbs 14:23
  • Proverbs 18:9
  • Proverbs 21:5
  • Proverbs 22:29
  • Proverbs 24:27
  • Proverbs 24:30-34
  • Ecclesiastes 9:10

Integrity and Consistency

  • Psalm 1:1-3
  • Psalm 15
  • Psalm 26:1-3
  • Psalm 37:3-7
  • Psalm 90:17
  • Psalm 101:2-3
  • Psalm 119:1-16
  • Psalm 119:33-40
  • Proverbs 4:18-27
  • Proverbs 20:7
  • Proverbs 28:18

Fear of the Lord produces godly habits

  • Proverbs 1:7
  • Proverbs 3:5-8
  • Proverbs 8:13
  • Proverbs 9:10
  • Proverbs 16:3
  • Proverbs 16:17
  • Isaiah 26:3-4
  • Isaiah 40:31
  • Micah 6:8

Serve The Lord Well
  • Be faithful in little things: Accept small tasks first, remembering that if you are too big for a small job, you are too little for a big job. 
  • Maintain the right motive: Serve for Christ alone and to bring glory to God rather than seeking personal recognition or comfort. 
  • Recognize and meet needs: Jump in to help where help is required instead of finding fault or complaining about how things are run. 
  • Stay grounded in biblical prayer: Regularly refuel your spiritual tank by spending quiet time with God so your service flows from strength rather than depletion. 

New Testament

Pursuing Excellence

  • Matthew 5:16
  • Matthew 5:48
  • Matthew 25:21
  • Luke 16:10
  • John 15:4-5

Spiritual Discipline

  • Acts 2:42
  • Romans 2:7
  • Romans 5:3-5
  • Romans 12:1-2
  • Romans 12:9-21
  • Romans 13:11-14

Renewing the Mind

  • 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
  • 1 Corinthians 10:31
  • 1 Corinthians 15:58
  • 2 Corinthians 3:18
  • 2 Corinthians 5:9
  • 2 Corinthians 8:7
  • 2 Corinthians 10:5

Fruitful Christian Living

  • Galatians 5:22-25
  • Galatians 6:7-10
  • Ephesians 2:10
  • Ephesians 4:1-3
  • Ephesians 4:22-24
  • Ephesians 5:15-17
  • Philippians 1:9-11
  • Philippians 2:12-16
  • Philippians 3:12-14
  • Philippians 4:8-9

Faithful Habits

  • Colossians 1:9-12
  • Colossians 3:17
  • Colossians 3:23-24
  • 1 Thessalonians 4:1
  • 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22

Training for Godliness

  • 1 Timothy 4:7-8
  • 1 Timothy 4:12-16
  • 1 Timothy 6:11-12
  • 2 Timothy 1:13
  • 2 Timothy 2:15
  • 2 Timothy 2:22
  • 2 Timothy 3:16-17
  • Titus 2:7-8
  • Titus 2:11-14
  • Titus 3:8
  • Hebrews 5:14
  • Hebrews 6:10-12
  • Hebrews 10:23-25
  • Hebrews 12:1-3
  • Hebrews 12:11
  • James 1:2-8
  • James 1:22-25
  • James 3:13
  • 1 Peter 1:13-16
  • 1 Peter 2:11-12
  • 2 Peter 1:5-11
  • 1 John 2:6
  • 3 John 11

Christian Quotes

Charles Spurgeon

"By perseverance the snail reached the ark."

"Little things are little things, but faithfulness in little things is a great thing."

John Wesley

"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can... as long as ever you can."

A. W. Tozer

"God is looking for people through whom He can do the impossible. What a pity we plan only the things we can do by ourselves."

D. L. Moody

"Character is what you are in the dark."

"If I take care of my character, my reputation will take care of itself."

Billy Graham

"Mountaintops are for views and inspiration, but fruit is grown in the valleys."

John MacArthur

"The faithful Christian life is a long obedience marked by daily submission to Christ."

J. C. Ryle

"Holiness is the habit of being of one mind with God."

Oswald Chambers

"The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else."

Elisabeth Elliot

"Discipline begins with the mastery of the little things."

Hymns and Lyrics

"Take My Life and Let It Be"

Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.

"Trust and Obey"

Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

"I Need Thee Every Hour"

Every hour I need Thee.

"Higher Ground"

Lord, lift me up and let me stand by faith on heaven's tableland.

"Only Trust Him"

Only trust Him now.

Poetic Thoughts

Excellence is not born in one heroic hour,

But in thousands of quiet moments when no one is watching.

Holiness grows through daily repentance,

daily prayer,

daily obedience,

daily dependence upon Christ.

The oak was once an acorn that simply kept growing.

God rarely makes a saint in a moment.

He shapes one over a lifetime.

Faithfulness repeated becomes character.

Character tested becomes maturity.

Maturity surrendered becomes Christlikeness.

A biblical summary

The Bible would express Durant's idea this way:

"Godly excellence is not achieved by occasional acts of greatness but by a lifelong pattern of faithful obedience, empowered by the Holy Spirit, for the glory of God."

This theme is captured especially well by Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1:1-3, Proverbs 22:29, Luke 16:10, Romans 12:1-2, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Colossians 3:23-24, 1 Timothy 4:7-16, Hebrews 12:1-3, James 1:22-25, and 2 Peter 1:5-11. These passages together show that biblical excellence is not merely a habit of human self-improvement, but the consistent fruit of a life transformed by God's grace and lived in faithful obedience to Christ.

Throughout Scripture, God delights in people whose inward character produced outward excellence. Their excellence was not perfection, but a life marked by faith, integrity, diligence, humility, obedience, and perseverance.

Old Testament Examples

1. Joseph

Character: Integrity, diligence, forgiveness, wisdom, faithfulness

  • Genesis 39:2-6
  • Genesis 39:7-12
  • Genesis 41:38-41
  • Genesis 45:4-8
  • Genesis 50:19-21

Joseph excelled in Potiphar's house, prison, and Pharaoh's court because he consistently honored God.

2. Daniel

Character: Integrity, courage, prayer, holiness, excellence

  • Daniel 1:8
  • Daniel 1:17-20
  • Daniel 5:12
  • Daniel 6:3-5
  • Daniel 6:10
  • Daniel 12:3

"An excellent spirit was in him." (Daniel 6:3)

3. Nehemiah

Character: Leadership, perseverance, prayer, organization

  • Nehemiah 1:4-11
  • Nehemiah 2:17-20
  • Nehemiah 4:6
  • Nehemiah 6:15-16

4. Ezra

Character: Love for God's Word

  • Ezra 7:10

Ezra prepared his heart to study, obey, and teach God's Word.

5. Joshua

Character: Courage, obedience, steadfastness

  • Exodus 33:11
  • Numbers 14:6-9
  • Joshua 1:7-9
  • Joshua 24:15

6. Caleb

Character: Wholehearted devotion

  • Numbers 14:24
  • Joshua 14:6-14

7. Ruth

Character: Loyalty, humility, diligence

  • Ruth 1:16-17
  • Ruth 2:2-17
  • Ruth 3:11

8. Boaz

Character: Integrity, generosity, godliness

  • Ruth 2:4
  • Ruth 2:8-12
  • Ruth 3:10-13

9. David

Character: Worship, courage, repentance

  • 1 Samuel 13:14
  • 1 Samuel 17
  • Psalm 78:70-72
  • Acts 13:22

10. Samuel

Character: Integrity from youth

  • 1 Samuel 2:26
  • 1 Samuel 3:19
  • 1 Samuel 12:1-5

11. Job

Character: Integrity and perseverance

  • Job 1:1
  • Job 1:8
  • Job 23:10
  • James 5:11

12. Mordecai

Character: Faithfulness and courage

  • Esther 2:21-23
  • Esther 10:3

13. Esther

Character: Courage and sacrificial leadership

  • Esther 4:14-16
  • Esther 7

14. Noah

Character: Righteousness

  • Genesis 6:8-9
  • Hebrews 11:7

15. Enoch

Character: Walked with God

  • Genesis 5:22-24
  • Hebrews 11:5

16. Abraham

Character: Faith and obedience

  • Genesis 22
  • Romans 4
  • Hebrews 11:8-19

17. Moses

Character: Meekness and faithfulness

  • Numbers 12:3
  • Hebrews 3:2-5

New Testament Examples

1. Jesus Christ

The perfect example of excellence.

  • Luke 2:52
  • John 8:29
  • Acts 10:38
  • Hebrews 4:15
  • 1 Peter 2:21-23

2. Paul

Character: Discipline, perseverance, excellence

  • Acts 20:24
  • 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
  • Philippians 3:12-14
  • 2 Timothy 4:7-8

3. Timothy

Character: Godly example

  • 1 Timothy 4:12-16
  • Philippians 2:19-22
  • 2 Timothy 1:5
  • 2 Timothy 2:15

4. Barnabas

Character: Encouragement and goodness

  • Acts 4:36-37
  • Acts 11:22-24

"He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith."

5. Stephen

Character: Faith, wisdom, courage

  • Acts 6:3
  • Acts 6:5
  • Acts 7

6. Philip

Character: Evangelistic obedience

  • Acts 6:5
  • Acts 8:26-40

7. Apollos

Character: Teachable and mighty in Scripture

  • Acts 18:24-28

8. Priscilla and Aquila

Character: Servant leadership

  • Acts 18:24-26
  • Romans 16:3-5

9. Epaphroditus

Character: Sacrificial service

  • Philippians 2:25-30

10. Titus

Character: Faithful leadership

  • Titus 1:4-9
  • 2 Corinthians 8:16-17

11. John the Baptist

Character: Humility and boldness

  • John 3:30
  • Matthew 3
  • Luke 3

12. Mary, the mother of Jesus

Character: Humility and submission

  • Luke 1:38
  • Luke 1:46-55

13. Dorcas (Tabitha)

Character: Good works and generosity

  • Acts 9:36-42

14. Cornelius

Character: Devotion and generosity

  • Acts 10:1-4

15. Onesimus

Character: Transformation and usefulness

  • Philemon 10-16

These believers with excellence consistently demonstrated:

  • Faith (Hebrews 11)
  • Integrity (Proverbs 10:9)
  • Diligence (Proverbs 22:29)
  • Humility (Philippians 2:3-5)
  • Obedience (John 14:15)
  • Perseverance (Hebrews 12:1-3)
  • Wisdom (James 3:13-18)
  • Prayerfulness (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
  • Holiness (1 Peter 1:15-16)
  • Love (John 13:34-35)
  • Servanthood (Mark 10:43-45)
  • Excellence in work (Colossians 3:23-24)
  • Faithfulness (Luke 16:10; 1 Corinthians 4:2)

Elaborate some, Kurt: What Are The Qualities of an Excellent Servant? The Qualities God Exhibited On Earth. 

Believing in Jesus of the Bible is way excellent--He's been here and understands what we're going through! He gets it, what the battle involves. Born again believers, men and women, remind us that biblical excellence flows from a heart devoted to God. As Daniel illustrates, "an excellent spirit" (Daniel 6:3) is cultivated through a life of faithful obedience, and as Paul exhorts believers, "whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men" (Colossians 3:23).

Political powerbrokers and successful CEOs—they’re what the world thinks of when it thinks “leader.” What’s more, churches often seem to take their cues from the Fortune 500 and Capitol Hill—not God’s Word—when it comes to shepherding their people.

What does it take to be a leader by God’s definition? What traits should people see in you—what characteristics should shine through—if you’re going to effectively guide and nurture others? The overarching principle: Christian leaders are, first of all, servants.

Whether your name is on your church’s letterhead or you simply want to lead your family with excellence, make sure you’re pursuing the Qualities of an Excellent Servant. John MacArthur shows you how those qualities are within your reach.

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Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Christians should not interpret God through their own circumstances; rather, they should with the Spirit interpret their circumstances through what God has revealed about Himself.

Prayerfully read your Bible and let God's love letter to believers tell you who He really is. 

My pastor said: "40 to 50% of Americans don't read their Bibles." ~ Jack N. Graham

That is a faithful summary of his teaching, especially in Experiencing God. While your wording captures the general idea, I am not confident it is a verbatim Henry Blackaby quote. A well-documented statement from Blackaby is:

"Never deny in the darkness what God has told you in the light."

Another frequently quoted statement is:

"You cannot stay where you are and go with God."

And a central theme of Experiencing God is:

"You come to know God by experience as you obey Him and He accomplishes His work through you."

Here is a biblically faithful paraphrase of the ideas you shared:

Our natural understanding of life's circumstances is remarkably limited. Left to ourselves, we see only fragments of reality, judging situations by appearances, emotions, and immediate outcomes. God alone sees the whole picture. He knows the beginning from the end, understands every hidden purpose, and is never surprised by anything that comes into our lives.

Until God enlightens our minds through His Word and His Spirit, we often misinterpret our trials. What appears to us to be defeat may actually be God's preparation. What seems like a delay may be His perfect timing. What feels like abandonment may actually be His loving discipline or His invitation to trust Him more deeply.

The wise believer therefore refuses to let fear, speculation, or human reasoning become the final authority. Instead, he seeks God's perspective in Scripture, waits upon the Lord in prayer, listens with a teachable heart, and adjusts his life to whatever God reveals. Peace comes not from understanding every circumstance, but from trusting the God who perfectly understands every circumstance.

The crisis is seldom merely about the difficulty itself. More often, it becomes a crisis of belief: Will we interpret God through our circumstances, or will we interpret our circumstances through the unchanging character, promises, and purposes of God?

  • Proverbs 3:5–6
  • Isaiah 55:8–9
  • Romans 8:28
  • Romans 8:31–39
  • Genesis 50:20
  • 2 Corinthians 4:16–18
  • 2 Corinthians 5:7
  • Hebrews 11:1
  • James 1:2–5
  • 1 Peter 1:6–9
  • Psalm 119:105
  • Psalm 73:16–17
  • Psalm 25:4–5
  • Psalm 32:8
  • Psalm 46:10
  • Jeremiah 29:11
  • John 16:33
  • John 14:26–27
  • Romans 12:2
  • Ephesians 1:17–19
  • Philippians 4:6–9
  • Colossians 3:1–4
  • Hebrews 12:5–11

Henry Blackaby

  • "Never deny in the darkness what God has told you in the light."
  • "You cannot stay where you are and go with God."
  • "Watch to see where God is working and join Him."

A. W. Tozer

  • "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us."

Charles H. Spurgeon

  • "God is too good to be unkind and He is too wise to be mistaken. When we cannot trace His hand, we must trust His heart."

Elisabeth Elliot

  • "Faith does not eliminate questions. But faith knows where to take them."

Corrie ten Boom

  • "Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God."

Oswald Chambers

  • "Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time."

Martyn Lloyd-Jones

  • "Most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself."

J. I. Packer

  • "Wisdom is the power to see and the inclination to choose the best and highest goal, together with the surest means of attaining it."

When you cannot make sense of your circumstances, there are some wise biblical applications for life:

  1. Refuse to assume you know the whole story.
  2. Remember that God sees what you cannot.
  3. Open the Scriptures before drawing conclusions.
  4. Pray for wisdom rather than immediate escape (James 1:5).
  5. Trust God's character even when His purposes remain hidden.
  6. Obey the truth you already know while waiting for further light.
  7. Let God's promises shape your perspective more than your feelings or your fears.

Our circumstances do not define God's faithfulness; God's revealed character defines how we should understand our circumstances.

Henry Blackaby explicitly said that human judgment of life's circumstances here is so limited, and true perspective for us humans comes only through divine intervention or illumination of God's word. In his classic teachings found in Henry T Blackaby emphasizes that people cannot accurately evaluate the reality of their problems or trials until God speaks truth into their hearts.
Core Principles of Divine Perspective

  • Limited Human Sight: People see only surface events and temporary pain.
  • God's Omniscience: God knows all past, present, and future factors at once.
  • The Crisis of Belief: A difficult moment is often an invitation to trust God's view over human panic.

Steps to Understand Your Own Circumstances:

  • Stop Speculating: Do not let fear or guesswork dictate your mental state.
  • Prayerfully seek Christ in Scripture: Look to God's written word for foundational truth.
  • Wait in Prayer on Jesus: Listen for the quiet guidance of the Holy Spirit rather than reacting.
  • Adjust to God and his will for you: Change your perspective to match what God reveals about the moment.

Pray and understand. Know more of what to apply

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Tuesday, July 21, 2026

A Christian leader who is involved in ministering God's word to His people needs to be more involved with the Lord in private. Let not the fire diminish any.

..cuz it's important to walk in love, have spiritual balance, discernment, and red-hot passion for Christ.  

Your spiritual temp is important. 

JESUS WARNED US ABOUT THOSE THINGS THAT COULD EXTINGUISH THE PASSIONATE-FIRE (SO TO SPEAK) OF OUR HEARTS.
"Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly" (Luke 21:34).

You know how the cares of this life can numb our hearts and cloud up our minds, pulling us away from the things of the Spirit. And from church too. Let's keep our love for Jesus burning brightly and steadfastly. We all need fellowship upwards and outwards with growing believers. 

Q: WHAT IS THE CONDITION OF YOUR HEART TODAY? 

Does your love for Jesus burn brightly inside, or has your love for Him waxed lukewarm or icy cold?

"The fruit of the Spirit is love." We all can speak the truth in love -- we all can remain passionate in the Lord. That good balance comes from knowing the Bible and it's Author well -- yes, from cultivating a prayer life. 

"JESUS ACTUALLY WARNED US ABOUT THOSE THINGS THAT COULD EXTINGUISH THE PASSIONATE FIRE OF OUR HEARTS.

'Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkemess, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly' (Luke 21:34).

The cares of this life can numb our hearts and cloud our minds, pulling us away from the things of the Spirit. Let's keep our love for Jesus burning brightly and steadfastly. 

Q: WHAT IS THE CONDITION OF YOUR HEART TODAY? Does your love for Jesus burn brightly there, or has your love for Him waxed cold?" ~ Chuck Smith Sr.

Come to ..fully come back to God. 

Ever Ask.. Who Is Fit to Mentor a Born-Again Soul Winner? 

It's not anyone lukewarm or cold inside. It's a passionate Bible-loyal spiritual leader who earnestly prays for people and seeks to win lost souls. 

I want to talk about lost passion today, but how this in a close walk with Christ, can be recovered. Real spiritual revival, spawning an awakening, can indeed happen, and it will start with prayers of repentance.

First-love-righteous-passion can be somewhat compared to a romance between a man and lady, or a would-be groom and his potential bride.

Guys know that when they first take a girl out for a meal, coffee and/or for concert etc., they sure want to make a good first impression on her cuz they only get one opportunity to do that. That's so normal.

So, the smart guy showers her with polite kindness (not overly with gifts etc). They make sure their shirt, best jeans or slacks, and shoes are clean. They show her respect and get her door. Yes, maybe they open the car or restaurant door for her. They pull out all the stops, pull out her chair at the eatery—a nice Italian restaurant.

Then a few of them get married, and some things change.

Some of the guys still open the car door for her and other's just beep it open with that button on the keys. I say wait until she’s all the way in car or restaurant before closing the door.

Is their heart still fully there? Something has happened with some of the. The passion has somehow jsut slipped away. Some are no longer making the all-star effort.

One inwardly neglected and hurt woman who wanted to divorce her husband after the drab efforts told her attorney, “I want this divorce to hurt him badly. I want him to feel as much pain as possible.”

The attorney said, “Here’s how to do it. For the next three months, smother your husband with affection. Compliment him constantly. Tell him what a great guy he is and how much you care for him. Then, when he’s feeling on top of the world, drop the divorce papers on him. He won’t know what hit him. He’ll be devastated when you walk out.”

The woman agreed to the doc's plan. For the next three months she complimented her husband daily, she affirmed him, and she told him how much she loved and appreciated him. What happened next? When the three months ended, her attorney wanting to make some bucks called her on the phone and said, “All right, let’s get this divorce started.”

The woman said, “Divorce? We’re going on our second honeymoon.” By committing to the relationship as God intends, the woman unwittingly re-ignited the flames of passion in the relationship again.

Similarly, when believers commit to time with Jesus.. to the Christian life as God intends—by studying Scripture, immersing ourselves in prayer, getting involved in a church, and sharing our faith—we fuel the fire of revival in ourselves and others.

That’s why Paul wrote, “So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News. For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:8–9 NLT).

One person’s spiritual boldness paves the way for others to follow, just as John Hancock’s bold signature on the Declaration of Independence gave others courage to follow.

Passion and boldness are key ingredients of revival.

"So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News. For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus." 2 Timothy 1:8–9

"Honest prayer, sincere thanks, heartfelt praise, and the acceptable worship of God -- those are the highest activities of any real Christian. In fact, it's impossible to properly live red-hot passionately for Jesus without maintaining these top priorities." @KurtwVs

A man who has never pled with a stranger to God's Kindom.. to do what? To flee the wrath that is to come.. a person who has never wept over one soul who is getting closer and closer so to eternity.. one who has never been involved in planting one local church with his own sweat. Man, that would be a poor guide for soundly shepherding God's people, however brilliant his mind is. He teaches from a book that he hasn't lived.

Seminaries today are full of gifted theologian-types who can defend the faith with precision and yet have never once verbally witnessed to a lost person or led one soul to Christ and His cross. Their students inherit an academic faith and head-knowledge instead of earnestness with fighting faith, armed with categories (which isn't always bad) but short on travail. A theology that produces no zeal for time alone with the Lord or for the lost is not worth passing on. Paul trained Timothy on the road, in prison, and under threat: "endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ" (2 Timothy 2:3).

The Modest Ambitions of a New Generation

A young pastor spoke out about his five-year goal. It was to grow his church from twenty to forty (trust God to use you to help them grow and mature spiritually and they bring their lost and saved friends with em). Not bad at all. Another said his only ambition was to teach and preach through every verse of Scripture on a schedule, nothing more. For decisions in wise applications? Exposition and steady growth are indeed good. But let there be a greater desire to get alone and bless the Lord. Otherwise, where did that burden for the lost of the city outside the doors go? Faithfulness in times of solitude and in public brings fruitfulness. Abide in the Vine. A plan to double twenty into forty is not really a vision though. It sounds like a spreadsheet with perhaps a verse taped to it.

Between 2015 and 2022, the share of pastors who believed that their church was effective at reaching the unchurched fell from 63 percent to 39 percent, a 24-point collapse in less than a decade. Only about three in ten Christians today strongly agree that they carry a personal responsibility to share their faith one on one or one on more than one with people. The Seminary pipeline seems to be producing managers of decline, not shepherds of authentic revival.

The Overcorrection Nobody Even Seems To Name

Know any high-D times? I like so many of those with natural leadership gifting. Now, fifty years ago the church endured some domineering types of men who pretty much bulldozed people in the name of their vision and mistook their volume for anointing. I did like the clarity of many. 

Correcting.. that was necessary. But man, the pendulum seems to have swung past center in this correction. In repenting of prayerlessness and self-driven loud or pushy leadership, many of us have somehow built a system that manufactures overly cautious, tentative men preaching very cautious but boring sermons hard to put into practice..yes, to comfortable congregations that are calibrated to stay in a comfortable-neutral. We have not cured the so-called disease so to speak. We have swapped one imbalance for a quieter imbalance that rightly/aka biblcially challenges nobody. We can get closer to and more like the Lord. 
Where Is the Fire of God For Building His Kingdom Today? 

I mean regarding the zeal for the Lord and His Kingdom. Not talking about His judgment right now.. that indeed is coming. 

There is a passion regarding getting folk to Christ for safety, and for keeping them from God's future judgment. 

"His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay" (Jeremiah 20:9). That is the preacher this hour demands, and the kind our current system rarely produces.



How can I get passion for Jesus (that's most important)? Pray, worship, spend lots of time alone with the Lord listening to His word speak to your heart. Let Him be Lord and change you. 








Does my Christian marriage need some pure passion? Sure, but what does the Bible teach us about overcoming passionate lust?  You don't feed lust; you starve it to death. It's about dying to self (your old fleshly nature) and being careful with what you allow to enter your mind -- yes, your ear and eye gates. We are called to be holy as He is Holy. 









What does the Bible say about having zeal? In the Lord have you ever been rightly zealous?

















Can you give me some Bible verses about zeal?









People can develop crushes on other people they don’t even really know, such as celebrities, public figures, or teachers. The internet has provided a new source of crushing as cyber-relationships ignite and our only contact with people is through a screen. The teen years are especially crush-prone (you've been there, right, and I've been there. Many have married cuz of a crush they felt). Hormones today are running wild, and bodies are in various stages of maturity with an urge to merge. We are not always aware of the differences between love and a passionate crush, especially when we’re young, so we are prone to leap headfirst into romances or even sinful sexual liaisons that leave lifelong wounds. Love wiser! 


My deeper concern today is not so much who sits in the White House (and that's a really good concern to pray and vote about minus any cheating), but it's about who fills the pulpits and pews in God's house. 

May I say it again? Christ alone is the ultimate solution for this generation, and every Christian's first citizenship is in heaven, not in any political party (See Philippians 3:20). That said, plain speech is still owed: abortion, the sexualizing and gender confusion of children, and open hostility toward Christ and His church are not neutral policy disagreements. Scripture calls calling evil good a sin in itself (Isaiah 5:20), regardless of which platform promotes it. Naming a sin is not hatred. Silence in the face of it is cowardice dressed as tolerance.

We have traded the fire of God for caution, unction for competence, travail in prayer for polished technique. A man can be doctrinally sound and functionally lifeless, able to parse the Greek and never once weep over his own city. The question is not whether a minister can rightly handle a text. The question is whether God's glory has ever broken him, and whether he still burns to see the lost won to Christ.

Christ told Laodicea, "because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth" (Revelation 3:16). Lukewarm is not a safe middle. It is the one condition Christ calls intolerable.

Examine yourself. Red hot, lukewarm, or cold? Zeal without wisdom burns out. Wisdom without zeal lights nothing. Repent where you have gone cold, believe Him fully, and ask again for the fire Jeremiah could not shut up in his bones. KnowGod.org







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