Jim Martin's Encouragement Note
Jim Martin's Encouragement Note
Jim Martin's Encouragement Note #43
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Jim Martin's Encouragement Note #43

No matter what, you and I can trust in God's might!

Yes, life can be hard, but there is hope. We can be encouraged today by the strength and might of our God, who is with us (Ps. 37:39-40).

Hopefully, you will find something in the following “List of Five” that is helpful.

The List of Five

Make Progress

Sometimes, what we believe about ourselves can really set us back. These include such beliefs as:

  • I am not very smart. (Why should I raise my hand and ask a question? What if some see that I am not as smart as others in the room?)

  • I always mess up. (What’s wrong with me?)

  • I am always in “second place.” (Forget that dream! I could never do that!)

  • Others don’t think I have that much to offer. (Everyone else has so much more to offer than me.)

The truth? You and I are God’s beloved. We are loved by the Lord (2 Thessalonians 2:13). We are seen by him and not forgotten. He will sustain us and care for us (I Peter 5:7).

How do we move forward? Christian people begin with the belief that God is greater than our problems, our discouragements, and our impossibilities.

Our mighty God is with us, for us, ahead of us, and behind us!

It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us. (2 Corinthians 1:21-22 NLT)

So where to begin?

  1. Start - Take a practical step. Know that God enables you and you can take a single, practical step. For example, take ten minutes to thank God for what you have done recently that was good and right. Don’t wade off into the waters where you focus on how you could have done better. Focus on what you have done right for someone or how have you blessed someone.

    Maybe you were frustrated as you returned an item to Home Depot. You were frustrated but by the grace of God you handled this incident with graciousness and patience. Celebrate this!

  2. Stop - Stop doing what you know is wrong. God will enable you and empower you through his Spirit. We often do not change overnight. However, you and I can be intentional about fleeing from particular behaviors, attitudes, practices, etc.

    Yes, there is more to change than this. However, this is a great way to begin.

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Rear Your Children with Intention

What do you wish you had known before having children? I certainly had a lot to learn. Perhaps the following might have been a good beginning:

Give your children one of the best gifts a child could ever have. Give them parents who love God and one another. If a husband and wife love and cherish one another, they give their children a precious gift.  

Children watch their parents closely.  Some parents mistakenly think their kids do not overhear their unkind words or see them roll their eyes in disgust. Yet, they have a front row seat to witness the way their daddy treats their mother and the way their mother treats their daddy.  

Children also see the tenderness their mom and dad express toward one another. They see them cherish each other and as a result experience a kind of security.

A person might travel away from home on business.  He might be tempted to engage in behavior that is unwise or even immoral. He might think, “Well at least my kids will never know what I did.” Yet, he is becoming someone different because of the choices he made while on the road.  Our choices will either build or deteriorate our character and our kids will be affected either positively or negatively based on those choices. After all, our choices shape our character. Our good character (or lack of it) is a factor in shaping our children.

If you are going to be a parent, be ready to practice self-denial. When the baby cries in the night, who feels like getting up to check on him?  Selfishly, a parent would just as soon stay in bed and ignore the cry.  Yet, a loving parent will get up and deal with the baby’s needs.  Why? Because this is what loving, unselfish parents do.  

Allow parenting to motivate you to grow in emotional and spiritual maturity. Children are going to be immature.  After all, they are children.  However, it is important that mom and dad grow up if they haven’t already.  When parents are stuck in their own immaturity, these children are really at a disadvantage.  It is difficult for children to rise above the maturity level of their parents.

Give children your undivided attention.  One of the best things a parent can do is to put the phone down and give a child your full attention.  When I am constantly texting, tweeting, posting, checking e-mail etc., my children are not getting my full attention.  One teacher told me of a program that was held at the elementary school.  Most of the children performed in the program.  The teachers stood near the stage during the program and were amazed by how many parents were on their phones instead of watching their children perform.  Simply putting the phone away and paying attention to our children can be a rich gift.

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Qualities of Anyone Serious About Moving Toward Wholeness

Becoming more Christlike, is not something for the faint of heart. However, it is for anyone who is serious about wanting to live a full and complete life in Christ. The image below originated from Peter Scazzero, author of Emotionally Healthy Discipleship. I find this image helpful as I think about the transformed life.

May be an image of text that says 'FROM BROKENNESS (GENESIS 3) TOWARD WHOLENESS (GENESIS Defensive Low Self-Awareness Isolation Anger Blame Fear Self-Absorption Addiction Dishonesty Approachability High Self-Awareness Taking Responsibility Non-Reactivity Delight Courage Offering Self as Gift Freedom Honesty'

As you look at the image above, which characteristic under “Brokenness” would you like to move beyond? Which characteristic under “Wholeness” would you like to grow in?


When You’ve Been Given a Sacred Trust

Recently, I returned to Waco, Texas for the funeral of a very good friend. I wrote a post about this on social media when I returned.

In a way, it felt kind of odd. I was back in the same building, standing behind the same podium where I preached for 20 years. While there have been some upgrades in the building, much of it looks the same. In many ways this was home, the place where we reared their children.

For 20 years, I served a single congregation in that city. I still care deeply about the congregation and the people there. This was not employment as much it was a part of my vocation or service.

At this funeral, I saw men and women with whom I interacted in some way during those years. I remembered many conversations with these people in which I attempted to point the way to Jesus. This is true whether the conversations were about marriage, discouragement, or sickness.

There are ministers (and many others) across the country who can identify with these words. Yet, the last two years have been particularly difficult for many ministers.

There are some who are choosing to leave the congregations they are serving and do something else, either for a season or permanently. No judgement here. These people have served for a time and can serve the Lord in other ways and still receive his pleasure.

However, if we continue to serve congregations, let us do so with honor. Good habits and disciplines can help. Perhaps nothing is as helpful as continuing to serve while you maintain close contact and conversation with healthy friends.

Returning to that church building, with many in that congregation present for this funeral, reminded me of the sacred trust that I shared with that congregation for 20 years.

This sacred trust matters. To honor this trust before these people can positively impact these people for a long, long time. To breach this sacred trust can do incredible damage to these people and their children. Dishonorable behavior by ministers or other church leaders can have negative implications for many years.

No matter what you might do in your vocation, the trust that others place in you matters. Whether you are a minister, a teacher, a business person, or a stay at home mom, it is critical that you and I take seriously the trust that others have placed in us.

This trust is sacred.

  • May God bless you with the energy and resilience you need.

  • May he hold you in the palm of his hand.

  • May the Father sustain you, even when you are tired and weary.


Resources

  1. How to Learn Pretty Much Anything” by Mattias Pilhede.

  2. Just finished John Mark Comer’s new book, Live No Lies. This is a good book that is making me think. (Lots of footnotes!)

  3. Recently I heard Anthony Ray Hinton speak at the “Birmingham Racial Unity Leadership Summit.” His words were so compelling. See The Son Does Shine: How I Found Life, Freedom, and Justice by Anthony Ray Hinton.

  4. I love the brief video below (2.44). A wonderful story about leadership by example. I love the simple line, “There are no unimportant jobs.”


I serve as Vice President of Harding School of Theology, Memphis, Tennessee. You can find me at God-Hungry.org. You can find me on Facebook - @jim.martin. My e-mail address is: jmartin9669@gmail.com. Feel free to write. I would love to hear what is encouraging or helpful. — Jim Martin

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Jim Martin's Encouragement Note
Jim Martin's Encouragement Note
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