Frank's Bible Blog

Matthew 2-- Worship vs. Worry: A Contrast in Leadership

 

Leaders come in all shapes, sizes, temperaments and styles. And there are good leaders, mediocre leaders and down-right bad leaders. You can probably think of leaders that you know at work, in business or in society that fit one of those categories. Matthew 2 paints a great contrast between two types of leaders, and shows a family caught in the middle. On one hand, you have "wise men from the East." Little is known about these men. We know the general region they were from, we know they were wealthy, and we know they most likely held some kind of leadership or ruling role in their society. Although we don't know much about their background, we do have pretty good insight into the kind of leaders they were. They knew the Scriptures, they desired to worship the Lord, they were willing to make sacrifices to encounter the Lord, and they weren't threatened that a better or more powerful leader than themselves had emerged. Herod, on the other hand, was just the opposite. He worried about losing power. His world centered on himself rather than on God and others. He would do anything to maintain his authority, no matter how much pain and suffering it caused. In the middle is Joseph, Mary and the young child (no longer a baby), Jesus. They had no political power, wealth or leadership positions.  But they had something better--they had God guiding them and helping them navigate the changing political landscape. Today, maybe you relate best to Joseph and his family in that you feel powerless to change the situation around you. I would encourage you to do what they did, and seek God's direction. On the other hand, you may find yourself in a leadership position. In that case, I would encourage you to be like the wise men and not Herod. Don't be self-focussed or feel threatened by others. Rather, try to turn your leadership role into an act of worship by striving to glorify God in your daily dealings.

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential.Please share this blog with your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Leaders come in all shapes, sizes, temperaments and styles. And there are good leaders, mediocre leaders and down-right bad leaders. You can probably think of leaders that you know at work, in business or in society that fit one of those categories. Matthew 2 paints a great contrast between two types of leaders, and shows a family caught in the middle. On one hand, you have "wise men from the East." Little is known about these men. We know the general region they were from, we know they were wealthy, and we know they most likely held some kind of leadership or ruling role in their society. Although we don't know much about their background, we do have pretty good insight into the kind of leaders they were. They knew the Scriptures, they desired to worship the Lord, they were willing to make sacrifices to encounter the Lord, and they weren't threatened that a better or more powerful leader than themselves had emerged. Herod, on the other hand, was just the opposite. He worried about losing power. His world centered on himself rather than on God and others. He would do anything to maintain his authority, no matter how much pain and suffering it caused. In the middle is Joseph, Mary and the young child (no longer a baby), Jesus. They had no political power, wealth or leadership positions.  But they had something better--they had God guiding them and helping them navigate the changing political landscape. Today, maybe you relate best to Joseph and his family in that you feel powerless to change the situation around you. I would encourage you to do what they did, and seek God's direction. On the other hand, you may find yourself in a leadership position. In that case, I would encourage you to be like the wise men and not Herod. Don't be self-focussed or feel threatened by others. Rather, try to turn your leadership role into an act of worship by striving to glorify God in your daily dealings.

_________________________

Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential.Please share this blog with your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Luke 2-- Try Being That Parent

 

There are several reality TV shows about large families. They show the daily challenges of parents trying to keep up with a houseful of children. But imagine what it would have been like to have been the earthly parents to the Son of God. Luke 2 gives us an overview of Jesus' first 12 years. Imagine what it would have been like to be Mary or Joseph in that stable the night Jesus was born. You just finish giving birth when a troupe of shepherds show up telling a crazy story about seeing the sky filled with angels (vv13-18). Then you go to the temple to dedicate your child, like every good Jewish parent did at that time. Next thing you know an elderly man whom you have never seen before walks up, takes your child in his arms and says "I'm ready to die now--I have seen the Savior" (vv28-32). If that wasn't strange enough, a widow woman excitedly comes over and starts praising God for your son and telling everyone around about him (vv36-38). Then there is the incident when he was 12 where he is back at the temple, this time confounding the religious leaders with his questions and answers. No, none of us will ever know what it is like to parent the Christ, but we can create a godly environment where our children grow up like Christ increasing "in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men" (v52).

_________________________
Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential. Please forward this blog to your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

There are several reality TV shows about large families. They show the daily challenges of parents trying to keep up with a houseful of children. But imagine what it would have been like to have been the earthly parents to the Son of God. Luke 2 gives us an overview of Jesus' first 12 years. Imagine what it would have been like to be Mary or Joseph in that stable the night Jesus was born. You just finish giving birth when a troupe of shepherds show up telling a crazy story about seeing the sky filled with angels (vv13-18). Then you go to the temple to dedicate your child, like every good Jewish parent did at that time. Next thing you know an elderly man whom you have never seen before walks up, takes your child in his arms and says "I'm ready to die now--I have seen the Savior" (vv28-32). If that wasn't strange enough, a widow woman excitedly comes over and starts praising God for your son and telling everyone around about him (vv36-38). Then there is the incident when he was 12 where he is back at the temple, this time confounding the religious leaders with his questions and answers. No, none of us will ever know what it is like to parent the Christ, but we can create a godly environment where our children grow up like Christ increasing "in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men" (v52).

_________________________
Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential. Please forward this blog to your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

Matthew 1-- Life Comes at You Fast

There is an insurance company here in the U.S. with an advertising slogan that says "life comes at you fast." It shows unexpected events, some quite funny, happening to people's automobiles. The message is that you need their coverage so that you are ready for whatever might happen. There is a lot of truth in that statement--life at times does come at us in unexpected ways. We think we have it all figured out when something changes. That was the case with Joseph. He's a normal, blue collar guy engaged to this Mary girl and just doing life--like everyone else. Next thing he knew, the unexpected happens--and it was something that he knew he hadn't caused! "What do I do now," Joseph thought as he found himself in the middle of a very embarrassing situation. But as he contemplated his next move, God sent a message. It wasn't exactly the message one would expect--the child was conceived of the Holy Ghost. It was pretty far-fetched, but Joseph did what God said and went forward with the marriage. And we are all glad he did! Yes, life does come at us fast; but if we will learn to listen to God, even when it is a stretch of our faith, we will successfully navigate whatever is thrown at us. Like Joseph, we can discover that being guided by God is better than human logic--and better than anything any insurance company could provide.

_________________________

Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential.Please share this blog with your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.

_________________________

Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential.Please share this blog with your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.