Running With Purpose
I’m Dr. Bob and for just a Mentoring Minute I want to assure you that I have come to understand that fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives will be the ultimate test of our significance, and in the end, the only thing that will give us satisfaction. The Apostle Paul understood this. His Christian walk was filled with challenges and great difficulties. He ended his life, writing in a Roman prison awaiting his execution. Yet, in Second Timothy 4:7, he wrote these amazing words for us to read. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Paul’s words reveal three principles for us. First, fight a good fight. The course of Paul’s service to the Lord was purposeful, righteous and well pleasing to God. Second, like Paul, embrace the joy of your salvation, and make a fruitful, eternal difference. Third, keep the faith. Never allow doubt or unbelief to alter your course. Paul remained faithful to the finish, always cherishing his call from the Lord and his responsibility to fulfill it. His faithfulness to God was absolute, in spite of all the difficulties he faced. You imagine how, as he crossed his personal finish line, he must have longed for God’s embrace… and he got it! Take heart. Regardless of how you started, you can finish like Paul, in the approving, loving embrace of God. Then, you will hear the Lord say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Your devotion and service have given Me great joy. Enter into my loving rest.” Now that is an encouraging Mentoring Minute. You can listen to my previous Mentoring Minutes at www.mentoringminutes.com/blog. I know they will help you to fight the good fight of faith.
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Extreme Limitations
I’m Dr. Bob and for just a Mentoring Minute, Too often, we see the things restricting us as something negative. Be assured that God has deliberately blessed you with extreme limitations. Notice that I did not say, “He has blessed you with no limitations.” let me explain the difference. “No limitations” means I can do whatever I want. Extreme limitations means I can do all God has called me to, stretching my potential to its maximum boundaries, as I journey through life. Philippians 4:13 (KJV) Says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” I want to encourage you that the only limits you should have are those God provides in His Word. They are put there to first, protect you, and second to direct your paths to success. When you acknowledge and respect these God-given biblical limitations, God will release you to go to explore the vast boundaries that go all the way to the extreme limitations found in His plan for you. I’m Dr. Bob, I want to encourage you to trust God, respect your boundaries, and then go to your full potential in obedience to Him, as you are mindful of His Word. You can listen to previous Mentoring Minutes at www.mentoringminutes.com/blogs.
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Brick or Stone?
I’m Dr. Bob and for just a Mentoring Minute, I’d like to tell you about the two materials that were used to build walls in ancient Egypt. One of these was bricks and the other, stones. The bricks were man-made by Israeli slaves. These bricks were identical to each other. When finished, they were taken from the ovens and stacked in neat rows to make up the walls. Stones, however, were quarried and then piled up, as the wall builders made them suitable for their purposes. They did this by chiseling them into shapes that formed the necessary fit. Unlike mass-produced bricks, stones are unique creations of God. Unlike bricks, stones are a unique creations of God. The Bible says in 1 Peter 2:5 (NKJV), “…you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” I want to encourage you that you are uniquely made. You are one of a kind, and a necessary part of God’s spiritual house. Nobody else can fill your place. Without you, there would be an irreplaceable void in God’s house. You are important and valuable to God, His purposes and the unity He calls for in His people. Take advantage of the fruitful opportunity to take your place and enjoy your blessings. I’m Dr. Bob. I invite you to listen to my previous Mentoring Minutes at www.mentoringministry.com/blogs.
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The Light of His Glory
I’m Dr. Bob and for just a Mentoring Minute, I want to encourage you that the light of God’s glory can brighten your life. Yes, there are times when you will find yourself totally in the dark, without a clue about what is coming next. This is especially true when trouble comes and you have no answer to it. However, it can also be true when opportunity shows itself to you. We will all find both kinds of circumstances many times. Habakkuk 2:14 (NKJV) says, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea.” You may find yourself in the dark, but God is always in the light. So, when you have no idea what the story is, look for the glory. You can always know where the glory is, regardless of what you may face. Here is my suggestion, and a truth that will never fail you. Get in the glory, and then expect that the rest of the story will be written just as God said it would be. Believe God… and this teachable truth to live by will find its way into your life. You will see the light of His glory through the eyes of your faith. Then, you will see the glory released through His miraculous response to your faith. Finally, you will gain the opportunity to let His glory be seen by others, as your fruitfulness demonstrates His faithfulness. I’m Dr. Bob and that’s my Mentoring Minute. You can listen to previous Mentoring Minutes at www.mentoringministry.com/blog/.
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Traffic Lights
I’m Dr. Bob and for just a Mentoring Minute, I want to ask if you have ever been frustrated with yourself because you made bad decisions? I certainly have. Sometimes, our decisions take us away from the successes for which we work so hard. At other times, it seems we are all too eager to choose what turns out to be a waste of time and effort, or may even be harmful to us or perhaps to others. I want to suggest a way you can make good decisions while avoiding bad ones. I am sure you have encountered traffic lights as you drove through the city. The way they work gives the key to hearing God’s voice and letting what He says lead you to doing the right thing. When you approach a traffic light, you are given three choices: (1) red light, (2) yellow light or (3) green light. When decision-making time comes, if you listen for the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit, He will signal you: red light means stop; yellow light means caution; green light means go. Just like with a traffic light, if you watch for and obey the Holy Spirit’s signals, you will have a safe journey, while making good decisions along the way to your blessings. I’m Dr. Bob. Contact me at www.mentoringministry.com and let’s compare how God has directed our journeys.
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Uhaul Hearses
Podcast: Uhaul Hearses
I’m Dr. Bob and for just a Mentoring Minute I want to talk to you about Uhaul hearses. Stay with me on this one. Here is what I am getting at. Have you ever seen anyone driving a Uhaul truck from the funeral to the cemetery? I have never seen even one in a funeral procession. Here is the point: Nobody has ever been able to take their stuff with them. It all gets left behind. On our appointed day to pass into eternity, we take nothing with us… except our commitment to Christ and the fruitful loving difference we made in others while we still breathed. That will be what interests God when we stand before Him. I’m Dr. Bob. Contact me at Dr.Bob@mentoringministry.com and let’s rejoice together in what we will take with us, and not let what stays behind have an improper influence over how we live our lives.
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Wealthiest Place on Earth
I’m Dr. Bob and for just a Mentoring Minute, I want to talk to you about the wealthiest place on earth. A friend told me he heard Pastor Miles Monroe say the wealthiest place on earth is the graveyard. Here is what he meant. Too many people live as if they can take the wealth they accumulated with them when they die. Here is the truth. The grave is not the wealthiest place, it’s the emptiest place. All you take with you is the difference you made with what God asked you to steward. My advice is, don’t live like you can take it with you when you die. Live so you can bless others with it while you still live, and be the greatest difference-maker you can be. God will honor your life, and when you stand before Him, you will hear the loveliest words a child of God can hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into your rest” I’m Dr. Bob. What could be better? What could be worth more? What a way to live! Contact me at Dr.Bob@mentoringministry.com and share a testimony of your latest investment in what is truly of eternal value.
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Just Drive the Bus
I’m Dr. Bob and for just a mentoring minute, I want to assure you that you do not need someone to affirm the quality of your driving. Just drive your bus. The people will be waiting. Let them on. Let them off. Just focus on the task to which God has called you. Yes, there will be times when you are stopped by a red light. Just relax and wait for the green. It will surely come. When it does, just drive the bus. There will be other times when it seems you are stuck in a traffic jam and cannot move. Just relax and wait for things to clear up. You will get to your destination and will help many others do the same. I’m Dr. Bob. Contact me at Dr.Bob@mentoringministry.com and just relax, drive the bus, and let me know about the route to which you have been assigned.
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You will Never Know
You’ll never know if you never go.
I’m Dr. Bob and for just a mentoring minute, I want to ask if you were called to go, but have insisted that it had to fit into what you established as your convenient, self-serving, self-assuring timetable. I know that sounds harsh, but is it possible you might find you waited too long and required too much? Many are called and wait to long. They never realize the great gift of destiny that God had prepared for them. If you are reluctant to go, you will never know what could have been your destiny. You will only wonder at what might have been and should have been. I’m Dr. Bob. If you want to know, you’ve got to go. Contact me at Dr.Bob@mentoringministry.com and we can talk about all you can know, if only you’ll go.
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Fruit that bears Fruit
I’m Dr. Bob, and for just a mentoring minute I want to share a thought with an eternal perspective. In John 15:16 (NKJV), Jesus said, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” Jesus spoke of fruit should remain. Take it up a notch and consider the value of “fruit that remains… and becomes fruitful.” Consider the fruit tree that drops its fruit and the seeds become more fruit trees, that drop more fruit, as they continue the pattern, producing even more fruit trees. I once visited a pastor I had trained. When he introduced me to his congregation of new believers, he said, “Pastor Bob, I want to introduce you to your spiritual grandchildren.” Do you see my point? What a feeling it was to see the fruit of my earlier efforts produce more fruit into the next generations! I’m Dr. Bob. Write me at Dr.Bob@mentoringministry.com and let me know that what I shared is fruitful for your future.
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