June 17. So Many Choices.

We make choices all the time. Every situation we encounter will present choices even if we do not recognize the opportunity as a choice. However, there are some that are more significant than others, however. Choosing salt and or pepper is an easy decision and can be done at almost every meal.

As a leader of a family, organization, or team, are you going to be value driven or profit driven? That may just be the biggest choice you can make. However, they are not mutually exclusive concepts. Salt has its own flavor compared to pepper, so they are mutually exclusive. But can they be put together?

You can be profitable even when your focus is geared towards giving value first. Where are you struggling with decisions right now? Are they value based decisions which support the vision of your company? Are you struggling as a leader with a decision to give others value on a personal level?

Perhaps the struggle is one of giving value to those that are not in a relationship with you now. Our teams might have an idea of who we are not giving value to. What is the one area that you might feel that is in question today? What is the first thing you can do about it in the next seven days?

In 1 Kings 18, we read about a prophet named Elijah and the prophets of Baal. Elijah throws down the gauntlet and tells the people of Israel to decide if they are going with God or Baal. There cannot be two, or even three gods that you will worship and continue to have a relationship with the one true God.

For those of today who live in our modern world we can ask ourselves the same thing. Where are we living with more than the one true God in our lives? When we do so, it is like we are attempting to empty the entire spice rack into our lives instead of being the salt of the earth where God is concerned.

What might be taking your eye off the God that resurrected our Savior Jesus Christ? When we allow idols to gain our attention, we distract ourselves from God. When we begin to worship those idols, it might be that we inflict insult and cause pain.

It can be difficult though to identify what has become an idol to us. That is where our team, the members of God’s church, might be able to collaborate with us. Who are the three people that you believe you can have a trusted conversation with about what could be on the path of idol status?

If you are struggling, make a decision. If you are not struggling, how can you provide value to another by being curious and listening to others? What is the first thing that you can do about it in the next seven days?

Let us pray, Heavenly Father, you are the one true God. You are the Master of the seas and the fishes. You are the true spice of life and we ask you today to help us to remove our blinders that keep us from seeing how we might be worshipping other things. We want to worship you.

Hold us in the palm of your hand today so that we might love one another as Jesus loved the disciples. Let your power and love be the flavor of life that we seek. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen,