Tag: harold sala

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SO YOU WANT TO LEAD?

Harold Sala is a man who is now 75 years old and has served in the ministry for 50 years.

Not very many reach that age, much less reach those ministry years. I came out of the seminar refreshed and challenged at the same time. He gave all of us a benchmark and a goal – to keep running the race marked out for us with extreme discipline and faithfulness. All that are only achievable by the grace of God.

Here are a few leadership thoughts I picked up.

“God’s work done God’s way

will never lack God’s supply.” – Hudson Taylor

Provision can be a deterrent to any leadership call. Hudson Taylor felt it. Any person in any leadership role will feel it.

But as God has made the call, it is He who will sustain and finish.

“It is amazing what you can accomplish

if you do not care who gets the credit.” — Harry Truman

People want to be acknowledged for their hard work. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. But if it becomes a consuming passion, then it hinders one from accomplishing work without the attention of others.

At that moment, it doesn’t become about fulfilling the task but about fulfilling it to get the applause of men.

“A man does not call a line crooked

unless he has some idea of a straight line.” – CS Lewis

We have been given a manual for life and leadership – the Bible.  It IS the standard and the authority for conduct and life.

As one leads, not referring to the standard will derail any attempt to make it to the goal – or at least anything that will make long term impact.

“You can’t love other people

when you are in love with yourself.” – Harold Sala

This one hit me hard.

It hit me hard because it’s the truth.

It is hard to lead with love if the focus of that love is self.  While it is not wrong to love and be grateful for who you are and what God has given, putting self above others can be detrimental to leading.

Jesus exemplified this type of leadership.

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” – John 15:13

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ON FORGIVENESS AND RECONCILIATION

It was like drinking water from a fire hydrant.

That’s how I felt coming out of the Biblical Counseling seminar by Dr. Harold Sala.

All I can say is “wow.”

Here are a few take-aways.

God has entrusted to us the ministry

and message of reconciliation.

Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5 that we have been reconciled to God.  As a result, we have been given the ministry of bringing others into a restored relationship with Christ.

All problems stem from one root – SIN. It may sound simple but it’s not simplistic.

Every relationship that has been broken results from a heart that has been marred by bitterness, greed, pride, anger, hatred or something of that sort which the Bible calls sin. We just have to call a spade a spade.

In a day and age of political correctness, we use words like “affair” and “misappropriation of funds” to hide the real essence of what we have done to offend a Holy God.

The good news will never sound so good until we realize how bad the bad news is.

We are separated from God and we cannot save ourselves. Our hearts are rotten and only Jesus can rescue us.

 

The Bible is not only cross cultural

but also counter cultural.

While the principles of Scripture are not confined by geographic boundary lines, we will find that they are also counter-cultural.

This means that what the world reveals to us as ‘common’ may not necessarily be ‘normal.’

It’s common for people to have sex before marriage these days, but the Bible says it’s not the norm.

1 Thes. 4:7 says that it is God’s will that you should be sanctified: to avoid sexual immorality.

What is common may not necessarily be normal according to God.

 

Conflicts don’t destroy relationships;

our refusal to resolve does.

I found this to be very true.

There will always be conflicts. When you’re talking about relationships with people, that’s clearly inevitable.

The question is not whether there will be conflicts or not, but are you willing to resolve.

A wise man told me once, “the goal is not the point out who’s wrong or right but to restore the relationship.”

 

Forgiveness doesn’t mean everything is ok;

it’s giving up the right to hurt back.

Forgiveness does not equal forgetting.

I think that’s quite impossible. No matter how you try, the scar is still there.

But forgiveness is letting go of your right to hurt back and retaliate understanding that God is the ultimate Judge.

There is punishment for the unjust.

And for those who give their life to Christ, the appropriate penalty has been taken on by Christ Himself when He died on the cross.