You Are Unique by Design

"...My dove, my perfect one, is unique." (Song of Solomon 6:8-9). Every person is unique. The Lord in His wisdom created us all special, in physical appearance, abilities, gifting, tallents, intellect and personality. Uniqueness is a reality in the busniss world. Successful companies separate themselves from others to compete in the marketplace. The is especially true for those who compete in a over crowded marketplace where competition and low price is the driving incentive for the customer. However this is not always the case with a successful company. Sometimes a company will violate every rule and still rise to the top. Take a look at Starbucks. They overpriced their product. They changed the language - a small is actually a "tall." A medium is "grande." Wow! They are one of the great 21st century American success stories. Considered as one of the most successful and admired companies today, Starbucks has grown from a single store begun by a Jewish man in Seattle 33 years ago to 12,000 stores, almost 4,000 of which are in 36 countries outside the U.S. In fiscal 2006, the company posted revenues of more than $8 billion. Cup by cup, Starbucks has changed the way people drink coffee. My wife treats herself to a Starbucks every Friday. This is one of the highlights of her week. My youngest son managed a Starbucks for two years. Through this experience he learned much about the business world and sharpened his people skills. More inportant he learned the importance of excellence in the business world and in his personal life. More remarkably, Starbucks successfully transformed a pedestrian commodity into a high-end accessory. It has created a "Starbucks lifestyle" that more people continue to embrace in the United States and abroad. They created community around their product. Jesus came to earth, grew up in a humble home and at age 30 began his earthly ministry. He said to many "Come follow me." The usual response was entailed "What will it cost me?" To which He often replied "everything." Remember when he told the rich, young, ruler "Go sell all that you have and give it to the poor, then come and follow me." Or when the man wanted to bury his father. The problem was his father wasn't dead yet. He was waiting for dad to pass on then he would inherit the estate. Jesus said "Let the dead bury the dead." Some simply dropped what they were doing and followed Jesus. Matthew quit collecting taxes and started "collecting" souls. Peter in turn became a "Fisher of men." Each disciple was unique, each served a special place in the Lord's "Team" that He used to lay the foundation of His church. God created each of us to be unique. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Father Still Knows Best

The will of God is always an interesting subject. Any seminar on the will of God will draw a crowd. I had a friend in college who was praying about who he would marry, he told the Lord he wanted to know as soon as possible. He said if God would show him who his life's partner would be, he thought he could figure the rest out on his own. I believe he and his wife have learned a great deal since those days. The following verse tells us a great deal about the will of God. "This is what the LORD says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.”- Isaiah 48:17. According to this verse the Lord unfolds His will to us as we walk with Him. I believe the Word of God is the will of God. The Lord has revealed much of what He wants us to know through the Word. I don't have a specific verse telling me which car to purchase. However, I have principles in the Scriptures that give me direction. A principles would be "Would this decision cause my brother to stumble?" Can I afford it? Do I really need this much vehicle? What do godly counselors say about this decision? Does my family approve? etc. Much of God's will is set out for us each day. We get up in the morning, go through our routine of getting ready for work, eating, reading the Word, driving (hopefully) like a Christian on the way to work. While at work we are to do our assigned tasks as unto the Lord. We are to submit to authority with a right attitude. We are to make time for the Lord, family, sleep, others, ministry, etc. We know all these things are to be done in a balanced way. As we are walking with the Lord He will direct our steps, open doors of opportunity and give us peace concerning decisions we make. In time you will begin to sense when the Lord is active in a situation. I always ask the Lord for wisdom at the beginning of the day and through out the day as I worship, walk with and work for Him. As we desire God's best, He will give us His best. Many times He will have us wait for His best. I have noticed the Devil often offers his best first. Look at all he offered our Lord in the wilderness temptations. However Jesus knew the cross would precede His crown, and He choose His Fathers best. God makes no mistakes, He is the Master Teacher and He has promised to teach us what is best for us as we commune with Him. Like the name of an old T.V. show, Father still knows best. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

The Presence of God

We live in a culture that places a premium on human reason. The Savoy business manager and the cunning strategist are in high demand. We are affected by the thinking of our society more than we realize. God wants us to follow and obey Him. We pray "Thy Kingdom come, Your will be done..." We as believers often come up with a plan and ask God to bless it. Moses knew without God's presence, he was toast. Note his appeal to the Lord. "If your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here" (Exodus 33:15). One great danger in Christian service is to become complacent in our daily duties. At such a time God often allows a crisis to arise which forces us back to our knees. This is usually when we cry out to God, asking for His Presence to return, and for His blessing to again be seen on our lives and service. Things were going well for Moses as he led the people out of Egypt. Then God called him to Mt. Horeb, the mountain of God, to receive the Ten Commandments. While he was on the mount, the people fell away from the Lord by returning to the ways of Egypt and building and worshiping a golden calf under Aaron's command. They didn't just fall away, they fell away to the ways of Egypt. This brought tragic results. God's presence left the people. When Moses came down and saw what had happened, he immediately saw the solution. Having God's presence return was the only way they could go forward and have success. "How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" (Ex 33:16). Do others see the presence of God in your current activities? Are you doing God's work in God's way, for His glory? Do you see His finger prints all over your activities? If not, ask Him to show up, and don't take another step without Him. Let us determine in our hearts, If He doesn't go with us, we won't go. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.