Morning Devotion

The word for today.                      

Wednesday, 22 May 2013. 

       

Thinking for a Change

'The plans of the diligent lead to profit...' Proverbs 21:5 NIV

In his book, Thinking for a Change, Dr. John Maxwell says, 'The right thought, plus the right people, in the right environment, at the right time, for the right reason, always produces the right result.' Let's take a minute and break those words down:

(1)   The right thought. Thinking produces ideas, and ideas have incredible power and potential. But every idea begins as a 'seed thought,' so you have to nurture and protect it.

(2)   The right people. When you expose the right idea to the right people, great things happen. In their company it blossoms and becomes infused with possibility.

(3)   The right environment. In the right environment thinking is valued, ideas flow freely, fresh eyes are welcome, changes are expected, questions are encouraged, egos are checked, ideas stimulate better ideas, and thinking generates teamwork.

(4)   The right time. The Emperor Hadrian said, 'To be right too soon, is to be wrong.' While still in the 'stretching' stage of an idea, present it without expectation, time frames, or rigidly defined goals. Why? Because if you try to implement your idea too early it may not survive.

(5)   The right reason. JP Morgan said, 'a man always has two reasons for doing anything: a good idea, and the real reason.' Motives matter - and selfish motives disqualify us. God only gets behind ideas that fulfil His purposes and demonstrate His love for others. Sometimes an idea becomes great when it partners with another idea; other times it excels just as it is. One thing is certain: as you stretch your thinking, you will discover that your thinking is stretching you.
 

Soul Food: Judges 7:1-9:33, Mark 10:23-34, Ps 93, Pr 13:7-8