Austin Gardner

This is from the book Ordering your Private World by Gordon MacDonald.

There are Driven people and there are called people in his terminology. We have seen in a previous post what a driven person is like and how to recognize them in the comment section.

Now comes a comparison between the called and the driven for you to consider:

Driven people often project a bravado of confidence as they forge ahead with their achievement-oriented life life plan. But, often at the moment when it is least expected, adversities and obstructions conspire, and there can be personal collapse.

Called people, on the other hand, possess strength from within, a quality of perseverance and power that are impervious to the blows from without.

Called people understand stewardship. John the Baptist understood that he was only managing something on behalf of the owner. He knew that the crowds were never his. He gladly decreased while Jesus increased.

King Saul, on the other hand, believed that he owned the throne and could do anything with it that he wanted.

When driven people lose things it is a major crisis. When called people lose them, nothing of substance has changed. The private world remains the same, perhaps even stronger.

Called people know exactly who they are. The driven get their identities confused. They are what they do. Sometimes this makes it difficult for the driven to retire or give up their position.

Called people possess an unwavering sense of purpose.

Called people practice unswerving commitment.

A called person, because he is a steward, he knows who he is, because he is purposeful–anticipates the day when it is time to step back and let go.

Driven people have to keep gaining more and more attention, more and more power, more and more material assets. They have to hold on, they cannot let go. Too much of themselves is wound up in what they are doing.

I am reading a book called Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald. This chapter and the point of this chapter hit me pretty hard.

Drivenness is a quality seen in people motivated to make something of themselves for less than the best reasons.

There are lots of driven people doing very good things.

How can you spot a driven person?

A driven person is most often gratified only by accomplishment.

A driven person is preoccupied with the symbols of accomplishment.

A driven person is usually caught in the uncontrolled pursuit of expansion.

Driven people tend to have a limited regard for integrity.

Driven people are not likely to bother themselves with the honing of people skills.

Driven people tend to be highly competitive.

A driven person often possesses a volcanic force of anger which can erupt anytime he senses opposition or disloyalty.

Driven people are usually abnormally busy, are averse to play, and usually avoid spiritual worship.

The author says that King Saul is one of the best examples to typify the driven man.

As I read this it made me realize how much of a worldly attitude I can develop. I do not want to be driven. I want to be spirit led. What do you think?

It is 10:20 pm and I am just now in the house again after traveling to Northern Ireland. We had a great week. God blessed us big time and I see real spiritual and numerical growth in both churches. I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to go over and preach.

As soon as my plane landed Betty, our grandson Jacob and I headed to the hospital to see Ethan. The surgery was supposed to take 8 hours but was over in about 4.5 hours. They thought that they would have to have muscles from his back to be put in his leg but there was enough muscle in the leg that they did not need to make that operation. The blood flow was good.

So though Ethan is in great pain, obviously, the surgery seems to have been a great success. Pastor Wayne Cofield and his wife Connie have been with the Howeths literally all day. God has given them some very great friends that are doing so much to bless them.

People have been praying all over the world. God has been hearing and answering prayer.

I only spoke to Ethan two times for a few seconds each because he had just come out of surgery but will try and see him tomorrow. I should have more information for you.

There will still be months and months of recovery. One leg is still going to be several inches shorter than the other.

The Howeths are still facing a great deal of financial trouble. I wish that you would pray about helping them. Please remember that they have good insurance, Blue Cross Blue Shield, but they are only going to cover 70% so that will leave a great debt/

Right now they are extremely tired also due to being at the hospital and the super amount of stress that they are feeling.

God blessed with Joe and Lisa Welch and Stephen Barnes being willing to come and look after the other children.

Today I read a blog post from a young man from Vision, Kyle! It was on overcoming bitterness. It is how he has learned to forgive his dad. I am going to post his thoughts and then give you links to other posts that you might read!

This was written by Travis Snode on how to deal with bitterness!

The forgiven forgive

Turning bitterness into forgiveness

Bitterness

That will do for now.

Here is the great article by Kyle that will bless you:

Finally.
This morning and last night, I read Proverbs 1 and 2. What the Lord told me, through those chapters, was that if I really want to be a man of God, and no longer a boy, that I needed to start applying His words to my heart.

Well, and I say all of the following things to the glory of God. I don’t want to come off in any way that I’m giving glory to myself, or trying to say that I did anything at all, because it was ALL God, and nothing I did.

In 7th grade, because of some things, I started to get angry and bitter towards my father. It just kept getting worse from there. I got to a point where I hated him, where I prayed that I would never see him again, that my mum would divorce him, or something. I just wanted him out of my life.

The longer I carried my bitterness and hatred, the worse it got. I got to a point where I was happy to see him suffer, and liked watching bad things happen to him.

I treated him like less than dirt. I didn’t respect him. I didn’t honor him like a son should honor a father, and I sure didn’t glorify God in the way I treated him. And I knew I should treat him better. God kept telling me to forgive him.

And the dislike, which I carried everywhere, really hindered me. It was impacting me a good bit.
But today, after 7 years of bitterness, and not forgiving my father, God did a mighty work in my life. It took me a while to allow God to work in my life, but I called my dad and forgave him. I told him I was wrong, and that I forgave him. And it wasn’t that hard. All I did was dial him on my mobile, and then talk.

It’s amazing how easy things are when they’re the things God wants us to do.

Maybe you don’t understand how big this really is, but if you grew up in my parent’s house, or in my old church, you might understand this, and I pray that through it the Lord would be lifted up and exalted.
It’s taken a whole, too long. Years more that it should have, but I finally, and only because God worked in my heart, forgave my father. It’s only because a group of men, whom I thank so much (KT, WAG, TH, WC, RT) for preaching the Bible, and letting God use them, that I am where I am now.

Thank you, Lord, for growing me, and helping me to slowly begin the path of being a man.

The following is a must read written by our missionary Travis Snode.

Ruth 1:19-21 So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi? And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?

When Naomi and Ruth returned from Moab to Bethlehem, the people could not believe the difference in Naomi’s countenance and appearance. They said, “Is this Naomi?” Naomi’s name meant “pleasant.” They were saying, “Is this Naomi, the lady who was always so pleasant?!” Naomi replied, “Don’t call me Naomi (pleasant); call me Mara (”bitter”) because God has deal very bitterly with me.” She said that she went out full and returned empty and that the Lord had afflicted her.

What caused Naomi, a previously pleasant lady, to be so bitter? Here is what happened. Her husband left Bethlehem in a time of famine to go to the country of Moab. Bethlehem was the place of bread; it was the place that God had given to him and his family. In a time of trouble, however, they left and went to Moab, a heathen land. Instead of trusting in God to take care of them in the tough times, they decided to take matters into their own hands. This would be a mistake that would bring them much heartache.

After some time in Moab, Elimelech died. The two boys Mahlon and Chilion married Moabite women (which they were not suppossed to do, according to God’s law). The two boys died as well. Finally, after much pain and suffering, Naomi decides to return to Bethlehem. Ruth, her daughter-in-law chooses to go with her.

Everything has changed for Naomi. Once she was happy. She had her husband and two sons. Once she was in the house of bread. Now, her husband and sons are dead. Now she is bitter against the Lord and blames Him for what has happened.

Maybe you can identify with Naomi. Maybe you feel like God has given you a raw deal, like He has dealt very bitterly with you. Maybe you feel like God has taken what you have and robbed you of everything good and joyful in your life.

I want to suggest that God did not deal bitterly with Naomi or with you. Here are some things to think about:

Elimelech left the place of God’s will for their life. At the very least, the death of Naomi’s husband and sons could have been the chastening hand of God upon them for not trusting in Him.

Death is going to come to all of us and to all of our family, if the Lord tarries His coming. No one will live forever. Death is a part of life. Even though it hurts, it should not surprise us when it happens. Death is not God’s fault. Death is our fault. We sin, so we die. God actually has made a way for us to have eternal life.

God was still good to Naomi despite the death of her family.

God gave her one daughter-in-law who was very committed to her (Ruth 1:14-18) and had dealt very kindly with her (Ruth 2:11-12).

God has spared her life and allowed her to return home (Ruth 1:22).

God gave her a kinsman (Boaz) who was very wealthy and took care of her and Ruth (Ruth 2:1-3, 3:17, 4:9-10).

God allowed her family to be in the line of the ancesters of King David and Jesus Christ (Ruth 4:17)!

The next time we begin to feel like God has dealt bitterly with us, let us stop and ask ourself the following questions:

Have I done anything to bring these problems on myself? (1 Peter 4:15)

Am I sinning or charging God foolishly in this situation? (Job 1:22)

What blessings am I overlooking by my anger and bitterness?

Am I willing to just trust God and believe that He has a purpose for everything and will work all things together for good? (Romans 8:28)