Hope For Today – Jesus Is “The” Way to Heaven!

Posted on April 14, 2019 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

It’s Palm Sunday! Today we remember the day when Jesus was the hero of Jerusalem. People lined the stone streets in the City of Heaven and cheered their New King, their Rescuer, their long awaited Messiah. And then, Jesus announced that He was leaving!

I’m Dr. Matthew Lee Smith and I want to share some Hope For Today about Jesus being “The” Way to Heaven!

Check it out at the link below. Click the link below to listen. Hope For Today is a part of the ministry of Eagles In Leadership. If you would like to know more about the hope God gives and His abundant life through Jesus Christ, I would invite you to check out our website: EaglesInLeadership.org.

Just push the media button below to hear this encouraging message!

We hope you’ll consider going to Israel with the Eagles In Leadership group this December! Click the link, “Join Us In Israel This Fall,” at the top of the website for more information.

And, if you are so inclined, sign up for more encouragement through notifications (UPPER RIGHT CORNER OF THE WEBSITE) of other blogs and podcasts while you are at the Eagles in Leadership​ website.
Check it out at the link below. Click the link below to listen. Hope For Today is a part of the ministry of Eagles In Leadership. If you would like to know more about the hope God gives and His abundant life through Jesus Christ, I would invite you to check out our website: EaglesInLeadership.org.

Just push the media button below to hear this encouraging message!

We hope you’ll consider going to Israel with the Eagles In Leadership group this December! Click the link, “Join Us In Israel This Fall,” at the top of the website for more information.

And, if you are so inclined, sign up for more encouragement through notifications (UPPER RIGHT CORNER OF THE WEBSITE) of other blogs and podcasts while you are at the Eagles in Leadership​ website.

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Hope For Today – Keeping Your Life for Eternity

Posted on April 7, 2019 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Are you about ready for Easter? It seems almost impossible that the year is slipping away so fast, doesn’t it? Pretty soon it will be the 4thof July, we’ll be enjoying cookouts and celebrating with family and friends again! Time goes by so fast!

I’m Dr. Matthew Lee Smith and I want to share some Hope For Today about Keeping Your Life for Eternity.

Check it out at the link below. Click the link below to listen. Hope For Today is a part of the ministry of Eagles In Leadership. If you would like to know more about the hope God gives and His abundant life through Jesus Christ, I would invite you to check out our website: EaglesInLeadership.org.

Just push the media button below to hear this encouraging message!

We hope you’ll consider going to Israel with the Eagles In Leadership group this December! Click the link, “Join Us In Israel This Fall,” at the top of the website for more information.

And, if you are so inclined, sign up for more encouragement through notifications (UPPER RIGHT CORNER OF THE WEBSITE) of other blogs and podcasts while you are at the Eagles in Leadership​ website.
Check it out at the link below. Click the link below to listen. Hope For Today is a part of the ministry of Eagles In Leadership. If you would like to know more about the hope God gives and His abundant life through Jesus Christ, I would invite you to check out our website: EaglesInLeadership.org.

Just push the media button below to hear this encouraging message!

We hope you’ll consider going to Israel with the Eagles In Leadership group this December! Click the link, “Join Us In Israel This Fall,” at the top of the website for more information.

And, if you are so inclined, sign up for more encouragement through notifications (UPPER RIGHT CORNER OF THE WEBSITE) of other blogs and podcasts while you are at the Eagles in Leadership​ website.

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Faith Filled Friday – When God Answers!

Posted on April 5, 2019 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.” When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb.” (Genesis 25:22–24, ESV)

She said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. What do you do when life goes wrong? When things happen that don’t make sense and you are trying to figure them out, where do you go? What’s your first response to life’s conundrums?

For Rebekah, amazingly enough, her first stop was prayer. She started where most of eventually wind up. Her situation was confusing, painful, and even distressing. After waiting so long to have children, all she could feel was a rumbling. Discomfort was a frequent occurrence and she probably feared to lose the child.

Long before sonograms and MRIs, women had to trust God and rely on His intervention when problems and difficulties arose. What is interesting is that it seems Abraham’s family back east must have been worshipers of the Lord, God Almighty. After all, we are explicitly told, “So she went to inquire of the Lord.”

Not only did God answer, but He also gave her a detailed response. Once she had the “Doctor’s prognosis” she was able to go forward without anxiety. Now she was able to plan for the future, albeit a somewhat rocky one according to what God had said.

If God were to explain your difficulty to you right now – your lack of a spouse, your constant rejections on work applications, the hostility of your child towards you – would you want it? What would it do to your attitude and your life course? How would you use that information? What do you think would change as a result of that?

We are told to do just that: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5, ESV) Isn’t today a great day to drop to your knees in faith and plead with the God who knows all for understanding?

Faith Filled Fridays hope to boost your trust in God and accelerate your daring and courage in everyday life. Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, writes each encouragement out of a heart that has known both great joy and great loss – his wife of 38 years, 5 months and 2 days was promoted to Heaven on November 11, 2017. Through every experience, God has proven Himself more than faithful and trustworthy. He welcomes your comments below.

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Train Them Thursday – Naturally Curious

Posted on April 4, 2019 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him. Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.” (Luke 2:45–47, NASB95)

Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. A growing disciple of Jesus doesn’t need to be constantly prodded to study and seek answers for their faith. It is part of the life – the eternal life – that indwells them. They are naturally curious and desire to know more so that they can be more with their God.

When the Spirit of God enters us, He builds a thirst for more of God’s Word and an understanding of it. As brother Peter reminds us, “like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.” (1 Peter 2:2, NASB95)

Growth, as a result of a constant feeding on the words of God, is natural for the new disciple of Jesus. As we help them grow, they long for more and more information to answer their innumerable questions. Their hunger can’t be quenched easily.

And so, here we see Jesus doing that very thing. There He was, “sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.” Wouldn’t you have loved to have heard the questions He raised? Imagine the thoughts that ran through that young man’s head. There He was, the Word of God, growing into His manhood, seeking wisdom and understanding for His human side.

And yet, we can imitate Jesus as well. Just as brother Paul commanded the Corinthians, so too we can “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1, NASB95) Our task is to imitate Jesus. Ask and answer the questions of our disciple. Feed their mind and their faith as you reply from both the text of God’s Word and the experiences of a life lived in submission to the Holy Spirit.

Today, as you step into your day, be sure to touch base with the one you are discipling. Welcome all their questions and do your best to answer them. As you do, remember Jesus. Who your disciple may become is God’s business. Training her or him well is yours.

Train Them Thursdays seeks to wed the Great Commission directive of Jesus with the practice He employed while on Earth. Each nugget is meant to encourage the reader with a “can-do” spirit to realize that discipleship is something each person is both capable of and empowered to accomplish. Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, writes each thought and they flow out of decades of his tried and true field-testing in multiple settings from rural to inner city. He welcomes your comments below.

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Willing Worker Wednesday – Are You Content?

Posted on April 3, 2019 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“Some soldiers also questioned him: “What should we do?” He said to them, “Don’t take money from anyone by force or false accusation; be satisfied with your wages.”” (Luke 3:14, HCSB)

Don’t take money from anyone by force or false accusation; be satisfied with your wages. Have you noticed that few people today are content with their wages? Business models all work on the principle of making more and more and more. Companies are squeezing every interaction for revenue. The name of the game in the world of business leadership is, “The Bottom Line!”

This is why we, as servant leaders, can learn little from modern business leadership. They stand on a different foundation. For the servant leader, we walk upon the solid ground of the towel and the basin, being content to be the slave of all. Jesus called us to be last if we wanted to be first. He called us to focus on the eternal, not the temporal, knowing our reward is in Heaven, not on Earth.

Discontent drives modern leadership. If people aren’t unhappy with a situation right now, it seeks to create unhappiness for the express purpose of changing the way life is done, thus shaping that person into the image today’s leader believes is better, all the while failing to check and see if the person was already happy to begin with.

We see it all the time in everyday life. Wages aren’t sufficient. They should be higher. Benefits must include more. All the while, the costs of goods are affected by the increase in wages and benefits, increasing to the distress of those very same people. It is a perpetual cycle that eventually breeds cynicism.

Enter Jesus who tells these Roman soldiers who have surrendered to His love and leadership to be content, be satisfied. Whatever they are paid would be enough if they would discipline their hearts and choose to use it wisely. And there is the crux of the matter. Discontent believes there should be more so I can consume more. Like little kids in a candy store, that longing for more can never be satisfied.

Instead, as servant leaders, we are to be thankful for what God has given us through whatever source He has given it. Choosing to live in satisfaction is a sign of gratitude to God for all He has and does provide. It is a powerful statement to those following us!

Willing Worker Wednesdays are dedicated to explaining the core realities of servant leadership – the Biblical principles and methods used by God’s faithful people throughout time. They further reflect the lifestyle of Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords as He walked on this earth announcing the Kingdom of God had arrived. These brief lessons are written by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, and come from his extensive ministry within the local church, in higher education, in church consulting and as a Biblical author and leader. He welcomes your comments below.

 

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Turn-Around Tuesday – Venting Our Vehemence

Posted on April 2, 2019 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the Lord judge between you and me!” But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please.” Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.” (Genesis 16:5–6, ESV)

May the wrong done to me be on you! Two wrongs don’t make a right, do they? Yet, it seems like when we make a big mistake, we feel the need to vent. Often, we simply throw up on someone else. Many times that is someone who didn’t deserve our eruption.

Our shame and guilt seems to explode all over others instead of being poured out at the foot of the Throne in heartfelt repentance. Guilt won’t be erased apart from confession. As it grows in the soul, it gives birth to bitterness. Left unchecked, this deadly cancer consumes our hearts and souls and leaves us alone and longing to die.

In just a short time we can see the effects of this misplaced remorse on Sarai’s part. She lashes out at Abraham. Yes, he failed to lead as a husband and chose the path of least resistance. Yes, if he had stood his ground in faith the debris of doubt would not have led him to Hagar’s bed. But, now, acting upon her own suggestion, Sarai can but turn the blame upon her husband to try to mitigate some of her anger at herself for such a faithless, stupid decision.

Do you know the pain of foolishness? Are you aching for your actions? Have you chosen to blame others instead of humbling yourself before the only One who can actually do something about your situation? Will you stop running away from God and start running towards Him.

His promise is unquestionably the best offer we can ever receive: “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” (James 4:8, ESV) And, when you come, be sure to come clean. Spill it all, your doubt, your faithlessness, your distrust, and your impatience. Lay it all at the feet of Jesus. He is ready to forgive and work with us through the damage we have done.

Will you let Him in and have full control of the mess you’ve made? He’ll take the broken pieces and make something beautiful from them.

Turn-Around Tuesdays are designed to bring hope and help, insight and encouragement to those of us who are simply overwhelmed by the flood of problems life throws at us. No one is immune to trials and troubles, but God has a way of lifting us from life’s torrents. Each short thought is written by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, and comes from his life-journey with the God who never leaves us or forsakes us. He welcomes your comments below.

 

 

 

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Magnificent Marriage Monday – Escaping Desire’s Gravitational Pull!

Posted on April 1, 2019 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“At daybreak the angels urged Lot on: “Get up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.” But he hesitated. Because of the Lord’s compassion for him, the men grabbed his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters. They brought him out and left him outside the city.” (Genesis 19:15–16, CSB)

Because of the Lord’s compassion for him, the men grabbed his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters. When you fail, and you will know that God has your back. He is there to protect your wife and your children when you hesitate. God’s compassion is great and He cares for your spouse and your kids … eve more, than you do.

It seems incomprehensible at times how we, as husbands, can let our wives down. Doubt creeps in and burrows its tunnels throughout our hearts like some groundhog colony. Over time, those tunnels collapse under the pressures of life. At the moment major decisions need to be made, our decisiveness or lack of it, reveals how well we have guarded our hearts.

When Solomon penned these words for his young son, he spoke of them as a preface to the plague of seduction by the forbidden woman inside his court and those that caught his eye. Knowing how they had caused his heart to stray, Solomon wrote: “Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life.” (Proverbs 4:23, CSB)

But what is true of sensuality is also true of any other desire. When Lot struggled to leave Sodom, his inaction evidenced his love for the benefits of a sinful and morally sick community. He liked the fertility of the land, the abundance of the crops, the flocks of sheep and goats. He loved the luxuries and wasn’t willing to give them up, even if it meant his life. Sound familiar?

We live in a pleasure-seeking world. Only those who focus on the things above (See Colossians 3.1-4) will escape the gravitational pull of death and destruction. Walking in His word as the man of God in your house while listening to the whispers of the Spirit of Holiness is the only way to break free from the constant pulling away from God. Choosing today to listen and apply strengthens your future decisions.

Magnificent Marriage Mondays are helpful hints, clues, ideas, and solutions for the child of God who is looking for a spouse, in a relationship with someone, or are already married. Each post seeks to bring help, hope, and honesty to your life and make the rest of your life, the best of your life. They are written by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, and come from his 38 years, 5 months and 2 days experience with his wife, Melodee, who was promoted to Heaven on November 11, 2017. He is currently seeking God’s will for his new life partner. He welcomes your comments below.

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Hope For Today – I Give Them Eternal Life

Posted on March 31, 2019 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

It’s a time to celebrate the great love of God as witnessed by the giving heart of His Son, Jesus!

I’m Dr. Matthew Lee Smith and I want to share some Hope For Today about how I Give Them Eternal Life!

Check it out at the link below. Click the link below to listen. Hope For Today is a part of the ministry of Eagles In Leadership. If you would like to know more about the hope God gives and His abundant life through Jesus Christ, I would invite you to check out our website: EaglesInLeadership.org.

Just push the media button below to hear this encouraging message!

We hope you’ll consider going to Israel with the Eagles In Leadership group this December! Click the link, “Join Us In Israel This Fall,” at the top of the website for more information.

And, if you are so inclined, sign up for more encouragement through notifications (UPPER RIGHT CORNER OF THE WEBSITE) of other blogs and podcasts while you are at the Eagles in Leadership​ website.
Check it out at the link below. Click the link below to listen. Hope For Today is a part of the ministry of Eagles In Leadership. If you would like to know more about the hope God gives and His abundant life through Jesus Christ, I would invite you to check out our website: EaglesInLeadership.org.

Just push the media button below to hear this encouraging message!

We hope you’ll consider going to Israel with the Eagles In Leadership group this December! Click the link, “Join Us In Israel This Fall,” at the top of the website for more information.

And, if you are so inclined, sign up for more encouragement through notifications (UPPER RIGHT CORNER OF THE WEBSITE) of other blogs and podcasts while you are at the Eagles in Leadership​ website.

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Faith Filled Friday – Ask For BIG Things!

Posted on March 29, 2019 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham fathered Isaac, and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife. And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived.” (Genesis 25:19–21, ESV)

And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. Does God answer your BIG prayers? Seriously. Often we pray for little things, and when they happen we aren’t sure whether it was God, coincidence, or someone else.

Yet when we ask for BIG things, things that no one else would do if they could do them, then we know God has responded. When God shows up and shows off, we are certain that “he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6, ESV)

Now, we all know verses like that if we have been in the faith for a while. We hear them talked about in worship and Bible studies, but are we sure they tell us true truth?” Does God really care about the details of my life? And why would He? Doesn’t He have bigger things to deal with other than this?

Such are the questions of doubt. All too often we simply don’t believe God loves us enough to take the time and energy to help us with our problems, tall, grande, or venti, as they say at my coffee shop. Doubt destroys faith like a spring rain ruins a newspaper.

When Rebekah couldn’t have children, Isaac knew that the God who promised the stars of the universe in number would have to intervene. And so, choosing to take his issue to God, God answered. Maybe it was just a test. Was God simply trying to exercise Isaac’s faith muscle? Did He want the second generation of faith to know and see God work like his father Abraham had?

And in your life, is there a BIG problem that you can’t solve? Has it been going on for a while? Isaac would tell all of us to stop, drop and roll. Stop trying, drop to our knees and cry out to God for His supernatural intervention, and roll all our concerns upon Him. He is more than able to resolve anything that has come our way.  Today would be a great day to pray and then watch God work!

Faith Filled Fridays hope to boost your trust in God and accelerate your daring and courage in everyday life. Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, writes each encouragement out of a heart that has known both great joy and great loss – his wife of 38 years, 5 months and 2 days was promoted to Heaven on November 11, 2017. Through every experience, God has proven Himself more than faithful and trustworthy. He welcomes your comments below.

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Train Them Thursday – Discipling Our Children

Posted on March 28, 2019 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast; and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it, but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day’s journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances.” (Luke 2:42–44, NASB95)

Supposing that he was among their band of travelers, they journeyed on for a full day while looking for him among their family and friends. Training a child to obey and be responsible by the age of twelve is what good discipleship is all about. We raise children. We don’t babysit them or allow them to remain children.

Discipleship is the process of moving infants into adulthood. While we want them to grow through the process, Americans seem to be so much more comfortable with raising teenagers –larger children –a concept that was unknown globally until the mid-1900’s!

Responsibility is one of the hallmarks of maturity. Growing alongside Joseph, Jesus learned not only a trade but also a character. Watching His father work with people and with wood and stone, Jesus learned how talking to God by faith and walking in life by sight intertwine. Joseph and Mary guided Jesus as their little boy grew into a young man. And since, “The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him,” (Luke 2:40, NASB95) they had no reason to think He would do anything except be the most responsible and respectful traveling.

And so, when His turn came along to head to Jerusalem for Passover, Mary and Joseph knew Jesus would stay with the group, be responsible, and leave with the caravan as it headed back for Nazareth. However, “the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem.”

There comes a time when disciples begin to sense the tug of God in their lives and hearts. They, like all children, start to make their own way, follow their own path. For the disciple of Jesus, that is the Path of Life. It’s different for each of us. And it’s our task to help the young follower of our King to discover how to discern their way on that path.

Until then, responsibility and loyalty to the discipler are key, for these are marks of a life well lived in the presence of the Almighty!

Train Them Thursdays seeks to wed the Great Commission directive of Jesus with the practice He employed while on Earth. Each nugget is meant to encourage the reader with a “can-do” spirit to realize that discipleship is something each person is both capable of and empowered to accomplish. Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, writes each thought and they flow out of decades of his tried and true field-testing in multiple settings from rural to inner city. He welcomes your comments below.

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