Who Are You Trusting?

Posted on November 18, 2008 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Feel free to forward this to a friend!

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! This common proverb has withstood the test of time because of the truth it encapsulates. The moral of this proverb is that we have to watch the fruit of a person’s life carefully before we are taken in by their sales pitch!

When it comes to your leadership development, few things could be more important and relevant in our day! When we allow ourselves to be mentored, it is because we see something in the person that we would like to possess. We surrender some of our time and treasure to capture what that person promises to deliver.

Jesus wanted his followers to be very selective of such choices as he trains the disciples in our passage …

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” Matthew 7:15-20 (NKJ)

We become like Jesus when …

o We examine the results of the lives of those to whom we desire to learn from!

Simple observations can only be made when we get close enough to our mentors. The further our distance, the more we can miss these tell-tales …

  1. Check the fruit of their lives … staring with their character (make sure they are not a ravenous wolf!)
  2. Don’t make excuses for them (good fruit comes from good trees and bad fruit comes from bad fruit – period!)
  3. Remember their fruit reveals their end (bad fruit trees are thrown into the fire!)

As you look at the people who are helping develop your leadership (both spiritual and in your career), consider the fruit of their lives carefully. After all, the reason we follow them is so that we can become like them!

© 2008 By Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

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Lifestyle and Direction Issues

Posted on November 11, 2008 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Feel free to forward this to a friend!

Which direction are you headed? Have you ever sat down and ‘mapped out’ your life course? You know, you take a few minutes and do a brief assessment of the choices you have made and the places you wound up as a result?

After all, you know that every decision limits your future. When we choose to go one way, we cannot go a number of other ways (unless we clone ourselves, and even then it is not really us making that other trip). And when we look at where we are, and the decisions that got us there, we often see a pattern … our life pattern.

This is what Jesus speaks of in the context of our eternal destiny and our earthly choices …

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJ)

We become like Jesus when …

o We carefully, thoughtfully and deliberately make choices that honor our confession of faith in Jesus Christ!

Note that Jesus tells us that in all of our choices, there are only two directions; and each direction has its visible traits.

The broad way …

  1. It has a wide gate
  2. The way is easy to travel
  3. There are many traveling companions
  4. However, the end of this road is destruction

The difficult way …

  1. It has a narrow gate
  2. The way is difficult to travel
  3. There are few traveling companions
  4. But, the end of this road is life

Can I encourage you to sit down and ‘map out’ your life today? Where have you come to and how has the journey been? The visible traits listed above may be of great assistance as you determine which direction you are headed.

© 2008 By Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

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Transformed Episode #51 – When Personalities Clash

Posted on November 9, 2008 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Barry Phegan reminds us that, “As a leader, you can do very little about someone’s personality… but you can do a lot about the situation.”

“When Personalities Clash” is the theme of today’s episode. Dr. Matthew Lee Smith shows how our God-created personalities are often the primary source of our conflicts because they are fed by our selfishness instead of God’s Spirit.

As we listen to Pastor Matt teach the congregation at First Baptist Church of Palos Verdes, California, today from Acts 15, let’s open our Bibles and follow along.

Sponsor: Try GotoMyPC free for 30 days! For this special offer, visit www.GotoMyPC.com/podcast

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Thank You for Voting for the Transformed! Podcast

Posted on November 7, 2008 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

While we wait for the final outcome in the “Religion Inspiration” category for the 2008 Podcast awards, we wanted to thank you for your vote. As you know our Transformed! Podcast is a finalist and we are excitedly awaiting the announcement. Voting is now closed and vote review is in progress! The lower 20 Category Winners (including the ‘Religion Inspiration’ category) will be announced on Sunday, Nov 9th at 4 pm Pacific. No matter the outcome, we want to again thank you in advance for your gracious kindness. We will let you know the results as they are posted. You can watch the proceedings live at http://podcastawards.com/ on Sunday, Nov 9th at 4 pm Pacific if you so desire.

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Transformed Interview with Art Linkletter

Posted on November 5, 2008 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Art Linkletter was the host of two of the longest-running shows in United States broadcast history: House Party, which ran on CBS radio and television for 25 years, and People Are Funny, on NBC radio-TV for 19 years. Linkletter was famous for interviewing children on House Party and Kids Say the Darndest Things, which led to a successful series of books quoting children.

In his autobiography, Confessions of a Happy Man (1960), Linkletter revealed that he had had no contact with his natural parents or his sister or two brothers since he was abandoned when only a few weeks old. He was adopted by Mary and John Linkletter, an evangelical preacher. Later moving to the United States, he graduated from San Diego State University (SDSU) where he was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. He had previously planned to attend Springfield College, but did not for financial reasons. He later served for many years as a trustee at Springfield College, and donated money to build the swim center named in his honor.

He has had one of the longest marriages of any celebrity in America. He married Lois Foerster on November 25, 1935 and they had five children: Arthur Jack (known as Jack Linkletter, a TV host), Dawn, Robert, Sharon, and Diane. He was a good friend of Walt Disney. It might be coincidence, but Walt Disney’s children, who arrived first, were also named Sharon and Diane.

(Source: Wikipedia)

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Seeking God’s Best!

Posted on November 4, 2008 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Feel free to forward this to a friend!

How do people treat you? How do you treat people? These are two of the most important questions we can ask ourselves, for in them we hold the ‘stuff’ of life: our relationships! Seeking the best for your self or for others is one of the keys to understanding God’s heart for us! Our prayer life demonstrates our awareness of the compassion of our loving and merciful God.

Listen to Jesus as he explains how our prayer life reflects our theological comprehension of the nature of our God …

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:7-12 (NKJ)

We become like Jesus when …

o We act on the love of God by asking him for good things until they arrive!

God loves us so much. And when we get that in our DNA, we want all that our relationship with God can give. We want to give to others the joy and peace, the laughter and happiness that a sin-freed life contains. Our prayers for others – and for our own lives – reflect the passion of our faith in God’s amazing grace!

Today, why not trust God as good. Seek Him for the answers to your life’s miseries and woes. Draw near to Him in prayer and He will draw near to you. And remember, in His presence is fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore as you walk the path of life together!

© 2008 By Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

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Transformed Podcast: Episode #050 – Why Grace Must Have It's Place

Posted on November 1, 2008 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

In Thomas Lynch’s popular book The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade, he reflects on his work as a funeral director in a small Michigan town. In 25 years, he has overseen some 5,000 burials. How has it shaped his thinking“It tends to make me want to resolve conflicts a little quicker,” Mr. Lynch says, “Because I’ve seen people go off to work who don’t come home.”

In today’s episode Dr. Matthew Lee Smith explains “Why Grace Must Have Its Place.” Without the grace of Jesus Christ we will not be able to handle the multitudes of conflict that come so easily in these distressed times.

As we listen to Pastor Matt teaching the congregation at First Baptist Church of Palos Verdes, California, let’s open our Bibles to Acts 15.

Sponsor: Try GotoMyPC free for 30 days! For this special offer, visit www.GotoMyPC.com/podcast

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Watch Your Attitude (And Your Actions)!

Posted on October 30, 2008 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Feel free to forward this to a friend!

Have you noticed how easy it is to look down on others? What is it about our human nature that seems to default into degrading another through criticism? How do we look into the mirror each morning and miss the flaws in ourselves which are so obvious to those who know us?

Jesus spoke directly to such attitudes and called us to account on the matter of our incongruities. Listen as he speaks strongly to each one of us …

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.” Matthew 7:1-6 (NKJ)

We become like Jesus when …

o We jettison the ‘better than thou’ attitude and remember our own failures!

Criticism can become like a virus … it is easily caught and difficult to get rid of! Consider what Jesus is talking about here for a moment.

  • We are treated the way we treat others!
  • We find our problems in the lives of others!
  • We minimize our gaping flaws by belittling those minor struggles in others!
  • We act out a lie in front of others – that we have it all together!

As you work in the office today, take that class with other students, attend the civic function, enjoy the game or go shopping remember this:

The flaws you are quick to judge in others are, most likely, some of YOUR greatest failures. Why not take another look in the mirror and fix those first. After all, your friends already know about them and are probably praying to that end right now.

© 2008 By Dr. Matthew Lee Smith


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Transformed Interview with Matt Bell

Posted on October 23, 2008 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Matt began his career as a radio journalist, with his work featured on National Public Radio, the NBC Radio Network, and several other networks. His reporting earned national awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and United Press International.

Today, Matt is a personal finance writer and speaker. He has been quoted in U.S. News and World Report, the Chicago Tribune, and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine, has written for ChristianityToday.com, writes two popular eNewsletters , and has been a guest on several nationally syndicated radio talk shows. His first book, Money, Purpose, Joy , was published by NavPress in September 2008.

Matt holds a master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from DePaul University, where he wrote a thesis about the emergence of America’s consumer culture and its influence on people’s beliefs and behaviors.

Matt and his wife, Judy, live with their three young children in the Chicago area.

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Transformed Podcast: Episode #049 – What’s A Church to Do in These Turbulent Times?

Posted on October 19, 2008 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Tom Welch tells us to “Declare your mission – and then live it!” No words could better speak to us in these turbulent times than these. It seems that while the world economy is shaken, world opinion continues to turn against the Christ-follower. Truly the environment we live in is increasingly hostile to our faith and struggling with major problems of its own.

The Great Commission of Jesus Christ is the only driving motivation for today’s church! This is the teaching in today’s episode of Transformed! from Acts 14 as Pastor Matt speaks to us on the topic of “What’s A Church to Do in These Turbulent Times?”

Sponsor: Try GotoMyPC free for 30 days! For this special offer, visit www.GotoMyPC.com/podcast

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