The Blessing of Being Wholehearted

3 Advantages of Being Wholehearted

Joshua 14:6-15 - Click here to watch the sermon

This sermon discusses a man named Caleb who asks Joshua to give him the land that the Lord had promised him.  In the book of Numbers, Caleb and Joshua were two of twelve spies that were sent out to scout the land of Canaan.  All of the spies had a good report of the land but all except Caleb and Joshua said the land was fortified and filled with terrible warriors that would be impossible to conquer.  Caleb and Joshua wholeheartedly believed God would grant them victory to take the land but the other ten, halfhearted spies caused everyone to lose heart.  Years later, Caleb would inherit the land that God promised due to him following God wholeheartedly.

Before covering the 3 advantages of being wholehearted let's look at the signs of those who are halfhearted.  Those who are halfhearted:

1. More concerned what others think
2. Focused on life on earth over eternity in heaven
3. Rationalize sin over fearing God
4. Weak faith
5. Only look to God when you need something
6. Wonder....Why them and not me?

I will admit that I am guilty of almost all of these signs of halfheartedness.  To fully receive God's blessings we must wholeheartedly seek him.  Here are 3 advantages to being wholehearted:

1. Being wholehearted benefits our family
2. Being wholehearted builds our faith
3. Being wholehearted builds our future

Being Wholehearted Benefits Our Family:

I attended high school in a small town where most teachers and administrators used the school as a stepping stone to advance their careers.  This resulted in individuals giving a halfhearted effort because they knew they were not committed to staying.  This also caused those who were committed to not follow the administration wholeheartedly.  We must make sure to unite together and serve our schools wholeheartedly so that our school "family" can thrive.  When we are all serving our students wholeheartedly everyone from the students, faculty/staff, parents, and community will benefit from our dedication.

Being Wholehearted Builds Our Faith:

Have you ever worked in a school and felt like some of the decisions being made were a bit questionable? Or perhaps you, like myself, made a questionable decision.  When we do not completely "buy in" to our school's mission and vision we can start to let doubt creep in.  This allows us to start questioning decisions that are being made within the school.  When we make the choice to serve our schools wholeheartedly it will build our faith because we will begin to see the benefits from giving all that we have for our students. When we see the results from serving our schools wholeheartedly, we will have battle tested faith that will allow us to conquer any obstacles that come our way.

Being Wholehearted Builds Our Future:

The choices we make everyday will impact those that follow us.  In education there are unlimited amount of eyes that are watching our every move.  Students, parents, families, community members, social media followers, coworkers, and many others will be scrutinizing every choice and action we make.  Serving wholeheartedly in our schools will help us make better decisions for our students.  When we all show up to school to serve students wholeheartedly we are building towards the future on today's successes.

Final Thoughts:

This post was a little longer than normal but this topic really hits home with me.  I would not be where I am at today if it weren't for the couple of teachers that made the decision to serve me wholeheartedly.  There were three teachers that poured everything they had into making sure I was successful.  There will be days when we are tired, aggravated, and times we want to give up.  When you feel like giving in just remember that there are children that show up to school everyday because you are their only hope.  Some of our student's lives depend on our dedication.  How do you serve your schools and students wholeheartedly or how will you start serving wholeheartedly? I would love to hear your thoughts and discuss this post with you.  Please leave a comment or reach out to me on Twitter. Take care and God bless!

Asking For Directions

3 Principles For Making Decisions

Joshua 9:1-27 - Click here to watch the sermon

In this passage, kings in the area had formed an alliance to fight against Joshua and the Israelites.  One group, the Gibeonites, had a different plan in mind.  The Gibeonites had a plan to trick Joshua and the Israelites.  They pretended to be from a distant land by dressing in worn out clothes, carrying worn out possessions, and depleted provisions.  Joshua and his people would end up believing the Gibeonites story and there was nothing they could do about it because they had made an oath with them.

Joshua and the Israelites did not seek the Lord's decision which leads to the 3 Principles to Making Decisions:

1. Pray Instead of Letting Fear Guide You - Joshua knew there were surrounding nations plotting against him so he could have easily welcomed any allies
2. Pray Instead of Moving Too Fast - Joshua only asks two questions and just looks at what the eyes can see, doesn't look beneath the surface
3. Pray Instead of Assuming You Know - Joshua did not seek guidance from the Lord

Pray Instead of Letting Fear Guide You:

How many times in education do we let fear guide our decisions? Joshua was facing 7 nations that were stronger and larger (Deuteronomy 7:1).  What "nations" are individuals in education facing?  Fear from parents, communities, coworkers, bosses, just to name a few.  Our decisions will have a lasting impact on our students, families, community, and our schools.  We must make sure that we turn to God instead of letting fear guide us.  We can accomplish this by not worrying about anything and praying about everything (Philippians 4:6).

Pray Instead of Moving Too Fast:

When Joshua was talking with the Gibeonites he only asked two questions: 1) Who are you? 2) Where did you come from?  How often do we make decisions based on such little information?  When the Gibeonites responded to these questions, Joshua simply believed them.  Proverbs 14:15 says "only simpletons believe everything they're told! The prudent carefully consider their steps." Whether we are disciplining a student, adopting a new policy, or responding to a parent complaint; we must pray instead of moving too fast.

Pray Instead of Assuming You Know:

Joshua and the Israelites concluded that the Gibeonites passed the eye test so they established peace with them and made an oath to let them live with them.  Joshua and his men assumed they knew the truth but did not seek God's guidance.  Have you ever made a decision about a misbehaving student before knowing all of the details? Has a boss ever made a decision that they thought was best for everyone?  Ever received an email from an angry parent that hasn't heard all sides of the story?  Situations like these happen all of the time but we must go to the Lord in prayer to seek his wisdom.  James 1:5 says "if you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you".

Final Thoughts:

Going into next school year I will be a first year principal.  I will be faced with many tough decisions every single day.  If I attempt to answer questions and make decisions on my own, our students, faculty, staff, families, community, and school will suffer.  Proverbs 3:5-6 says "trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight".  How will you seek the Lord's guidance in your school? How will you trust God to make the decisions? Leave a comment below or feel free to reach out to me on Twitter.