Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. — Romans 12:2

Why some companies pay so much money to advertise their product? I don’t agree with some of the messages they portray on their billboards, television or their magazines. Their answer is very simple and as we read you will see what I am talking about.  Because the lifeblood of any organization lies in ideas and creative thinking. Thinking is powerful. Flying a plane, air conditioning, cell phones, vaccines, the World Wide Web–without thinking, these would have been impossible. Everything begins with a simple thought.

Ideas are a great moving force of history. We are never free to do what we cannot conceive. Having a godly mind enlarges our thinking capacity. A leader’s thinking must be shaped by the following, but not limited to:

Vision: What is our dream? Archbishop Frank was right: “Nothing happens unless it is first a dream.” Vision is a process of the mind–it’s mental, not visual. Vision is seeing what everybody has seen but thinking what nobody has thought. What is needed to build a pyramid? One person who can think and ten thousand people who can grunt. Are you one of those that grunt? Hear the wise counsel “Where there is no vision the people perish”. Please analyse what is that vision?

Values: What is important? Values have to do with how we treat people, how we do our work, what is vital to us. Values are the standards, the principles, and the code of conduct that characterize the organization, our church and our lives. Values aren’t dreamt; they already exist. Leaders shape and form the organization’s values, the Church values. Some universities decide to pour sidewalks after students have first worn a path. Where are the well-worn paths–the actions, the beliefs, the attitudes–that matter most to you? Those are your values. Where is the path of the christian believer? I can answer that for you and it is very simple. Follow the Master’s footsteps anywhere He goes. We sing this chorus quite often, but do we really mean it. 

Venture: What are we willing to risk? Organizations that make a difference are willing to think outside the box. For example, a company that was in the well-digging business began to think in terms of efficient and effective means of making holes, and they soon discovered that lasers dug holes better than augers. They achieved the same goal but accomplished it more efficiently.

Vehicle: What will get us there? How can we accomplish our desired outcome? A dream without a strategy is merely wishful thinking, but with a strategy it becomes powerful thinking.

Victory: What will the celebration be like? A leader thinks like a champion. The end result is to move forward, to accomplish goals, to be God’s faithful servant, to celebrate being a part of God’s kingdom.

Wake up and start thinking. Take off your nightcap and put on your thinking cap. Ask God to continually renew your mind. Is this too hard to ask God today? The light maybe at the end of the tunnel, but you have to get to the light. Jesus the light now shinning in me the hope of your glory. Hallelujah

Stop: The time we spent going to church to dance and speak in tongues are OK, but we need to go beyond that now and sink ourselves int the word of God. We need to be planted by the river of Living waters that we may ever grow fresh and green. We have to be in constant prayer and studying the word of God so we can grow and feed the people that surround us. We bless the Lord this morning and give Him all the praise and thanks.

Your servant and brother,
+  Godfrey Gregg DD