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“‘Why are you sleeping?’ he asked them. ’Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.’” (Luke 22: 46, NIV)

The most compelling temptation is not the urge to do something that is wrong, but it is the urge to do something that is good but falls far short of excellent. It is the urge to settle for the near-term tactical advantage at the expense of the long-term strategic victory.

Sleeping is not a bad thing. It is while we sleep that our bodies repair, refresh and regenerate. However, in today’s scripture verse, something was happening that called for a response from the disciples that sleeping could never deliver.

To choose to pray is to aspire to see the world as God sees the world. In prayer, we avoid temptations to settle for anything less than God’s will in the challenges we confront each day. – Luther

Tagged prayer, readiness, strategic living, the book of Luke

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“Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16, NIV)

Some team sports practice a “two-minute drill” in hopes of making every second count in game day situations where time is short but scoring opportunities exist.

Paul encourages us to maintain a similar attitude in all of our living: Wisely “making the most of every opportunity,” because evil opposes us.

The eventual defeat of our opponent, the devil, is certain. However, seasons are comprised of games, and games are comprised of plays.

Do all that you can — employing the wisdom that God freely offers — to make the most of every “play” to advance all that is good and holy; and to push-back the evil one and his misdeeds.

None of us knows how much time remains on the clock — either for the game, or for us. Therefore, take advantage of every opportunity. – Luther

Tagged opportunities, strategic living, the book of Ephesians

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“Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not.” (Acts 7:25, NIV)

It surprises us — as it did Moses — that others do not realize our status as God’s rescue agent. From “the outside looking in,” we see situations differently than those in the crisis.

At such moments — when we are filled with enthusiasm, energy, and ardor — we need to guard against the temptation to become “tactical”; that is, to become more concerned about a particular, single battle than we are the entire war. Many have lost wars despite having won most of the battles. The key is to choose, to fight, and to win the right battles.

Above all, it is crucially important that we keep our ego in check. The recognition and praise of others is a poor barometer (as we saw with Jesus on Palm Sunday when he entered Jerusalem to the praise of the people, only to hear many of those same voices call for His crucifixion a few days later).

Instead, work assiduously for the honor and the glory of our heavenly Father. – Luther

Tagged ego, Moses, strategic living, the book of Acts