In the above picture, Walt Disney is picking up a piece of trash! This cut-out article photo is taped to the computer monitor of the owner of the company where I work. It serves as a continued reminder of the importance of a servant’s heart.
As we find ourselves in positions of leadership it is vital that we never forget the big picture. As believers in Christ, we belong to Christ in order that we bear fruit for God! (Romans 7:4b)
Can they really talk about that in church? Sometimes the Bible is a little shocking!
After entering into a relationship with Jesus I began to attend church weekly. I started attending a ladies Sunday school class where the teacher taught with contagious passion. I couldn’t wait to get home and read more about the story. I became intentional to live out the Biblical principles. It wasn’t easy but I would prayerfully ask God to help me put into practice what I was learning. I began to see an overwhelming improvement in my marriage. My husband was not in a relationship with Christ, nor did he have any desire to attend church, but he loved the changes in me. He enjoyed the benefits of my relationship with Christ.
“Anyone who can quote a book or chapter from the Bible gets $50 cash.” Thanks to our owner’s creative way of encouraging our team, we gathered at work for a fun game of trivia. I am HORRIBLE at trivia! I can’t even remember my own age without calculating from the year I was born. I was resigned to the fact that my team would benefit from this game and I would be there to cheer them on! As the questions were asked I waited for someone to answer because I had no clue.
Two snakes startled me as I walked through our backyard gate. I looked around with embarrassment to see if anyone had seen me dance and shriek. Each snake slithered off to find safety in the cracks in the foundation of our home located directly below our lovely kitchen. Who wants to come for dinner?
These two garden snakes are harmless and an added value to our garden but I do prefer they not nest in our foundation. Does anyone know a good mason?
They remind me of our real enemy, that ancient serpent, who is called Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. (Rev. 12:9) He prowls around seeking someone to devour and he certainly made a presence in my life recently.
My husband and I had a very heated discussion. The longer we’ve been married, the less often we have these types of conversations. Yet, here we are 27 years into our commitment of marriage in the middle of an all-out discussion. I knew his words were true but in the heat of the moment they were so hard to swallow and stung my pride like a hornet. In that moment I had the following thought about MYSELF: “Who do you think you are? You can’t do ministry if you can’t even be a good wife. Stop doing ministry. Give up on serving the Lord with speaking and teaching. Nobody wants to hear what you have to say.”
It wasn’t the first time I had these specific thoughts. They had become a pattern! Each time I find myself in a situation that exposes my own sinfulness I encounter thoughts to retreat from any type of service or ministry to the Lord.
The snake was attacking my foundation! He was leading me to believe my good works, abilities & acts of righteousness have somehow earned me the right or position to serve Christ! My religious thinking had taken place of biblical truth. God measures me (and my failures) through the blood of Christ. My worth flows through Him!
The last thing the enemy wants is for any of us to pursue what Christ has for us. Serving Christ requires dying to self and pursing Christ’s best for us. I am fully aware; apart from Christ and His grace in my life my works of righteousness will never be enough outside of a grace filled relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ. It is only through His work in my life that I have anything to give. My pouring into others can only come through the abundance of what the Lord has already poured into me.
We are instructed to be sober-minded and watchful of our enemy – Satan. (1 Peter 5:8) When I walk in my back garden I am well aware of the presence of snakes, even watchful of them. Even though I may not see them I know they are around. As we go about everyday we must be wise to the presence of our lurking enemy.
Copyright©2016, Gloria Stucky
How can one moment have such a powerful impact on life! Another trip to Nashville to visit family and I didn’t see it coming!
It’s a tough trip driving to Nashville on a Friday evening exhausted from the full week of work. When we normally arrive to our daughter’s home the grandkids are peeking out the fingerprinted windows anticipating our arrival and greet us at the door with great excitement. This time was different. We knocked to no answer. Where were they? Not even a bark from Viking their not so vicious Terri-poo. Since the door was unlocked we made our way inside yelling “hello.”
Naomi, our 3 year old granddaughter had been playing back in her room. When she heard our entrance she came joyfully running down the long hallway, jumping with excitement. She ran into my arms yelling “My G.G.! My G.G.!” Her excitement over our presence was a true celebration. There was no denying her love for us. In that moment the stress and hardships of the week instantly melted away. I seriously fought back the tears that welt up in my eyes as I found comfort in such an expression of adoration over my physical presence. It was a powerful moment!
Have you ever felt celebrated? If your first thought is “no,” let me tell you there is One who deeply desires to celebrate your presence. So deeply that He allowed His one and only Son to die on the cross for your sin that you could one day stand in the presence of God and celebrate!
Are you willing to open the unlocked door and walk through to the greeting of a lifetime? How ridiculous had I stood there and ignored the beautiful welcome of Naomi! How ridiculous of you to ignore the sacrifice that has been made on your behalf! Open the door and begin the celebration!
2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us,God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:1-9 (NIV)
Copyright©2016, Gloria Stucky
Image courtesy of Gloria Stucky
How do you like being filmed on camera? Our son is a film student at Columbia College of Chicago. We have encouraged his creative mind for years and it’s been so much fun watching him develop creatively.
On his most recent trip home, he filmed a couple of my devotions which will be posted on my website. Being in front of a camera makes me a bit uncomfortable. He skillfully worked to help me feel more at ease and let me start over as many times as necessary.
The highlight of our project was our opening prayer. His prayer really stuck with me and served as an incredible reminder! He asked the Lord to be glorified in the end result. Not Sam or Sam’s abilities, not Gloria or Gloria’s ministry but to God be the glory!
It really stood out to me because I struggle with the responsibility of building a platform. In today’s world, it’s not enough to have a valuable message or product that can help or benefit others if you don’t have a platform to share the goods. At times, building that platform feels like drawing attention to self even though my heart’s desire is to glorify Christ. The Lord has given me a compelling desire for ministry. Ministry for me is about glorifying God and drawing attention to Him! Ministry done well, in my opinion, allows others to see through us toward Christ.
Years ago, God used a dynamic woman who was sold out for Christ to draw me to Himself. When I spent time with her I walked away saying: “I want what she has.” What I later learned, the attractive fruit in her life was the result of her relationship with Christ.
Building a platform is not the chief goal. It is the means by which we are granted the opportunity to share precious truths of a God who is worthy to be glorified!
What about you, what is your heart’s desire? What compels you? What dreams are you working toward? What is your motivation and Who gets the glory?
31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV)
Copyright©2015, Gloria Stucky
Have you ever allowed fear of rejection to paralyze you and keep you from acting? I sure have and it’s a miserable place to be!
I wanted to ask our pastor’s wife to join me in leading a Bible study guide I had written on the Book of Ruth, but fear of rejection paralyzed me and kept me from acting in obedience.
Why such fear? If you know her you know she loves people well and is not scary in any way. She’s incredibly approachable and unintimidating yet (I’m a little embarrassed to say) I chose to stay safe rather then put myself out there and take the chance of being rejected.
The Bible study she was facilitating was coming to an end and she asked the group “How many of you would like to do another study?” There was great interest and as she asked for future study recommendations my heart instantly began to race. I had missed my opportunity. One of the attendees recommended a Ruth study she had viewed at the local LifeWay Christian bookstore. I immediately felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. I screamed inside: “No, you can’t do THAT Ruth study! Let’s do mine!” But I sat there in silence, ashamed of my unwillingness to speak up.
I bawled the entire route home: “Why would anyone want to do my study when there are so many great options out there?” My husband greeted me as I walked through the front door and immediately realized something was wrong. He listened closely as I explained what had just happened. He was relieved to hear my story as he thought it was something more serious. His reply was simple! “Baby, all you have to do is ask!”
I knew he was right but I didn’t want to ask! What if she said no! What if the group really didn’t want to do my Bible study guide? What if I put myself out there and the very thing I feared (rejection) happened! I would rather them come to me and ask me to do it. But that didn’t happen so my only choice was to ask.
So I wrote her an email: “…I have been praying about asking you to consider co-leading the Bible study I wrote on the book of Ruth…”
A portion of her reply: “…Truth be told – God has been laying on my heart to do something with you. Isn’t that crazy??…”
So she and I shared in the awesome privilege of studying God’s word with a group of precious ladies!
Sometimes the Lord opens tremendous doors and we don’t even have to knock! Other times He requires we step out in faith and act risking the chance of rejection. We can’t just sit back and believe it can happen without being willing to take action when required. Faith without deeds is useless.
Is there something you have been putting off? Baby, all you have to do is ask! The answer may not be what we want to hear but how will we ever know if we don’t ask? Sometimes it’s more about our obedience than the answer we receive.
Copyright©2015, Gloria Stucky
Image courtesy of “Question symbol” by graur razvan ionut at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
After years of being a stay-at-home mom I went to work part-time with an ad specialty company. I was on board from the infant stages working from the basement of our owner’s home. I showed up ready to work on my first day but completely unaware what a promotional business was even about. I was so uncomfortable in my new role I asked the owner to leave the room so I could get enough courage to make phone calls to our vendors. We quickly outgrew our basement space and purchased a building with a warehouse as our team continued to grow.
My role as a mother naturally transitioned over the years as our daughter married and our son took off for college. With those changes, after 10 years working part-time, I took on the full-time role as Executive Vice President. I used to tell our owner, “You couldn’t pay me enough to take that position.” One day, she wrote a dollar amount on a Post It® note and stuck in on my desk as she walked by. “That’s starting to look pretty good!” At the end of June 2015 I finished my first year in my new position and the month of June was a record month and we finished the year with the highest sales in the history of the company!
I must admit I am quite proud of these accomplishments and would even delight for you to join me in my pride. When I step back and look at the year as a whole I am reminded how deeply I leaned heavily upon my Savior’s strength, wisdom and guidance; each morning I made the commute praying over our company, owner, team, customers, vendors and my own lacking abilities. How many times I begged Him to give me His heart toward the team I lead. How many days I made my way home so exhausted from the tasks I could hardly think straight; at times tears streaming down my face as I pled: “Lord, why does it have to be so hard! Are you sure this is what You would have of me?”
He often puts us in positions that are greater than our own abilities, gifts and strengths. Those are the times we need Him most and His strength is made perfect in our weakness. Therefore we can boast in our infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon us. For when we are weak, then we are strong. His grace continues to be sufficient! My pride is in my Savior!
If you are completely comfortable with your own abilities and strength in your current positions of life, perhaps you are not being challenged enough. When you are stretched beyond yourself there is little room for self-pride as we become aware of our great need of a Savior! He’s such an impressive Savior! I’m so proud of Him!
Copyright© 2015, Gloria Stucky
Image courtesy of “woman taking notes” by marin/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
A man in his large pickup truck pulled out in front of me, slammed on his brakes, and fled from his vehicle to aggressively pursue a jogger. Apparently they had exchanged a few words and this guy was hot! The athlete was wise in continuing his run without stopping for further conflict. Wow, talk about road rage. You don’t have to look hard to be an eyewitness to such events.
As I commute to and from work on New Circle road I continually get cut off by oncoming vehicles. There is an obvious lack of knowledge and skill on what it means to YIELD and MERGE into the flow of existing ongoing traffic. I can’t help but consider the similar attitude some apply to life. “I’ll live my life with no regard to how my behaviors affect the flow of your life.” “It’s your responsibility to stay out of my way.” Careless living with no regard to others is not only selfish but unwise.
If we want to be skilled in the art of wise living we must be willing to yield; Wisdom from above is willing to yield! What does that even mean?
“The original term [willing to yield] described someone who was teachable, compliant, easily persuaded, and who willingly submitted to military discipline or moral and legal standards. For believers, it defines obedience to God’s standards.”₁
There is wisdom in yielding to God’s standards rather than driving by our own rules. Christ gave His life that we could live. He yielded His own rights for the sake of others. Are you living life completely oblivious to those who are around you or are you considerate and willing to yield? Are you willing to yield both on the roads and in life?
Copyright©2015, Gloria Stucky
Photo: “Man Behind A Window” by graur razvan ionut/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
₁John MacArthur Study Bible; commentary on page 1931
Ever feel disappointed? I had three significant disappointments all within a short period of time. Things didn’t work out the way I had hoped. It was a real set back and I was somewhat caught off guard and surprised at the overwhelming emotions of disappointment.
“12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12 (NKJV)
Reading my own experience right there on the pages of my Bible gave me great comfort! The very thing I had hoped for did not come. My hope had been deferred; “put off (an action or event) to a later time; postpone” and I was most definitely experiencing a sick heart.
I wrote the verse on a slip of paper and carried it in my pocket for days. Every time I felt the disappointment I pulled out the verse to remind myself not to lose hope because when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.
We are going to experience disappointments as part of life. We must continually examine our hope to be sure it is in full harmony with God’s Word. Is my hope in a relationship, a person, material things, career, money, status, fame or certain circumstance? When our hope is placed in the Lord Jesus Christ we can be sure He will see it through to the end for our good. Our desire may not come at the time we expect but when that desire is out of the overflow of our delight in the Lord, He shall give us the desires of our heart. (Ps. 37:4) And when that desire comes, it is a tree of life.
What is the desire of your heart and in Whom is your hope placed?
Copyright©2015, Gloria Stucky
Photo: “closeup shot of stressed out lady” by stockimages