Life is normally lived waiting. We wait in lines. A teenager waits for his or her next birthday. We wait for job promotions. We wait for news from the doctor. We wait for the next meal. We wait for our future spouse. We wait for a lawsuit to settle. We wait for a meeting to conclude. We wait for those who have yet to keep their commitment. Every time we turn around we have an opportunity to wait.

Why wait? Most of the time we should wait because that’s what is best for all parties involved. A vegetable gardener is a prisoner to waiting. However, this is seen as an asset not a liability. A tomato is much taster when it is red, large and juicy rather than green, small and hard. The smart gardener will wait for the vegetables to ripen, though He will nurture the soil along the way and keep out the weeds.

There is a waiting cycle that must be completed before there is worthwhile fruit. Even when your waiting is a result of another’s incompetence, you have an opportunity to grow. This holding pattern can facilitate your creativity and resourcefulness. If you did not have to wait, you may have been satisfied with how things have always been done. Now you have the opportunity to think differently.

Could there be other people or resources that can contribute to your project or plan? Because of your current inconvenience you may meet a new friend who has much more to offer than the status quo. Their experience and ideas may be the missing link you have waited for all this time. So, when things do not go as planned, see it as an opportunity to improve the plan.

Indeed, the very thing may be to provide help to another instead of being consumed with your own deal. Waiting is a lesson in loving others in spite of themselves, and it even provides valued assistance during this parenthesis in your own life. Most importantly, however, is learning how to wait for the Lord.

What a valuable asset we have to wait upon. The Lord God Almighty is worth waiting for. It is worth waiting for His joy, because it comes to uplift us when we are sad in heart. His joy brings a smile to our face. It is worth waiting for His peace that calms our soul when we are worried in mind. His peace allows us to sleep at night. It is worth waiting for His wisdom that provides discernment in our conflicting options.

His wisdom sets our feet on the right path. It is worth waiting for His strength that propels us through our adversity. His strength gives us confidence and perseverance for life’s journey. It is worth waiting for His hope that uplifts us from our despair and depression. His hope keeps the focus on our eternal reward in heaven. He is worth the wait.

People camp out to wait and see a rock star or pay big bucks to wait and meet the president. So, waiting on God should be a cinch. Waiting is fundamentally patience with God. After all, He is running the show. He knows what is going on. He knows what is best for you. He knows. He knows. He knows. You can trust Him in your waiting. Use this sabbatical-like time to get to know your heavenly Father more intimately.

Use this time to love your family and others more than any other time in your life. Allow Him to mold your character in a way that will cause others to comment to themselves that you are different. You are different because you have been with Jesus. Waiting is not just a passage to God’s blessing. It is God’s blessing. Wait for the Lord. He is worth the wait!

Taken from the Dose 15 reading in Boyd Bailey’s Infusion. This 90-day devotional book is a compilation of the reader’s favorites from Wisdom Hunters daily devotional. Andy Stanley says, “I have walked with Boyd for over 20 years and I am definitely wiser for it. You are going to love this book!”

Everything has a process, good or bad. A good process provides wise checks and balances and makes for a best decision, a quality product or service, and excellent execution. A bad process rushes through an inferior design or a half-baked decision, and impedes progress. So, a wise leader allows all processes to be up for debate. No process is immune to questioning, but the discussion is to be done with dignity and respect.

Keep the conversation focused on process and not personalities. This is why everyone holds a process with an open hand. If you become a rigid proponent of your pet process, then there is a good chance you will take any criticism of your process personally. Process, by design, is what’s best for the entire organization, not just a convenience created to accommodate someone’s preference.

Therefore, do not overprotect a process with smothering ownership. Furthermore, challenge the process with professional courtesy. You challenge the process with respect when you speak factually and do not react emotionally. This creates calm and communicates care.

You respect others when you listen to their ideas without becoming defensive. This allows everyone to discover and support the best process.  Respect keeps the best interests of the organization in mind. This facilitates teachability, teamwork, and responsible stewardship. Anyone can complain, so challenge the process with thoughtful solutions, not mindless meandering.

Healthy organizations require everyone to think. No one’s ideas are unimportant. From the mailroom to the boardroom everyone can come up with better ways to do his or her job. Think of creative processes that save time and money and utilize technology. Then document your processes. Within a growing enterprise, the processes that worked last year will probably be lacking this year. If a process does not propel progress, then it needs to be replaced with a results-driven model. Processes serve the mission of the enterprise. So, set up your processes to accomplish the objectives of the organization.

Furthermore, challenge the process with better ideas by researching other groups who have proven processes. This invites innovation. Pilot new processes before implementation, because this enhances quality. Lastly, plan a process to challenge the process because this reminds the team to think.

God is into process. This is why He is symmetrical and systematic in His creation and design. His will is process-driven. Thankfully, He is ultimately in control of the process. Therefore, challenge mediocre processes and create superior ones. And above all else, trust God in the process and with the process.

God has a lot of passion around precision and process, and He always has. “So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. Make a roof for it and finish the ark to within 18 inches of the top. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks” (Genesis 6:14-16).

How can I learn from Noah to discover and follow God’s processes?

Taken from the September 6th reading in Boyd Bailey’s Seeking Daily the Heart of God. This 365 day devotional book is a compilation of the reader’s favorites from Wisdom Hunters daily devotional. Andy Stanley says, “I have walked with Boyd for over 20 years and I am definitely wiser for it. You are going to love this book!”

God wants us to live a life compelled by His Spirit. When the Spirit within us says yes, we are obliged to follow His lead. It may interfere with our comfort. It may cause us to say no to other good opportunities and it may require us to sacrifice. But because Christ compels us, we come alive to live for Him and to unselfishly serve others.

If it is to speak, then speak with grace and boldness. If it is to teach, then teach with accuracy and relevance. If it is to make deals, then make deals with those you trust and within your area of expertise. If it is to share the gospel, then share the gospel with love and acceptance. If it is to mentor others, then mentor others with humility and wisdom.

If it is to invest in your family, then invest in your family with energy and abandonment. Time is short—so do not waste it on projects and people that are not compelling to you. It may compel others, but not you. Go after those things that motivate you to excellence. You are compelled by the Spirit of God inside you to influence the world outside you.

“These men began to argue with Stephen, but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke” (Acts 6:9b-10).

A compelling life compels others. Your compelling life lifts others out of their apathy and hesitation. You are a force field of hope and courage. Your life becomes more compelling the deeper you go  with God. Your character overflows with the fruit of the spirit. People can taste the fruit of the Spirit through your life and it tastes delicious.

So, what does it look like to be compelled by the Holy Spirit? Certainly you are comfortable with God’s purpose for your life. Maybe you broker people for Kingdom purposes. You may be a homemaker, a lawyer, a secretary, a salesman, a software developer, a banker, a mechanic, a teacher or a politician. Your vocation is not ministry, but your ministry is your vocation. Wherever God has called you—do it in a compelling fashion, or don’t do it at all. A Spirit compelled life compels others to follow Jesus.

Barnabas was a Spirit-led man of God, “He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord” (Acts 11:24).

Where is the Spirit leading me to serve the Lord? Does my life compel others to Christ?

Related Readings: Acts 16:6-7; Romans 5:5; 15:13-30; 1 Corinthians 2:4-15

Boyd Bailey is the author of Wisdom Hunters daily devotional and two devotional books, Infusion and Seeking Daily the Heart of God

Every minute a baby is born it fills family and friends with joy—simultaneously when a person dies it fills loved ones left behind with grief. Grief is a God-given emotion that everyone experiences when something valuable is lost, especially loss of life. An unborn child lost to miscarriage, a middle-aged woman’s terminal cancer or an old man’s heart failure, all result in grief for those who long to love them again. Grief hurts deeply.

So, how are followers of Jesus to process severe sorrow? How do we keep on living when a child, parent, grandparent or friend in now among the dead? Indeed, we let them down if we linger too long in despair, living as if there is no future hope after life. One way to honor the dead is to live well until we die. The loss of a loved one is a wake up call that our existence on earth is finite—we are called by God to live purposely for Him.

“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that” (James 4:13-15, NKJV).

Furthermore, when friends or family are grieving, be patient and give them space to be with Christ in His compassionate consultation. It’s your loving kindness and care that warms them to reengage with life’s responsibilities. Some people snap back quickly, while others require a long length of time to process through their enormous emptiness.

Ultimately, only Jesus can fill the void of human attachment. When deep felt love is vacated to heaven, you need heaven’s help. Grief is not to be processed alone, but with Almighty God and those who love you dearly. Open your hurting heart to genuine love, but be wise to not succumb to a greedy or self-serving “friend” seeking to take advantage of your vulnerability. Guard your heart in your grief, but give yourself fully to God.

Remember grief is momentary, but heaven is forever. Life is like a drop of water in time, but eternity with Jesus is a sea of hope, healing and happiness. Through Christ you will soon be reunited with your spouse, son, daughter, mom, dad, brother, sister and friend. Use your grief to grow closer to God and to those who love you most. Grief gets us to God.

“Saul and Jonathan— in life they were loved and gracious, and in death they were not parted” (2 Samuel 1:23).

Am I allowing the Lord to love me through my grief? Who can I comfort that is grieving and hurt with God’s word?

Related Readings: Deuteronomy 32:39; Isaiah 38:10; John 5:24; 2 Timothy 1:10

Boyd Bailey is the author of Wisdom Hunters daily devotional and two devotional books, Infusion and Seeking Daily the Heart of God