I just put together this slideshow about my wife Leslie. She is one incredibly competent woman.

Scripture
Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. Revelation 1:17-18

Observation
We are afraid of not being good enough. It is no use hiding. Over performance is as much insecurity as is hiding in the shadows. Life is a stage and all eyes are watching. We can pretend that it doesn’t matter what others think, but we have the sneaking feeling that we aren’t up to par. If others knew that our silence was not wisdom but stage fright maybe they wouldn’t seek out our help.

What are we to do? The answer is simple. Let all of your inadequacies be swallowed up in the competency of Jesus Christ.

Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. Revelation 1:17-18

In Jesus Christ is there from beginning to end. He shows us what it means to be completely human. He can outlive anything that comes against him. Nothing handcuff him, for he holds the keys. Within the person of Jesus Christ is unlimited competency. He calls us to look into the infinite vault, warehouse, reservoir and reserves of his infinite being. He is our all in all.

Application
What would happen if we flung ourselves headlong into the unreasonable call of God and dared to discover what Jesus could do through one life yielded to him? Part of me wants to say, “You go first!” But he calls me.

Come to the edge, He said.
They said, We are afraid.
Come to the edge, He said.
They came. He pushed them… and they flew.
Guillaume Apollinaire

Prayer
Father, because of Christ, there is more in me than I know about. It will only know it exists in me by being put into conditions beyond my ability. So here I come. Amen.

Press the arrow to see visually what Jeremiah wrote on paper. It will make today’s devotion about seeing potential come alive.

Scripture
I have made you a tester of metals,
that you may determine the quality of my people. Jeremiah 6:27

Observation
One great gift God can give to a leader is the ability to see the potential in others. This perception is to see people not just as they are but as they could be. It includes an ability to see in them what they cannot see in themselves. And certainly it is the capacity to discern potential before everyone else can spot it.

Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about the work of an assayer, or tester of metals:

An assayer is a person who tests ores and minerals and analyzes them to determine their composition and value. They may use chemical solutions, and chemical or laboratory equipment, such as furnaces, beakers, graduates, pipettes, and crucibles. An assayer separates metals or other components from dross materials by solution, flotation process, or other liquid processes, or by dry methods, such as application of heat….

That sounds just like the work of a preacher-leader. How does he spot potential in people? By how they respond to God’s word. Jeremiah the prophet was a preacher, and a preacher can see best what is in human hearts. By speaking God’s word and watching the response, a pastor can see whether a person is teachable or not.

The work of a pastor is not just to talk, but to develop the potential of people. That must motivate everything that he does. That is my call today.

Prayer
Father, there is so much potential that swirls around me everyday. Please give me the ability to perceive it and know where it best fits. Amen.

Press the arrow for Newsboys  “In the Hands of God” while you read about developing potential.

Scripture
“How long will you put off entering to take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you? Provide for yourselves three men from each tribe that I may send them, and that they may arise and walk through the land and write a description of it according to their inheritance; then they shall return to me.” Joshua 17:3-4

Observation
Most of us die with undeveloped potential. We occupy only a small beachhead of the continent that was given to us at birth. God has laid out potential for us that few fully inherit. So we end life wondering if we ever lived.

How can we avoid a superficial life? By making an assessment of the potential that God has given to us. Here are some questions to ask to find that potential.

1. As I look across my life, where is God’s hand of blessing resting?
2. What responsibilities have been entrusted to me and what is yet to be developed in them?
3. What strengths do I have that are unused.
4. What areas am I working in that are not designed for me?

Application
I’m writing my list right now!

Prayer
Father, I want to use all of my inheritance from you. I often look at what’s not mine and ignore what is given to me to develop. Help me to work within the fences you’ve blessed me with. Amen.