1 of 1

Key Bible Verse: He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of the Messiah than to own the treasures of Egypt (Hebrews 11:26). Bonus Reading:Heb. 11:24-28

In one day I've had two insightful moments. In a conversation with Paul Borthwick (a ministry teammate), we talked about what he's learned through his experience with diabetes. "When you face all the downsides this problem can possibly produce, you make some new choices in life rather quickly." Weight loss; regular exercise (Paul swims five times a week); regulation of diet (he's off ice cream and brownies); spiritual discipline (Paul is newly aware of his mortality). So he's made some hard choices and set some rigorous goals.

Then I had dinner with Bruce Wall (an urban pastor and city leader in Boston). He's dropped at least 40 pounds since his heart attack. He's got goals too. He's rearranged his schedule from its old frantic pace to one where he's with his wife and kids in far greater dosages of time. He raised his hands in utter delight when I asked him about the state of his soul. And he's redefined his priorities so that his worklife is productive but not excessive. You look across the table at this man and recognize that he's brought his life under as much control as it's possible for a man to do.

—Gordon MacDonald in When Men Think Private Thoughts

My Response: I could balance my life by selecting _____ and deselecting _____.

Thought to Apply: A goal properly set is halfway reached.

—Zig Ziglar (sales trainer, motivational speaker)

Adapted from When Men Think Private Thoughts (Nelson, 1996) by permission.

Copyright © 2002 by the author or Christianity Today/Men of Integrity magazine.

Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.

 1 of 1

share this page

Prayer for the Week

Lord, my priorities need aligning with Yours. Show me what needs adjusting. Make me willing to do it.

				Try an Issue of Men of Integrity Free! Name Street Address City/State/Zip Email Address No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. Click here for International orders. If you decide you want to keep Men of Integrity coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive five more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The trial issue is yours to keep, regardless. Give Men of Integrity as a gift Buy 1 gift subscription, get 1 FREE!

FREE Newsletter Sign up for the Men of Integrity Newsletter (All fields required)    RSS Feed   RSS Help