Key Bible Verse: Give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice … is this too much to ask? (Romans 12:1). Bonus Reading:Romans 12:1—2

Behind Michael's forced smile was a tightly held jaw of determination. At home, things had to go his way. At work, his constant "It's not in the budget!" squashed the creativity of others; but there was always money for what he wanted to do. Pastors at the church where Michael was an officer would say, "Better check it out with Michael. Nothing happens without his okay!"

I met Michael at a retreat for men. His carefully controlled world had fallen apart. His daughter had rebelled, exposing his failure as a father. A new pastor in his church had confronted him with the harm done by his imperious ways. Then the members had voted him out of his key position. When Michael turned to his job to build up his ego, he found that some of his staff had reported their unhappiness to the company president.

It seemed as though the whole retreat—about the joy of living under the control of the lordship of Christ—had been planned for Michael. After several sleepless nights wrestling with what he'd heard, Michael saw his fear of losing control for what it really was—pride and fear of failure. [continued 7/20]

My Response: Do I feel that I'm running things? If not, what showed me otherwise?