Remember Your Objective

In previous years of ministry, I gave vocal lessons to many young voices. Due to their age and ability, most needed the same corrections to hone their skills and continue to improve their talent.

Later, I had the pleasure of directing a yearly fine arts festival for a little over a decade for middle school and high school students. Each student-participant would receive a written evaluation of their performance or presentation by a panel of three evaluators who were educated and experienced in that particular category.

In the pre-festival meeting with all the evaluators for all the categories, I expressed their objective: For each student you are to offer critique to help take that student to the next level. After hours of many, many, many presentations during these two days, you will get tired and wish for a ditto stamp, because they are young and need the same critique, correction, and direction as the last student. Remember your objective is to encourage and offer positive critique to help train them for the next level.

The Apostle Paul knew his objective when writing letters to the early churches. He truly loved these new believers as a spiritual father offering praise, instruction and encouragement. In many of the books of the New Testament, his writings were much like a ditto stamp, because they were young in the faith and needed guidance. He could've been the original father of the Critique Sandwich Method; wrapping the critique with positive messages.

God the Father gave you His DNA. Each person may look like his or her earthly parents, but we share the basic blueprint that started with Him. When we make the decision to live for Him, we need instruction to mature and to take our spiritual "skills" to the next level. As we commit to spending time reading the Bible, praying, worshipping and living a Christ-like life, keep today's objective of promise in mind...

"I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you (me) will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6). 

~ "Sam"