The anesthetic had already kicked in when my dentist arrived, apologizing for being late. She had a good reason: She had just come back from an appointment with her own dentist, she said. When she flashed a smile at me, I noticed her teeth, perfect, straight, and white. Then she put on her surgical mask, revved her drill like a chain saw, and went to work on me.

I kept thinking about her teeth. It’s not surprising that a dentist would have a bright smile, of course. In fact, I rather expect it. But her comment about having just come back from her own appointment made me realize that when it comes to dental maintenance, her professional status gives her no advantage over me. She’s bound by the same rules that I am: you gotta brush em, you gotta floss em, and you gotta let somebody else drill em every now and then, no matter who you are.

It’s the same for leaders in ministry. The rules that apply to the people in the pew also apply to you and me, always. We’ll never get beyond our need for the basics: a daily devotional life, the call to love others, and the need to die to oneself.

I’ve never known a dentist who neglected his or her own teeth — at least not to the point that it shows. I have, however, known some Christian leaders who neglected their spiritual health in favor of getting results and racking up good stats. I’ve been one, even. It’s an easy trap to fall into. And it’s also a difficult secret to keep. Just like neglecting the care of one’s teeth soon becomes obvious, so does neglecting the care of your spiritual life.

For this reason, every leader needs to make it a habit to get into God’s presence as early as possible, and stay there as long as possible, while we give him free reign to conform us to image of his Son. It’s a place leaders will never surpass; it’s where we must start every day.

O Lord in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee and will look up. (Psalm 5:3)

Warren Buffet said, “Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”

With the exception of the church planters among us, and the entrepreneurs among us, you’re preaching in a church this Sunday or working in an office this week because a handful of people sacrificed years ago, or decades ago, to get a fledgling idea off the ground. (By the way, don’t forget to say ‘thank-you’ for those who paid the price to make your current work possible.)

Now the question to consider is: Who will be sitting in the shade of your hard work twenty years from now? Or more to the point: Will there be shade to sit in?

When you build disciples — whether it’s your children, your church members, or your staff — you’re planting trees.

When you help others develop Christian character, or improve their marriage, or parent more effectively, or become a more loyal friend, you’re planting trees.

When you teach the Word, and teach others to love the Word, you’re planting trees.

Much of our work involves putting out today’s fire today. Don’t let today’s urgencies prevent you from making shade for the next generation.

And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (2 Timothy 2:2 ESV)

What would you do if you knew you had only week to live? Would you go away? Would you go home? Would you do some last minute sinning, or some last minute repenting? Would you be sad? Angry? Hopeful? Afraid? How would you spend those final hours?

Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. (John 13:1)

When Jesus had one week to live, he chose to wash his disciples’ feet. He did the work of a common slave, ministering to those who were closest to him. He washed their feet (John 13), he comforted them (John 14), he encouraged them (John 15-16), prayed for them (John 17), and then he died for them. He spent the last week of his life fulfilling his purpose; he spent the last week of his life being a servant.
…the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:28)

You and me, we have a week to live: this week — and most probably hundreds more. I want to spend this week fulfilling my purpose, doing that which is most important in terms of eternity: serving Christ by serving others.

Dale Carnegie said, “One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon — instead of enjoying the roses blooming outside our windows today.”

When Paul said, “Now is the day of salvation,” his words were not addressed to the lost. He was writing to believers (“fellow workers,” he called them in verse 1), reminding them of their mission, of the price Jesus had paid for their sins, of the new life that was theirs in Christ.

And he urged them not to wait a moment longer to begin living life to the fullest. “Be reconciled to God,” he said to his fellow workers. “Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.”

The same can be said for you and me.

Stop waiting for your “life” to begin, for everything to fall into place.

Your life is now.

Today is the day of God’s favor.

Today is the day that God’s wants to bless you.

Today is the day that God wants to use you.

What kind of roses are blooming outside your window today, and how you will begin to enjoy them?

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About a decade ago I wrote a one minute message about a former University of Memphis football player named Ken Irvin. The original message was about how Ken blocked four punts in a game against Arkansas, a feat ignored by the local press…my point being that sometimes we don’t get the recognition we deserve.

Even though the guy being paid to write about the game that day overlooked Ken’s record-setting performance, there were others who took note. For one, an NFL scout working for the Buffalo Bills. He noticed Ken’s play, as did other key Buffalo personnel, and they began to follow his collegiate career. Irvin was eventually selected as the Bills’ fourth round pick in the 1995 draft. He went on to play 11 seasons in the NFL, retiring in 2005.

Ken’s story reminds us of the importance of right recognition. Getting overlooked by the local paper? Annoying, but no big deal in the grand scheme of things. Getting overlooked by representatives of the NFL? A big deal indeed for the man who wants to play professionally. Given the choice of who’s paying attention, most college players would prefer the NFL scout, hands down.

In your work, you need to seek the right recognition for your efforts. It’s not from those who can only offer praise and only inflate your pride. It’s from the One whom you’ve committed yourself to serve, to honor, to glorify. He’s the one whose attention you need, his is the only recognition that matters.

The good news is that he notices what you do, even when no one else does. The prophet Azariah counseled Asa, the king of Judah: “But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” (2 Chronicles 15:7)

Paul echoed these words in his letter to the Galatians. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)

God is paying attention. He sees what you accomplish even when no one else does. And he will see to it that a harvest comes your way. Rather than playing for those in the stands, rather than performing to impress the press, seek to gain God’s approval in all you do.

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In seven seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Troy Polamalu has won two Super Bowls and played in five Pro Bowls.

With his success, Troy strives to maintain Christian character. In an interview with CBN, he said, “Pride is tough. You go to high school, and it’s pride, courage. It’s all these types of words that we use to motivate us. I don’t think there’s anywhere in the Scriptures where pride was ever a positive characteristic of anybody. That kind of egotism is a really tough struggle—especially in this business. … It’s a big struggle of mine.”

Polamalu goes on to say that it’s not the obvious things that are the hardest to deal with in his life. “The big things are the easiest to turn away from. It’s the accumulation of small things that are hard. People know adultery’s bad and murder’s bad. I’m not going to go out and sleep with the first girl I see. But when your eyes start wandering, and you become a little more jealous and envious, and these passions start rising up inside of you — that’s when it really becomes dangerous. Because the Devil doesn’t work that way. His strategy is always to be very subtle and continue to build on top of that evil seed that he planted.”

What keeps him rooted? Prayer. Polamalu says, “As your prayer life becomes more and more fine tuned, and your conscience becomes more and more fine tuned, you’re able to start plucking away at these things.”

My heart is not proud, O Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. (Psalm 131:1-2)

Albert Einstein once said, “I know quite certainly that I myself have no special talent. Curiosity, obsession and dogged endurance, combined with self-criticism, have brought me my ideas.” He’s saying, basically, “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”

He may have understated his intelligence and talent, but he does so to make a point: For more than any other reason, he was successful because he was persistent.

I’m no Einstein, but I can also say that the success I have experienced can be attributed to this same principle. And I can say that my failures weren’t so much the result of a lack of talent or the lack of worthwhile goals; they were the result of quitting too soon.

Solomon said, “For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again.” (Proverbs 24:16)

When I’m struggling with failure — spiritually, financially, or relationally — I have to remind myself several times a day that the difference between my being a wise man and a fool … the difference between my righteous and unrighteous … is determined by my willingness to get back up and try again.

Have you fallen down? Has it happened more than once? If you’re like me, maybe you sometimes want to throw in the towel. But remember this: if a dream is worth one good try, it’s worth a thousand.

Take another look at the goals God has given you. Then get up, and try again.

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Seth Godin says, “Persistence isn’t using the same tactics over and over. That’s just annoying. Persistence is having the same goal over and over.”

Not that it needs elaboration, but Seth is saying that persistence (and the success that persistence leads to) requires unwavering focus on the end result, not on the strategies we use for getting there.

Are you driven by goals or strategies?

When success is elusive, we’re sometimes tempted to dump the goal: “We just can’t reach young people; we just can’t build community in our congregation; we just can’t have an effective discipleship ministry.”

It’s usually not the goal that needs to be re-evaluated, it’s the methodology.

Once you’ve nailed down a goal, and you know that it’s worthwhile, don’t abandon it. Just change your approach when you need to. Goals, not strategies, require persistence.

“I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Jesus Christ, is calling us up to heaven.” (Philippians 3:14)

John Ortberg says…

When you buy your kid a Happy Meal, you’re not just buying fries, McNuggets, and a toy; you’re buying happiness. Their advertisements have convinced my children they have a little McDonald-shaped vacuum in their souls: “Our hearts are restless till they find their rest in a Happy Meal.”

The problem with the Happy Meal is that the happy wears off, and they need a new fix. No child discovers lasting happiness in just one: “Remember that Happy Meal? What great joy I found there!”

Happy Meals bring happiness only to McDonalds. You ever wonder why Ronald McDonald wears that grin? Twenty billion Happy Meals, that’s why. [Happy Meal Spirituality, Christianity Today, May 1993]

Ortberg finishes this idea by saying, “When you get older, you don’t get any smarter; your happy meals just get more expensive.”

What’s the last Happy Meal you bought for yourself? A car? Some clothes? A house? A spouse? How long did it last? No matter how hard we try, or how much we spend, as long as we live with a happy meal mentality, happiness will elude us.

Ortberg paraphrased a familiar quote by St. Augustine: “Our hearts are restless till they find rest in thee.” Or as David said it, “My soul finds rest in God alone…” (Psalm 62:1)

Take a moment today to think about your next Happy Meal. Instead of pursuing one more thing, one more possession, one more acquisition … instead of striving for bigger numbers or better money or more praise directed your way … spend a few minutes alone with the God who loves you, and let his presence in your life satisfy you.

Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. (Isaiah 55:2)

A 2003 survey by the Society of Human Resources found that that eight out of ten workers wanted to leave their jobs. And according to motivational coach Ed Foreman, more heart attacks happen on Monday between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m. than at any other hour. No doubt every one of us knows what it’s like to wake up thinking, “Not another day. Not another week. Can I somehow get out of it?”

There’s a verse in Ecclesiastes that says, “So I saw that there is nothing better for people than to be happy in their work. That is why we are here!” (Ecclesiastes 3:21)

Here’s a key distinction: Solomon didn’t say, “There is nothing better for people than to have work that makes them happy.” The emphasis is on you being happy in your work, not on your work making you happy.

In my experience, some people get bored with great jobs, others approach the most mundane tasks with passion and enthusiasm. It’s not really about one’s job, it’s about one’s attitude in doing it.

Your job is what it is, and that won’t change. But you can take steps today to change the way you approach your work, steps that empower to find (in Solomon’s words) satisfaction in your toil.