Proverbs 31 Advice

In my last post, I pointed out two pieces of advice we can pull from Proverbs 31. First, we looked at how verse 11 guides us to trust in our wives rather than withholding that trust to maintain control. We also noted how this advice can serve us well in the workplace.

In verse 23, we see that it is our responsibility as husbands and fathers to act in such a way as to earn the respect of those in our community over time. Our wives need to know that they can rely on this kind of behavior from us. Our employees and co-workers want the same consistency from us!

For today, I want to look at two more verses from Proverbs 31 that give us clear advice as husbands and fathers. In each case, we are able to apply this advice to our lives at home and at work. I pray you will do both!

Praise Her

Her husband also praises her:
“Many women are capable, but you surpass them all!”
Proverbs 31:28-29

Part of this advice to us husbands and fathers looks fairly obvious. We are to praise our wives. While it is simple, do you do it? Regularly? If so, give yourself a pat on the back! If not, why not?

Regardless of how close your wife comes to the pattern described in Proverbs 31, you must find those things she does well and you must praise her for those actions! Look for the good she does and recognize her for it. If you have children, then praise her in front of your children! They need to recognize all she does as well.

This same idea works for your employees or co-workers. Find the good they do and praise them for it. Don’t get stuck in the lie that praise will ruin them and spoil them. Praise them for their progress and watch that progress grow!

Subtle Aspect Of Praise

Don’t miss the part that is not so obvious. When the husband praises her in this verse, he says that she surpasses all of the other women. Do you think that is 100% accurate, that she is better than every other woman at all she does? I think it is unlikely.

However, his praise in this manner lets her know that in his eyes, the only ones that matter, she surpasses all the others. He lets her know that his eyes are only on her and that she is the only one he sees!

With employees, they need to hear something similar in that they need to know we still believe in them. They need to know that we are committed to them and that we are not looking elsewhere for their replacement every time they miss a target or make a mistake. Praise them in this way.

Give Her The Reward

Give her the reward of her labor,
and let her works praise her at the city gates.
Proverbs 31:31

Once again, part of this is obvious and part is a little more subtle. The obvious advice is that we are to reward our wives for the work they do. We are to reward them in ways that are specific to them. This is not a one size fits all kind of reward.

We need to get creative here and reward her in ways that communicate our appreciation for her commitment. This is not a once-a-year vase of flowers on Mother’s Day or her birthday. This kind of reward should be random, unexpected, and creative. It should reflect thought and planning, not just a last minute Hallmark card.

Our employees should get the very same treatment. They should be compensated in such a way that is equal to the work they do. But we should also work at rewarding them in other small ways in order to show them our appreciation for what they do. Again, these rewards are not the same for everyone, but they should happen in some way for everyone at one time or another.

Spread The Praise

The more subtle advice in this verse comes from the last part of the sentence… ”let her works praise her at the city gates.” What in the world does that mean? I will say that I am not positive, but I do have an opinion. Until I hear a better explanation, I am sticking to my own!

Think about it this way. How do those at the city gates find out about her works? Some of her works may spread by word of mouth from the marketplace, but I think it should come from us! If we husbands and fathers are the ones at the city gates, then we should be talking about how great our wives are. We should be praising them behind their backs!

Why not? Just because it is the cultural norm for husbands to talk down about the “old ball and chain” or their “old lady” in ways that make the wives out to be tyrants, does that mean we should do the same? NO! We should be singing their praises to those around us. Just imagine the swelling of their hearts if they hear from someone else how we were praising them in a crowd, behind their back!

The same is still true for our employees and co-workers. Praising them to people outside of our workplace will only increase their commitment to our company when word gets back to them. Doing this same thing to their spouses or children even multiplies the effect! Just give it a try and see if I am right!

What other advice did you glean from Proverbs 31?

What changes do you need to make to heed this advice?

Do you see the value of Proverbs 31 advice, even in the workplace?

Photo by Ivanko_Brnjakovic / iStock

Looking For Advice?

To be clear, I am writing this letter to anyone who is just getting started in a new career (or a fresh start) and is looking for advice. In the interest of time and space, I am only addressing work life. Clearly, there is much more to consider than just work, but I will save that for another time.

If you are someone who prides themselves on learning from the mistakes of others, always looking for ways to improve and gain wisdom before those around you – then this letter is for you! I hope that describes everyone reading this post. If this does not describe you…then why not? It should!

Anyway, I offer this letter to anyone who can gain from it. I offer it after spending the past 25 years absorbing and figuring out the wisdom I believe in contained here. Your mileage may vary, but I believe there is incredible information here if you are willing to apply it where you are now. Good luck…I believe in you!

Letter to My Younger Self

Dear Chris,
I hope this letter finds you doing well. If I have gauged it correctly, you are just starting out in your career and you have a lot to learn. You are excited about your new job, but you also have some anxiety over making sure you meet and exceed expectations – both those of your new boss AND your own.

I want you to know that if you apply yourself and work hard, you will do well. At the same time, if you will seek out those wiser and more experienced than you and learn from them, you will do even better. Don’t make the mistake of trying to do it all on your own. You will fall short of your potential if you will not leverage the wisdom and insights of others who are further down this path than you are.

Since I have already lived your path for the past 25 years, I believe I have some very simple, but meaningful advice for you. Please, do us both a favor and heed my advice. You will not be sorry!

Determine Your “Why?”

First things first. Let me cut to the chase – you need to determine your “Why?”. You need to stop right now and take the time to figure out what it is that drives you to do what you do. Answer the questions, “Why was I created?” and “What are God’s purposes for me?” Answering these questions should drive everything you do from now on.

Blindly going from place to place, experience to experience, without an overriding clear purpose for your life – this will only bring regrets and wasted time. Start with this and do not move on until you have determined your answer to “Why?”.

Know Your Place in God’s Story

Once you determine your “Why?”, you have probably already figured out the next piece of advice I have. Even so, it bears including here. Knowing your “Why?” is a great start, but you must make sure you frame it within the bigger picture of God’s story.

As you read the Bible, you see His unfolding story. You are a part of that story! You are privileged to be created in His image and for a specific purpose, but don’t forget it is still His story – not yours! As long as you can keep this in mind, you will have peace.

Schedule Your Learning

Moving on to the next nugget, you must have a learning spirit. At whatever point you begin to believe you have it all figured out or you have very little left to learn, you are in serious trouble. Just as bad is the attitude that learning is too hard or that you don’t have time for it. These are deadly mindsets.

You must carve out a certain amount of time every week for “sharpening your saw” and gaining new knowledge and insights. Schedule this time on your calendar or it will never happen. Set it up so that this time is sacred and cannot be violated by anyone (other than your family!) or anything. Schedule everything else around this time and you will stick to it. This will be some of your most valuable time every week!

Your goal in this learning is to become an (humble) expert in your field. If you are going to fulfill your purposes in this life, you do not have the luxury of waiting for the learning to come to you. You have to seek it out!

Seek Mentors and Models

While you are doing this, you also need to seek out older, wiser mentors and those who are modeling the life you want to live. Seek them out and ask for their guidance. You will be amazed how many will jump at the chance to pour into someone like you – especially if you are respectful of their time.

This means following their advice (when confirmed by prayer), regardless of the discomfort or difficulty. Asking their advice and then doing your own thing every time will only waste their efforts. They won’t stay on that path very long!

Set Serious Goals

As you do this, you are going to flow right into the next area of advice. You have heard about setting goals all of your life. I believe it is a critical element in your foundation for success. You should set time aside at the end of every year to lay out your serious goals for the upcoming year. Spread these goals across all areas of your life.

These are NOT resolutions. They are goals that you will commit to hitting. You need to set these goals and then begin making plans that will lead you to achieve them. Break them down into steps, but never stop working to make progress in each. Make sure you have a written “Why?” for each one. This will revive your motivation when your energy starts to wane.

Enlist Accountability

A critical part of setting and achieving your goals will be the accountability you put in place. My best experience has come when I have a regular meeting (monthly) with a handful of like-minded, goal-setting peers to discuss progress, encourage each other, and give a kick in the pants when needed!

Take Risks, Learn From Mistakes

There is something else that is related to goals, but should not be limited to the goal setting process. You need to learn to take risks. I am not talking about outright recipes for disaster, but healthy, calculated risks. Too often, we play it safe in life so we avoid failure or embarrassment. This is crazy!

Life is an adventure! Get out there and take some risks. Go into an area of the business that scares you a little. Take an educated gamble and put the deal together! Step out and learn something new at the risk of being embarrassed at your lack of knowledge. I promise, you will look back at these risks and be thankful you tried. You will also learn from your mistakes this way!

Follow Your Heart

My final advice is some I just received from a mentor of my own recently. He said for me to follow my heart. He qualified this advice by saying that I must first be certain that my heart is in God’s hands and seeking His purposes for me. But if that is true, I am free to follow my heart!

Praying that you heed my advice,

Chris

What advice would you give your younger self?

Is there any of this advice you still need to take?

photo by Dan Buczynski

Start Of A Series!

As I thought about how to answer the question in that context, I also thought about how that would make a great post – even series – for this blog. (I am sorry, but I often get these thoughts in the middle of conversations!) As a result, I am starting a 5-part series on the advice I would give you if you are interested in using your business or job as a platform for Christian ministry.

In this first post, I want to lay the groundwork and then tackle the very first recommendation I have. Hopefully, you will get something out of this series, even if you have been doing Christian ministry through your business for years now. Maybe there is something you can revisit (like me!) or something you never did but can go back and handle today!

Target Audience

I am writing this post to someone who has heard about Christian business and is intrigued by the idea. Maybe you have progressed from intrigue to a real interest in using your business to impact people for eternity. It could be that you have even resisted pursuing it for one reason or another.

Regardless, you are either very close to pulling the trigger and moving forward OR you have just pulled the trigger and realized you do not know where to start! If that describes you, then this advice is for you.

Check My Advice

I will go ahead and tell you that I am NOT an expert. I cannot tell you all that you need to know about this subject. I will say that some of my advice may even be wrong for you. All I can promise is that I have been doing it myself for almost 10 years now and I will share from my heart. You then are responsible for discerning what will and will not work for you.

Now that I am through with the disclaimers, let’s dive in and tackle the first recommendation!

Recommendation #1 – Pray

While I am sure you are in awe over my keen insight and the intellect that must be present in order for me to come up with this advice, I ask you to hold your judgment until I am finished. Maybe this sounds simple and assumed. In fact, I know it does. At the same time, I feel it is so important (and often neglected) that I am willing to risk your ridicule!

When I say pray, I mean several things. Actually, I mean for you to pray about several things. Let’s start with the first prayer – a clear heart and mind.

Different Goals For Prayer

My advice is that you pray first that God would clear your heart and mind of any and all distractions, motives, and desires. Pray that He would erase your preconceived notions of what you are being called to do. Ask Him to give you a completely fresh perspective on whatever it is that He is going to share with you next.

Next, I want you to pray for clarity of purpose. Notice I am not talking about strategy, resources, or results. While these are important, their time will come later. All you want from Him at the beginning is a very clear and compelling purpose to be planted in your heart.

Clear Picture Of Purpose

As you are doing this, pray that He would give you a picture of what should be. Andy Stanley, in his book called Visioneering, refers to the gap between what is and what should be. You want God to put a vivid picture in your heart of what it is He wants you to pursue. For me, it was silhouettes. For Joseph, it was a couple of dreams. For you, it will look different.

Regardless of the differences in our pictures, you need something that you can refer back to over and over as opposition and difficulties come your way. You need to ask God to sow this seed of a clear purpose for your specific Christian ministry. Over time, this vision will grow and His desires for how He will accomplish it through you will become more clear.

Strength And Commitment

Next, you need to pray for strength and commitment. What you are about to undertake is not for the faint of heart. While it seems harmless enough, it is anything but. You are putting on the uniform of Christ and stepping out onto the battlefield for His kingdom.

Not only are you declaring your loyalty to Him, you are also doing it in a realm (the business world) where the enemy reigns for a time. This is not a common position for a businessperson to take and it is one the enemy hates. As a result, you can expect to see more than your fair share of opposition. You need to start praying now for the strength to withstand it.

Give Thanks!

Finally, you need to give thanks that He has put you in a position like this. The tougher roles are reserved for those with stronger faith. While you are not yet completely ready for what you will face, He sees the potential you have and deems it worthy of the job. For that, you should be very thankful!

Stay tuned for more advice to come in future posts!

Have you prayed for God to give you a clear purpose picture?

What other issues should you pray about?

Do you agree with this advice to pray first?

Dad’s Advice

I still remember it like it was yesterday. I was heading out on a date in high school and Dad wanted to give me some final advice. His wise words still ring in my head some 25 years later.

Son, make your decision about what you will and won’t do right now. Whether is it drugs, alcohol, or sex, you cannot wait until the heat of the moment to decide. It will then be too late.

Of course, then I was too cool to let him know that I was listening! Fortunately, I was listening and made (mostly) wise decisions during those years. I knew he was wise then, but I had no idea I would still be following (and giving!) that advice these many years later!

Good Advice?

What makes this advice so good?

Well, in my mind it is ALL about timing. If we go through life waiting to make decisions until we face certain circumstances, then, as my Dad said, it will be too late. The emotions of the circumstances will override our logic and cause us to lean toward immediate gratification rather than deferred gratification. Making these decisions ahead of time allows us to think more clearly and to consider all consequences.

Example Situations

I think the picture was fairly clear in the high school example. Let me give you some examples of situations we may face as adult Christian business owners and leaders to illustrate what I am talking about.

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• If you have not decided ahead of time how much money you will give or how you will give it, then what do you think you will do when the profits start rolling in or your income increases?

• If you have not decided what you will do in advance, what do you think you will do if shown a “grey area” loop hole by your financial planner that he describes as “commonly used” by others?

• If you have not made up your mind beforehand, what will your response be when offered a chance to go alone to a business lunch with a very attractive rep from one of your vendors?

• If you have never planned your response to an opportunity to tell a little white lie to cover up a mistake you made, what do you think you will say?

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As you read through these examples, one or two of them probably stood out to you. You may have already faced these circumstances. If so, whether you made the right choice or not, you know what I am talking about. You also know that the likelihood of a good decision without advance planning is very low.

Applying The Advice

So how do you make the right decisions in advance?

You may be thinking that you cannot possibly be expected to anticipate EVERY potential circumstance when you would have to make such decisions. If so, you are right. I do not expect you to do that at all. In fact, that would be ridiculous.

No, I have a few simple thoughts that should put you on the right track. Take a look at these and see what you think.

1. Ask God to search your heart and show you where you are vulnerable. (Psalm 139:23-24)

It is very likely that you are stronger in some areas of your walk and weaker in others. If you will ask God to point these weaker areas out to you, He will be faithful to do so (Psalm 145:18-19). It is these areas where you need to focus your attention.

You do not need to worry about EVERY possible scenario in these areas. Take the most likely decisions you could face in each area and start with those.

2. Take these weaker areas and plan out your responses. (Proverbs 12:5)

Take these weaker areas that God reveals to you and think about potential pitfalls. What kinds of decisions could you face that might throw you off your game? What decisions would you want to make in each area if you could write the script? Now begin doing exactly that!

Make the decisions in these areas NOW so that you do not have to try to think about it when it is too late and you are under pressure (Proverbs 1:10-19)!

3. Use Scripture as the strong foundation for these decisions. (Psalm 119:11)

If your vulnerable decision is about giving more money even when the temptation is there to spend more on yourself, try 1 Timothy 6:17-19 or Luke 6:38. If your weakness is maintaining your integrity when preparing your taxes, then use Psalm 119:36 or Proverbs 11:3.

You get the idea. The point is to use an easy-to-remember verse from which to rally when put in a tough spot. Memorize the appropriate Scripture and call on it when challenged.

Do you remember similar advice from years back?

How does this advice apply to your work today?

What advice would you give to someone else today?

Jim Reese – CEO, Atlanta Mission

This is the fifth post in a series of five that describes the advice my brother and I received from business and ministry leader, Jim Reese. Mr. Reese has seen incredible success in the business world over a stellar career with executive positions in companies such as Randstad N.A., Frito-Lay, and HoneyBaked Ham, but he has also significantly impacted people for eternity through his work with Atlanta Mission. He has taken his exceptional business skills and is applying them in Christian ministry.

Reese’s Advice

Below, is the fifth of five main points I gained from our conversation. This advice is directed at anyone trying to buck the norms of this world and integrate their faith into their work. If you are trying to run your business from an eternal perspective, then you need to heed this advice.

[box][typography font=”Cardo” size=”18″ size_format=”px”]Recommendation #5:[/typography]

[typography font=”Cardo” size=”24″ size_format=”px”]Know that the enemy will attack you.[/typography]

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Talk of the Enemy

While some people cringe when you mention the enemy in this context, I am one who takes the Bible to be the truth – whether I can see it or not. The Bible talks about the enemy in a number of places. Here are a few…

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;…” John 10:10

“For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.” Ephesians 6:12

“Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

Do you take this Scripture seriously?

If you were warned that there was a stalker scheming to do life-threatening harm to your son or daughter, would you act? Would you move to protect them? Or would you just blow it off and assume things will work out?

See, as Mr. Reese mentioned, the enemy will not just come directly after you. He will come after your family. He will come against your employees. He will come against any weak spot you have.

Recognizing Existence of the Enemy

The point of recognizing the existence of the enemy, as well as his intent in destroying you, is to help you in three ways.

1. When you know you are going to come under attack, you will prepare. You will not be surprised by it. Though you certainly cannot completely avoid being attacked, the damage is less destructive when you expect it and are ready for it (1 Peter 5:8).

2. You can take action and equip yourself and your family. You can put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17). You can equip your family, educating them about the potential dangers in the process.

3. You can pray. You pray for protection. You can ask others to do the same on your behalf. (Ephesians 6:18)

Invading The Territory Of The Enemy

You may be thinking I am crazy. That is fine. However, if you get serious about using your business for ministry, then you will be going straight into territory that the enemy considers to be his own. You will likely be impacting people and groups that local churches have not seen in years, if ever. This is great work for the kingdom, but do not kid yourself into believing it is without resistance or consequence. The enemy will hate you for it.

Just go back through the Gospels, Acts, and Paul’s letters to see if I am not telling you the truth. It is Biblical and it is a truth you need to accept.

I am not suggesting you start running around your business spraying devil repellent and screaming “We are under attack!” I am recommending you take appropriate actions through prayer and Scripture memory, to put on the full armor of God. I am advising you to be ready.

Do you know what I am talking about to be true?

What do you do to prepare for and protect against this?

If you are unsure, will you search the Scripture for yourself?

Jim Reese – CEO, Atlanta Mission

This is the fourth post in a series of five that describes the advice my brother and I received from business and ministry leader, Jim Reese. Mr. Reese seen incredible success in the business world over a stellar career with executive positions in companies such as Randstad N.A., Frito-Lay, and HoneyBaked Ham, but he has also significantly impacted people for eternity through his work with Atlanta Mission. He has taken his exceptional business skills and is applying them in Christian ministry.

Below, is the fourth of five main points I gained from our conversation. This advice is directed at anyone trying to buck the norms of this world and integrate their faith into their work. If you are trying to run your business from an eternal perspective, then you need to heed this advice.

[box][typography font=”Cardo” size=”18″ size_format=”px”]Recommendation #4:[/typography]

[typography font=”Cardo” size=”24″ size_format=”px”]Excellence is not optional.[/typography]

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Emphasis on Excellence

If there was one of the five main points Mr. Reese made with extra emphasis, it was this one. We spent at least twice the time on excellence as we did on the other topics.

Obviously excellence is an extremely wide topic. For the purpose of this post, here is our definition of excellence.

Excellent organizations achieve and sustain superior levels of performance that meet or exceed the expectations of all their stakeholders.

Lower Expectations?

So many Christian ministries and organizations today think they get a free pass in regards to excellence because they are doing God’s work. They think people will (or at least should) accept less than excellence when they know the cause is right. While it is truly sad, many people have come to expect this from Christian organizations.

Folks, this is simply ridiculous thinking! If anything, work done for God should be held to a higher standard, not a lower one. If we are following Scripture and working as unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23-24), then we should act like it! We are serving the King of the Universe! He would not accept less than excellence from Cain (Genesis 4:3-7) or from the Israelites (Malachi 1:6-13), why should He accept it from us?

Excellence Is Central

This attitude of excellence should be central to everything we do. It should drive every aspect of our lives and our businesses. There should be nothing in our lives that we accept as less than excellent.

This is not to say that we can achieve perfection, but we should always maintain a culture of improvement. This culture will cause us to always be working on any weaknesses so that they do not remain that way.

Right To Influence

If we are to be Greatest Commandments and Great Commission companies, then we must earn the right to influence others. We earn this right by doing business with excellence. Anything less will risk pushing people away from the Gospel.

Do you consider your company as one of excellence?

Do you recognize the importance of excellence?

What do you need to change right now?

Jim Reese – CEO, Atlanta Mission

This is the second post in a series of five that describes the advice my brother and I received from business and ministry leader, Jim Reese. Mr. Reese seen incredible success in the business world over a stellar career with executive positions in companies such as Randstad N.A., Frito-Lay, and HoneyBaked Ham, but he has also significantly impacted people for eternity through his work with Atlanta Mission. He has taken his exceptional business skills and is applying them in Christian ministry.

Below, is the second of five main points I gained from our conversation. The first point was described [here]. Mr. Reese’s advice is directed at anyone trying to buck the norms of this world and integrate their faith into their work. If you are trying to run your business from an eternal perspective, then you need to heed this advice.

[box][typography font=”Cardo” size=”18″ size_format=”px”]Recommendation #2:[/typography]

[typography font=”Cardo” size=”24″ size_format=”px”]Remember that results & rewards are not always immediately evident or measurable.[/typography]

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Two Issues With Redefined Success Advice

There are two issues that come with the advice to redefine success toward an eternal perspective as described in the last post.

Problem #1: Observing Results

First, these success results are not always easily observed or measured.

Profit, shareholder wealth, and even cash flow metrics are most often easily obtained through mathematical formulas. You can look in virtually any business book or online and find many easy formulas to measure financial success and results. While the formulas can get complicated when looking at cash flow or other financial metrics, at least there are definite answers. Once calculated, these results are not difficult to interpret.

Christian Business

But when you turn to a business being run as a platform for ministry, the results get muddy. Unfortunately, the spiritual growth and life change that result from doing ministry are not measurable. How do you really know if someone was impacted by your efforts?

Sure, you can look at the fruit they bear, but how do you know it is real and not faked or based on wrong motivations? Even if you could validate the authenticity, how do you measure it?

Ripple Effects

And what about when the impact happens two or three persons down a chain of events? How do you observe or measure the impact when it is the friend of a friend of your employee? How would you know if a employee’s family member shares something from your company newsletter with one of their co-workers and a life is changed?

What about a customer that takes a copy of the Gospel of John from your customer lounge or one of your New Testament Owner’s Manuals for Life from their glove box and God uses it to draw them to Him. If they do not come back and tell you about it, you will never know! You could be having an impact on family members, acquaintances, or customers that you will never meet here on earth.

Problem #2: Timing of Results

Second, the results my be delayed. You will reap what you sow, but you rarely reap when you sow!

In most secular businesses, results are somewhat immediate. Again, good operating processes and disciplines produce net profit and cash flow in the near term. If not, leadership is under significant pressure to make changes.

Christian Business

But for a Christian business operating from an eternal perspective, desired results are often not immediately evident. Sometimes, the impact you have on someone may not show up for years! Maybe one of the ministry actions in your business touches an employee, but they leave your company and it is years before the results are evident. Another example may be that years later, an employee that you impacted begins teaching and impacts someone else.

We Need Celebrations!

All of these examples should be part of your success picture. You should be able to celebrate them, but because of the nature of the results, you likely cannot. This is not a big deal until you consider that we all need celebrations! We need to be able to see our progress and know that we are moving toward our goals.

This is most important when we have a streak of a couple of disappointing days. Have you ever had a couple of those days? Have you ever felt like you are not gaining ground and wonder why you are even trying?

Well, this advice does not eliminate those days, but it certainly helps us to know what to do. While we know and recognize that our rewards will come later, we can better deal with these days if we can remind ourselves of the nature of these results.

Trust God

If we can trust God and know that He will be faithful to honor our efforts by producing fruit in those we minister to, then we can better maintain our passion even when the fruits of our labor are not obvious.

How do you remind yourself that you are making an impact even when it is not evident?

How do you think about measuring impact?

How would you respond to his advice?

Jim Reese – CEO, Atlanta Mission

My brother and I had the privilege of spending a couple of hours this past week with business and ministry leader, Jim Reese. I first met Mr. Reese when he was a speaker at the Catalyst conference in Atlanta this past October.

After attending his session, I sought him out and we spent a few minutes talking about the integration of faith and business. It was then that I asked for the opportunity to visit his ministry, Atlanta Mission, and get his advice on how he thought I could better use our business as a platform for Christian ministry.

Though we have been working at this for over eight years, we know there is still so much to learn! We know we have just barely scratched the surface and therefore are always on the look-out for opportunities to learn. This was clearly one of those opportunities. In fact, we came away with much more than we could have hoped.

Extensive Experience

Not only has Reese seen incredible success in the business world over a stellar career with executive positions in companies such as Randstad N.A., Frito-Lay, and HoneyBaked Ham, but he has also significantly impacted people for eternity through his work with Atlanta Mission. He has taken his exceptional business skills and is applying them in Christian ministry. His leadership is taking the Atlanta Mission organization to new heights.

I could take the rest of this post telling you how gracious and helpful Mr. Reese was in taking the time to pour into us. He clearly has a passion for what he does and is very willing to share that passion. We will not know the full impact of this short visit for many years to come, but I can tell you that it will be huge!

His Advice

Below, I have listed the first of five main points I gained from our conversation. I will discuss this first one in detail today and the other four points in my next posts. This advice is directed at anyone trying to buck the norms of this world and integrate their faith into their work. If you are trying to run your business from an eternal perspective, then you need to heed this advice.

[box][typography font=”Cardo” size=”18″ size_format=”px”]Recommendation #1:[/typography]

[typography font=”Cardo” size=”24″ size_format=”px”]You must redefine success.[/typography]

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Secular Company

In a publicly-owned corporation, success is most often defined as an increase in shareholder wealth (stock price). Maybe revenue growth is a close second. In private business, net profit or net cash flow probably leads as the definition of success. Growth may also take a top spot in some of these businesses as well.

Since virtually all of us have worked in a secular job for a non-Christian company at some time or another, you probably know exactly what I am talking about. I do not know the statistics here, but success in most companies is defined this way. I am not judging them (not my job to do so). I am simply pointing out the facts.

Christian Company

But when you step out and say that your business is God’s and you are just a steward of it for a time, then you must redefine success. The normal business metrics will not work for this purpose. Instead, you must determine what is most important to God for His business.

Of course, the best place to look for this is in the Scripture. You may need to translate what you find into various specific definitions of success for your own business based on variables such as type (manufacturing, retail, services, etc.). It may be different specific results for different businesses, according to God’s will for each, but I guarantee it will be related to the Greatest Commandment and the Great Commission.

When Jesus says that all of the law and prophets hang on loving God and loving others as ourselves, then you can bet your success definition needs to be founded on this. When Jesus’ last words on earth charge us to go and make disciples of all nations, then you need to include this as well.

Redefining Success

I will not attempt to give you a single rule of thumb for redefining success for your business from an eternal perspective. This is something that you need to determine for your business through searching the Scriptures and fervent prayer. I will tell you that I think it is solid advice to redefine success for your company.

By redefining success from an eternal perspective, you will change the way you make decisions. You will hire differently. You will invest your time, talents, and treasure differently. When you have redefined success, your motivation changes and that picture of success begins to permeate your thoughts, actions, and words. Success redefined is a powerful force!

What is your definition of success in business at this point?

How have you prayed about this?

What do you feel God is leading you to do?