Tag Archives: application of Scripture

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What Do You Do With The Interruption?

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Business is busy. That may seem obvious, but for anyone in a leadership position in business, it can be a big problem. We are always working on something. Some projects require very little focus from us. Others require our complete attention. That is usually when the interruption comes, right?

interruption

Forms Of Interruption

For me, this “interruption” could come in the form of a customer asking a simple question. It could be an employee that needs clarification on a process. Maybe it is phone call from a vendor that needs my authorization on an expenditure.

Interruptions can come in many shapes and sizes. When we are intently focused on getting something important done, how do we handle the interruption? I am not really asking about your manners or patience with the cause of the interruption.

The Bigger Question

The question I am asking is much bigger than that. We all know that we should be gracious and approachable when interrupted. That’s not my point.

The real question is more about your mindset regarding the interruption. In fact, I am actually asking about the bigger interruptions in your plans. To be more clear, let’s look at an example from Scripture.

Paul’s Interruption

Paul is on a mission. He has been called by God to take the gospel to the Gentiles. Anyone who has read any of his letters in the New Testament would agree that he was focused on this mission. Nothing deterred him from accomplishing the mission.

Then we read in Philippians 1 that Paul has been put in jail. Imagine that you are in his sandals and you have this mission in front of you. This is a big “project” with huge ramifications for those you seek to teach about this gospel. Then you find yourself in jail…for no real good reason! How could this happen?

How Would You See It?

Would you see THIS as an interruption? Would you get frustrated at the injustice and start trying to figure out how to escape? Would you lose focus on the overall goal and become preoccupied with your circumstances?

What did Paul do? Well, he uses the time wisely and continues to accomplish the mission God gave him. He does this in several ways.

Paul’s Response

First, he uses the time to write four letters to various churches (and one individual). In these letters, Paul encourages, chastises, and teaches about the gospel. He made very effective use of his time in prison to continue his mission to spread the gospel!

Second, he took advantage of the fact that he was imprisoned by Gentiles! He likely saw a number of different guards each day as they fed him and guarded him. He used this time to witness to these guards and explain to them the cause of Christ!

Paul even recognized that others were preaching more boldly about Jesus as a result of his imprisonment. While some had pure motives and others did not, Paul welcomed any accurate preaching of the gospel as helping to accomplish his mission.

What About Us?

Paul tells us to follow his example (1 Corinthians 11:1). If we do this, how can we handle the interruptions that come our way? Not only the little daily interruptions, but even more so the big ones?

When we have big plans for ministry through our business and something interrupts these plans, how can we react in a way that imitates Paul? Can we reasonably expect to stop and pray that God would reveal that part of His plan to us?

If He chooses not to reveal His plans, can we patiently look around at our circumstances and determine how to continue our mission despite the interruption? Is our eternal perspective so ingrained in our mind that we could adapt to the circumstances and maximize the opportunities they presented?

How Close Are We?

Are we so close in our relationship with God that this behavior is possible?

If not, what are we going to do to change?

I encourage you to stop and pray about this. As business owners and leaders, we are normally trained to overcome the circumstances of any interruption and move on with the mission. We are problem solvers and have wiring that keeps us moving.

Instead, sometimes we need to recognize that God may want us to sit still and look for His will IN the interruption. If we will draw closer to Him, it is more likely we will be able to do this when the time comes.

How good are you with handling an interruption?

Do you see interruptions as potentially coming from God?

What do you need to do differently?

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Does Imminent Bankruptcy Change Your Investment Plan?

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Imagine for a minute that you know me as a 100% reliable and trustworthy source. Imagine also that I have just told you that I have undeniable evidence that the U.S. Government is going to file bankruptcy in Federal Court next Monday morning. What would be your reaction?

Bankruptcy

Ripple Effects of Bankruptcy?

I am not a guru when it comes to these types of issues, but I am fairly sure I could make some educated guesses about some of the ripple effects of an event like this. I assume you could do the same. In light of that, how does your current investment portfolio look? What would be your new financial plan?

Would you buy more shares of stock or sell what you have? Would you invest in the U.S. Dollar or move toward gold and silver? Would you make plans to spend as much as you could before the date of the event or would you try to invest in those areas (food, barter materials, etc.) that would contribute to your long term survival and well being?

Would any of these actions change if I told you the date of the bankruptcy filing was actually 6 months from now versus next week? What about one year from now or longer? How would your urgency change?

Truth Is Worse!

Obviously, I do NOT have advance notice of a bankruptcy filing like this. Unfortunately, the knowledge I have is far worse than this. In fact, I am fairly confident that you have this same knowledge that I have.

Folks, the truth is that this entire world that we inhabit is bankrupt. The filing has already been made and we are simply living out the discharge process. What is the only major difference in this news and my fictional bankruptcy filing?

Timing.

We read in 2 Peter 3 that this world is already scheduled to be destroyed. Everything in it will be destroyed and our works laid bare. Bankruptcy has been filed, but the discharge process is taking time. Peter tells us here that the Lord is patient, but the events are coming nonetheless.

Lost Value

Let me translate to be clear. Everything you “own” right now will be destroyed. It will have a value of $0. Any investments you have in land, buildings, stocks, etc. will be brought to a total value of zero. This is a total and complete bankruptcy with full liquidation of assets.

So…what is your plan? How does your current portfolio look? Do you feel good about its diversity? Are you wisely invested in those areas that will last after this bankruptcy?

Vague Timing?

Back to the issue of timing. In my fictional bankruptcy, I gave you a hard date, a timeline that you could see and one that would allow you to make necessary adjustments. The world bankruptcy explained by the Bible does not do this. No one knows when the final discharge will happen.

And that, my friends, is why many of us are asleep at the wheel. We think we have time. We are living with the illusion that we can deal with these eternal investment issues at some point in the future. Unfortunately, we simply do not know. Therefore, many sleep.

Portfolio Shift?

I am sorry, but I just don’t think that is what we are supposed to be doing. As for me, I am certain that I have entirely too much left invested in this world and not nearly enough laid up in heaven. I am working on that, but I have a long way to go.

What about you? What if this “world bankruptcy” were to be discharged today…how would your portfolio fare? If you are like me, that is a scary proposition. While I know without a doubt that my soul would survive the fire, I am concerned that I have too much stuff that would not.

Future Investment

I have told you before that my job description, and life’s goal, is to add silhouettes. To the extent that I can accomplish this goal, my investment in this effort will survive the fire. My struggle is to invest more and more time, energy, and resources into this effort and less into the material rewards of this world.

I must continue working to shift my portfolio away from the temporal and toward the eternal. I am convinced that we are called to live IN this world. I am just as convinced that we are not to make it our home. We should be renters here, not owners.

I encourage you to take some time and think through this idea of world bankruptcy. Think about where you are currently investing your time, treasure, and talents. Consider Paul’s warning (1 Corinthians 3:10-15) to us and begin doing work that will survive the fire. I think this would be a great investment for you!

What does your portfolio look like today?

What action do you need to take to correct it?

What is your level of urgency? What should it be?

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Entitlement – Whose Problem Is It?

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You give and give and give. You do your best to say, “Yes” to any reasonable request from them. Then one day, you have to say, “No.” That’s when things go south quickly. While it may sound like I am describing my experience as the parent of teenagers, I am actually talking about entitlement among employees and coworkers!

entitlement

Entitlement In The Workplace

Have you ever experienced this kind of situation before? Maybe your experience with entitlement is limited to one or two employees or coworkers over your career. Maybe it is something you learned how to correct long ago. It might be something you are dealing with right now.

Whatever the case, entitlement is an attitude or mindset that is prevalent in our culture these days. Most likely, you have had to deal with this disease at one time or another in your career. While I wish I could say our society has improved in this area, I actually think it has become more of a problem than ever before.

In fact, I have heard multiple conference speakers talk about how the new generation of young adults (Gen Y) coming up has this problem worse than any other generation in memory. I know we have seen our share of entitlement show itself in our business. I am betting you have as well.

Answer This Question

Now that I have you worked up and thinking about the specific employees or coworkers that you think have the most extreme cases of entitlement, I want you to answer one question…

When did YOU last get frustrated when something did not go your way?

Wait a minute! Weren’t we just talking about all of those other people who have the problem with entitlement? Weren’t we all agreeing how bad our society is and how tough it is to deal with entitlement in the workplace? How did the focus turn back to us?

Remove The Log

Well, I guess those are fair questions. My answer is that we must first eliminate entitlement in ourselves before we attempt to address it in others. If I recall, Jesus said something about removing the log in our own eye first (Matthew 7:5). I think that applies here as well, don’t you think?

In case you need a refresher, entitlement is defined as the belief that one is inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment. At first glance, you may not see this behavior in yourself. That’s understandable. However, I would like to linger here a moment and let you think on a deeper level.

Taken For Granted?

Think about the daily conveniences that you (might) take for granted. When you flip the light switch, the light should come on. When you go to shower, there should be hot water. At least, there should be water, right? Your “fast” food should be fast…and hot…and available. I could go on…

To be fair, I must admit that I just returned from a 5 day mission trip to Haiti.

On this trip, I witnessed the worst poverty I have ever seen. I was not only shocked at the depth of it. I was completely and totally overwhelmed at the breadth of it. I saw almost nothing but extreme poverty. If you have never experienced it, you will not truly grasp what I am saying. I thought I knew what poverty looked like, but I had significantly underestimated it.

Joy In Harsh Conditions

You want to know what else I saw? I got to spend four days with 34 orphans that lived in the toughest conditions but exhibited more joy and gratitude than those who live in the luxury of the US. I cannot adequately describe to you the distinct difference between their mindset and that of American children their age – even American adults of ANY age.

In fact, their attitudes would blow your mind.

As I said, I cannot possibly describe my experience in a way that completely communicates the experience. Instead of attempting it, I will simply move on to my main point for this post.

Self Assessment

We are all spoiled and, to some degree, guilty of entitlement ourselves. Forget the employees or coworkers that frustrate us with this behavior. There is more than enough opportunity for improvement right here in the mirror to last for a while. If this is not true for you, then I congratulate you. You are better than me.

However, if you have a sneaky feeling that you might be guilty of entitlement, then I encourage you to stop and take an inventory of your feelings. Pray about it and ask God to reveal the truth to you…slowly, so you can handle it. If He dumps it on you all at once, it can be difficult!

Where do you see entitlement in your own life?

Do you see the need to remove it?

What do you see as the antidote to entitlement?

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Have You Set Your Eternal Goals?

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I am sure your first thought is to ask why I am talking about goals when we are so far past the first of the year! Isn’t that a topic for January? Haven’t most people given up on their goals for the year already? You may also be asking what I mean by eternal goals. Good questions! Let’s see if we can answer them!

eternal goals

Goals In March?

First of all, I am talking about goals in March because some of you have already given up on your goals for the year. Maybe you have not completely given up on them, but you are likely getting into the messy middle in some of them. In others, you never got out of the starting blocks.

Whatever the case, we are going to talk about goals because you need to talk about them. If you are stuck, then this is the perfect time to jump back in with a renewed energy! I am hereby holding you accountable to those goals and encouraging you to get back in the game.

Eternal Goals?

At the same time, I want to know – how many of your goals for this year are eternal goals? To be more clear, how many of your goals for 2015 have an eternal consequence as the motivation for the goal? Still not tracking with me? Let me explain.

I am assuming you are in business and you have a strong desire to integrate your Christian faith into your business. That is great, but WHY do you desire that? Hopefully, you recognize that God is the true owner of your business or job and that you are simply a steward for a time.

Purpose Of Business

Sure, your business has the purpose of providing for your family’s food, shelter, clothing, education, etc. It can also provide for your enjoyment of this life God has given you, right? But that is not where it stops. He gave you this business for a bigger purpose. He wants a return on His investment (Matthew 25:14-30)

Hopefully, you want to bring Him an eternal return because you realize that He does not need a material or financial return. He already owns it all! Therefore, you know that the only way to bring God the return that He does not already possess is to impact other souls for eternity by pointing them to Him.

Goal Alignment?

If all of this makes sense to you, then how well are your 2015 goals aligned with this ultimate measure of your work here on earth? Which of your annual goals can also be labeled eternal goals? Which of your goals, if achieved, will have an eternal impact on those around you now and those to come after you are gone?

If some of your goals are easily categorized as eternal goals, then congratulations! You are certainly on track to have the eternal impact God has in mind for you. If not, please do not get frustrated or lose heart. You are not alone!

Reasons For Lack Of Eternal Goals

In fact, there are many reasons why many of us have not already set eternal goals. Below is a list of some of these reasons. See if any of these apply to you and your situation.

    1. I have never thought about it.
    2. I really don’t know how to set eternal goals.
    3. Eternal goals are too tough to measure.
    4. I can’t know for sure if I have hit them.
    5. These goals are not normal or cause abnormal behavior.
    6. Eternal goals conflict with my current goals.
    7. I cannot fully control the results of these goals.

What Will You Do About It?

I am sure you can think of additional reasons, but I think this list is a good start. So now that we know why we have not set eternal goals, what are we going to do about it? Surely we won’t just stop here and say, “Oh well. Maybe next year.” It’s not too late to take action, is it?

I am so glad you asked! In my next post, I will try to respond to the above list of reasons by using examples from my 2015 goals. I will walk you through my thought processes and see if you can gain some perspective that will help you set your own eternal goals!

Do you already set your own eternal goals every year?

What process do you go through to do this?

If you have never thought about eternal goals, what is your next step?

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Is Your Life Like Your Closet?

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I recently had to clean out my closet at home. After ten years without doing it, the accumulation of stuff and clothes that no longer fit had finally gotten out of hand. I finally recognized the need and set aside the time to clean it. In the process, I was reminded of a truth about life that all Christians need to learn. If you cannot see the connection between a clothes closet and a life truth, then read on!

closet

Organizing My Closet

Obviously, I first had to go through everything in my closet and determine whether I would keep it, give it away, or trash it. I went through work clothes, play clothes, socks, shoes, etc. I think you get the idea.

Once I did that, I figured I would take the opportunity to reorganize the entire closet. I know, that may be a little OCD, but I liked the idea and ran with it. I went to WalMart and bought a couple of cheap cloth baskets for socks, tshirts, etc. I placed these in line on my shelves.

I moved my work clothes to one side and put my casual clothes to the other side. I made sure my work shoes were easily accessed while the others were off to the side. My ties (fewer now because I got rid of those with stains or those too wide!) were placed on the tie rack in the corner and my belts moved to the other corner.

Each Had Its Place

When I was done, I stepped back in pride. I had found a nice, neat area for each type of clothing and accessory. While my closet may not win any HGTV awards for creativity or design, I had achieved what I had set out to do. I had compartmentalized the area and each part had its place.

As I stood there, I remembered the life truth I mentioned at the beginning of this post. If given the opportunity, many Christians will do the exact same thing with their faith as I did with my socks. Stick with me and I think you will see what I mean.

Separate Life Compartments

Too often, we as Christians compartmentalize our lives. We have time for our family. We allocate time for our work. We may prioritize some time with friends and/or hobbies. We also make sure we give time to our faith. Each area of our lives has its own time allotment.

Some of these areas overlap at times (friends and faith, family and hobbies, etc.), but for the most part they are each kept within their own compartment. This is especially true of our faith.

Maybe we have friends at church, but it is unlikely we are regularly and intentionally meeting with them to grow in our faith together. We don’t talk much about our faith with some of our other friends or family because they might get offended.

Faith And Workplace Separate?

We don’t allow our faith to enter our workplace for the same reason. Or it might be that we feel our faith will limit our ability to do business profitably. Surely God would not want that, right? Work is for Monday through Friday, family on Saturday, and we give God our Sundays. That is the way it has always been.

Unfortunately, the way it has always been is wrong. God does not want our Sundays (only). He wants our Mondays through Saturdays as well. He wants our time with family and our time with friends.

God Wants Our ALL!

God wants to be a part of our hobbies and our social lives. He wants to live in our workplace and direct our business decisions. There is not a single part of our lives that God does not want. He wants it all. Want proof?

Let’s just ask Jesus. He should know the answer, right? Jesus, what is the most important truth for us to remember in life?

Love the Lord your God with ALL of your heart, with ALL of your mind, and with ALL of your soul. This is the first and greatest commandment (emphasis mine).
Matthew 22:37-38

God IS Our Closet

Folks, we may need to compartmentalize our closets, garages, or work desk. Separate areas for separate items can be helpful for an organized mind. However, this is not true for our lives when it comes to our faith and our relationship with God.

In life, our faith in and relationship with God IS our closet. It IS our life. Everything else can have its separate place WITHIN our faith, but nothing we have or do should be separate from this faith. Our relationship with God permeates every aspect of our lives.

There is no other way to live out the Greatest Commandment.

What About Your Business Life?

Take a look at your business or work life. Reflect on how God is a part of this area of your life. If He is, what can you do to allow Him to be more involved. If He has not yet been allowed into this part of your life, then pray about how you can turn it over to Him.

The ultimate goal is for Him to fully control this area (along with all other areas) of your life, with you as the passenger and Him as the driver. That is a tough position to reach, but the more you prepare for it, the easier it becomes.

Is your life compartmentalized like your closet?

If you changed it at one time, has it drifted back?

What action do you need to take next?

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4 Little Known Qualities Of Godly Leaders, Part 2

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The Bible says that the Lord “spoke with Moses face to face, just as a man speaks with his friend” (Exodus 33:11). Wow…if we could all attain that sort of relationship with God, I believe we could be the godly leaders we want to be. The problem is that this kind of relationship is not really attainable, is it? Or is it?

uncommon communion

Quality #2 – Uncommon Communion

In my last post, I introduced you to Dr. Crawford Loritts and his 4 little known qualities of godly leaders. In that post, we tackled the first quality – brokenness. In today’s post, I want to discuss the second quality Dr. Loritts cites in his segment in Dennis Rainey’s Stepping Up video series.

In his segment on godly leaders, Dr. Loritts describes how godly leaders must have a second quality – an uncommon communion with God. Before he describes what he means by this, he goes on to say, “God gives us assignments that are greater than our capacity to meet. There is always a gap in leadership – it is always beyond where you are. God fills in that gap.”

The Gap

This idea of a gap fits perfectly with the idea of brokenness from the last post, but uncommon communion takes this a step further. When we are broken, we see that we alone cannot accomplish the mission God has for us. We see this gap he mentions.

The uncommon communion is our response to this gap.

For most of us, this may not be an easy quality to grasp at first. What exactly does he mean by having an uncommon communion with God? How do I do that? What does it look like? How will I know when I have that quality?

Communion Defined

Before I go any further, let me first define “communion” in this context for you.

Communion:
the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings with God

Scripture’s Answers

Now, as we have done before on multiple occasions, let’s take a look at Scripture to find our answers to the questions above. I think Dr. Loritts picked a great example in Moses, so we will stick with him.

As I mentioned above, God spoke with Moses as we would a friend. I think that is the perfect example of uncommon communion. I don’t think there was anyone else in the Israelite camp that had that kind of relationship with God.

Moses’ Part

So what exactly did Moses do that, for his part, caused that relationship? First, he made it perfectly clear on a number of occasions that alone, he did not have what it took to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. Moses was clearly broken as it related to his leadership.

But Moses did not only acknowledge that he was broken and unable to lead God’s people. He also acted on this brokenness. Moses pressed into God to make sure He gave him what he needed. This included asking for a mouthpiece (Aaron) and the words to say to Pharaoh (Exodus 3:1-4:31).

Pressing In

Whatever the case, Moses recognized that he was not able to do it on his own and he was determined to make sure God met his needs. Moses pleaded with God, even to the point of aggravating Him (Exodus 4:14). While God did get angry with Moses, I this free and open relationship is exactly what He wants from us.

Even later, Moses continued to plead with and push God to maintain His presence with the Israelite people as they moved. He also pushed God for a glimpse of His glory! Moses was broken, but he was also bold in his relationship with God!

Imitate Moses

The more I look at Moses and his uncommon communion, the more I believe we actually are able to imitate him. In general, Moses did not (normally) make a move without consulting God. Through his frequent interaction with God in the tent of meeting, Moses sought God’s wisdom and direction in everything he did.

For us, uncommon communion looks the same. We recognize our brokenness and see the gap between who we are and the godly leaders God has called us to be. Once we see this gap, we press into God to make up the difference.

We will know we have this quality when we simply cannot imagine making a significant decision without seeking God’s face about it. We will be models of this level of godly leadership when others watch us enter our own “tent of meeting” before making any important decisions.

Do you have an uncommon communion with God?

What action is God leading you to take toward this relationship with Him?

Who are you asking to hold you accountable to taking these steps?

17 Biblical Principles

What Would You Invest to Have 50 Biblical Mentors?

Imagine what it would cost to sit down to lunch with more than 50 different leaders to glean their wisdom for life.

  • What would it cost you to travel to more than 50 locations?
  • How much would you pay for hotels and food?
  • What scheduling headaches would you encounter trying to make it happen?

Your costs would easily run into the thousands of dollars if you could pull it off at all. But 17BPS has done it for you.

Now you can have all this wisdom delivered when it is convenient for you for only a fraction of the cost.

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4 Little Known Qualities Of Godly Leaders

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Anywhere you look these days, you can find a book (or a dozen) on leadership. Everyone feels they know what it takes to be a leader. I am not going to pretend that I have some secret sauce or silver bullet on what it takes to be a great leader. If you are looking for that, keep looking. It may be even tougher to find the same for godly leaders. I personally do not think you will ever find it.

godly leaders

Courtesy of Flickr/Simoes

Qualities Of Godly Leaders

At the same time, I believe it can be very helpful for us to find many true and healthy perspectives on the characteristics and qualities of godly leaders. I believe the more we can learn about what great and godly leaders look like, the better we can hope to mimic them.

It is for this reason that I take notes anytime I hear a description of godly leaders, either as individuals or as a group. I then take what I learn and pass it on through this blog. Today, I would like to share what I learned about great, godly leaders from Dr. Crawford Loritts, a pastor in Atlanta, GA.

Loritts talked about four qualities or characteristics of great, godly leaders during his segment in Dennis Rainey’s Stepping Up video series. Even these are not commonly found in leadership books, I believe we all need to seek these qualities. If we do, I believe God can better use us to point others to Him. I will tackle the first of these qualities today.

Quality #1 – Brokenness

The first little known quality of great, godly leaders as described by Dr. Loritts is brokenness. There are not many leadership books that mention brokenness as a quality of a great leader. In fact, I think very few of us would come up with this quality at first glance.

At the same time, after considering what Dr. Loritts had to say, I would have to agree with him! Before I go further into what he said about brokenness, let’s talk about what the opposite would mean.

Opposite View?

When I think of someone who is NOT broken, the characteristics I come up with are whole, strong, confident…they have it all together. These characteristics may actually be the ones you would find in a leadership book. This actually sounds more like a leader than one that is broken, right?

So let’s take a look at what Dr. Loritts said. First, he said that one who is broken has come to the realization that life is not about him, but is instead about God.

Think about that.

Broken Leader

A broken leader is one that is fully aware that alone, he is not whole or strong. Alone, this leader is not confident. Nor does he have it all together. This leader has come to the place where he acknowledges that he alone cannot be a leader after God’s own heart. He realizes that leadership is about much more than him!

As a result, Dr. Loritts continues, this leader has a healthy reliance on God. He knows that he cannot accomplish God’s plan on his own. He is not capable on his own and therefore relies on God for everything.

Cracked Leaders?

Some of us have partially come to this point. Call us cracked (but not yet broken)! We rely on God for the tough stuff. We rely on Him when we don’t know what to do. We rely on him when we face a situation that confuses or scares us.

But the rest of the time, we do our own thing. We are NOT yet broken.

Fully Broken

The great, godly leader has seen missed opportunities and failed endeavors when he tried it on his own in the past. These cause him to break down and cry. He has even mourned over good results that could have been miraculous if he had relied on God and not himself.

This leader is fully broken because his experience has shown him the futility of leading on his own. He knows there are possibilities that he cannot even imagine IF he will rely on God. He is broken because he is no longer willing to settle for less than miraculous results. He is wholly and fully committed to relying on God.

What About You And Me?

How much of this describes you and your leadership?

If you are like me, this is convicting. I know I understand this because it resonated with me. At the same time, I am completely guilty of trying to do it on my own too often. My prayer is that we will stop seeing ourselves as needing to be so strong. Instead, may we heed God’s words to Paul in 2 Corinthians.

But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”
2 Corinthians 12:9

Have you considered brokenness as a godly leader quality?

Do you see yourself as possessing the quality of brokenness?

What do you think are Dr. Loritts’ other three qualities of godly leaders?

17 Biblical Principles

What Would You Invest to Have 50 Biblical Mentors?

Imagine what it would cost to sit down to lunch with more than 50 different leaders to glean their wisdom for life.

  • What would it cost you to travel to more than 50 locations?
  • How much would you pay for hotels and food?
  • What scheduling headaches would you encounter trying to make it happen?

Your costs would easily run into the thousands of dollars if you could pull it off at all. But 17BPS has done it for you.

Now you can have all this wisdom delivered when it is convenient for you for only a fraction of the cost.

Click HERE to learn more!

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Your Job Does Not Matter!

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Wait a minute. Do I really believe that what you do does not matter? Is it really my opinion that your job is irrelevant? I don’t even know what you do, so how could I say that? Well, I guess you will have to hear me out to decide whether you agree or not!

job

Stuck In Your Job?

In my last post, I discussed how so many people feel stuck in their jobs. They are not excited to go to work. Too many people have lost their passion for their work – if they have ever had it.

Maybe you have felt like this. Maybe that is exactly how you feel right now.

If that is the case, then I have good news for you. There is an answer to this problem and I believe I have it. What I am about to share with you has transformed my work life and I believe it can do the same for you.

Go To Scripture

The first thing I want to do is take you to Scripture. I believe that all of our answers are there if we are just willing to take the time to look and study. The verse I want you to read and absorb is this one from Paul in his letter to the Colossians.

And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.
Colossians 3:17, 23-24

Whatever?

Focus on that word, “whatever,” and tell me what it means. Think about it before answering. Ready? It actually means “whatever” – as in anything, everything, etc. The point here is that it really does not matter exactly what you do, you should do it in the name of Jesus and do it for Him.

Are you a teacher? Then teach for Jesus. Are you in business? Then do business for Jesus. Do you design software? Then do that for Jesus. You get the idea…

WHATEVER you do, do it for Jesus.

We Serve Him

So, my first point is regarding the job you have. The specifics of it are irrelevant. All possibilities fall under “whatever.” Regardless of what you do for a living, the Bible says you are to do it for Jesus. You serve Him. Does that make sense?

The problem is that the moment most people truly absorb this idea in their hearts, they think they have to leave their current job and go into ministry. The truth is that only part of that is right.

True And False

The true part is that they need to go into ministry. This is absolutely true and should not be left up to paid church staff members. We ALL should be doing ministry!

The false part of the earlier statement is that they have to leave their current job. I personally tried to walk away from my job because I thought this way. Fortunately, God straightened me out and that has made all the difference for me.

Ministry Where You Are!

See, the truth is that you need to do ministry, but you need to do it wherever you are and in whatever you are doing! This is the whole idea behind the business as ministry movement. This is why I write this blog. People need to know these two ideas:

    1. Everyone is called to do ministry for Jesus!
    2. Everyone can do ministry right where they are!

So let’s go back to the original problem – you have lost the passion for your job. If you have been approaching your job as a means to a paycheck, you need to change that approach. If it has simply met physical needs and that is the way you view it, change your glasses.

New Set Of Glasses

Now, put on the set of glasses that shows you a new “Why” for your job. Rather than seeing your job as a burden, begin to look at it as a means to doing ministry. Instead of seeing your job as something that you have to do to eat, start looking at it as a way to serve God and others for His sake.

What does your job look like now?

Begin The Process

Please know that I realize this process takes more time than the 2-3 minutes you need to read this post. I cannot convince you in 800+ words that your job now has a completely new meaning and purpose. At the same time, I can encourage you to start praying about this.

The end result, if you are diligent, is that God can put a new passion in your heart for the job you are now doing. He can give you a “Why” that gives you a feeling of excitement every time you head to work. “What” you do is not important, but having the right “Why” can change everything!

Please share your experience with this idea in the comment section below!

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Do Not Ask WWJD!

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Charles Sheldon’s book, In His Steps, introduced Christians to a powerful question more than 100 years ago. Since then, Christians have been asking “WWJD?” (What Would Jesus Do?) when faced with difficult choices or deciding what action to take. I am a huge fan of that book and it is on my recommended reading list. In fact, I believe every Christian should read it, but it is my recommendation that you NOT ask this question. Let me explain.

WWJD

Sports Hero?

In an effort to create a visual illustration of my thought process, I want you to think of your favorite sports figure. Picture in your mind a scene where they are exhibiting the height of their skills in a single move.

Maybe you are picturing a wide receiver in football making an unbelievably acrobatic, one-handed catch while diving for the end zone. Maybe it is a batter in baseball reaching for the outside curveball, getting just enough of it to send it over the infield and into the outfield before dropping to allow the game-winning run.

I could go on with examples, but I believe you get the picture. The idea here is that this athlete is doing something that you would love to imitate. If you could, you would put yourself into his or her position and do the same thing, right? Haven’t you dreamed about something similar at one time or another?

You Are Not Prepared

Here is the problem. You and I are not prepared for that situation. We have not put in the hours of practice, workouts, stretches, and training that this particular athlete has given. The move or play that you saw them make was the culmination of thousands of hours of preparation.

For you or me to be given the exact same opportunity and expect to be able to make the same play as our favorite athlete – that is somewhat crazy, don’t you think? While I am perfectly okay with a fantasy like this, I do think we need to recognize that it is just that…a fantasy.

Hours Of Work Required!

The only way you or I could truly be ready to execute the same play would be to prepare in the same way, right? We really would need to put in the hours of hard work, practice, and training if we wanted to be able to direct our bodies to respond the same way.

This idea is no different in business, right? It would be naive for us to expect to be able to have the insight or acumen necessary to identify and exploit a huge profit opportunity in the market without having the years of experience and learning in that particular industry.

Why Different When Imitating Jesus?

So why is it that we think we can simply ask the question, “WWJD – What would Jesus do?” and get the answer we need? Why do we think we can wait until the heat of the moment when faced with temptation, tough moral choices, or other decisions before we ask this question?

Put Jesus in the place of the athlete in the earlier illustration. Like them, He prepared for a lifetime. As a man, He spent his life seeking the will of His Father. He was constantly withdrawing to a quiet place to be alone with His Father and pray. He was totally and completely focused on living out His mission on earth, not allowing distractions.

More Than Asking WWJD!

In the same way, if we truly want to imitate Jesus, we must do more than simply ask what He would do in any given situation. Instead, we must be willing to dedicate the time, energy, and effort necessary to prepare as He prepared.

If we really want to run our businesses the way Jesus would run them if He were the boss, then we must focus our minds and hearts on learning all we can about Him and His actions. We cannot simply hope the answers will appear just because we ask the WWJD question.

Disciplined Discipleship!

We must commit the time in the mornings to read His Word. Studying the Bible and how it applies to each of us today is critical. We must memorize Scripture so that we can quote it in the face of temptation, just like He did.

We have to prioritize time alone in prayer with our Father the way Jesus did. If we are not constantly communicating with God in a way that allows us to become intimately familiar with His overall will for our lives, then we will have no clue what Jesus would do in a given situation.

Time With Sinners?

We also need to spend our time around sinners and those in need. While you may not immediately see how this can be helpful, I promise that it is. First of all, this is something Jesus did so that is really all you need to know. If you will just do it for a while, you will begin to see why it is necessary.

But since you are impatient, I will tell you that spending your time around these people will increase your sensitivity to the needs of the world around you. You will be better able to see that this life is not all about you, but is about God and communicating His love to everyone. Doing this will enable you to feel the compassion Jesus had for those around Him.

Answers From Preparation

When you combine all of the above over a period of time, you will find that the answer to your question (WWJD) will come more easily. The more you prepare like Jesus did, the more you may find you don’t even need to stop to ask the question – the answer will already be there.

What are your thoughts about asking WWJD?

How prepared do you feel you are to ask the question?

What should be your next step in preparation?

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Anger Without Madness?

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If you have not been full of anger to the point of expressing it in a way that you later regret, then it is likely you have not been in the business world very long. If you are a business veteran and have never overreacted in anger, then you are to be admired. For the rest of us, this is something we likely need some help with on a regular basis!

anger

Anger At Work?

When was the last time you got angry at work? More important than what caused your anger to come to the surface, how did you handle it?

Looking back (maybe even just minutes ago!), are you proud of the way you acted or do you wish you could have a do-over? Would you be okay with a quick video of your reaction showing on the news tonight or being shared all over Facebook and Twitter? Or more likely, would you prefer everyone who witnessed your actions would forget all about them?

If you are in the majority of us that on occasion allow their anger to get the best of us, then maybe you need to stop and take a look at this issue with me. I can promise that you are not alone, but at the same time that is not a valid excuse anymore than jumping off the bridge because everyone else did!

The Right Topic

The Bible is pretty clear when it comes to anger and how we express it. In fact, I will share quite a few verses that address this very topic. However, before I do this, I want to make sure we are addressing the right topic.

While you may think the topic of anger should be fairly self-evident, there is actually more to it than you might think. See, anger is not the problem. In fact, anger by itself is not a sin. There is nothing in the world wrong with anger.

God is perfectly holy and without sin. Yet throughout the Old Testament, there are descriptions of God’s anger – always in response to sin (Deuteronomy 11:16-17). Jesus walked this earth without sin, but we all know about the scene at the temple when, in anger, he overturned the tables of the moneychangers and those selling animals for sacrifice (Matthew 21:12-13).

Anger Without Sin

Anger is simply an emotion that God gave us. We can experience anger without committing sin. God can use our righteous anger to drive us to improve conditions around us that do not honor him. Pure (sinless) anger can motivate us to act when other emotions cannot.

The problem is when we add other emotions or motivations into the mix. For example, when we add pride to anger, we are driven to verbally abuse an employee or coworker because their performance made us look bad. Adding jealousy to anger may cause us to lash out at someone else on our team that is getting more credit for their work than we are.

Of course, not all sinful anger is acted out by the tongue, but I think this is probably the most often used tool for expressing anger – especially in the workplace. The tongue can bring healing, but it can also cut and seriously injure those around us when not controlled (James 3:3-12). Unfortunately, it is not easily controlled!

Closed Loophole

Before you think you have found a loophole, I want to close it quickly. Whether you are using a smart phone, tablet, or a computer, your keyboard is also a tongue! Sometimes we kid ourselves and think that we can lash out with our texts, emails, or social media posts and that this is somehow different than using our tongue. Sorry, but that won’t fly.

We simply cannot allow our anger to drive us to sin. We are instead to be shining examples of mercy, forgiveness, and grace. We are Christ’s ambassadors in the marketplace and we cannot afford to dishonor His name. We CAN get angry if we will make sure that anger remains controlled and is directed at injustice or evil in a way that honors the God who gave it to us!

Avoid The Madness!

In a recent discussion on this very topic, a wise friend of mine described it in a way that makes it clear to me:

Don’t let madness come into play with your anger!”

In your free time, read through the following verses and see if you have any further thoughts on anger and how it affects you. Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Ephesians 4:26-32

Matthew 12:36-37

Ecclesiastes 7:9

Colossians 4:6

1 Thessalonians 5:11