Tag Archives: application of Scripture

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How To Read And Apply Scripture

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We all know we need to read and seek to apply Scripture in our lives. This is no revelation. The problem is that sometimes we really don’t know HOW to do this, right? Sometimes, we read a passage and cannot understand what exactly it should be saying to us. While it sounds simple, sometimes it is not.

apply Scripture

My Effort To Apply Scripture

For today, I want to try something different from my norm. I am taking a short passage (Psalm 119:73-80) and I am attempting to put it into my own words. I have tried to imagine how each verse should apply to my life in particular and then worded it as a prayer back to God.

Keep in mind, this is clearly not Scripture itself. I am not attempting to rewrite it, only to apply Scripture to my life in my words and according to my understanding. These verses may say something else to you. The Holy Spirit is not limited in how He can speak to us!

Take a look at the following verses and see if they resonate with you. Each verse is listed in italics and then my words follow. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment area at the end of the post.

Verse 73 – Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding so that I can learn your commands.

    Father, Your hands made every part of me and formed each of my strengths, weaknesses, talents, gifts, and desires into the man that I am. There is nothing about me that You cannot use to impact others. I don’t just want to know Your commands or even to be familiar with them, but to fully understand them. Please give me this understanding so I can apply them in every role I play, in every part of my life.

Verse 74 – May those who fear You rejoice when they see me for I have put my hope in your word.

    I pray that all those who fear You and know You in a real way would be glad to see me and do business with me because they see You in our business. This is not for the sake of the business itself, but for the relationships between us and so that both of us are impacted in a way that draws us closer to You.

Verse 75 – I know, Lord, that your judgments are just and that you have afflicted me fairly.

    Lord, Your rules and judgments are perfect and true, even when they do not make it easy for me. I realize You have a much bigger perspective than I do and therefore I will not always understand Your ways. At least I know they are perfect as You are and that your application of them in my life is fair. I thank You for Your promises here.

Verse 76 – Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant.

    Father, I know my choice to be in business means I will face challenges and struggles on a regular basis. As a result, there will be times of loneliness and frustration. I accept that. I ask that You comfort me during these times with Your endless love. You have already promised this in Your word – I just claim it now!

Verse 77 – Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live, for thy law is my delight.

    In addition to the times of frustration, there will also be times when I personally fall short of Your expectations and guidelines for my life. Though I do not intend to do so because I love Your laws, I know that I am flesh and will disappoint You. I pray now that Your mercy will come to me in those times. I pray not only that You will show me mercy, but that I will recognize it. I also pray I will show that same mercy to others.

Verse 78 – May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause; but I will meditate on your precepts.

    Often because of the business I am in, there are those who disparage me with lies. Though they do not know the truth, they arrogantly assume they do and speak as such. I pray that at some point You will shame them for these lies. To make sure I avoid this same behavior myself, I will continue to meditate on Your word. Help me with this!

Verse 79 – Let those who fear You, those who know Your decrees, turn to me.

    Lord, I interact with many people on a daily basis. While I know I am to be an ambassador to those who do not know You, I pray that you will surround me with others who do know You. I need the companionship, mentoring, and accountability from those who have walked with You and know You and Your ways.

Verse 80 – May my heart be blameless in your statutes, that I may not be put to shame.

    Father, I read Your word regularly and try my best to follow what it tells me. However, you know I am sinful and tend to wander from Your path. Please strengthen my faith to stick to Your path and give me a clean heart so that I am not ashamed of my behavior, thoughts, and deeds. I want to reflect You to those around me.

What does it look like when you apply Scripture to your life?

Have you done it like this before?

What methods would you recommend to apply Scripture to your life?

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Unity In Diversity

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In a recent post, we looked at how diversity of skills, perspectives, gifts, etc. is necessary for an organization to achieve it purposes. If you have not read it yet, I would recommend doing that now. Today, I want to look at how diversity may not be enough. We also need unity.

unity

All-Stars Without Diversity

In the other post, I described a hypothetical situation where the Atlanta Falcons signed five new all-star players for their roster. All five were quarterbacks. The leadership of the team knew they did not need five quarterbacks, but instead planned to play these all-stars in the offensive line positions.

I talked about how ridiculous this would be (if it were true) and how ineffective it would be to put quarterbacks on the offensive line. I don’t think anyone argued about this opinion.

Same True For Business

We then looked at the parallels between a football team and our businesses. Regardless the organization, we agreed that we needed among our members a diversity of skills, perspectives, gifts, etc. if we want the team to be effective.

While this is true, there is more to the picture.

What About Unity Of Purpose?

Think about this. Assume for a moment the Falcons did not sign five quarterbacks, but instead had all of the best skilled players in the league for each position and had them playing in the right positions. Sounds much better, right?

Well, now assume the quarterback had decided he was going to set a new record for the most rushing yards for a quarterback. The running back set his goal as the most receiving touchdowns in a season. The linemen determined they would seek the record for the fewest injuries in a season for an offensive line. The coach is convinced he can orchestrate the most come-from-behind wins in one season.

Do you get the idea? If each player has a different goal – even if it is a valid, challenging goal – then the team will self-destruct! Can you imagine what a game would look like for this team?

Unity In Business

The same principles apply in our businesses. If we hire the best people and put them in the right positions according to their skills or gifts, we are starting off on the right foot.

However, if we do not work just as hard to make sure they all have the exact same overall goals in mind, we are simply setting ourselves up for failure. There is no way for an organization to be successful in achieving the purposes for which it was created if the members of that organization have varied goals.

Take a look at your own organization. Does everyone have the same goals as you do? Are these goals communicated clearly and consistently? Do you make corrections to the goals of those on your team as it becomes evident they are different from those of the team?

What Does Scripture Say?

In case you are wondering what the Bible says about this principle of unity, I suggest we go there to find out. In fact, we can use part of the same passage of Scripture to illustrate this point on unity as we did for the point about diversity. Take a look:

But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
1 Corinthians 12:24-26

Note the following phrases:

    God has put the body together…
    there should be no division in the body…
    its parts should have equal concern for each other…
    if one part suffers, every part suffers…

I think it becomes clear that diversity is important, but it must be combined with unity if we are going to be effective. The right skills in the right positions, all with a common goal, can achieve amazing results!

Which is more of a problem for your team: unity or diversity?

What action step do you need to take to begin correcting this?

Is your team aware of the need for change?

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Giving: Are You The Eye Dropper Or The Jug?

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Recently, a good friend of mine was teaching on the topic of giving and he asked an interesting question. He told us to imagine we were desperately thirsty and someone offered us water to drink. His question was this, “Would you prefer they give you drink out of an eye dropper or a gallon jug?”

giving

Give Me The Jug!

I am pretty sure your answer to that question is the same as mine – I want the gallon jug! I am not sure anyone would prefer quenching their thirst out of an eye dropper over a gallon jug. No real brain teaser there.

It was his follow up question that got my attention.

When giving, are you more like the eye dropper or the jug?

Great Giving Analogy

Since I am one that likes analogies, this was perfect for me. I instantly understood the question and began thinking of the appropriate parallels. While virtually analogy has its limitations, I think there are several lessons we can get from this picture.

First, think about how much and how often you give. I am not really talking about your tithe at this point, but all that you give over and above the tithe. [This post is not about whether the tithe is a New or Old Testament requirement or expectation. Set this issue to the side for now.]

Questions To Ponder

How often do you find yourself giving to those around you? How much do you give?

Does your giving hurt? Is your giving sacrificial or out of abundance?

When you think about this, are you separating your business and personal lives?

Do you hesitate or are you quick to give?

Do you think your giving represents the eye dropper or the jug?

Another Giving Perspective

Let’s think about another perspective for a moment. Let’s say you are the holder of the water and you want to give it to someone to quench their thirst. If you want to make sure their thirst is fully quenched, which would you prefer to use – the eye dropper or the jug? Why?

Certainly, you can give more and give it faster if you use the jug, right?

So how do you think God looks at us when He wants to give? Does HE see you as the eye dropper or the jug? Why should that matter?

God’s Giving

Well, if He wants to give through you and you act more like the eye dropper, then He will not be able to give you as much or as quickly as He may want. If He wants to give THROUGH you to those around you, but you are slow and tight like the eye dropper, what do you think He will do?

On the other hand, what if you give like the jug? Do you think God will give you more resources to give to others because He can give more quantity and more quickly through you? Have you considered this before?

Once again, I am giving you my thoughts based on what I believe to be true. So that you can see I am not making this up, I want to check the Scripture to make sure it backs up what I am saying.

God’s Giving Purpose

Check out the following verses from Genesis. This is God speaking to Abram (later Abraham) and giving him the original covenant between them. Notice the dual ideas of being blessed and then being a blessing:

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”

Genesis 12:1-3

Blessed To Be A Blessing

Can you see that God promised to bless Abram and his people (Israel), but that they also were to be a blessing to all peoples on earth? This is HUGE and so often we neglect this very idea. We want to be blessed, but we are often hesitant to bless others with this blessing we have been given.

God did not say He would bless Abram so he could kick back and enjoy it. His intention is that the blessing He gives is to be used to bless others – all over the world!

How Achieved

Now that we see the purpose we have, let’s look at HOW we achieve it:

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Luke 6:38

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:6-8

Be The Jug!

Hopefully, you can see that we are all to be more like the jug in our giving. As we give, we are given more. This is the principle of the sower. As we are given more, we continue to give even more. This goes on an on.

This is not a prosperity gospel. This is about God giving more through us because we have giving hearts. This is about our hearts seeing His purposes and responding with our own giving.

I pray you will take these words and ponder them. Pray that God will show you where you are today and where he wants you to be. I promise He is faithful to do it.

Because I want to give you every opportunity to take action, I am going to tell you about an opportunity for you to give right now. My friend, Pastor Rajeev, does incredible work in Northern India where the Christian population is less than 2%. He is trying right now to raise the money he needs for his annual budget.

I encourage you to stop what you are doing right now and pray what God would have you to do for Pastor Rajeev. If you want to learn more about what God is doing through Rajeev, check out the links below. At the same time, don’t let your research distract you from the immediate need! Check them out:

Partners In Action Donation Page

True Life Mission Website

Gospel For India Blog

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Dream Team For Falcons?

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I want you to imagine for a moment that you are a fan of the Atlanta Falcons professional football team. You believe there is great hope in the upcoming season. You are intently following their offseason moves so you get a better idea of exactly HOW good the upcoming season will be. Then you see the following in the newspaper:

Falcons

5 New Star Falcons!

Your first thoughts are full of excitement and you can’t wait to see the names of these new stars on the team. As you read through the article, your mood changes. In fact, it gets downright maddening as you see the details of the new players that have been signed.

Why are you frustrated? As it turns out, your favorite team has signed five of the best players in the league. While that SHOULD be a good thing, the truth is it is not. Unfortunately for you, all five of the “all-star” players that were signed are quarterbacks!

What Are They Thinking?

Granted, with a possible exception here or there, these are arguably the best five quarterbacks in the league right now. There is no question they are the best. The problem is that no team needs five quarterbacks! Of course, the Falcons’ ownership realizes this…

Which is why they are planning to play these new stars on the offensive line.

Seriously? You can’t believe your eyes! What are they thinking?

Diversity Is Necessary!

Obviously, this is fiction – don’t get too worked up! But clearly, there is a huge point here relating to business, churches, and any other organization. The point here is that diversity is a major benefit to an organization and the lack of it can be just as deadly.

Think about it. Too many people with the same skills and talents, the same perspectives and opinions, etc. can be a good thing if your only goal is harmony. You won’t likely have many arguments or confrontations this way, but do you really think you will be more effective this way?

The problem with this picture is that most organizations have a variety of jobs that need to be done. Each of these jobs require differing skill sets and talents. Just like a football team has different positions that require different body types, sizes, flexibility, and speed, your organization cannot be effective if everyone is just alike.

Good At One, Good At Another?

While the five quarterbacks mentioned above are likely among the best at the quarterback position, they are not nearly big enough or strong enough to play on the offensive line. Even if they are better at their position than the current offensive line is at theirs, that does not mean it is a good idea to put them in this position.

Yet, often we do this very thing in our businesses. We see someone that is good at sales and just assume she is also good at managing other people. So we promote her without considering that these two jobs require very different skills and abilities.

I am sure you can think of similar examples of this kind of behavior in your organization. I can promise you we have made this mistake more than once. In fact, I have been guilty of this myself – with my own job.

My Own Job!

For years, I have tried to do certain parts of my job even though I am not very skilled at these parts of the job. I did them because I knew they had to be done and felt I was the only one who could do them.

Fortunately, during a one-on-one coaching session, my C12 chairman told me that I was not at all good at these parts of my job! He did not mince words, but told me exactly what I needed to hear. I am so thankful for this kind of wisdom and accountability!

I Followed The Advice

As a result, I have been on a search for someone that IS skilled at these tasks. I am determined I am not going to continue making the same mistake because I know how much it is limiting the success of our company.

Sure, it is certainly humbling to realize that I am not able to do everything our organization needs out of my position. I would love nothing more than to be able to fill this role in a way that takes the company to new heights. At the same time, I realize that God did not wire me that way.

My gifts and talents are absolutely useful in our company, just not in the roles I have been playing. I am okay with that.

Example From Scripture

Just so we are sure these principles are true and not just my opinion, let’s take a look at Scripture that backs this up.

If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
1 Corinthians 12:17-20

Can you see how this works in a business? This same principle that Paul describes as the body of Christ works for a business, non-profit organization, or any other group of people with a common purpose.

I would encourage you to look around your business (and in the mirror!) to see if you have the diversity of skills, perspectives, gifts, etc. that you need. If not, make a conscious effort to begin the process of correcting this problem. In my next post, we will look at how diversity may not be enough.

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How Productive Are You?

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I recently attended a meeting with other car dealers and one of the common topics of conversation was employee productivity. We discussed it from several angles and tried to quantify how much more value there is in a productive employee versus one that is not. When you look at the numbers, it is amazing the difference.

productive

Am I Productive?

As I thought about this idea, I wondered how productive I am on a consistent basis. I thought about the various distractions I have during a normal day and how those distractions often destroy my efforts to be productive! Have you ever experienced these distractions?

The more I thought about it, the more I felt guilty! The thought that struck me the most was the following question:

Would I be more productive if I knew I was being videotaped for all other employees to watch?

As I thought about this question, I realized that I would probably be embarrassed if everyone at our company knew how many times I allowed myself to be distracted in a given day. If they knew how often I was not very productive, they would probably hang me!

What about you? Would you be more productive if you were being watched? Can you think of areas where you allow distractions to keep you from being productive? Have you thought about this before?

How To Be More Productive

Immediately, my mind began working on this new problem. How can I begin eliminating the distractions that I encounter every day? How can I ensure more work is done per hour while I am at work? What precautions should I take to avoid distractions in the first place? How productive could I be if I faced 75% fewer distractions?

Maybe your mind does not work like this, but mine went into overdrive! Keep in mind that all I am describing happened in seconds in my head. I went from zero to sixty miles an hour in a few seconds!

My next step was to start listing my distractions. As I did this in my head, I came to a startling realization…

These distractions had names.

Specific Distractions!

When I say they had names, I do not mean names like “coffee break” or “Facebook” or anything like that. I mean they had actual names like “John” and “Barbara” and “Charlie” (actual names changed to protect the innocent!).

I realized that the majority of my “distractions” – the causes of those times when I was less productive – were actually people. These people, in most cases, are people I am impacting for eternity in one way or another. These people, if I am truly honest and focused on what’s most important, are not distractions at all!

Now What?

At this point I stopped. I quickly went from sixty miles an hour back down to zero. I just sat there, thinking. I imagine you might be doing the very same right now.

I will tell you right now that I do not have the answer to this problem. I cannot give you a simple, fact-based prescription to the problem of balancing relationships on the job with the off-setting reduction in productive time. If you know it and can present it concisely, please feel free to do so in the comment section below. We would all appreciate it!

What I can tell you is that the issue of begin productive is not as simple as it looked at the beginning of this post. Clearly, there is more to this than can be quantified with a ratio or metric from a financial statement.

Start At The Beginning

In an effort to sort through this, let’s review what we do know.

First, this world is temporary. That means that everything in this world is also temporary – including our jobs and businesses.

Second, people (our souls, not our physical bodies) are eternal. Even after this world is gone, we will continue to exist. Where, and with Whom, we exist depends upon where we place our trust during this life.

When we truly understand these two issues, it becomes more clear whether it is more important to be productive on our jobs or to impact others for eternity. There really is no arguing as to whether it is more important to produce an extra two widgets per hour or to point someone toward the God who loves them. Do we agree on that?

There’s More To It…

If it were only that simple then we would not even need to discuss this.

It is not that simple. Just consider the following Scripture:

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.
Ephesians 6:5-8

Working For Christ

In this passage, we are told to work as if we are working for Christ Himself. We are not necessarily excused from allowing distractions to keep us from being productive for our supervisors or the company owners – even if the distraction is an eternal one!

No, we cannot simply blow off our work because we see our “distractions” as eternal souls and want to point them to God. At the same time, we cannot ruthlessly eliminate all of our “distractions” for the purpose of being productive in a temporary pursuit. This has to be a Both/And effort rather than an Either/Or one.

Both/And Opportunity

We do not have to choose EITHER having an eternal impact on those around us OR being productive for our employers. While it will take creativity to make it work, it can happen that BOTH are achieved.

We need to do the best we can to BOTH eliminate all non-eternal distractions to increase our productivity AND respond to those around us in a way that points them to God. Take some time today and brainstorm this. Think about ways to increase your productive time AND to increase your influence on those around you.

I look forward to hearing about the results!

Are you as productive as you should be?

Do you have similar “distractions”?

What ideas have you come up with to balance productivity and eternal influence?

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Mind Like Water Is Possible!

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Several years ago, I found an audio book on the clearance rack at the local Staples office supply store. That book was called Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity and it revolutionized how I approach my work day. While I cannot go into the details of the whole program author David Allen proposes, I can tell you that there is a spiritual lesson to be learned from him as well.

mind like water

Mind Like Water

Getting Things Done (GTD) is a work-life management system that begins with a concept called “mind like water.” This idea is best understood by picturing a quiet pond where the water is perfectly still…not a ripple anywhere. When a rock is tossed into the pond, ripples are created in the water. Throw another rock in and more ripples appear.

If you throw enough rocks into the pond, one after another, then your quiet, still pond is a memory. In its place is rough water, waves and ripples crossing each other as they run from one side of the pond to the other. Do you get the picture?

Now, go back to the original picture of the quiet, calm pond. Your mind is like this water. Without constant inputs, it can be quiet and still. In this state, you can be more creative, more effective, have a sharper focus, etc. When your mind is calm like this pond, getting things done is so much easier. You know exactly what I am talking about!

Life Throws Rocks

Unfortunately, life throws rocks. Every time you are told about something you have to remember, a rock is tossed into your “pond.” When you a meeting is added to your schedule or a report is requested of you, more rocks are tossed in. Pretty soon, sometimes before you are finished with your first cup of coffee, your pond looks like the Atlantic.

Getting Things Done is a system that teaches you how to minimize the ripples from each rock and to get back to “mind like water” quicker (and stay there). I can vouch for its effectiveness as I have been using it for years. It is not simple, but once you get the hang of it, you will never go back!

Spiritual Mind Like Water

Folks, the cool thing is that this idea of “mind like water” also describes our spiritual life. Just think about how easy it is to worship God or pray for extended periods of time WHEN your mind looks like the quiet, still pond. Things seem easier then, right?

Unfortunately, as I have already said, life throws rocks! Sometimes you cannot get out of bed before the anxiety sets in and takes away any peace you thought you had. Whether these rocks come from business issues, family problems, or health concerns (or a combination!), maintaining a spiritual “mind like water” is tough these days.

Even if we manage to escape without waves and ripples for a season, we know it is only a matter of time before the tumult returns. Why is life so hard like this? Why can’t we have more quiet time when our minds are at peace instead of churning through the day?

Its How We Learn

Well, I read a verse today that speaks to this. Here it is:

It was good for me to be afflicted
so that I could learn Your statutes.
Psalm 119:71

I think God knows we learn better when we go through tough times. He knows that we draw closer to him during the storms. Maybe getting things done is easier when there are fewer waves, but He is more interested in our relationship with Him than He is in our getting things done for Him.

So first, recognize that the waves bring us to Him and as a result, help us to learn and mature in our Christian walk. Don’t fight the waves. Instead, ask what you can learn from them.

Constant Tumult Not Necessary

At the same time, God does not necessarily desire for us to be in constant tumult in our minds. The external waves can teach us much, but even in the midst of the storms, God promises that we can have peace!

So even though you will face storms throughout your life, you can still have a peace inside. Your mind can still be like water – absent of anxiety and fear. I wrote several posts on this recently (read them here), but the bottom line is that you must take an eternal perspective on life.

Eternal Perspective

I believe this peace comes from recognizing that this life is temporary and is only a brief glimpse of the eternity we have ahead of us. When we trust God completely, to the point where all anxiety and fear is replaced with peace, then we can experience spiritual “mind like water.”

When we can do this – even for short periods of time – we are better able to hear and understand what God wants us to learn. When we are free from worry about the distractions in this world and focused on His peace, then the insights and wisdom we can gain will astound us.

I encourage you to try Getting Things Done if you need an effective work-life management system. However, more important than that is gaining the eternal perspective that can help you achieve a spiritual “mind like water.” I promise you will never go back!

Have you experienced “mind like water”?

Is your eternal perspective allowing you to have peace in the storms?

What do you need to do next?

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Danger Zone In Continuous Learning

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I have talked a lot in my posts about being mentored and learning from others. I think continuous learning is a critical part of being a leader and anyone who has stopped learning will not be leading much longer. However, there can be an easily overlooked danger in this that I want to address.

danger

Endless Supply Of Material

If you have access to the internet, then you literally have access to more leaders than you can count. You can read books and blogs or watch videos and webinars on virtually any subject or topic you choose. There is a virtually endless supply of wisdom out there to be gleaned.

Even if you narrow your search down to Christian business leaders, it would not be very difficult to find more material than you can absorb in a year. Quite simply, there is not a shortage of opportunities for learning or gaining wisdom in the world today.

I have been overwhelmed at times with the abundance of godly wisdom that is available. In fact, there have been times where I have been reading two or three different books or blogs at one time. While it can sometimes get confusing, I have enjoyed the variety.

So what exactly is the danger that we need to avoid?

How can continuous learning cause us trouble?

Danger Example In Scripture

These are good questions, but before I answer them I want to take a look at an example from Scripture. In the following passage, Peter steps into a danger zone. It is this area that I want to discuss.

After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up on a high mountain by themselves to be alone. He was transformed in front of them, and His clothes became dazzling—extremely white as no launderer on earth could whiten them. Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.

Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it’s good for us to be here! Let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”— because he did not know what he should say, since they were terrified.

A cloud appeared, overshadowing them, and a voice came from the cloud:

    This is My beloved Son;
    listen to Him!

Then suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus alone.
Mark 9:2-8

Three Tabernacles?

Did you catch the danger area for Peter? Look back at what Peter said about building three tabernacles for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. What was wrong with that? Why should we consider this a danger zone?

I am not sure it is really clear until you read further and see how God responded. Read again what He says to them – “This is My beloved Son; listen to Him!”

Starstruck?

I believe that Peter was in awe over seeing Moses and Elijah. As a Jew, Peter saw these two guys as legendary men of faith. God worked incredible miracles through them and their lives were studied in depth by Jewish children as they came up in the synagogue.

For Americans, this would be like suddenly meeting George Washington and Ben Franklin. For students of business, the equivalent might be Henry Ford and John D. Rockefeller. Athletes might compare this to meeting Babe Ruth and Jim Thorpe.

I think you get the idea, but maybe the danger is still unclear.

God Interrupts

Think about it. Peter is clearly enamored with meeting these two legends and immediately wants to do something to show his excitement. Rather than thinking it through, he blurts out the first thing that comes to mind – to build three tabernacles or shelters for the tow of them and Jesus.

This is when God steps in and speaks. It is not often that God does this so we need to pay attention when He does. We should immediately realize that there is something important for us to learn here.

When God speaks, He makes it known that Jesus is His Son and that Peter (and the others) should listen to Him. Why did He do this?

Wrong Star!

What Peter did not realize was that while Moses and Elijah were great men, they were not great enough to be put on par with Jesus! Even though Peter should have been in awe of their presence, he should have been that much more in awe over being in the presence of Jesus, the Son of God! I don’t think it is coincidental that as soon as God said this, Jesus is the only one still standing there.

Too often, like Peter, we get caught up in who is the latest leader or guru in our industry. We want to read the latest book on business by the most recent author to rise to the top of his area of expertise. We even take pride in telling people what we have read and who we are learning from.

Jesus Stands Alone

Unfortunately, the danger is in the possibility of putting these people on par with Jesus. Even worse, we might be putting them ahead of Jesus! And while God is not using his booming voice to shock us back into the right mindset, passages like the one above should make it obvious that we are out of line.

Peter got caught up in the moment and went too far in showing honor to Moses and Elijah. We often do the same when we stop seeking our wisdom from Jesus, replacing Him with whoever it is that intrigues us at the moment.

Jesus As Foundation

To avoid this danger, we all need to make sure we build a foundation of learning from Jesus through consistent Bible study and prayer. We need to allow the wisdom from God’s Word to be our first and most important source of wisdom – whether it is for our business, job, or family. He should be first.

From there, there is no danger in adding godly wisdom from other sources as well. We just need to remember to keep this other wisdom in perspective, comparing it to Scripture and only applying that which matches what we read there.

Have you been guilty of putting others on par with Jesus?

Can you see the danger of doing this?

How do you make sure Jesus is your foundation first?

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Anxiety: What Is The Worst That Can Happen?

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Recently, I published a couple of posts on eliminating anxiety. While I wish I could believe that anyone who read those posts has now eliminated all traces of anxiety, I doubt that is the case. Therefore, I want to share more thoughts about defeating this debilitating attack of the enemy.

anxiety

Bible Is Truth!

If you read those last two posts, you will remember that Step #1 was to recognize and believe that the Bible is 100% truth. If this is not something you are willing to accept, then I will say again that you need to learn to enjoy anxiety. You are not going to defeat it otherwise.

Assuming you do accept the Bible as truth, then I want you to take a look at the following excerpt from Psalm 91. For the full effect, I suggest you read all of Psalm 91. Read it slowly and carefully and think about what you are reading.

Because you have made the Lord—my refuge,
the Most High—your dwelling place,
no harm will come to you;
no plague will come near your tent.
– Psalm 91:9-10

What Is The Problem?

Let’s first tackle the obvious problem with these verses (and the whole Psalm 91). Here, we are told no harm will come to us. Elsewhere in Psalm 91, we are told that others will fall at our right and left, but the attack will not reach us. We are told we will live a long life.

Clearly, when we take this literally, we have a hard time accepting what it says. We know of people who have fallen. We have been affected by attacks. We know those who have died way too young. So why do you think it says what it says? Are we missing something?

It Is All About Perspective!

I think it is all about perspective. If we look at this Psalm from an earthly perspective, then it is easy to argue that it is not true. Anxiety still makes sense because of all that can happen to us.

However, if we look at this passage from an eternal perspective, the picture changes dramatically. Imagine the Psalmist is not referring to our earthly body when he refers to our tent. Instead, consider that he is talking about our soul. Does that change things?

In fact, read the entire Psalm 91 again and experience it from your soul’s perspective. Maybe this is a little unconventional, but I think it is sound advice. When you read this Psalm from the eternal perspective, it makes perfect sense.

Eternal Perspective

Sure, things are going to happen in this life here on earth. Yeah, there will be challenges and pain, even death. None of this is avoidable and all of it can cause anxiety when viewed from a short-term perspective.

The problem is that the short-term perspective is usually our default view. It takes practice, perseverance, and prayer to develop our eternal perspective muscles. It won’t happen overnight in most cases. Nor will it continue automatically once you achieve it. Maintaining an eternal perspective is an ongoing battle, but it is worth the fight.

When you can maintain an eternal perspective and know that your eternity is in God’s capable and loving hands, then you can have peace during the short-term storms, trials, and defeats in this life. Nothing the enemy can throw at you can harm your tent (soul).

Anxiety Elimination Exercise

I will leave you with one quick exercise. I give you this from my own experience when dealing with anxiety years ago. It worked then and I have never forgotten it since. See if it makes sense to you.

I called my father with what I felt at the time was a significant, emergency customer issue – at least from my perspective at the time. I described it to him and expected him to gasp, wondering what in the world we would do! Fortunately for me, he remained relaxed.

He asked me a simple question, “What is the worst that can happen?”

I thought for a moment and responded with what I thought would be a reasonable, but terrible result.

He asked again, “What could happen that is worse than that?”

I paused again, thinking outside the box. I gave him an outlandish answer that included the customers pulling out guns and other weapons.

Again, he asked, “No, what is the WORST that can happen?”

Frustrated, I snapped back, “I don’t know! You tell me!”

Still calm, he answered, “The worst that can happen is that you die and go to hell. There is nothing worse. Is that a possibility for you?”

“No sir,” I responded quietly, “I have settled that forever.”

He then removed every ounce of anxiety from the situation. He said, “If that is not a possibility for you, then there is nothing more in this situation for you to worry about. The worst is taken care of – now go and address the situation as best you can.”

Ask Yourself The Same Question

I ask you the same question – is that a possibility for you or have you settled it?

If you are certain of your personal salvation based on what the Scripture says, then there is nothing else for you to worry about. Everything else pales in comparison to that. All that is left to do is for you to handle each situation as it comes. Do the best you can. The rest is taken care of.

Can you see Psalm 91 from an eternal perspective?

How does this impact your thoughts about anxiety?

Does the exercise help?

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How Did Jesus Use Incentives?

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The following post is courtesy of Bill Higgins. You have probably read a couple of his posts here before. This post is the third of a three-part series about leadership and motivation through the use of incentives. There is more information about Bill at the end of this post.

Coming from a Christian perspective you have to ask – are incentives just a human engineering invention or did Christ demonstrate the principles when He walked the earth? Did Christ treat people differently as individuals, or was His a cookie cutter incentive plan? Did He also use tangible incentives to help motivate people to believe, follow Him, and commit to His way of life?

incentives

Valuing Individuals

The first post in this series focused on the need to value and empower individuals; to encourage them to make their unique contribution to the team. These few examples show how Jesus valued people:

  • Christ and Peter: Peter, the one with foot in mouth disease, yet the one the Lord said would be the foundation of the church (Matthew 16:18). Peter, the one who denied the Lord shortly before His death, yet the one whose name Christ changed from Simon (meaning little stone) to Peter (meaning unmovable rock)(John 1:42). Peter, the one that did not want the Lord to wash his feet, yet the one Christ had walk on water and lead the ministry to the Jews.
  • Christ and Mary: In John 12:1-8 Mary bathed Jesus’ feet with costly perfume and was criticized because it was not sold and the money given to the poor, but Jesus affirms her choice as a tribute to His time on earth. In Luke 10:38-42 Jesus is visiting Mary and Martha’s home and Mary chose to worship Jesus while Martha criticizes her for not helping serve, but again Jesus affirms Mary’s choice as the one thing that’s really important.
  • Christ and Zaccheus: Zaccheus was a small man as recorded in Luke 19:1-10, not only in stature but also by cultural standards. He was a Jewish tax collector, and an outcast from society because of his occupation, where most tax collectors were known to be thieves as well, and from his Jewish heritage because he worked for the Roman government to extort taxes from his fellow Jews.

    The one thing he probably wanted more than anything was acceptance. Then this Jewish celebrity named Jesus comes into town, and the road He travelled was packed by those wanting to see Him. So Zaccheus climbs a tree for a better view and Jesus calls out that He wants to have lunch with him. That was probably the most valuing thing He could have done for Zaccheus; include him in a very public way when others shut him out.

Yes, Jesus valued people for who they were and for who they could become. We need to catch some of that vision for the people we work with.

Individual Treatment

The second post focused on the need for incentives that were designed for the individual. But did Jesus incent individuals differently, or did He treat them pretty much all the same? While we have only a very small part of the dialog Christ actually had with individuals, what we do have will provide insight on this question.

  • Christ and Peter: The dialog Christ had with Peter was blunt, bottom-line, and straight forward. With the exception of the dialog Christ had with religious teachers, He had no more forceful exchange than with Peter. When he says to Peter, “Get thee behind me, Satan,” in Matthew 16:23 He wasn’t just saying that for effect. He communicated with Peter in a way he would hear and understand.

    When He also said to Peter, “Upon this rock I will build my church,” it was for the same reason. Peter had tons of potential, but he also had a lot of rough edges. Peter wasn’t sophisticated, so Christ’s communication with him wasn’t sophisticated, and yet He showed him true love and a vision for what he could be.

  • Christ and the rich young ruler: Here was sophisticated businessman, used to being rewarded for his effort and energy. He recognized his spiritual need, but approached it as a business transaction. In Matthew 19:16-22 Christ met him where he was, but moved the transaction from a business dealing to a relationship.

    When He said, “Go sell all you have and come and follow Me,” these two commands got to the young man’s essence. He had great wealth, and he was used to being his own boss. Christ spoke to him in his language, business, and reached him in his need, a relationship with Himself.

  • Christ and James and John: While they were referred to as the “sons of thunder” because of their fiery temperament, they must also have been somewhat lacking in self-esteem and assertiveness. It was their mother that asked that for her sons to sit on Christ’s right hand (Matthew 20:20-23).
    And how did Christ relate to them? James and John were fishermen like Peter, but their father was a wealthy fishermen. They would inherit the business but Jesus called them to serve, and related to them as a father.

    John especially had a greater capacity to love and be loved, and Christ responded to Him in love. The Bible repeatedly refers to John as the one Christ loved. He asks John to care for His mother when He’s dying. John reclines on Jesus at the last supper. There was intimacy there.

Each of these individuals was treated as an individual. Christ addressed them at their point of need, and in began building them into what He saw they could be. That is repeated throughout the New Testament. Thankfully He still does that today. He relates to each one of us individually, where we are, who we are, and builds us into what He alone sees that we can be.

That is true incentivizing; giving a vision for what a person can be and then providing the resources for them to be able to pursue that. We need to catch the same vision for the ones we work with.

Christ’s Tangible Incentives

When it comes to tangible incentives, He did promise to start a new ‘kingdom’ and that the disciples would play a significant role. That could be seen as a tangible incentive, even though what they understood and what He promised were worlds apart.

He did say that if they had even a little faith they could do more than He did. Then he went on to feed crowds with small lunches, pluck money from a fish to pay His taxes, and turn ordinary water into fine wine. Those could be seen as tangible incentives, but He had so much more in mind.
The true incentives He used targeted people’s deeper needs, and in so doing He won their loyalty and their trust:

  • The woman at the well: Jesus incented her with respect and acceptance. – John 4:7ff
  • Nicodemus: Jesus incented him with fulfilling his quest for truth. – John 3:1ff
  • The royal official: Jesus incented him by healing his son from while a ways off. – John 4:46ff
  • The woman in adultery: Jesus incented her with recognition, acceptance, and a vision for her life. – John 8:1ff

And the list could go on. Wherever He went, He touched people’s lives and changed them forever by incenting them in ways to spur them to greater things.

While Christ did not use tangible incentives as we think of them, His focus on meeting the deeper needs of people would imply that incentives can touch something deeper in an individual’s inner being. Yet, He also demonstrated the place of tangible incentives by feeding the hungry, providing for the poor, and contributing to a festive wedding celebration. In these He shows us that emotional needs satisfied by tangible incentives inspire greater motivation.

Bottom line, Christ met needs in a manner appropriate to the situation, and related to individuals in a manner consistent with their personality and the way God made them. Can we do any less with the people we work with?

SMART Incentives

To be practical, and for incentives to be most effective, they need to be:

  • Specific – the incentive should be tied to specific acts of behavior so that the recipient knows what it is being given for.
  • Meaningful – incentives need to be tailored to the individual, reflect company/program values and the cost of the reward should be relative to size of the act for which recognition is being given.
  • Achievable – the incentive should be something that each individual has the capability of achieving, and not awarded on a competitive basis.
  • Reliable – the measures and decision criteria by which the incentives are given need to be clear and specific so that individuals know why something is being incented and what they have to do to achieve the incentive.
  • Timely – the incentive should be given close in time to the specific act for which reward is given.

About the Author:

BILL HIGGINS is currently the Managing Director of MindWare Incorporated, an independent training and career coaching consulting firm. He previously served on the pastoral staff of churches in the U.S. and Canada, and worked in a managerial capacity for industry leading organizations.

Bill is a graduate of Biola University and Talbot Theological Seminary and his book; Your Road to Damascus: 6 Biblical Secrets for an Effective Job Search is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and MindWare Publishing websites.

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Strategic Use Of Incentives To Motivate

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The following post is courtesy of Bill Higgins. You have probably read a couple of his posts here before. This post is the second of a three-part series about leadership and motivation. There is more information about Bill at the end of this post.

incentive

Leadership First!

Of the two factors vital to motivating employees, Part 1 on motivating through leadership that values them is by far the most important. Regardless of what other extrinsic motivation incentives may be in place, if the leadership isn’t one that values and empowers workers, employees won’t give all they are capable of giving.

Incentives Also!

By the same token, tangible incentives are important. Salary is one incentive, and as Christ Himself indicates, “The laborer is worthy of his hire (or wage).” While important, salary isn’t the only incentive.

Salary, to be an incentive, needs to be adequate to start with, but then have room for including incentive pay on top of that. Unfortunately, many organizations are boxed in with organizational pay scales, steps, or levels of some kind where the employee tops out and cannot increase their base pay without a promotion or moving into management. The challenge to that is that some people excel where they are as technical subject-matter-experts and to promote them into management would be to invoke the Peter Principle.

Wise managers devise a way to create a two-tier pay scale. One tier is for those technically oriented folks to be able to stay where they can do the most good and continue to receive pay increases, while the other is an equivalent management tier which promotes those that can be effective with management responsibility. This was becoming popular a few years ago, and some organizations need to resurrect it to fit their system.

Not One Size Fits All

Beyond salary however, incentive programs are not a one size fits all kind of thing. It’s much more fluid. What one person considers an incentive another won’t see any value in. A Tully’s coffee gift card to one is a great incentive, while to another it’s meaningless. Company branded apparel to one will be something they proudly wear and cherish, while another could not care less without this implying they are any less dedicated to either the company or the job.

So what’s the answer? How do you decide how to incent workers who give of themselves and earn this extra motivational boost? Some answers can be found in the biblical text.

Check Scripture

Spiritual Gifts insights: The three passages found in 1 Corinthians 12, 1 Peter 4, and Romans 12 deal with the concept of spiritual gifts. Each passage stresses that the Lord gives different gifts to different individuals. As a result of this, particular ministries that excite one person with one gift won’t excite a person with a different gift to the same degree. What is true of ministries is also true of incentives.

In the original language the concept of spiritual gifts does not have the same connotations as it does in English. The term gift (charismata) has more of the concept of motivation, as well as source of joy or delight. It is God’s infusion of a particular drive and passion in a particular direction. The basic idea of charisma, a person having a dynamic personality and attraction, is true but with a much more technical orientation.

Incentives According To Gifting

This explanation is in part why you will find some people in your church really concerned about missions, others about finances, and others about serving the sick and elderly.

Incentives based on giftedness for example would provide the person with something that fits their drive or passion. The person concerned about missions would love a trip to a mission field. The person concerned with finances would love to have a gift given in their name to a favorite charity or ministry. While the person concerned with serving the sick or elderly would love to have numerous people volunteer to go with them to visit those that are fit that description.

What is true in the church is true in the workplace. Tap into what drives a person and you will find what incents them as well.

Individual Makeup

Another popular passage that addresses raising children applies here as well. Proverbs 22:6 literally says, “Train up a child according to the way he is made,” implying different children are made differently.

For parents to apply this verse, they must observe, listen to, and study each child to see how each is made. What is true of parents in the home is also true of managers/employers in the workplace. They must pay attention to each employee to see what is important to each.

They must listen to, observe, and study what is important to each individual employee. This will enable the manager to use each person most effectively, but also to tailor incentives to them personally.

Workplace Incentive Examples

Here are some examples where both the giftedness and makeup come together in the workplace:

  • The person who contributes more than others verbally in the form of questions or comments in team meetings may have need for verbal recognition. Write and read their awards in team meetings.
  • The person who tackles writing projects, or finds 800 needed revisions in a written project where others average 350, may have a strong need for written recognition. Write up the reward in a document they can save, and read and present it to them in a meeting.
  • The person who reads all the memos, manuals, job aids, and extra material sent along by subject-matter-experts may have a need to see their achievements documented for the team. Have different team members contribute to their recognition by identifying what they have done well.
  • The person that likes to discuss the latest gadget they purchased for their home may really appreciate being given the chance to use the latest technology as it applies to their job.
  • The person who spends what others might call an inordinate amount of time making documents, emails, reports, training materials, etc. look aesthetically pleasing to the eye would really appreciate an artistically designed certificate they can hang in their cube or home.
  • The person who would much rather meet face-to-face than virtually whenever possible might appreciate time with the manager or leader in a lunch or private meeting type of setting.

If you spend time considering what is important to each individual in your work group, you can probably identify these same types of things. Once you have done that, it’s simply a matter of matching a corresponding incentive to fit each individual in particular. Takes time. Takes effort. But is worth so much more than generic incentive programs.

Tangible incentives

In addition to these individualized incentives, don’t discount tangible incentives. Such things as time off, mouse pads, books, gift certificates (e.g., coffee, movie tickets, bus passes), business trips, participation in invitation-only corporate events will appeal to different folks. Letting people choose takes the guess work out of trying to personalize this type of incentive.

Contests to drive production, sales, service and more can also have tremendous impact, especially when done as teams and for desirable awards. Done as teams and with the opportunity for all to achieve some award can be very motivating.

To be most effective these should not pit one team against another, but the program should have set goals that each team is striving for and more than one team can win if they meet the goal.

Right Behavior

Ken Blanchard at one time promoted an incentive program for customer service reps that was a little different and called something like, “Caught You Doing Something Right.” This program gave award presentation capability to every member of the team.

It was based on defined criteria and the entire team kept their eyes open to watch for those that were achieving the types of behaviors designated for incentivizing. When that happened, when someone saw them, they presented them with the “CYDSR” award; a button to signify they were noticed, and any other incentives the organization wanted to link to the program.

This form of incentivizing positive, right behavior, instead of watching for people not complying with rules, regulations, and desired behaviors, can be very empowering and motivating, and create a more positive atmosphere and team atmosphere.

Bottom Line

The bottom line, incentives take on a different form and meaning to different people. You can’t incent everyone the same and expect the incentives to have the desired impact. Beyond the generic incentives of salary raises and performance bonuses, incentive programs must be tailored to the individual.

The final part of this series will examine how Christ incented the men closest to Him as He walked with them and enlisted them to follow Him and to promote His kingdom.

About the Author:
BILL HIGGINS is currently the Managing Director of MindWare Incorporated, an independent training and career coaching consulting firm. He previously served on the pastoral staff of churches in the U.S. and Canada, and worked in a managerial capacity for industry leading organizations.

Bill is a graduate of Biola University and Talbot Theological Seminary and his book; Your Road to Damascus: 6 Biblical Secrets for an Effective Job Search is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and MindWare Publishing websites.