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Read Proverbs As A Christian Business Manual!

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This is the second in a series of posts on recommendations I would make to someone at the beginning stages of deciding to use their business as a platform for Christian ministry. While this list of recommendations is not exhaustive, it should be a great start on which to build. Today’s post looks at the book of Proverbs.

Proverbs

Recommendation #1 – Pray

In my last post, I tried to lay the foundation for this series of posts. I also gave you my first recommendation – to pray! While I admitted this recommendation may not sound earth-shattering, I also pointed out how critical it is for you to pray earnestly about your situation and the future to which God is calling you. If you have not read that post, now is the time to do so – read it here!

Now that we have covered the first recommendation – prayer – let’s take a look at the next one.

Recommendation #2 – Read Proverbs

If you have been a Christian very long, someone has told you about the easy daily devotion plan of reading one chapter in Proverbs every day for a month. Since there are 31 chapters, it fits well into a calendar month. If you have not done this, then you are missing out.

At the same time, I am going to give you another chance to read Proverbs. Whether you choose to read one chapter a day or not is up to you. All I am asking is that you change your glasses.

Change Your Glasses

Now, do not assume that I am speaking about a literal pair of glasses. No, I am instead referring to a figurative pair of glasses. These glasses are your business glasses. They are the glasses you look through when you think about your business and how you are to operate it.

Rather than reading through Proverbs the way you normally would, I want you to read it as a business manual. That’s right! If it helps, assume it is the latest Jim Collins volume or that Jack Welch wrote the intro. Whatever you need to think in order to pique your interest in this way, I am fine with it.

Of course, the truth is that the true Author of Proverbs is the original Creator of business. He knows all there is to know about business and has shared much of this truth in this book. It is freely offered to you. All you have to commit is your time.

Pray first

Before you start, remember Recommendation #1 – Pray. Pray that God will speak to you through the words you read. Pray that He will pour His wisdom into your heart and mind in a way that directs you as you lead the business. Pray that you will gain insights through the various readings and that you will know exactly how to apply them to the operation of your business.

No Other Aids

I am not recommending a study guide or a workbook in this case. While they may exist, I think this strategy works best when it is just you and the Author and His words. I believe you will gain understanding you never imagined. I believe you will get much more from the experience if you limit the text to Proverbs alone and allow the Holy Spirit to do His work.

What will you find? Honestly, I have no earthly idea! Sure, there are obvious examples I could cite that easily apply to business. You don’t need me to tell you that. No, the insights I am referring to will come straight from God.

A Personal Example

Just to prime the pump, I will share the first example that came to me when I began to read Proverbs this way. Keep in mind that this was God speaking to ME. You may see something different in this passage than I did. That’s fine! I will simply share what it said to me and how I applied it.

I began reading Proverbs as a business manual while reading Business By The Book: Complete Guide of Biblical Principles for the Workplace, by Larry Burkett. It was an amazing experience for me for a couple of reasons. First, I had never thought of the idea. It made sense, but was completely new to me. Second, God started speaking to me through the very first chapter! That was enough to hook me!

Here, Use My Glasses!

I want us to take a look at the passage, but first I want you to put on MY business glasses for a moment. I am in the car business. Our industry is plagued with a bad reputation (often earned and deserved!) for taking advantage of people when they are trying to buy a car. Car salespeople are notorious for getting rich off of others and often characterized as sharks, right?

So, at the time I read this for the first time with my business glasses on, I was aware of the reputation of our industry and was desperately trying to figure out where to start in cleaning it up in our business. I knew it had to be done, but I was not sure where to start.

Proverbs From My View

With these glasses on, read this excerpt from Proverbs 1:

My son, if sinners entice you,
don’t be persuaded.
If they say—“Come with us!
Let’s set an ambush and kill someone.
Let’s attack some innocent person just for fun!
Let’s swallow them alive, like Sheol,
still healthy as they go down to the Pit.
We’ll find all kinds of valuable property
and fill our houses with plunder.
Throw in your lot with us,
and we’ll all share our money”
my son, don’t travel that road with them
or set foot on their path,
because their feet run toward trouble
and they hurry to commit murder.
Proverbs 1:10-16

What are your thoughts at this point? Do you see the parallels between this picture and a car deal? For me, it was like a lightening bolt in the heart. I knew this was a fair (though somewhat extreme) characterization of a traditional car deal. At least the intents were similar. I also knew I had to change that.

Our Response

As a result of this revelation, we went on to completely overhaul our entire sales process. Based on another verse later in Proverbs, we established a system where the pricing was pre-discounted and fixed and the salespeople were no longer paid to extract more profit from the customer.

The transition was expensive and difficult. And while this change may not be for everyone, it was clear to us that we had to take dramatic action to align with Scripture.

God Will Speak!

As I said, your experience will likely be different from mine. God will speak to you in ways that are specific to your situation and challenges. While I cannot tell you what He will say, I can promise that He will say something. And you will be amazed!

Have you ever read Proverbs in this way?

What have you found that you could apply to your business?

Are you willing to give it a try?

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Visual Fixation As A Strategy!

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Jesus tells us we are not to worry about the material things of this world, but are instead to focus on the eternal. He says we are to seek first His kingdom, not the temporal things of this world. That may be easy to do for a moment or two, but how are we supposed to maintain this fixation?

fixation

Visual Fixation

If you have ever ridden a motorcycle, you have experienced the dangers of visual fixation. Imagine riding a motorcycle on a narrow two-lane mountain road. You are enjoying the twists and turns of the trip up the mountain. At the same time, you are fairly nervous as you try to keep you and your motorcycle in the middle of your lane.

This is difficult because there are cars and trucks coming at you on your left. If you let your bike drift too close to the yellow line, you could easily find yourself catching your handlebars on their side view mirror (or worse!).

On your right side is a significant drop-off down the side of the mountain you are climbing. Sure, there is a guardrail that is supposed to keep you from falling, but you are not sure that would help if you ran into it. You are determined not to find out!

Visual Fixation Dangers

This is where visual fixation comes into play. See, if you allow your eyes to become fixed on either side – the yellow line OR the guardrail – then you and your motorcycle will naturally drift toward that point. It will not happen suddenly, but will sneak up on you before you know it.

In an effort to prevent this from happening, you are instead taught not to fix your eyes on any given point. Initially, you may not even take this instruction seriously. However, let your eyes fixate one time on that guardrail and you will quickly find out that this is no joke!

So what does this have to do with maintaining an eternal perspective?

Good question!

Turn To Your Advantage!

My answer is that I think there is a principle in this idea of visual fixation that we can turn to our advantage! Rather than avoiding a fixation on something, I am suggesting that we embrace the idea.

See, I believe that God desires our fixation on Him. I believe that Scripture points us to this fixation and calls us to embrace it. Take a look at these examples:

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:18

Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest.
Hebrews 3:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
Hebrews 12:1-2

The Enemy’s Strategy

I also believe the enemy knows this and is just as determined to prevent it.

If you think about it, everything that is thrown at you by the world is a distraction or decoy. Most often, it is not what it appears. At first, you are led to believe whatever it is will fulfill you, but in the end you realize it only disappoints. This is fine with the enemy. All he wants to do is interrupt your fixation on God!

Fixation On Jesus

If we can somehow use this visual fixation to our advantage, I think you can see what happens. Rather than allowing ourselves to be distracted by the enemy, we focus with more determination on fixating our eyes on Jesus and our relationship with Him.

Instead of getting sidetracked by the countermeasures thrown at us by the world, we choose to glue our eyes on the One that created us and will supply our every need. We do this simply by creating the disciplines in our lives that we know should already be there: Bible study, prayer, small group and one-on-one accountability, etc.

Maybe not suddenly, but over time we will begin to see our lives drift more and more toward God. Over time, our thoughts and actions will begin to reflect an eternal perspective rather than a temporal one. Before we realize it, we are locked in and seeing eternal fruit!

Examples

What would this look like?

You get a bonus in your paycheck and your first thought is not to spend it on a new toy. Instead, without even trying, your mind jumps to an opportunity you recently saw to help someone else. You act on it.

Someone asks to meet you for lunch to discuss a personal issue on the same day you had lunch plans with your best friends. You choose the person in need over your friends.

Business is not great and you are concerned about the end of the month results. At the same time, you are notified that your employee assistance program is paying out more than it is taking in. It doesn’t even cross your mind to shut it down or even decrease what it is paying out. You realize it is simply a cost of having an eternal perspective.

While I would not recommend trying this on a motorcycle, I think this visual fixation could really work in our Christian walk!

How do you maintain a fixation on Jesus?

Have you allowed your fixation to fade lately?

What action steps do you need to take today?

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Want To Know The Will of God?

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I am sure you have heard it said before from a friend, spouse, or any other Christian you may know. In fact, I would bet you have said it yourself…recently! The statement, “I just want to know the will of God!” is a common one among Christians.

know the will of God

We Want To Know The Will Of God!

As Christian business owners and leaders, we are constantly coming upon situations in which we need to know the will of God about something. We want to know what direction He wants us to take, which job or applicant to choose, or how long to wait on an answer before moving ahead!

We pray, we ask mentors, and we read the Bible – all in an effort to know the will of God in our lives.

Something Missing

Yet, in many cases, there seems to be something wrong. We don’t always get the answer we seek. Sometimes we get what we think are conflicting answers. Then there are times we do not seem to get any answer at all!

We end up pulling our hair out in frustration because we think we are doing all we can do to know the will of God, but we do not feel we are making any progress. We feel stuck, confused, and exhausted – and without the answer we seek.

Similar Feeling?

In an effort to recreate this feeling, I want you to try to imagine you are in an outdoor scouting competition. In order to win the competition, you have to follow the instructions given to you and your team as they lead you to the specific location designated for your team.

Your instructions look like this – From the starting line, take 25 steps North, 30 steps West, 24 steps North, and then 18 steps East. In addition to these instructions, your team is given a compass. All of the other teams have been given a compass and similar instructions to a different designated location.

Given clear weather and no other obstacles, how do you think you would do? While most people have never been trained how to use a compass in survival situations, I think most have a general idea of how a compass works, right? Could you manage this exercise?

Here’s A Twist

Now, to throw in a twist, let’s assume your team was given additional instructions along with a magnet the size of a nickel. The additional instructions indicate that your team is to attach the magnet to the side of your compass with the tape provided.

You are instructed to attach the magnet before your team uses the compass to determine any direction. Once attached, the magnet is to remain in place until the competition is completed.

Confused?

Now, if you know anything about how a compass operates, you are likely confused. Why would anyone instruct you to attach a magnet to the compass? That makes no sense, right?

I agree. However, just for the sake of the illustration, let’s play it out.

Because a compass operates on an attraction to the earth’s magnetic north pole, attaching another magnet is only going to alter the direction of the compass needle. In this case, you would never find the correct location designated for your team.

Frustration Ensues

Instead, you would find yourself in full blown frustration while the altered compass led you in circles as the needle reacted to the additional influence of the attached magnet!

If your team was the only one given the additional instructions for the attached magnet, then your team would clearly lose the competition. However, can you picture the scene if nearly all of the other teams had magnets attached to their compasses? Chaos, right?

Only the team(s) who were allowed to seek their designated location without the influence of an additional magnet would have a chance to win. To them, your wandering would seem silly.

To Be Continued

Because I am out of space (ha!), I am going to wait until my next post to clarify the points I am trying to make in regards to how we can know the will of God…remember, that is where we started!

In the meantime, I would like you to think through this exercise and its implications. Get a magnet and compass if you need to – play with them and pray that God will reveal to you how this applies to you and your relationship with Him!

Can you connect the exercise to trying to know the will of God?

If so, what is your personal magnet?

How does Proverbs 4:10-11 fit this exercise?

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Are You Facing Giants?

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Have you ever watched a football game and wondered why none of the players on the offensive team’s sidelines appear worried about getting hit by one of the giants that are playing for the defensive team? In many cases, they are talking, laughing, even have their backs turned to the game on the field. Why are they not thinking about the possibility of getting hit at any given moment?

giants

No Danger On The Sidelines

Well, if you think about it, I am not asking a difficult question. The reason they are not worried or thinking about it is that they are not IN the game. When on the sidelines, they are not an active threat to the game that is being played out on the field. They are, at that point, harmless to the cause and efforts of the defensive team.

Recent Devotion

As I mentioned in my last post, I have been reading from Streams in the Desert lately and it has been good for me. While this is not replacing my time in the Bible, I am really getting some good insights from these short devotions. Here is a recent quote from this book:

We encounter giants only when we are serving God and following Him. It was when Israel was going forward that the giants appeared, for when they turned back into the wilderness, they found none (Numbers 13-14).

Many people believe that the power of God in a person’s life should keep him from all trials and conflicts. However, the power of God actually brings conflict and struggles.

Giants On The Battle Field

Just like the football players on the sidelines, we Christians are not in any danger of facing giants (trials, conflicts, etc.) when we are sitting on the sidelines of the spiritual war going on around us. When in this position, we simply are not a threat to the opposition.

However, if we step out onto the field of battle and begin fighting for God’s glory and the eternal salvation of those around us, we should expect to face giants! We become a threat to the enemy and he will react accordingly.

The Enemy Is Real

I am not one of those people who run around all the time blaming satan for everything happening to me. I do not give him credit (or blame) for my sins and I recognize that many of the situations I face are simply consequences of my prior poor decisions or misdirected desires.

At the same time, I AM one of those people that believes the Bible. I do believe it is God’s Word of instruction AND WARNING to us. I take what it says to be the truth and I try to live accordingly.

Scriptures To Heed

The following verses paint a picture that I believe we need to recognize as being real:

After they (Paul and Barnabas) had evangelized that town and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch, strengthening the disciples by encouraging them to continue in the faith and by telling them, “It is necessary to pass through many troubles on our way into the kingdom of God.”
Acts 14:22-23

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33

You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Matthew 10:22

Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.
Matthew 24:9

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.
John 15:18-21

Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.
1 John 3:13

Is that enough Scripture to give you a clear picture? If not, then let me add one more…

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:8

Are You Facing Giants?

Hopefully, this makes it very clear that there are giants for us to face if we are out on the field of battle. The Bible is very clear about this and we should not ignore what is said about these giants.

So now the question is this – are you facing giants?

Are you seeing the opposition of the enemy as you go about trying to do business from an eternal perspective? Are you seeing evidence of the spiritual battle going on around you?

Confused?

Or does this post confuse you? Instead, do you feel everything is going along pretty easily? Has it been awhile since you last faced giants opposing you in your efforts at Christian ministry?

I certainly cannot (nor intend to) judge your circumstances or your own situation. All I want to do is raise the questions and let you prayerfully seek God’s face on this issue.

If you are not seeing giants coming at you in opposition to your Christian ministry efforts, then you at least need to consider that you are not on the battlefield. It is at least a possibility that you are instead on the sidelines, no longer a threat to the enemy.

Don’t Lose Heart

If you ARE facing giants on a daily basis, do not lose heart! You are not on the wrong path simply because it is so hard. The opposite may very well be true.

You also need to prayerfully seek God to make sure you are still headed in the right direction, but you do need to know that the giants you face are to be expected if you are out on the battlefield! I leave you with this encouragement:

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18

What do your giants look like?

How do you maintain your faith in the shadow of the giants?

If you are not facing giants, why do you think that is?

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3 Keys To Eliminate Sorrow

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Business is hard. Christian business is at least as hard, maybe even harder. I don’t know about you, but I find myself riding a roller coaster of emotions as we attempt to run our family business with an eternal perspective. Of course, it is only when I am down or depressed that I need help dealing. The highs usually take care of themselves. We need to be more intentional with the sorrow.

sorrow

Multiple Causes Of Sorrow

If you are anything like me, you face times when you feel a loss of hope. Maybe it is frustration at decisions we have made in the past. It could happen when we are not seeing the results we think we should be seeing from the work we are doing. There are also those times we think there is no hope of breakthrough in the future.

A good friend of mine referred me to a great daily devotional book (Streams in the Desert) that I have been using more and more lately. It was a simple quote from this book that gives us the three keys to eliminating this sorrow we experience:

I suspect that the source of every bit of sorrow in my life can be traced to simple unbelief. If I truly believe the past is totally forgiven, the present is supplied with power, and the future is bright with hope, how could I be anything but completely happy?

Three Keys To Eliminate Sorrow

When we break this quote down into its three parts, and combine it with Scripture, we truly have three keys that will help us minimize the sorrow that we can experience while trying to run our businesses as platforms for Christian ministry.

Let’s take a look at each key:

Key #1: Past Is Totally Forgiven!

This is the first step we must take to eliminate the sorrow that can plague us. We must truly believe that our past is totally and completely forgiven. I think my favorite verse that communicates this idea is the following:

As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Psalm 103:12

Folks, once we have repented and asked forgiveness for our sins, it is not God who continues to throw them back in our face or whisper them in our ear. It is our enemy that attempts to incapacitate us with guilt. God forgives and forgets. The enemy is called the accuser (Revelation 12:10).

Once we accept this truth and continue to remember it, we eliminate a huge source of our sorrow. Without this reappearing guilt, our lives could be so much more peaceful and stress-free!

Key #2: Present Is Supplied With Power!

The second step we must take is to recognize that our present is supplied with power. While many of us do not always operate in or with this power, it is there and waiting for us to step up and use it!

Here are a couple of verses that I think do the best job of communicating this:

For God did not give us a Spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control.
2 Timothy 1:7

But he said to me, “My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” So then, I will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in me.
2 Corinthians 12:9

When we stop trying to strive in our own power and instead allow His power to operate in and through us, then we will have gone far to eliminate another significant source of sorrow in our lives.

When we repeatedly ignore what the Scripture says about the power of Christ in us, we are saying we think we can do all of what is expected of us – on our own! This is madness. Jesus say we can do nothing apart from Him (John 15:5). We need to accept this and embrace His power IN us!

Key #3: Future Is Bright With Hope!

Finally, the third step we need to take is to see the future filled with hope. Rather than staring into the darkness that is a symptom of our temporal perspectives, we must embrace the hope that Christ gives us when we maintain our eternal perspective.

The following verses serve as examples of this hope for the future:

For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13

Sure, there will be times that we fail to see this bright future. There will be times we feel there is nothing but sorrow ahead. But if we can recall these promises from the Scripture, and hide them in our heart, the hope we need will come back into view.

In doing so, we are eliminating the remaining traces of the sorrow surrounding us.

Summary

The bottom line is this – you will experience sorrow as you attempt to run you business from an eternal perspective. That is inevitable. At the same time, if you will follow the three simple keys outlined above, you can eliminate this sorrow before it goes too far.

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You May Not Reap The Harvest!

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One of the most rewarding aspects of doing yard work in the heat of the summer is the feeling of accomplishment you get when a project is completed. You know what I mean – even if you do not do yard work. We all want to see completion, or a harvest, from the work that we do. Even God is like this in Genesis 1 when He looks at His work and sees that it is good!

harvest

Back To Basics

Because of my recent dry spell, I have determined that I am going to dig back into God’s Word and get back to the basics of my relationship with Him. In the process, I have begun to see a little more light at the end of the tunnel. While not yet a flowing river, I can sense a new trickle of communication flowing into my heart.

Jesus Talks About Harvest

In a recent quiet time, I was reading about Jesus and His interaction at the well with a Samaritan woman. In describing the unfolding scene to the disciples, Jesus uses the analogy of a harvest. He talks about how the people that need to hear about Him are ripe and ready for the harvest of accepting the gospel.

Then Jesus said something that I did not understand at first:

For in this case the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap what you didn’t labor for; others have labored, and you have benefited from their labor.
John 4:37-38

It Applies To Us!

When I looked at a commentary on this passage, I realized how much this statement applies to me (and you) and should give us hope! Let me explain.

It is very likely that Jesus was referring the disciples to the Samaritan woman’s knowledge of the Messiah (John 4:25). The only way she could have known about the Messiah (she was not a Jew) was to have read about Him in the Scriptures or to have been told by someone who did.

They Did Not See Harvest!

As Jesus explains to the disciples that others have sown the seeds and labored, He is likely referring to the authors of the Scriptures. Think about those prophets that never saw the harvest of people accepting the Gospel.

Think about the hardship they endured as they lived through heartache, disappointment, and frustration – speaking God’s message to deaf ears! Yet despite this, they continued on. In the process, they sowed seeds that would reap a harvest many hundreds of years later!

Jesus was trying to point this out to the disciples. They needed to understand that they were benefiting from the work of others as they witnessed to these Samaritans coming out from the town.

Same True For Us!

Jesus is also speaking to us!

He is telling us that there are going to be times when we are the ones fortunate enough to reap a harvest for which someone else has sown the seeds. Maybe this is a new employee that comes to us, already asking questions about why we have committed our businesses to God.

Maybe we will have the opportunity to run a business that was built by someone else – giving us the resources and flexibility to do kingdom work that otherwise would not be possible!

The Opposite Is Also True!

He is also telling us very clearly that sometimes it is the other way around. While we may want to be the one bringing in the harvest – putting points on the board – it may be that He has ordained us to simply sow the seeds.

Neither job relating to the harvest is worth more than the other. The harvest will not come without the seeds. Both jobs are fully reliant upon the other.

Someone Else’s Harvest?

My application is that there are times I really feel like I am not gaining any ground for the kingdom. When the harvest appears to be drying up and my efforts seem to be for naught, I must remember that I may only be in a season of sowing seeds. The harvest may be ordained for someone else.

If I can remember this truth, then it is easier for me to have hope in my work. It is easier to keep giving my full effort despite the apparent lack of results. Maybe the same is true for you.

Simply Follow Jesus

So, regardless of the appearance of a harvest or not, it is our job to follow Jesus. We are to sow seeds when it is time and reap the harvest when it is time. We are not to look around and wonder why it looks different for others – we are to follow Him!

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Which Relationship Is More Important?

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Have you ever known what you should do, but decided against it because it would affect a relationship you have with someone else? Have your relationships ever led you away from God, when hindsight would later show you the error of your path? Maybe you knew of a change you should make in your business, but it would cost you a relationship so you passed on it?

relationship

Nehemiah’s Situation

I have been studying Nehemiah in my quiet times and came across a similar situation to this. In this story, Nehemiah has come back to a Jerusalem that is in shambles. The city walls (crucial to a city’s well-being at that time) were completely destroyed and useless for protection. Nehemiah has come to lead the Israelites to rebuild the wall and begin to reestablish Jerusalem as the city God intended.

As he strives to complete this monumental task, he faces many obstacles. He certainly faced those who completely opposed the Israelites and any rebuilding they might attempt. This was to be expected.

Unexpected Opposition

At the same time, he also faced opposition from within the people of Israel! Some of the Israelite people actually turned on him and fed information about the project to a man named Tobiah, a leader of the opposition!

During those days, the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them. These nobles kept mentioning Tobiah’s good deeds to me, and they reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.
Nehemiah 6:17,19

Treasonous Behavior?

When we read about this from our perspective, their behavior seems incredibly treasonous. At first glance, I cannot imagine what they were thinking when they chose to undermine the work that Nehemiah was leading – work that was clearly God-ordained!

But when we read further, Nehemiah explains their rationale.

For many in Judah were bound by oath to him (Tobiah), since he was a son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah.
Nehemiah 6:18

Relationship Confusion?

Their reasoning for their alliance with Tobiah was that they knew him, were related to him, or wanted to be known by him. Their relationship with Tobiah, whatever the basis for it, was more important to them than the work God was doing.

Of course, it is easy for us to sit here in judgment. It is not difficult for us to question their faith and criticize their behavior as weak. The problem is that these very words can come right back and be applied to us many times.

I Am Guilty, Too!

I will not accuse you, but I am certainly guilty of allowing personal or business relationships to cloud my vision or even alter my behavior at times. There are times I have wanted to broach a spiritual topic with a friend or family member, but decided against it in fear of ruining a relationship.

Other times, I have failed to speak up in a meeting here or there about something I felt God was leading me to say, simply because I was too concerned about what the others in the meeting might think.

I am sure there are even times I cannot remember or was not even aware of due to a blind spot where I disobeyed God or opposed His work in favor of another relationship. Maybe you feel the same way.

Jesus On Relationships

Folks, we need to remember the words of Jesus when it comes to situations like this. While we should not “hate” in the traditional sense, I think the message is clear…our relationship with Him comes first.

If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, and even his own life—he cannot be My disciple.
Luke 14:26

Are you guilty of placing other relationships ahead of Jesus?

What evidence do you see in your life, job, or business?

What do you think would be different if you chose Him instead?

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3 Lessons From “Follow Me!”

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As I described in my last post, Jesus has just told Peter that it was not really his business what John was going to be doing. Jesus made it clear that Peter had his own, unique call on his life. Jesus restated His call to Peter in this way, “If I want him (John) to remain until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow Me!”

Follow Me

Attitude Adjustment Needed!

When I heard this recently in a sermon, it stopped me in my tracks because I had been asking questions similar to those of Peter’s. I had been asking God why others were getting to experience the ministry opportunities I thought He had called me to perform. I wanted to know why my call appeared to have stalled while their’s was running at high speed!

The more I thought about Jesus’ words to Peter, the more I realized several ways I needed an attitude adjustment. The more I realized this, the more embarrassed I was at my behavior. I had been acting like a child.

Imagined Promises

First…sure, I had acknowledged His ownership of our business and began to try to use it to impact others for eternity. That’s great! I still believe that is what I am supposed to do. However, no where in that call was there a promise of the business prospering or succeeding beyond those around us.

Even though we were determined to use profits for eternal purposes, He never promised that the business would run smoothly and produce profits like we had experienced in the past. Nor did He promise that we would become a large-scale model for other businesses to follow. That may happen, but it was not promised.

Actual Promises

In fact, the only thing that He did promise was that He would be with us. He did not promise a lack of opposition (in fact, He promised the opposite), but He did promise that He would never leave us or forsake us.

As I thought about these things, I realized I had been following something similar to the prosperity Gospel. I was so frustrated at this because I KNOW better. Yet, that does not seem to stop me from making this same mistake over and over again.

I Can Be Blind

The second lesson I gleaned from this experience is that I can be pretty blind at times! Maybe you do not have this problem, but I have it in spades.

As I began to look around at the ministry God is already doing through His business, I quickly recognized that I was being greedy. While I wanted so much more to happen in that area, much already was.

Ministry Happening!

Our chaplain program is awesome and impacting 100 employees every week. We are sending out roughly 200 Bibles every month in the glove boxes of the vehicles we are selling. Employees are studying the Bible together before work and at lunch, learning how to have an eternal impact themselves!

As for a global impact on thousands, maybe not. However, God has used this blog to reach into India and impacted people there. People are learning more about how to (and how NOT to) do ministry in the marketplace! Maybe we cannot give as much as we want, but we are seeing a lot happen with what we do have!

Delayed Lesson

The third lesson from this experience came a week later, after my last post. In fact, exactly one week from the last sermon that hit me between the eyes, another one hit home.

The Scripture is found in Romans 12:15. Here it is:

Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.

We are often good about weeping with those who weep. We come by their side and bring comfort food! We cry with them and pray for them as they go through tough times.

Rejoicing Or Jealousy?

Unfortunately, the opposite is often true about rejoicing with those who rejoice. Too often, we look at others who are celebrating something – even in ministry – and we get jealous. Rather than celebrating with them, we pitch a fit and wonder why God gave THEM the success when WE should have received it!

As ridiculous as this is when I see it in someone else, I hate it even more when I see it in me. I should have been celebrating with those other business owners at the recent conference. Instead, I was questioning why God had not done the same for our business.

Don’t Follow Me!

Even putting this in black and white right now is painful. Obviously, I have not been the example I want to be. However, if it will help someone out there avoid this pitfall (and not follow me!), then I am happy (well, at least willing) to do it.

Can you think of another lesson I should be learning here?

Since Jesus said to you, “Follow Me!”, have you questioned Him?

What have you learned from that?

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Do You Love Jesus More Than These?

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As I look back on Easter and the events surrounding the resurrection, I cannot help but also think about Peter’s denial of Jesus. Though he is clearly a leader that we would do well to emulate, Peter really messed up this time – just like we do! In fact, we are constantly faced with opportunities to deny Jesus. I want to look at three different ways we could look at Jesus’ response to Peter and what we can learn from each about how we love Jesus.

love Jesus

Peter’s Denial of Jesus

Just in case you are not familiar with the story, Peter was following at a distance behind Jesus as He was taken to the house of the High Priest the night before He was to be crucified. Three times, Peter is asked about his relationship with Jesus. Three times, Peter denies knowing Jesus.

While there are reams of sermons about Peter’s denial, I want to look at a different part of the story. Fast forward to sometime after the resurrection and Jesus is having breakfast over a fire with Peter and the other disciples. Jesus is focused on Peter and from what we can tell, restoring their relationship.

In John 21:15, Jesus asks Peter a fairly straightforward question:

Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?

Straightforward Question?

While this appears like a straightforward question, there may be more to it than we think. Clearly, Jesus is giving Peter a chance to admit his love for Jesus. That is not hard to figure out. In fact, Jesus gives Peter this chance three times – the same number of times that Peter denied knowing Jesus.

There are many lessons we can pull from this part of the story as well. Still, I want to focus elsewhere. Instead, I want to focus on the last three words of Jesus in the question above. I want us to look at what Jesus meant by asking if Peter loved Him “more than these?”

More Than These?

What did Jesus mean when He added these three words to the end of His question? He did not include these words as He asked the question two more times. Was it a mistake? Of course not! Can we know for sure exactly what He meant? Maybe not.

But if we really think about the possible meanings Jesus intended, I think there are at least three solid lessons we can learn. As Christian business owners and leaders, we can take these three words and gain some insights into some potential pitfalls we may face regarding the way we love Jesus.

Let’s take a look at the first of these potential pitfalls today. We will cover the other two in my next two posts.

More Than You Love These Disciples?

In order to get an idea of one question Jesus could have been asking of Peter, let’s modify His question slightly.

Do you love me more than you love these disciples?

IF this indeed is what Jesus was asking Peter, what are the implications? What would this mean to us in the business world? What can we do about it?

Well, if this was truly what Jesus meant when He asked Peter the question, then the implication is that Peter had the potential to put his relationship with one or more of the disciples ahead of his relationship with Jesus. Maybe Peter had indicated this with some of his behavior at some point and Jesus was calling him out on it.

How Do We Love Jesus?

I am not sure about this problem with Peter, but I am confident it is a problem for you and me! I think we make decisions every day that place our love for and relationship with others ahead of Jesus.

Take a moment and think about it. Have you made decisions to bend the rules a little in your business or job because it would benefit you and your relationship with others? Maybe the “others” were your wife or children or even other employees or coworkers. Have you ever made these kinds of decisions even though you knew it was not exactly what you “should” do?

Have you ever chosen, or even allowed yourself, to spend time with someone else instead of keeping your commitment to time with Jesus? Maybe it is simpler to ask it this way. Do your relationships with others come between you and Jesus?

I Am Guilty!

If you are anything like me, you have to answer “yes” to some or all of these questions. If you are like me, it is also true that these decisions seem to slip under your radar. There is not always a sharp nudge from your conscience when this happens.

I guess this is because we tend to put our sins on a scale, assigning differing values to each. Some sins (especially when we see it in others!) are considered more dangerous. Some (those we detect in our own lives!) are less serious. Because no one is visibly hurt when we choose another relationship over Jesus, I guess we just tend to minimize this.

Love Jesus First!

Unfortunately, I do not think Jesus sees it this way. A quick glance at a couple of Scriptures confirms this (Luke 14:26, Matthew 8:18-22, Revelation 2:4). Quite simply, Jesus expects to be our first love. We are to put all other relationships aside when it comes to Him. He gave it all for us and expects us to fully commit to Him.

I encourage you to search your heart (and your business) to find what relationships you are putting ahead of Jesus. Pray for Him to show you where He should be first. Be open to hear and willing to change. I promise, He will answer you.

Do you see any relationships in your life that come between you and Jesus?

Do you love others more than you love Jesus?

Are you praying for clarity in this situation?

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6 Keys To Graceful Employee Terminations, Part 2

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When running a business, there are many things you will enjoy doing! Termination of an employee is most likely NOT one of those things. While it is not enjoyable, it is sometimes necessary.

In my last post, guest poster William Higgins wrote about the pain that can be caused with a poorly handled employee termination. William gave us his first 3 Keys in that post. The following continuation of this guest post from will give you the remaining 3 great tips on how to execute terminations with grace. William is Founder and Managing Director of Mindware, Inc., a performance development, consulting, and publishing organization.

termination

What Should You Do?

As an employer, there are numerous valid reasons for termination of an employee’s business relationship, and you cannot stop the pain the person experiences. The pain is real. The experience hurts. It’s condescending and degrading to just ask them to trust God and know it will all work out for the best. While it’s true God will work things out, that kind of observation minimizes their feelings.

You will want to be sure you coordinate with your Human Resources department to be sure you are abiding by federal and state laws. While you cannot sidestep the pain of a termination, there are things you can do to terminate with dignity, value, and grace.

Keys 4-6 For Graceful Terminations

4. Be affirming.
A termination can feel very demeaning to the individual being laid off. It’s like what they were doing wasn’t of value, like their time invested with the organization was wasted. Whatever the reason the person is being terminated, there is always something in them that can be affirmed. At one point they contributed something of value to the organization. Find that and reflect back to them the value of that contribution. Or, identify what you see as strengths they have at the present, and tell them about those.

If they’re being terminated for performance reasons, be sure to let them know their performance is not what it once was, with examples to demonstrate your point, and that they still have something to contribute to another organization. 1 Corinthians 12 is a chapter devoted to this purpose; everyone in the body of Christ has a purpose and is of value. So it is in your organization. Mirror that back to the individual being laid off.

5. Be helpful.
Provide resources to help the person move on with their life. They may feel like it’s the end of life as they know it when they hear the news, but you need to let them know they still have skills and abilities to contribute elsewhere. Be sure they understand that God has not deserted them just because they are now unemployed. When Jethro spoke to Moses in Exodus 18, he didn’t just tell him he was not being as efficient as he could be, he also provided resources in the form of counsel on how to delegate some of the responsibility to others.

Be sure the individuals impacted understand what their severance package includes; continued medical and other benefits, lump sum, continued salary period, etc. Provide all details in writing so they can refer to them later after the shock wears off. Also review work completion expectations and plans to transition their projects.

The person you are terminating requires resources to both affirm their faith and provide practical assistance in moving forward. Your Road to Damascus: 6 Biblical Secrets for an Effective Job Search does just that. This book integrates biblical guidelines and strategies with cutting-edge techniques to give the reader a spiritual advantage in their search. Outplacement assistance with Christian career coaches is also available for individuals and groups based on this book.

Go to www.MindWarePublishing.com for more information on the book or to Contact Us regarding outplacement service.

6. Be open.
Survivors need to know what the future holds. Let them know why this action was necessary, and how it will enable the organization to move forward to achieving the goals that have been established. Let them know the resources you are providing those individuals laid-off, to help them see that you’re not dismissing people without caring for their future well-being.

When Christ was preparing for the crucifixion and to leave His disciples He let them know what was going to take place, the resources they were going to receive in the person of the Holy Spirit, and how they were to move forward. In John 14-17 we read how He helped them understand that, while things were not going to be the same with Him gone, they were going to move forward in power.

While terminations are sometimes necessary as economies shift, suppliers change, product lines are altered, and organizational objectives transition to reflect other changes, a termination does not have to be a demeaning, distasteful, and destructive experience. It can launch the impacted individual into a whole new adventure with God, but it needs to be handled sensitively, with grace, and with the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

As a leader you model the person of Christ in your organization. How would He handle a termination? Actually He did. Read how He handled Judas in Matthew 26:20-25 and you’ll see He practiced what we’ve been discussing.

You can too.

I would love to hear what you think about this approach to handling employee terminations.

What do you think was the best tip of the six?

What struggles have you had in termination of employees?

Did you learn something here that will help in the future?