Eternal Perspective Costs

Her exact words follow:

I hope in this series you also will cover the “cost” of making decisions with more than a temporal perspective, because as sure as breath – there is a cost involved.

Bernice, you are absolutely right about that! There is a definite cost involved in making eternal decisions in a temporal world. Sometimes this cost is not immediately evident. Other times there is not a delay at all. Either way, there are costs. As Bernice states, you can be sure of that.

Eternal Perspective Decisions?

Let’s first attempt to determine what we are really talking about when we say we should make decisions from an eternal perspective and how it applies to a business. As with many topics like this, we can see it on several levels.

The first thing most people think about when trying to apply this thinking to a business environment is integrity. For example, a business customer sends you payment for an invoice…twice. Do you send it back or cash it and wait for them to ask about it?

This decision on what to do with the second check can be considered from an eternal perspective – what decision would honor God? It could also be considered from a temporal perspective – what is best for me in the short-term?

More Significant Decisions

While it is true that these kinds of decisions fit into this eternal perspective category (and carry a cost), the decisions I really want to dig into are a little more significant. Instead of fairly simple integrity decisions, I want to look more at vision and strategy decisions.

Folks, I have said repeatedly in various ways on this blog that I believe your job, your business, or your leadership position is a gift AND responsibility from God. I believe, just like in the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), that He expects us to invest them for eternal return – return that survives the fire (1 Corinthians 3:10-15).

Eternal vs. 30 Day Return

In order for us to gain an eternal return, we must make our decisions from an eternal perspective. If investing in the stock market and hoping for a long-term gain, you do not buy stock in a company that only offers a quick return with no likelihood of long term growth. The same is true in making business decisions from an eternal perspective.

Rather than running your business solely by the numbers and the promise of a 30-day return, the one making decisions from an eternal perspective tries to determine the effects of his decision 1,000 years or more from now. If I decide to…(fill in the blank), how will that impact the eternity of my employees, customers, or members of the community?

Walk As Jesus Did

More specifically, as Bible-believing disciples of Christ, our charge is to walk as He did. In doing that, we are to seek and save that which is lost. We are to go and make more disciples, teaching them about him. If our business decisions are not in sync with these responsibilities, then we are making bad decisions. It is as simple as that.

Short Term Is Rough!

The problem with this line of thinking is that the short-term can get rough when you are choosing the long term return. Financial results may suffer in the short term. Business associates may abandon you because they do not understand your reasoning and feel threatened. Employees may choose to leave to chase higher short term returns because they are not viewing things the same way you are. For more examples of these costs, see my post on 10 Pitfalls.

Worse than that, close friends or family members may see you as crazy. Losing the support of people you count on for strength can often be one of the more painful costs of making eternally minded decisions. Being unable to adequately explain your reasoning to someone who simply cannot see the same spiritual truths as you can – that is a tough pill to swallow.

What Is The Upside?

Enough of the downside! What is the upside to making decisions from an eternal perspective? Fortunately, there is plenty to talk about! All we have to do is look to Scripture for that!

First, look back at 1 Corinthians 3:14. While the fire will test our work, all that survives the fire will bring reward! Those things that survive will not be the short-term results we sought during our brief lives on earth. Instead, it will be the relationships with people that we pointed toward Christ.

Now take a look at Matthew 6:19-20. If we seek the treasures here on earth, they will not last. Whether it is due to moths, rust, or thieves, these treasures will not last. However, our heavenly treasure (as a result of eternal minded decisions) will last!

Finally, look at John 16:33. Jesus promises His followers that we will have trouble in this world. It is guaranteed! At the same time, He says that He has overcome this world! The costs of making decisions from an eternal perspective, though real, will not last long. Jesus will wipe them out!

Are you making decisions from an eternal perspective?

Are you experiencing the costs we are discussing here?

What drives you to continue making these decisions?

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Increase Your Decision Making Odds!

In light of that, I have been sharing a set of five questions from a C12 segment. These questions are NOT guaranteed to give you the right decision every time. That is simply not possible.

However, the use of these five questions, in conjunction with prayer, can dramatically increase your odds of getting the best results from your decision making process. In my last two posts, I have shared the first three of these five questions. Today I will give you the final two questions in this decision making process.

Question #4

If you do this, are you likely to become more or less dependent on God as a result?

Will it encourage you to trust relatively more in God or mammon?

Critical Decision Making Question

The first question here is a critical one. There are so many things today upon which we can place our dependence. Many of us find ourselves depending on the success of our business for our identity. Others place their full dependence on their spouse or group of friends.

Regardless of where you place your dependence, if it is not fully on God, then you are mistaken. Sure, God gives us our businesses for ministry and provision. He gives us our spouses for support. At the same time, He does not want our dependence to be placed upon these instead of Him.

He is to be our provider and sustainer. He is the One to whom we should turn first when feeling alone, threatened, weak, etc. He wants our whole heart to be focused on Him! (Psalm 23)

God Or Mammon?

Of course, the follow-up question gets more specific and asks whether the decision will make us lean toward God or money. This is probably the one area that trips up most Christian business owners and leaders. Because so much of our world is ordered around money, we often place our trust in it.

Our decision making process needs to take this into consideration. In asking these questions, we are protecting ourselves from very common pitfalls!

Question #5

Will this decision have a beneficial long-term impact on those currently under your leadership?

If this decision results in destroying the ministry flowing through the business, what eternal impact will this have on your stakeholders?

Leadership Is A Privilege!

In addition to the privilege of owning or running a business, God has also given us the responsibility of leading people. For some of us, this is not a huge number. For others, God has given the responsibility of leading hundreds or thousands.

The number is irrelevant. The critical idea here is that we were not given our businesses for the sole purpose of providing wealth and comfort for ourselves and our families. We have been placed in this position of leadership for the purpose of leading others toward an eternity with God.

As we find ourselves in various decision making situations, we must remember this responsibility. It was not given to us flippantly and we are not to treat it as such. Instead, we must consider the impact of our decision making on those we are leading.

No Perfect Decision Making Process

As I have said before, these five questions will not solve your every problem with decision making. There will almost certainly be situations that cannot be easily resolved even after going through these questions.

Unfortunately, there is not likely to be one decision making process that will accomplish this feat. Even when fervently praying through your decisions, there will be times that you simply cannot discern the best path. I assume you already know this to be true.

What this decision making process WILL do, when executed alongside sincere prayer, is reduce the risk of making a bad decision. While you will still make mistakes, you will make fewer of them when using these questions.

Apply And Report Back!

I hope you have found some value in this five-question decision making process. I also hope you will actually put this process into practice in the near future. If so, please report back to me with the results. I am eager to hear how it goes!

Do you see the decision making value in these five questions?

Are you ready to apply them to your next decision making opportunity?

Can you add a question or two that have helped you make crucial decisions?

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Decision Making – A Critical Skill

I would have to argue with that assumption. I would say that decision making is a critical skill that requires experience, knowledge, wisdom, and a whole host of other qualities that we should have as leaders.

So what are we to do if we face decision making situations where we do not feel qualified? What about those situations where we DO feel qualified, but we want God to lead us? How do we handle these various decision making opportunities? Is there a class we can take?

5 Decision Making Questions

Well, there may be a class, but I think I have something that will give you some help until you find the class. I have a set of five questions (and supporting questions) that I believe will give you a head start toward making those God-honoring decisions you desire to make. These questions come from an excellent C12 segment.

In my last post, I gave you the first question. Hopefully you found some value in that one. In this post, I want to tackle the next two questions on the list.

Question #2

Will this decision benefit your first ministry priorities?

These are your personal relationship and time with God, your spouse, your children, and others in need. Overall, will your ministry effectiveness in relationships outside the business be enhanced? What about inside the business?

First Things First

I love the way this question begins by asking how this decision will affect our own personal relationship and time with God! Frankly, if it stopped right there it might be enough for us to ask.

Folks, if you are considering a decision that you know will take you away from or limit your time with God, then there is no need to go further in this process. Run from that choice!

Other Relationships?

What about the time and relationship with your family? This is not only critical to ask as it relates to your family as a whole, but your spouse and children individually as well. Some decisions we consider may be destructive of our family relationships while other decisions may only interrupt these relationships for a time. We must be honest with ourselves as we determine the impact and consequences.

Finally, this question asks about how the decision will effect our ministry inside and outside of the business. If one is limited for the sake of increasing the other, maybe that is okay. If both are decreased for the sake of something temporal, maybe not.

Question #3

Will you be violating Scriptural principles?

For example, will you be entering an ‘unequally yoked’ situation or being tempted by lust, greed, or pride? What spiritual dangers are inherent in this decision? Why are you undertaking it…really?!?

Enlist Help!

The first two parts of this question (Scriptural principles & spiritual dangers) are more often fairly easy to determine as long as you are steeped in Scripture. If you are not, then you need to run this by someone who is. Skipping over these parts of the question because you don’t know one way or the other is simply asking for trouble. Don’t do it!

As for the last part (Why?), this can be tough. Discerning our own root motives is difficult at best, even impossible at times. This is when it is crucial to have someone you trust to help you. An accountability partner or a spouse can often shed light on areas or ask follow up questions that will help you to see the truth in your heart.

While this decision making process is much more effective when we check our motives with someone else, you may not always have that person available for help. In those cases, while praying through it, you do the best you can to identify the root motive.

Increase The Odds!

Again, every situation in your decision making situations will be different. I cannot possibly cover every scenario. All I want you to get from this decision making process is a set of questions that raise the critical issues so you do not overlook anything. If all of the issues are raised and all perspectives considered (again – while praying through it), then your decision making is likely to produce better results.

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Would recent decisions have changed if you had asked these questions earlier?

What decisions are you facing that need to be run through this process?

Who is your go-to person for help with Godly decisions?

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