College Test

I once read about a college student that was struggling in a particular class. The end of the semester was approaching and that meant he would have to do well on the final exam if he hoped to make the grade he needed.

In a surprising twist, the professor explained that she would allow a “cheat sheet” to be used when taking the final exam. The professor explained that she would allow them to include all of the information they could fit on one 8 1/2 x 11-inch sheet of paper. They could access this information during the test.

Confusing Behavior

When the day of the test arrived, the students were sharing the creative ways they crammed enormous amounts of information onto their sheets of paper. The struggling student did not participate. In fact, he sat quietly in his seat with a blank sheet of paper!

The other students could not understand why he had passed on the opportunity to fill his cheat sheet. They knew he was struggling in the class and would need all the help he could get.

Cheating Perfected

Finally the test was distributed and the class settled down. At this point, the struggling student went to the door of the class and opened it as if he was leaving. Instead, he motioned to whoever was standing out in the hall, inviting them in. Everyone instantly recognized the professor’s TA (Teaching Assistant) entering the classroom.

To the astonishment of the other students, and the professor, the struggling student then took out his blank sheet of paper and laid it on the floor. He again motioned to the TA and took his seat. As he did this, the TA walked over and stood on the blank sheet on the floor.

Surprise Strategy!

When the professor asked the student what was going on, he simply explained that he was exercising his right to access all of the information he could fit on a single sheet of paper. He planned to ask the TA for help with his test!

Of course, this caused a huge uproar among the other students! They cried out that he was cheating. They said, “That’s not fair!” Clearly, they thought the professor would stop this nonsense.

However, after considering her earlier instructions and noting that the TA indeed fit on the single sheet of paper, the professor granted the student permission to proceed with his plan!

Your Thoughts?

What are your thoughts at this point? Do you wish you had access to this same type of information as you face the various tests during your business day? Or do you think that simply would not work in the business world?

The truth is that we have this very access. Unfortunately, we often do not realize it or we forget about it. Even worse, at times we use it and then turn right around and ignore it during the next test!

God Has All The Answers!

God created business. He knows all there is to know about our particular business. He knows the applicants we are interviewing. He knows the future we will face and how we need to prepare for it. There is not a question we can ask that He cannot answer.

So why is it that we do not call Him into our tests? Why do we ignore Him as we struggle to pass tests that He could breeze through? What would possess us to continue facing tests without using every resource available to us?

Reasons?

If we are honest, some would say that they are not sure God really cares about our business. Yet I do not understand how He could feel that way when He goes as far as to count the number of hairs on our heads and even give every star a name. It seems to me God is concerned about every detail in His universe. That includes our business!

Others may admit they do not know how to ask Him these questions. Or maybe asking is not the problem, but discerning the answer gives them trouble. I struggle with this issue as well. Fortunately, the more we read and study His Word, pray, and seek Him, the clearer His voice becomes to us.

Draw Closer To Him

When I am closest to Him, I find it easier to know His answers to my questions. When I stray from Him, it is impossible for me to hear what He is saying. Funny, it is always my movement away, never His.

Regardless of your own reasons, I encourage you to give this a try. Start seeking Him on your every decision. Whenever you face a test, force yourself to remember to approach God for the answers. I promise you He is faithful to provide.

Have you tried to take tests on your own?

Why is it so easy to ignore God for answers?

How do you plan to change this?

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Lots To Read

Let me explain. When I started this blog, I decided I was not going to write about theories or ideas. I had read a lot on the subject of Christian business by authors that I am sure were very well educated. The problem I saw was that some had never actually been in business themselves.

While I understood their theories and ideas (even agreed with most of them), I had a problem knowing they had never actually had to face the challenge of implementing those ideas. They had not faced the “whirlwind” of business that keeps many of us from being as effective as we want to be.

Application, Not Theory

As a result, I wanted to write from the perspective of one who was actually IN the business world and trying to implement the ideas I promoted. I wanted to write about application, not theory.

So that is what I did. I committed to only writing about processes we were actually trying in our business. In fact, I found the writing of the blog posts actually served as a form of accountability, keeping me focused on the application of ideas that otherwise may have faded over time.

Lapse In Effectiveness

Fast forward a few years and I have started to look around again. What I have found is not exciting to me. What I have realized is that some of the very processes and ideas that were once carried out regularly are no longer being performed. Either that or they are not as effective as they have been in the past.

If it was only about me, that may not be such a big deal.

People Depending On Application

However, I have come to find that there are many people depending on me to focus on the application of these ideas. Our entire employee base (whether they realize it or not) is relying on me to ensure the application of these processes. Their family members are depending on this. Our customers are also expecting this.

You, as a reader of this blog, trust that we are actually doing what I say we are doing. If I was promoting this blog as one of theory (not application), then you likely would not care as much. However, since I am saying the opposite, you should expect that the application of these ideas is in place.

Dangerous Clouds

So, the danger I described before, is that over time it is easy to get lost in the clouds when writing a blog. It is easy to get caught up in the coolest new idea that comes along rather than ensuring the application of that idea first.

I want to give an example from Scripture that illustrates this. While the analogy is not an exact fit, I think you will get the idea.

After He had said this, He was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took Him out of their sight. While He was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them.

They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen Him going into heaven.”
Acts 1:9-11

Disciples In The Clouds

In this passage, Jesus has just given instructions to the disciples and has ascended into the clouds, going to heaven. The disciples have things to do and instructions to follow, but what do they do? They stand there gazing into the empty sky.

What they were thinking about, no one really knows. They were probably reflecting on how cool it was to see Jesus ascend. They likely were thinking about what this ascension meant to their future. It is even possible they were wishing they could follow Him right then and skip all they had in front of them to do.

Thoughts Interrupted

Whatever the case, the two men in white clothes came along and interrupted their thoughts. Effectively, these two men told them to get their heads out of the clouds and get back to the tasks they had at hand!

I laugh every time I read this passage! I can imagine being in the disciples’ shoes and wanting to stand there gazing. I can imagine wishing to be following Jesus right then. In fact, to be honest, there are days I DO feel that way!

We Have Work To Do!

The problem is that we have work to do. Theories are good and we certainly can use new ideas in order to increase our ministry effectiveness. At the same time, the work must continue! We cannot get lost in the theory and forget the application!

It is not enough to say we added a step to our sales process at one time. We must make sure that step remains a part of the sales process for as long as it is effective. Allowing it to fade out while we pursue new ideas…this is a problem!

In the same way, applying something once that we have learned in our study of the Bible is not enough. We must maintain that application over time. It is not enough to say we studied or fasted once. We must keep up these disciplines.

Self-Assessment

I encourage you to do a self-assessment. Where do you rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 when it comes to application? Are you guilty of too much theory and not enough work? Have you allowed your gaze to shift to the clouds?

As I mentioned, I have noticed some cloud-gazing myself lately. As a result, I am committing to an increased focus on application. I hope you will do the same!

Where have you allowed application to lapse?

Are you ready to jump back in and get to work?

Where are you going to start?

Photo by Choreograph / iStock

Building Sand Castles

What usually happens is that the kids get started in the smooth, hard-packed sand when the tide is out. I guess this offers a better foundation and is easier to build upon.

They have their buckets and shovels and make frequent trips back and forth to the water. As they form walls and parapets and moats, they seem like they are in another world. In fact, the kids can stay like this for hours if allowed. Sometimes they will even try to miss a meal to keep going!

The problem comes later when the tide starts coming in. Initially, the water starts attacking the base of the castle, eroding the walls. Eventually, the waves overrun the walls and fill the moats with such force that the whole castle is destroyed. Within hours, there is no sign a castle ever existed there.

Not As Exciting For Parents?

My question – why is this not as exciting for parents as it is for the kids? Sure, there is an element of excitement for a parent as they see their kids having fun. But why don’t parents do this without their kids? Why aren’t the kids begging to go back to the room while the parents continue to work on the sand castle?

I am convinced that parents understand how meaningless it is to work hard to create something that will certainly be destroyed within hours. I believe, whether they consciously consider it or not, they know it is meaningless because they will have nothing to show for their work the next day.

Does this make sense? Do you think this same idea may also apply to our work in the marketplace? Have you ever stopped to think about it?

Work Is Meaningless

The author of Ecclesiastes (likely Solomon) certainly thought about this. In fact, he sought all there was in life – all pleasures, wealth, work, etc., and found that all of it was meaningless.

“Absolute futility,” says the Teacher. “Everything is futile.”
Ecclesiastes 12:8

Many of us have found the same to be true about our work at first. For some, revelation that there was more to it came at an early age. For others, this revelation came later. For many, they cannot see it.

The truth is that (according to Scripture) your work, in and of itself, is meaningless. All that you work for and achieve in this world will burn one day and there will be no reward for it in eternity. Whether you like it or not, this is what the Bible says. Check out 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 to see the basis for this.

There Is Hope!

Fortunately, there is another verse in Ecclesiastes that gives us hope. If this is true, then we can hope to bring more people to the realization that all work is not meaningless.

He has also set eternity in the human heart;
Ecclesiastes 3:11

God put eternity in our hearts. The way I understand this, there is an eternal hole or void in our hearts. We have it from birth and nothing can fill it but Him. No work, wealth, pleasure or achievement can fill that void, no matter how hard we try.

Eternal Perspective

However, once we fill that void through a salvation experience with Jesus, all sorts of opportunities open up to us. Suddenly, our work CAN matter! It is no longer meaningless if we approach it from an eternal perspective!

We first need to realize that our work, to the extent that it points others to God and a relationship with His Son, can have eternal meaning AND create eternal reward! Once we realize this, we can begin working through our jobs and businesses to have impact on people for eternity.

Share With Others!

Then, as we gain more clarity on how this works, we need to begin sharing this realization with others. Can you imagine what it could look like if all the Christians you know in the business world began doing their jobs and running their businesses with an eternal purpose?

I can tell you that this very idea is what drives me to keep writing this blog. It is the hope that others can come to the realization that their work does not have to be meaningless. It can have a dramatic eternal impact if they will simply turn it over to God and follow His lead!

Have you come to this realization regarding meaningless work?

If so, who have you shared it with?

If not, I encourage you to pray about it! Will you?

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Either you thought of it or someone you know has tossed it up to you.  Either way, it is a valid question.  After all, based on the news and political issues all around us, it appears that the last thing you want to do is associate your business with anything Christian.  It is too polarizing, right?

Barna Group Study

Surprisingly, it is not as big an issue as you might think!  According to a study conducted by Barna Group (check out the details of the study here), the people that may be offended with any Christian connection to your business are actually a very small minority.  Let’s look at the results.

When asked in two different ways about the likelihood of their doing business with a company that was managed according to Christian principles or embraced and promoted the Christian faith, roughly 55% of these consumers indicated they were indifferent!  In other words, the connections to Christianity did not affect their buying decisions in either direction.  Of course, while this is good news, it really does not tell us what we want to know.  Let’s dig a little further.

How about those that would be more likely to do business with a Christian company?  These responses to the question made up roughly 40% of the total responses!  Two out of every five consumers surveyed said that a company’s connection to the Christian faith would make them more likely to do business with them.  In fact, almost 25% said they would be a lot more likely to do so!

Fantastic News!

I see both of these results as fantastic news!  While I do not believe we are to market and advertise our Christian faith in our business (some may argue this), I am glad to know that the vast majority of those who see the connection are either indifferent or more likely to do business with us!

So what percentage of the responses is left over?

How many people are less likely to do business with a Christian company?

According to the Barna Group study, only 3% – less than one in thirty – of the respondents said they would be less likely to do business with a company that has overt connections to Christianity.  Only 3%…is that really a large enough population to cause concern?

Our Experience

While I have not conducted an official study like Barna, I have been outspoken about the Christian foundation for our business for almost fourteen years now.  I have never been confronted by anyone claiming offense at our beliefs.  I have had a couple of email complaints (literally 2 or 3) stating they would not purchase from us due to our Christian witness.  I am also certain that we have had customers walk away, but just not voice their opinion.  I don’t doubt that at all.

But really, how many do you think make up that group?  If your experience DOUBLED that of the Barna study, would 6% kill your business?  Do you really fear the size of that group more than you trust God at His Word?  He promises to meet our needs (Philippians 4:19).  He promises if we will seek Him first, he will add “these things” (Matthew 6:33).  God is faithful to make good on His promises (Deuteronomy 7:9).  Trust Him to do just that!

What are you really afraid of?

Isn’t your God bigger than that fear?

What should be your next step?

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Single Greatest Opportunity

Lencioni wrote a book called The Advantage. In this book, he describes what he believes to be the single greatest opportunity for improvement and competitive advantage for today’s organizations, teams, and families. He tells how this opportunity is free and is available to anyone. He also says that this opportunity is virtually untapped in most organizations.

What is this single greatest opportunity? Lencioni says it is “organizational health.”

Organizational Health Defined

Lencioni defines a company that has good organizational health as one that meets the following three criteria:

1. There is minimal politics and confusion.
2. There is a high degree of morale and productivity.
3. There is low turnover among good people.

Brutal Intolerance Around Core Values

While there is certainly too much information in his book to adequately cover here in this post, I do want to touch on one critical element of creating good organizational health. This element is what Lencioni called “a brutal intolerance around the company’s core values.” That is to say that organizationally healthy companies do not tolerate compromise when it comes to their core values. They stand fast.

Core Values Example

Take the example of Southwest Airlines. One of their core values is Humor. They build processes and customer interaction around humor. They hire for it and they inject it throughout their operations. If anyone has ever flown with Southwest, you are aware of this. You just may not have known it is one of their core values.

On a certain flight, one of the flight attendants was running through the pre-flight safety announcements. She made some comment like, “In the event of the need for a water landing, your flight attendant will come by with drinks and towels.” She went on with her funny script and there did not seem to be anything wrong.

Customer Complaint

However, shortly after this flight, CEO Herb Kelleher received a letter from one of the passengers on that flight. She said she was a long-time customer of Southwest Airlines and wanted to voice a complaint about the safety announcements. It was her opinion that the safety of the passengers is nothing to joke about. She let Kelleher know that she felt that she would have to find another airline if that is how Southwest continues to handle safety announcements.

What would you do in this situation? Possibly, you may have written the customer to thank them for their patronage, promising them that your company considers its passengers’ safety a primary concern. Maybe you would have given her a voucher for a discount off of a future flight. Likely, you would have then called someone in training to ask them to tone down the humor when it came to the safety announcements.

Brutal Intolerance

If you would have done any of these things, even close, you would have been a LONG way from what Herb Kelleher did. He did write her a letter. It was not a long letter, though…in fact, it was just three words:

“We’ll miss you.”

What? Is he serious? Isn’t the customer always right? Can he really afford to lose a customer like that?

Evidently, he was serious. Evidently, he understood the incredible power in the core values and he knew it was his job to defend them. Evidently, this strategy works for Southwest in spades! One metric supporting this is their 39 consecutive years of profitability without a loss. Another indicator is that Southwest received 143,143 resumes and only hired 2,188 new Employees in 2010.

Tough Core Values Questions

I have a couple of questions.

Could this strategy work for your company?

What if your company was brutally intolerant when it comes to its core values? What would it look like? What results do you think you would see?

Could it work for you personally?

Take this a step further, what about you personally? As a leader, parent, coach, teacher, etc., what would it look like if you were this committed to your core values…even to the point of death? Would that look like a lunatic? Or would it look more like a true disciple of Jesus?

I promise you I am asking myself the same questions.

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Sermon On The Mount

Well, we are not going to focus on these people today, but I do want to focus on the idea of standing out from the crowd. In my last post, I talked about this passage from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount:

“You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may show yourselves to be sons of your Father in heaven. For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing out of the ordinary? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same?
Matthew 5:43-47

We Are To Stand Out

I went on to point out how this passage leads us to the conclusion that Jesus wants to see us stand out from the crowd. He does not want us to look like everyone else when it comes to our actions.

Not only is this true in our personal lives, but it should also be true in our businesses and careers. If we are Christians in the marketplace, then our business actions and decisions should not blend in with those of the world around us. We should stand out from the crowd in the way we operate our businesses and perform our jobs.

Why Stand Out?

The question we did not cover in that last post is WHY He wants us to do this.

Unlike our friends that dress differently for the attention or spotlight, we have another purpose for standing out in this world. So that you are not simply taking my word on this, I want to refer to some Scriptures to make my case.

In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
1 Peter 3:15

Point Others To God

Folks, our purpose for being here on earth, for even existing, is to point others toward God. We are here for the purpose of bringing Him glory. This can happen through our behaviors, actions, and decisions. We can bring Him glory with our relationships and with our careers.

We CANNOT bring Him glory if we blend in and look like the world around us. We must stand out, causing others to see us and wonder why it is we stand out. When this happens, they will likely ask us why we are behaving like this. When they do, it is our opportunity to give them the reason for the hope we have!

Requires Faith

Keep in mind, I understand that what I am proposing is not easy. It requires faith that God will take care of us and that we will not suffer harm as a result.

There will be times that the choice between blending in and standing out can be scary. The temptation will be to play it safe and blend in. All I can say is that this kind of behavior is short-term thinking.

God is real and He will honor the one that is fully committed to him (2 Chronicles 16:9). He is not going to leave you or forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6,8). He will make your cause shine (Psalm 37:6).

Do You Believe?

He is calling us to stand out. If we will do it, He will get the glory and we will one day be rewarded. If we shy away and instead blend in, we will miss the opportunity to see Him act. If we do this, where is our faith? Do we really believe what we say we believe?

Have You Stopped To Think?

Much of what Jesus teaches is contrary to what the world teaches. What I want to look at today is not revolutionary at all. At the same time, I wonder how many of us have stopped to think about how we apply this aspect of Jesus’ teachings to our businesses or jobs. Maybe today’s post will help you do just that!

To start, let’s take a look at the Scripture that I want us to consider.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may show yourselves to be sons of your Father in heaven. For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing out of the ordinary? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same?
Matthew 5:43-47

Focus on the Spirit of The Passage

When you first read this passage, you were probably focused on what Jesus was telling us to do. Commands like “love your enemies” and “pray for those who persecute you” stand out because they are hard to live out. In fact, many of us feel like these are asking too much from us. I know I have felt this way.

While these are certainly good points to ponder, I want to step back a little. Rather than focusing on the specific commands, I want to look at the spirit of the passage, the intent. While I am not trying to minimize the commands, I think there is another idea here that might be useful to apply to our jobs and businesses.

Examples

Look back at the passage and read it again. Note the following phrases…

…show yourselves to be sons of your Father…Don’t even the tax collectors do the same?…what are you doing out of the ordinary? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same?

Pay Attention To The Patterns

Typically, when we see patterns of repetition like this in Scripture, we need to pay close attention. Repetition is often used to communicate a specific point, one that we need to heed.

In this case, the point I see is that we are to stand out. Beyond the specific commands to love and pray for our enemies, I think the bigger message is that as disciples of Jesus, we are to stand out from the world. It is not enough for us to do good things that others in the world do. We must go beyond and stand out!

Does Your Business Stand Out?

Let’s take a moment and think about this idea in the context of our business. Does our business stand out from those around us? Do we stand out from our colleagues in the way we handle customers – especially those difficult ones that no one wants to engage?

Do our working conditions stand out from other businesses? Do our benefits stand out? Is there a marked difference between the employee satisfaction in our business or team versus that of other companies around us? Do we smile more, have more fun, rise above hardship with more peace, etc. than those around us?

If not, why not? How hard is it to smile as much as everyone else? How hard is it to provide the same benefits and working conditions as everyone else provides? Is it really that tough to be just as good, nice, patient, etc. as those without Jesus?

Stop And Think

I encourage you to think about all of these questions. Think about them and apply them to your current situation, whether you are a business owner, leader, or employee. How can you stand out?

In addition, I want you to think about WHY Jesus calls us to stand out. What is His purpose in asking us to stand out and how should that purpose impact our actions? We will look at this in my next post.

How well does your business stand out?

What can you do to stand out more?

What are the downsides to this approach?

Photo by JeremyRichards / iStock

Of course, even if we understand this and make every effort to live it out, it is easy sometimes to drift. An example of this occurs when we get to the point where we are out of touch with our employees or team members. It doesn’t have to be intentional to happen. Business can come at us at light speed and it is easy to return our focus to the urgent rather than the important.

It Can Happen To Anyone

You really don’t even have to forget this truth to get into trouble here. It may be very clear to you that your team is the most important aspect of your company or department mission. The problem simply may be your circumstances for a season.

When this happens, regardless of the reasons or intent, unrest is often quick to appear. Depending on the culture you have built over time, this unrest may not be a huge factor. A stronger culture can handle a season like this. A weaker culture, however, could quickly deteriorate.

Do Your Employees Say This?

In an effort to encourage you to take a look at this issue before it becomes a problem, I have compiled a list of five things your employees (or coworkers) may be saying about you. I hope you will take the time to assess your current situation and determine corrective action if necessary. I know I am!

1.) “All he seems to care about is _____.”

What is it that you talk about all the time? What do you spend the majority of your time focused on? What upsets you the quickest? The answers to these questions may give you a clue to what your employees think is most important to you.

If the answers you gave relate more to business metrics or results than to the people producing them, then you may be out of balance. Sure the metrics are important, but the people producing them are more so.

Check yourself and see if maybe you have forgotten about the individuals on your team. Begin thinking about and focusing on how to engage them and their passions and you might find out that the metrics take care of themselves.

2.) “He doesn’t know what I go through.”

This is a tough one for most because it is true. You and I do not really KNOW what it is that others are going through. However, that does not mean we cannot attempt to learn and understand it.

Intentionally making yourself available to have seemingly random conversations with your team members about what they are experiencing – at work AND outside of work – can give you incredible insights into their needs and desires.

Just showing an ounce of understanding will give you the connection with them that both of you need. This is the stuff that relationships are built on, leading to opportunities to influence them for eternal impact!

3.) “He’s too busy to talk to me.”

For some crazy reason, we have been taught to believe that moving quickly and with purpose will convince those around us that we are getting things done. We think they will see our hustle and be in awe!

I am sorry, but that is hogwash. People are not enamored with leaders that rush around all the time. People want and need connections. That is simply not possible if we are always moving so quickly that we are not approachable.

Some of you are thinking that you can’t help it – you are that busy!

If so, there is a problem.

Maybe this is true in extreme situations and for short seasons. For all other times, it simply shows you are not building enough margin into your schedule. Take a couple of responsibilities off of your plate and create margin for yourself and those around you.

4.) “He would be mad if I asked for help with ____.”

There could be multiple reasons for this statement. Maybe you have a problem with #3 above and they don’t want to try to slow you down. Maybe you are impatient and they feel they would frustrate you by asking for help. It could even be something they should already know but were not properly trained to do.

Whatever the reason, they likely see you as somewhat of an expert and would love to be coached by you in one way or another. For you to give the impression that you are not available for help like this only eliminates another opportunity to influence someone.

Work at making yourself more approachable and available. Even in small increments, you may be surprised at the impact that comes out of it! Try it and see!

5.) “He doesn’t care about me.”

Assuming you are a Christian in business with an eternal perspective, this could be the worst of the five. Unlike #1, this statement reflects how they think you feel about them as an individual. This is personal to them.

There are many ways you could cause them to feel this way. In fact, this could be an accumulation of the four issues listed above. Whatever the case, you need to recognize (1) that this can happen and (2) that it is critical for you to address.

The first step – actually care about them! Make sure you are praying for them daily. Pray that God would reveal to you ways you can show them that you care. Think about them as individuals more than you do now.

The amazing thing – they will begin to realize the truth that you DO care about them if you will just start doing it! Be intentional. And get honest feedback about your progress from those you trust the most.

Have you ever been one of the employees making these statements?

Do you think you are guilty of any of these?

What are you going to do next?

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Jesus Had Ultimate Power

Think about it. As a kid, I knew that Jesus was the Son of God. While I could not easily explain the Trinity, I simply accepted that Jesus was God and man at the same time. Some things that adults have a hard time understanding are just accepted as fact by kids. This was one of those ideas.

Knowing that Jesus was also God at the same time, I knew He had total power to do anything. Stronger than Superman and faster than Flash, Jesus had the ultimate power. There was simply nothing He could not do if He wanted to.

Could Jesus Use His Power?

Because I believed this, I had a REALLY hard time with the question mentioned above. I could not understand why He didn’t use His power more. I mean, I knew He worked miracles. He walked on water, turned water into wine, and raised Lazarus from the dead.

It’s not like He could not use his power at all. Clearly, God did not tell Jesus to hide His power. So if that is the case, why didn’t he use it more often? As a kid, I could think of SO many different ways He could have used it!

Various Examples

He could have used His power to defeat playground bullies. He could have won every arm wrestling match he ever faced. He could have even won the Fastest Runner award every year in school!

As an adult, Jesus did not have to be a lowly carpenter. He could have been a very successful business owner. He could have risen to the top of the political structure of the time. He could have even defeated the Roman army single-handedly and taken over the world!

As a kid with a great imagination, I could come up with endless ways Jesus could have used His power. And every year when Easter came around, this question burned even deeper. Why didn’t Jesus use His power to escape the cross?

Jesus Had An Eternal Perspective

Now, looking back, I see how silly my question was. What seemed so elusive at the time is an answer that is all too obvious now. I am sure it is just as obvious to you as well, but I think it is worth reviewing.

Jesus had an eternal perspective. He came from heaven to earth for a short time and with very specific purposes. Jesus knew before He came that He would return to heaven. He knew that anything material He gained on earth would be left behind upon His return to His throne.

His Purpose Was Bigger

Jesus didn’t overuse His power to win fights or contests because that did not align with His purpose. He didn’t seek business wealth and success because He knew it was fleeting. He knew it was worthless in eternity and promised little comfort during His tenure on earth.

Jesus avoided political and military entanglements because His perspective was even bigger than they could ever be. And most of all, He submitted to the cross because the lives of those He would save as a result were infinitely more valuable than the value of His additional time on earth.

Ridiculous Question

Folks, the question I struggled with as a kid is almost ridiculous when I look back at it. I almost laugh at myself until I come to another realization and want to cry.

See, if this question is so ridiculous to me now, if the answer is so obvious, then why am I still living as if this life on earth is more valuable than the eternity I face after this life?

Do you understand the problem?

I begin to laugh at my limited understanding as a kid until I realize I am still living as if I have that same limited understanding now!

I Am Humbled

When I look at all of the ways I continue to seek my own personal gain today, at the expense of eternal gain, I want to cry. Maybe you are different, but I am almost embarrassed to put these thoughts our here on the blog…and would not, except for the hope that someone else will gain from my weakness and transparency.

The bottom line is that my original question IS ridiculous. The answer IS obvious AND the same purposes that motivated Jesus to act as He did should motivate us today.

We should be exchanging what this short-term world has to offer for the eternal reward that Jesus offers us. We should be sacrificing our comfort today for the promise of the future in heaven.

Some of you are doing this very thing. Some of you are nodding your head right now and maybe even pumping your fist in agreement! At the same time, others of us are silently considering our own lack of commitment.

It’s Not Too Late!

For those of us in this uncomfortable position, the exciting news is that the story is not over. It is not too late! God is faithful AND forgiving. He is full of mercy and grace. He is standing ready to embrace our full focus and lead us to much greater eternal results.

I encourage you not to quit. Don’t give up simply because you feel you have failed in one area or another (or in multiple areas!). Hit your knees, ask for renewed strength, and trust God to lead you. He will never leave you or forsake you!

Do you understand the answer to this question?

Are you living out your understanding?

What needs to change?

Photo by zahar2000 / iStock

Ambassadors For Christ

In my first post on ambassadors, I shared with you the verse from 2 Corinthians 5:20. Here it is again for reference:

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, certain that God is appealing through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.”
2 Corinthians 5:20

After sharing this verse, we went on to look at the ways in which the responsibilities of a political ambassador parallels the responsibilities we have today as ambassadors for Christ. In my next post, I shared what I believe are the most critical points in understanding our jobs as ambassadors for Christ.

I won’t go back into the details from those posts now, but I will encourage you to read them before moving on. It will help you understand the context for this post. For today, I want to look specifically at the workplace location for political ambassadors and illustrate how it relates to our roles today.

Ambassadors’ Workplace?

I understand that most of have not studied the job of political ambassadors. That’s fine. You don’t need to know the intricate details of how they work and exactly what they do to understand their overall role and how it impacts us.

Since we have covered the major functions of the ambassador role in my previous two posts, let’s now turn and look at the workplace of the ambassador. If you had to guess, based only on the knowledge you currently have about an ambassador, where would you think they perform most of their work duties?

If you were to guess that an ambassador’s work takes place at the embassy, you would be wrong. Sure, that is where their office is located. In fact, their staff is located there as well. But the majority of their work – building relationships with the native people and representing the desires of his king – is done outside of the embassy.

Active And Intentional

See, the ambassador serves in an active and intentional role. He is not assigned to a certain foreign land and asked to sit idly and wait until he is called upon when needed. He is actively seeking to build relationships outside of the embassy.

He is likely meeting in government offices throughout the foreign land. He is probably eating many meals with various representatives in that land. There are probably many impromptu conversations between the ambassador and people of influence in that land. He is also likely attending many functions of various sizes for all sorts of organizations.

Role Of Embassy?

The entire time he is doing all of this, his focused purpose is to represent his “king” and influence the people he meets in the direction of his “king”. At no point does the ambassador have the luxury of waiting for someone to call on him.

Regarding the embassy, there are certainly times that he performs work there. He is probably communicating with his king when he is there. He is planning strategy for influencing the people of the foreign land when he is at the embassy. And of course, there are times he invites to the embassy some of the people he is attempting to influence.

Church = Embassy?

Now, let’s take the same set of lenses and focus them on our roles as ambassadors for Christ. For the sake of this discussion, let’s substitute the church building in the place of the embassy. While it is not a perfect analogy, I think there are enough parallels for you to see the point.

First, as ambassadors for Christ, we are to be active and intentional. We are not called to sit and wait until someone comes to us and asks us about our King Jesus. We are instead to be actively seeking to build relationships with the lost that are OUTSIDE of the church (embassy).

Wherever We Go!

Just like the political ambassadors, we are to be meeting people wherever our lives take us – workplace, community, home – and influencing them toward the desires of our King. We can do this in our office or out in the field. We can do this at the soccer field or at the theater. This can and should be happening in our homes.

The key is that wherever we go and whatever we are doing, our focused purpose is to represent Jesus and point others toward Him. We cannot ever allow ourselves to relax and simply wait for others to come to us and ask. That is not the job of an ambassador.

Church Building Has A Role

As for the church building, it plays a role as well. We should go there to communicate with our King in the faith community. We should go there to learn about our King so we can better represent Him and His desires as we leave to go out into the community. We will also learn and develop our strategies there.

We are even going to make the effort to invite people we meet to come and visit our church. I do not want to minimize this part at all, but I DO want to emphasize that this is not our end goal. Nor should it be part of our strategy to just invite them and hope they catch what we have.

Go Make Disciples!

Our job is much more involved than that. Our job is to make disciples, not just to add to the church membership. This requires our full attention AS we go about our lives in this foreign land. It is our purpose for being in this foreign land. It cannot be overstated.

Do you do most of your work at the “embassy” or in the field?

What part of the ambassador’s work do you struggle with?

What action do you need to take?

Photo by monkeybusinessimages / iStock