What about you? Are you living a great adventure? Or are you just watching (and envying) those who are?

What Is Adventure?

Before I go any further in applying this to our Christian business efforts, let’s take a minute to define what I mean by “adventure” living. One dictionary defines adventure as “an unusual and exciting, typically hazardous, experience or activity.”

I want to key in on two words – unusual and hazardous. I believe an adventure is “unusual” because it is something we have never done. There is an “unknown” factor that gets our blood flowing and excites us.

The “hazardous” element is the presence of risk. In an adventure, there is usually risk involved. It may be the risk of injury or the risk of loss. Whatever the case, pairing the risk and the unknown makes for an exciting experience – one that can bring great reward!

God Wants This For Us!

This is what I mean by adventure. This is also what I believe God wants for us in our relationship with Him. I do not think God is looking for those who want to play it safe or avoid all risk. I do not think He wants us clinging to the pew (or anything else!) and living for consistency or monotony.

If we just read His Word, I think we will see that God is looking for those who want an adventure with Him. You can probably name the same examples I can – Abraham was asked to leave his homeland and travel far away without knowing the destination. Noah was called to build a boat without water nearby or rain in the forecast.

Moses was called back to Egypt and then to the wilderness. Peter was called to leave his career and was later called out of the boat. Lazarus was called out of the grave and Zacchaeus was called out of the tree. I could go on, but you get it. In each situation, these people were on an adventure with God. There was the unknown factor and the element of risk in each story!

Elements of Adventure

So, let’s bring it back to you and me today. What great adventure is God calling us to join as we run our businesses? It will be different for each of us, but the same basic elements will be there.

There will be an unknown factor. God is calling us to an adventure, but He is not giving us a detailed map of the journey! He is calling us to accept the unknown and trust His wisdom and guidance. What we CAN know about the journey and the destination – they are worlds better than any plan we could create on our own!

There will also be an element of risk involved. God is not calling us to maintain our grip on everything we own while we “pack” for our trip with Him. He is instead interested in seeing us loosen our grip on everything other than Him. He then wants us to grab hold of Him and not let go – saying “Here I am, send me!”

What Is Your Adventure?

Letting go means we risk losing it all – at least in the short run on this earth. At the same time, I believe He is good for His promises – like 1 Corinthians 3:14, Matthew 6:33, and Luke 6:38. If we completely trust Him to make good on His promises, then in the end, we will see rewards we cannot comprehend – not to mention the adventure between now and then!

Like I said before, the great adventure God wants for you in your business is different from the one He has in mind for me. Your adventure might include going out on your own and starting the business He has placed in your heart. It might mean you stay right where you are, but you quit playing it safe and start taking some risks for His purposes.

4 Simple Steps

I cannot tell you the details of your adventure. I will leave that up to God. What I can do is give you four simple, powerful steps to getting started. If you will follow these steps to the letter, I guarantee you an adventure beyond your imagination!

1.) Get intimate with God through consistent Bible study and intense prayer.
2.) Let go (mentally, emotionally) of everything else you value.
3.) Ask Him to use you.
4.) Hold on, buckle up, and obey!

Is He Safe?

I will close with one of my favorite quotes of all time. It comes from C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. When asked if the lion, Aslan (representing Jesus), was safe – here is his response:

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

Jesus is not safe. There is no promise of safe in all of Scripture, as it pertains to this life. Instead, I encourage you to determine that this year you will step out into the great adventure in your relationship with God. Give Him control and see where He leads…you will never look back!

Where would you rate your life on a 1-10 adventure scale?

Do you believe that God wants this kind of life for you?

What actions do you need to take to get started this year?

Give Me The Jug!

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

It was his follow up question that got my attention.

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

Great Giving Analogy

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

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

Questions To Ponder

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

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

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

Do you hesitate or are you quick to give?

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

Another Giving Perspective

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

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

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

God’s Giving

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

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

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

God’s Giving Purpose

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

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

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

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

Genesis 12:1-3

Blessed To Be A Blessing

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

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

How Achieved

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

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

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

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

Be The Jug!

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

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

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

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

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

Partners In Action Donation Page

True Life Mission Website

Gospel For India Blog

Dad’s Advice

I still remember it like it was yesterday. I was heading out on a date in high school and Dad wanted to give me some final advice. His wise words still ring in my head some 25 years later.

Son, make your decision about what you will and won’t do right now. Whether is it drugs, alcohol, or sex, you cannot wait until the heat of the moment to decide. It will then be too late.

Of course, then I was too cool to let him know that I was listening! Fortunately, I was listening and made (mostly) wise decisions during those years. I knew he was wise then, but I had no idea I would still be following (and giving!) that advice these many years later!

Good Advice?

What makes this advice so good?

Well, in my mind it is ALL about timing. If we go through life waiting to make decisions until we face certain circumstances, then, as my Dad said, it will be too late. The emotions of the circumstances will override our logic and cause us to lean toward immediate gratification rather than deferred gratification. Making these decisions ahead of time allows us to think more clearly and to consider all consequences.

Example Situations

I think the picture was fairly clear in the high school example. Let me give you some examples of situations we may face as adult Christian business owners and leaders to illustrate what I am talking about.

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• If you have not decided ahead of time how much money you will give or how you will give it, then what do you think you will do when the profits start rolling in or your income increases?

• If you have not decided what you will do in advance, what do you think you will do if shown a “grey area” loop hole by your financial planner that he describes as “commonly used” by others?

• If you have not made up your mind beforehand, what will your response be when offered a chance to go alone to a business lunch with a very attractive rep from one of your vendors?

• If you have never planned your response to an opportunity to tell a little white lie to cover up a mistake you made, what do you think you will say?

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As you read through these examples, one or two of them probably stood out to you. You may have already faced these circumstances. If so, whether you made the right choice or not, you know what I am talking about. You also know that the likelihood of a good decision without advance planning is very low.

Applying The Advice

So how do you make the right decisions in advance?

You may be thinking that you cannot possibly be expected to anticipate EVERY potential circumstance when you would have to make such decisions. If so, you are right. I do not expect you to do that at all. In fact, that would be ridiculous.

No, I have a few simple thoughts that should put you on the right track. Take a look at these and see what you think.

1. Ask God to search your heart and show you where you are vulnerable. (Psalm 139:23-24)

It is very likely that you are stronger in some areas of your walk and weaker in others. If you will ask God to point these weaker areas out to you, He will be faithful to do so (Psalm 145:18-19). It is these areas where you need to focus your attention.

You do not need to worry about EVERY possible scenario in these areas. Take the most likely decisions you could face in each area and start with those.

2. Take these weaker areas and plan out your responses. (Proverbs 12:5)

Take these weaker areas that God reveals to you and think about potential pitfalls. What kinds of decisions could you face that might throw you off your game? What decisions would you want to make in each area if you could write the script? Now begin doing exactly that!

Make the decisions in these areas NOW so that you do not have to try to think about it when it is too late and you are under pressure (Proverbs 1:10-19)!

3. Use Scripture as the strong foundation for these decisions. (Psalm 119:11)

If your vulnerable decision is about giving more money even when the temptation is there to spend more on yourself, try 1 Timothy 6:17-19 or Luke 6:38. If your weakness is maintaining your integrity when preparing your taxes, then use Psalm 119:36 or Proverbs 11:3.

You get the idea. The point is to use an easy-to-remember verse from which to rally when put in a tough spot. Memorize the appropriate Scripture and call on it when challenged.

Do you remember similar advice from years back?

How does this advice apply to your work today?

What advice would you give to someone else today?