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Have You Set Your Eternal Goals?

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I am sure your first thought is to ask why I am talking about goals when we are so far past the first of the year! Isn’t that a topic for January? Haven’t most people given up on their goals for the year already? You may also be asking what I mean by eternal goals. Good questions! Let’s see if we can answer them!

eternal goals

Goals In March?

First of all, I am talking about goals in March because some of you have already given up on your goals for the year. Maybe you have not completely given up on them, but you are likely getting into the messy middle in some of them. In others, you never got out of the starting blocks.

Whatever the case, we are going to talk about goals because you need to talk about them. If you are stuck, then this is the perfect time to jump back in with a renewed energy! I am hereby holding you accountable to those goals and encouraging you to get back in the game.

Eternal Goals?

At the same time, I want to know – how many of your goals for this year are eternal goals? To be more clear, how many of your goals for 2015 have an eternal consequence as the motivation for the goal? Still not tracking with me? Let me explain.

I am assuming you are in business and you have a strong desire to integrate your Christian faith into your business. That is great, but WHY do you desire that? Hopefully, you recognize that God is the true owner of your business or job and that you are simply a steward for a time.

Purpose Of Business

Sure, your business has the purpose of providing for your family’s food, shelter, clothing, education, etc. It can also provide for your enjoyment of this life God has given you, right? But that is not where it stops. He gave you this business for a bigger purpose. He wants a return on His investment (Matthew 25:14-30)

Hopefully, you want to bring Him an eternal return because you realize that He does not need a material or financial return. He already owns it all! Therefore, you know that the only way to bring God the return that He does not already possess is to impact other souls for eternity by pointing them to Him.

Goal Alignment?

If all of this makes sense to you, then how well are your 2015 goals aligned with this ultimate measure of your work here on earth? Which of your annual goals can also be labeled eternal goals? Which of your goals, if achieved, will have an eternal impact on those around you now and those to come after you are gone?

If some of your goals are easily categorized as eternal goals, then congratulations! You are certainly on track to have the eternal impact God has in mind for you. If not, please do not get frustrated or lose heart. You are not alone!

Reasons For Lack Of Eternal Goals

In fact, there are many reasons why many of us have not already set eternal goals. Below is a list of some of these reasons. See if any of these apply to you and your situation.

    1. I have never thought about it.
    2. I really don’t know how to set eternal goals.
    3. Eternal goals are too tough to measure.
    4. I can’t know for sure if I have hit them.
    5. These goals are not normal or cause abnormal behavior.
    6. Eternal goals conflict with my current goals.
    7. I cannot fully control the results of these goals.

What Will You Do About It?

I am sure you can think of additional reasons, but I think this list is a good start. So now that we know why we have not set eternal goals, what are we going to do about it? Surely we won’t just stop here and say, “Oh well. Maybe next year.” It’s not too late to take action, is it?

I am so glad you asked! In my next post, I will try to respond to the above list of reasons by using examples from my 2015 goals. I will walk you through my thought processes and see if you can gain some perspective that will help you set your own eternal goals!

Do you already set your own eternal goals every year?

What process do you go through to do this?

If you have never thought about eternal goals, what is your next step?

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Is Your Life Like Your Closet?

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I recently had to clean out my closet at home. After ten years without doing it, the accumulation of stuff and clothes that no longer fit had finally gotten out of hand. I finally recognized the need and set aside the time to clean it. In the process, I was reminded of a truth about life that all Christians need to learn. If you cannot see the connection between a clothes closet and a life truth, then read on!

closet

Organizing My Closet

Obviously, I first had to go through everything in my closet and determine whether I would keep it, give it away, or trash it. I went through work clothes, play clothes, socks, shoes, etc. I think you get the idea.

Once I did that, I figured I would take the opportunity to reorganize the entire closet. I know, that may be a little OCD, but I liked the idea and ran with it. I went to WalMart and bought a couple of cheap cloth baskets for socks, tshirts, etc. I placed these in line on my shelves.

I moved my work clothes to one side and put my casual clothes to the other side. I made sure my work shoes were easily accessed while the others were off to the side. My ties (fewer now because I got rid of those with stains or those too wide!) were placed on the tie rack in the corner and my belts moved to the other corner.

Each Had Its Place

When I was done, I stepped back in pride. I had found a nice, neat area for each type of clothing and accessory. While my closet may not win any HGTV awards for creativity or design, I had achieved what I had set out to do. I had compartmentalized the area and each part had its place.

As I stood there, I remembered the life truth I mentioned at the beginning of this post. If given the opportunity, many Christians will do the exact same thing with their faith as I did with my socks. Stick with me and I think you will see what I mean.

Separate Life Compartments

Too often, we as Christians compartmentalize our lives. We have time for our family. We allocate time for our work. We may prioritize some time with friends and/or hobbies. We also make sure we give time to our faith. Each area of our lives has its own time allotment.

Some of these areas overlap at times (friends and faith, family and hobbies, etc.), but for the most part they are each kept within their own compartment. This is especially true of our faith.

Maybe we have friends at church, but it is unlikely we are regularly and intentionally meeting with them to grow in our faith together. We don’t talk much about our faith with some of our other friends or family because they might get offended.

Faith And Workplace Separate?

We don’t allow our faith to enter our workplace for the same reason. Or it might be that we feel our faith will limit our ability to do business profitably. Surely God would not want that, right? Work is for Monday through Friday, family on Saturday, and we give God our Sundays. That is the way it has always been.

Unfortunately, the way it has always been is wrong. God does not want our Sundays (only). He wants our Mondays through Saturdays as well. He wants our time with family and our time with friends.

God Wants Our ALL!

God wants to be a part of our hobbies and our social lives. He wants to live in our workplace and direct our business decisions. There is not a single part of our lives that God does not want. He wants it all. Want proof?

Let’s just ask Jesus. He should know the answer, right? Jesus, what is the most important truth for us to remember in life?

Love the Lord your God with ALL of your heart, with ALL of your mind, and with ALL of your soul. This is the first and greatest commandment (emphasis mine).
Matthew 22:37-38

God IS Our Closet

Folks, we may need to compartmentalize our closets, garages, or work desk. Separate areas for separate items can be helpful for an organized mind. However, this is not true for our lives when it comes to our faith and our relationship with God.

In life, our faith in and relationship with God IS our closet. It IS our life. Everything else can have its separate place WITHIN our faith, but nothing we have or do should be separate from this faith. Our relationship with God permeates every aspect of our lives.

There is no other way to live out the Greatest Commandment.

What About Your Business Life?

Take a look at your business or work life. Reflect on how God is a part of this area of your life. If He is, what can you do to allow Him to be more involved. If He has not yet been allowed into this part of your life, then pray about how you can turn it over to Him.

The ultimate goal is for Him to fully control this area (along with all other areas) of your life, with you as the passenger and Him as the driver. That is a tough position to reach, but the more you prepare for it, the easier it becomes.

Is your life compartmentalized like your closet?

If you changed it at one time, has it drifted back?

What action do you need to take next?

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What I Learned From My Reader Survey

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Last month, I completed my very first Reader Survey. I have been writing this blog for 3.5 years now and I am ready to take it up a level. In order to do this, I felt it was critical to get your feedback about what you like best, what could improve, and any other ideas that might come from a survey.

survey

Reader Survey Results

I had 71 responses overall. This represents just over 15% of the number of email subscribers currently receiving my posts. My goal was to exceed 20%, but I think 15% was acceptable for a first effort. I know I got enough consistent feedback to give me the direction I need moving forward.

I have heard from the results that some of you are interested in the results, so I thought I would summarize them in this post. First I will give you a profile of the typical reader. Then I will tell you the five conclusions I reached based on the comments and suggestions offered.

Reader Profile

Let’s start with the profile:

  • My typical reader is male (72%) and falls between the ages of 45 to 64 (also 72%).
  • He is a business owner, entrepreneur, or a leader/employee in a business (65%).
  • He lives in the U.S. (86%) and his household income is over $75,000 (62%).
  • He has been integrating his faith and his work for years (64%).
  • His favorite topics have been Personal Growth (63%), Leadership (59%), and Business Practices (51%).
  • He has recommended my blog to others (58%).
  • He is most active on LinkedIn (86%) and Facebook (71%).
  • He prefers to read my blog via email (57%).

Since this is my first survey, I will be interested to watch how these demographics change over time. I will keep you updated as I complete future surveys.

My Conclusions

Now, let me share what I have learned from this survey. While I took lots of notes and learned more than this, I will share the main 5 lessons I gleaned from your feedback. The following five conclusions stood out above the rest.

1. Keep focusing on application!

    I heard loud and clear that you like that I most often focus on content that is easily applied to what you do. Like me, I understand that you are interested in reading about topics that you can take and apply to your own situation. This is cool to me because this was my number one goal from the beginning! I will commit to maintaining this focus.

2. Keep it real!

    I am so thankful that the way I write seems to resonate with you. I am not fancy or scholarly. I simply write the way I think – real, honest, and to the point. Your feedback told me to keep it this way. Evidently, most of you are as busy as I am and don’t have time for eloquent, fluffy posts about theory. Good thing – I can’t write any other way!

3. Keep the mix as/is!

    Your two favorite topics are also my top two most-frequent categories as well (Personal Growth & Leadership). For the most part, my mix of topics matches very well with your preferences. Since this mix has not been something I consciously determine, I will continue taking my own advice (and yours): I will continue to let God lead the content!

4. Keep it short(er)!

    Another clear message from the survey results – you prefer posts that are short and to the point. You do not have time to read lengthy posts. In fact, there were a few that would like to see my posts a little shorter. My focus going forward will be to work harder to keep the length down without sacrificing the message. When it makes sense, I will break a longer post into two or three to help with this.

5. Add some variety!

    I received many good ideas about what I could add to the blog to make it more useful to you. These ideas included doing more book reviews and adding video content. There was also the idea of taking time to go through Proverbs and apply it to business. I love the ideas and have already started working on some of them. Give me some time, but you will see some of these implemented in the not-too-distant future.

Thank You!

Overall, this survey was a great experience for me. I have received many new ideas from your comments and suggestions. I promise to take your feedback to heart and I hope you will see the benefits moving forward. Thank you for taking the time to give me your thoughts. I am grateful!

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Obedience Can Be Bad For You!

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When my children were not yet adolescents, I struggled to teach them about our fourth quality of godly leaders. Before you think I am some super-dad that started them that young on this kind of teaching, think again. I wish I was that good! Sure, I was trying to teach them about radical, immediate obedience, but not necessarily in the context of godly leadership.

obedience

Obedience Needed

Picture our family, my wife and I and our three kids (all under 10 years old), trying to cross the road to head into church on a Sunday morning. My son notices a friend across the street and breaks into a run to go talk with them. At the same time, a truck is 30 feet away and heading quickly toward him. Got the picture?

Now, as a responsible and protective dad, I yell out for my son to stop running.

Kinds Of Obedience

What happens if he obeys, but not immediately? Maybe he takes another couple of steps toward his friend. Now walking, he turns his head back toward me to see if I am serious. What happens to him?

What if he obeys by stopping, but he waits and stops in the middle of the street. He then turns to question me about why he should have to stop. What happens then?

I think you get the idea. If my son does anything other than radically and immediately obeying my command, then his life is endangered. This very same idea applies to our discussion on godly leadership.

Underlying Truths

See, there are truths underlying my instructions to my son. One truth is that blindly running out into a street can put him in the path of an oncoming vehicle. Another truth is that there are cars on the road with drivers that are not alert or expecting kids to run into the street. There is also a truth that says a 10 year old is not like to survive a collision with a moving truck.

These are not arguable truths. They are absolute. They are also truths that I understand as a parent, but truths that my son may not fully comprehend at 10 years old. As a result, he and I must have an understanding that he will radically and immediately obey me when I yell to him.

He must understand that partial obedience is not acceptable. Delayed obedience does not work either. He cannot choose to be selective and obey only when my instructions match up with his desires. No, a radical and immediate obedience is the only way I can truly protect him in this situation. These other kinds of obedience are bad for him!

Radical, Immediate Obedience

In his segment in Dennis Rainey’s Stepping Up Video Series, Dr. Crawford Loritts detailed his four qualities of godly leaders. I have covered the first three of these qualities in previous posts. Today, in case you have not been paying attention, I want to continue discussing the fourth quality – radical, immediate obedience.

I think you understand the application of this kind of obedience in the context of my family above. It applies the same way in our efforts to be godly leaders, only on a bigger scale.

The parallel is that God knows truths that we simply do not yet grasp. He understands things about our world and our own minds that we don’t comprehend. Based on these truths, he lays out guidelines and boundaries for us as godly leaders. He expects radical, immediate obedience to these guidelines.

Obedience For Leaders

God does not ask for this type obedience because He is ruthless. He asks for this obedience because that is what is best for us. He loves us and wants us to live life to the fullest. Partial, delayed, or selective obedience will limit (or even destroy) this opportunity for us. But the picture is actually even worse than that!

The picture is worse because you and I are leading others!

Go back to the image of my son running into the street. It would be horrible to see him hit by the truck. It would be worse if my twin daughters, two years younger than him, were following his lead. Disaster!

The same is true of us and our leadership. We can lead others into life or disaster (even death), depending on how we respond to God’s truths. Which are you going to choose?

Truths Worth Dying For

I will close with a quote from Dr. Loritts regarding this truth:

If you are called to lead, there is a sacred assignment that God has given you. And there is truth that you need to steward. And that truth is not arbitrary. I’s not a bunch of opinions and traditions. These are truths that are worth dying for. […] And that’s what we need to be called back to.
Dr. Crawford Loritts

Do you recognize that God knows truths beyond your understanding?

Is your obedience typically radical and immediate?

Where do you need to alter your obedience from being partial, delayed, or selective?

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What Superman And Godly Leaders Have In Common

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When I think about the third quality of godly leaders, the image of Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent (in the 1978 movie, Superman) comes to my mind. If you saw the movie, you will probably follow my line of thinking. See if my thinking makes sense to you.

godly leaders

Qualities Of Godly Leaders

In my last two posts, I introduced you to Dr. Crawford Loritts and his 4 little known qualities of godly leaders. Dr. Loritts cited these qualities in his segment in Dennis Rainey’s Stepping Up Video Series.

In the first post, we tackled the first quality – brokenness. In the next post, we discussed the second quality – uncommon communion. Today, we will talk about his third quality – servanthood as an identity – and how it relates to Superman!

Superman vs. Clark Kent

Let’s start with Superman and his cover identity, Clark Kent. Kent was really Superman, but did not want anyone to know it. He attempted to develop this “identity” as a bumbling newspaper reporter so that no one would catch on to his real identity as that of Superman. For all of us watching the movie, he was not very convincing. We could not understand why people didn’t catch on (a tribute to Reeve’s acting ability!).

Lois Lane, his coworker, eventually figured out he was faking the clumsy act, but many others were still clueless.

So what does this have to do with qualities of godly leaders? Everything!

Servanthood, As An Identity

In his description of servanthood as the third quality of godly leaders, Dr. Loritts made sure to emphasize the fact that this quality has to be a part of the leader’s identity. He said, “Written into the hearts of great leaders is a love and a care for the people they serve and lead…Its part of who they are, part of their identity.”

He went on to say how critical it is for this idea of servanthood to actually be a part of the godly leaders’ identity, not just something they do for show. That is when Clark Kent popped into my mind.

Just An Act

As I watched Reeve as Kent in the movie, I loved his body language and facial expressions. He was masterful in his portrayal of Kent. Unfortunately, I don’t see his act playing out in real life. No matter how good he was at the act, it was clearly not who he actually was. The real identity showed itself when the pressure was on.

The same is true for those of us striving to be godly leaders. If we want to be the real deal, then servanthood cannot be an act for us. We cannot just say we love those we are leading and serving.

We actually have to love them!

The Truth Will Show

Anything else will eventually show through. Our real identity will come out. This will most likely happen when the pressure on us increases. Choices will present themselves and our real identity will choose. If we have just been acting like we love those we lead, then our choices will reflect who or what we really love.

Jesus was not acting when he washed the feet of the disciples. He was showing His true love for them. Don’t believe me, then just look at the cross. He proved it there.

We likely won’t be tested with a cross, but know this – we will be tested. And know that when we are tested, our true identity will show. When this happens, whether we are even aware of it or not, others will take note. They will see the acting for what it is and they will no longer follow.

Pray For Help!

Folks, if we are serious about being godly leaders, then we simply must ask God to love those we lead and to do it through us. We must sincerely seek to love them as He does. We must determine to serve them as a way to convey this love to them.

If, instead, you attempt to “act” your way through it, your audience will know it. They will wonder how anyone could fall for it!

On a scale of one to ten, where is your love for those you serve and lead?

If your rating is low, are you aware that people around you already know it?

What is God leading you to do differently?

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4 Little Known Qualities Of Godly Leaders, Part 2

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The Bible says that the Lord “spoke with Moses face to face, just as a man speaks with his friend” (Exodus 33:11). Wow…if we could all attain that sort of relationship with God, I believe we could be the godly leaders we want to be. The problem is that this kind of relationship is not really attainable, is it? Or is it?

uncommon communion

Quality #2 – Uncommon Communion

In my last post, I introduced you to Dr. Crawford Loritts and his 4 little known qualities of godly leaders. In that post, we tackled the first quality – brokenness. In today’s post, I want to discuss the second quality Dr. Loritts cites in his segment in Dennis Rainey’s Stepping Up video series.

In his segment on godly leaders, Dr. Loritts describes how godly leaders must have a second quality – an uncommon communion with God. Before he describes what he means by this, he goes on to say, “God gives us assignments that are greater than our capacity to meet. There is always a gap in leadership – it is always beyond where you are. God fills in that gap.”

The Gap

This idea of a gap fits perfectly with the idea of brokenness from the last post, but uncommon communion takes this a step further. When we are broken, we see that we alone cannot accomplish the mission God has for us. We see this gap he mentions.

The uncommon communion is our response to this gap.

For most of us, this may not be an easy quality to grasp at first. What exactly does he mean by having an uncommon communion with God? How do I do that? What does it look like? How will I know when I have that quality?

Communion Defined

Before I go any further, let me first define “communion” in this context for you.

Communion:
the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings with God

Scripture’s Answers

Now, as we have done before on multiple occasions, let’s take a look at Scripture to find our answers to the questions above. I think Dr. Loritts picked a great example in Moses, so we will stick with him.

As I mentioned above, God spoke with Moses as we would a friend. I think that is the perfect example of uncommon communion. I don’t think there was anyone else in the Israelite camp that had that kind of relationship with God.

Moses’ Part

So what exactly did Moses do that, for his part, caused that relationship? First, he made it perfectly clear on a number of occasions that alone, he did not have what it took to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. Moses was clearly broken as it related to his leadership.

But Moses did not only acknowledge that he was broken and unable to lead God’s people. He also acted on this brokenness. Moses pressed into God to make sure He gave him what he needed. This included asking for a mouthpiece (Aaron) and the words to say to Pharaoh (Exodus 3:1-4:31).

Pressing In

Whatever the case, Moses recognized that he was not able to do it on his own and he was determined to make sure God met his needs. Moses pleaded with God, even to the point of aggravating Him (Exodus 4:14). While God did get angry with Moses, I this free and open relationship is exactly what He wants from us.

Even later, Moses continued to plead with and push God to maintain His presence with the Israelite people as they moved. He also pushed God for a glimpse of His glory! Moses was broken, but he was also bold in his relationship with God!

Imitate Moses

The more I look at Moses and his uncommon communion, the more I believe we actually are able to imitate him. In general, Moses did not (normally) make a move without consulting God. Through his frequent interaction with God in the tent of meeting, Moses sought God’s wisdom and direction in everything he did.

For us, uncommon communion looks the same. We recognize our brokenness and see the gap between who we are and the godly leaders God has called us to be. Once we see this gap, we press into God to make up the difference.

We will know we have this quality when we simply cannot imagine making a significant decision without seeking God’s face about it. We will be models of this level of godly leadership when others watch us enter our own “tent of meeting” before making any important decisions.

Do you have an uncommon communion with God?

What action is God leading you to take toward this relationship with Him?

Who are you asking to hold you accountable to taking these steps?

17 Biblical Principles

What Would You Invest to Have 50 Biblical Mentors?

Imagine what it would cost to sit down to lunch with more than 50 different leaders to glean their wisdom for life.

  • What would it cost you to travel to more than 50 locations?
  • How much would you pay for hotels and food?
  • What scheduling headaches would you encounter trying to make it happen?

Your costs would easily run into the thousands of dollars if you could pull it off at all. But 17BPS has done it for you.

Now you can have all this wisdom delivered when it is convenient for you for only a fraction of the cost.

Click HERE to learn more!

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4 Little Known Qualities Of Godly Leaders

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Anywhere you look these days, you can find a book (or a dozen) on leadership. Everyone feels they know what it takes to be a leader. I am not going to pretend that I have some secret sauce or silver bullet on what it takes to be a great leader. If you are looking for that, keep looking. It may be even tougher to find the same for godly leaders. I personally do not think you will ever find it.

godly leaders

Courtesy of Flickr/Simoes

Qualities Of Godly Leaders

At the same time, I believe it can be very helpful for us to find many true and healthy perspectives on the characteristics and qualities of godly leaders. I believe the more we can learn about what great and godly leaders look like, the better we can hope to mimic them.

It is for this reason that I take notes anytime I hear a description of godly leaders, either as individuals or as a group. I then take what I learn and pass it on through this blog. Today, I would like to share what I learned about great, godly leaders from Dr. Crawford Loritts, a pastor in Atlanta, GA.

Loritts talked about four qualities or characteristics of great, godly leaders during his segment in Dennis Rainey’s Stepping Up video series. Even these are not commonly found in leadership books, I believe we all need to seek these qualities. If we do, I believe God can better use us to point others to Him. I will tackle the first of these qualities today.

Quality #1 – Brokenness

The first little known quality of great, godly leaders as described by Dr. Loritts is brokenness. There are not many leadership books that mention brokenness as a quality of a great leader. In fact, I think very few of us would come up with this quality at first glance.

At the same time, after considering what Dr. Loritts had to say, I would have to agree with him! Before I go further into what he said about brokenness, let’s talk about what the opposite would mean.

Opposite View?

When I think of someone who is NOT broken, the characteristics I come up with are whole, strong, confident…they have it all together. These characteristics may actually be the ones you would find in a leadership book. This actually sounds more like a leader than one that is broken, right?

So let’s take a look at what Dr. Loritts said. First, he said that one who is broken has come to the realization that life is not about him, but is instead about God.

Think about that.

Broken Leader

A broken leader is one that is fully aware that alone, he is not whole or strong. Alone, this leader is not confident. Nor does he have it all together. This leader has come to the place where he acknowledges that he alone cannot be a leader after God’s own heart. He realizes that leadership is about much more than him!

As a result, Dr. Loritts continues, this leader has a healthy reliance on God. He knows that he cannot accomplish God’s plan on his own. He is not capable on his own and therefore relies on God for everything.

Cracked Leaders?

Some of us have partially come to this point. Call us cracked (but not yet broken)! We rely on God for the tough stuff. We rely on Him when we don’t know what to do. We rely on him when we face a situation that confuses or scares us.

But the rest of the time, we do our own thing. We are NOT yet broken.

Fully Broken

The great, godly leader has seen missed opportunities and failed endeavors when he tried it on his own in the past. These cause him to break down and cry. He has even mourned over good results that could have been miraculous if he had relied on God and not himself.

This leader is fully broken because his experience has shown him the futility of leading on his own. He knows there are possibilities that he cannot even imagine IF he will rely on God. He is broken because he is no longer willing to settle for less than miraculous results. He is wholly and fully committed to relying on God.

What About You And Me?

How much of this describes you and your leadership?

If you are like me, this is convicting. I know I understand this because it resonated with me. At the same time, I am completely guilty of trying to do it on my own too often. My prayer is that we will stop seeing ourselves as needing to be so strong. Instead, may we heed God’s words to Paul in 2 Corinthians.

But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”
2 Corinthians 12:9

Have you considered brokenness as a godly leader quality?

Do you see yourself as possessing the quality of brokenness?

What do you think are Dr. Loritts’ other three qualities of godly leaders?

17 Biblical Principles

What Would You Invest to Have 50 Biblical Mentors?

Imagine what it would cost to sit down to lunch with more than 50 different leaders to glean their wisdom for life.

  • What would it cost you to travel to more than 50 locations?
  • How much would you pay for hotels and food?
  • What scheduling headaches would you encounter trying to make it happen?

Your costs would easily run into the thousands of dollars if you could pull it off at all. But 17BPS has done it for you.

Now you can have all this wisdom delivered when it is convenient for you for only a fraction of the cost.

Click HERE to learn more!

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Please Take My 2015 Reader Survey

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I want to make sure I am creating the content on this blog that best meets your needs and interests. I am only able to do that if I know more about you so I am conducting this 2015 Reader Survey.
reader survey

Would you please help me with this? All I ask is that you take a few minutes to complete this survey. It is short (only 16 questions) and easy to do. It should take a max of 5 minutes and the results are completely anonymous.

Best of all – you are helping yourself! The better I can understand you and your interests and needs, the better the content will be that you find here!

I really hope you will take the time to help. If so, click below.

Thanks in advance!

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Your Job Does Not Matter!

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Wait a minute. Do I really believe that what you do does not matter? Is it really my opinion that your job is irrelevant? I don’t even know what you do, so how could I say that? Well, I guess you will have to hear me out to decide whether you agree or not!

job

Stuck In Your Job?

In my last post, I discussed how so many people feel stuck in their jobs. They are not excited to go to work. Too many people have lost their passion for their work – if they have ever had it.

Maybe you have felt like this. Maybe that is exactly how you feel right now.

If that is the case, then I have good news for you. There is an answer to this problem and I believe I have it. What I am about to share with you has transformed my work life and I believe it can do the same for you.

Go To Scripture

The first thing I want to do is take you to Scripture. I believe that all of our answers are there if we are just willing to take the time to look and study. The verse I want you to read and absorb is this one from Paul in his letter to the Colossians.

And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.
Colossians 3:17, 23-24

Whatever?

Focus on that word, “whatever,” and tell me what it means. Think about it before answering. Ready? It actually means “whatever” – as in anything, everything, etc. The point here is that it really does not matter exactly what you do, you should do it in the name of Jesus and do it for Him.

Are you a teacher? Then teach for Jesus. Are you in business? Then do business for Jesus. Do you design software? Then do that for Jesus. You get the idea…

WHATEVER you do, do it for Jesus.

We Serve Him

So, my first point is regarding the job you have. The specifics of it are irrelevant. All possibilities fall under “whatever.” Regardless of what you do for a living, the Bible says you are to do it for Jesus. You serve Him. Does that make sense?

The problem is that the moment most people truly absorb this idea in their hearts, they think they have to leave their current job and go into ministry. The truth is that only part of that is right.

True And False

The true part is that they need to go into ministry. This is absolutely true and should not be left up to paid church staff members. We ALL should be doing ministry!

The false part of the earlier statement is that they have to leave their current job. I personally tried to walk away from my job because I thought this way. Fortunately, God straightened me out and that has made all the difference for me.

Ministry Where You Are!

See, the truth is that you need to do ministry, but you need to do it wherever you are and in whatever you are doing! This is the whole idea behind the business as ministry movement. This is why I write this blog. People need to know these two ideas:

    1. Everyone is called to do ministry for Jesus!
    2. Everyone can do ministry right where they are!

So let’s go back to the original problem – you have lost the passion for your job. If you have been approaching your job as a means to a paycheck, you need to change that approach. If it has simply met physical needs and that is the way you view it, change your glasses.

New Set Of Glasses

Now, put on the set of glasses that shows you a new “Why” for your job. Rather than seeing your job as a burden, begin to look at it as a means to doing ministry. Instead of seeing your job as something that you have to do to eat, start looking at it as a way to serve God and others for His sake.

What does your job look like now?

Begin The Process

Please know that I realize this process takes more time than the 2-3 minutes you need to read this post. I cannot convince you in 800+ words that your job now has a completely new meaning and purpose. At the same time, I can encourage you to start praying about this.

The end result, if you are diligent, is that God can put a new passion in your heart for the job you are now doing. He can give you a “Why” that gives you a feeling of excitement every time you head to work. “What” you do is not important, but having the right “Why” can change everything!

Please share your experience with this idea in the comment section below!

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Why Are You Feeling Stuck In Your Job?

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When you wake up in the morning, are you truly excited to go to work? Why? Be honest, does your mind jump to all of the thrilling opportunities you have in front of you for that day? Do you start thinking about how fortunate you are to be able to do what you do for a living?

why

Not Too Excited

If you are like too many people in this world, you could not answer “yes” to any of these questions. In fact, you possibly felt that a “yes” answer was not even a remote possibility. If anything, you may could think of a handful of days over too long a period of time when you were excited to go to work, but they probably were not normal days.

If this is true of you, it may also be true to say that you have drifted into a kind of survival mode at work. Maybe you are on some kind of cruise control in your job. You are just doing your best to keep things going as they have been. You may not necessarily be falling behind or slacking on your job, but you are not really gaining ground either.

Know Why You Are Stuck?

Does any of this describe you? Are you tired of being stuck? Do you wish there was a way to get out of this rut? Have you thought about it on occasion but you don’t really know what to do to change things? Hopefully, you CAN answer “yes” to some or all of these questions.

I say that because I think I might have your answer.

Please know up front that I am not the expert here. I do not claim to be able to fix everything about your job. I may not even be able to completely resolve this specific situation I am describing right now.

Why I Can Help

At the same time, I do believe I can help. I believe I can help you get your passion back. I think I can show you something you might be missing. In doing so, I think you can quickly move into a position where you are eager to go to work again!

Does this sound too good to be true?

Based on my experience, it is not.

Why Is The Secret!

It is my belief that too many people struggle with their work for one simple reason….

Either they have forgotten their true “Why” or they have the wrong “Why”.

If you ask the majority of people why they do the work they do, they likely have a hard time answering you. Some will say they do this work because its what they know how to do. Or it is what they (or their family) have always done.

Others will point to their income and say that no other work would pay them as well. You might hear someone answer that they do the work they do because it used to excite them. They used to love it, but it has now gotten old or no longer thrills them the way it did before.

What About You?

What is your answer to this question? Why do you do the work you do? Why do you have the job you have? Why do you go to work every day?

If you have not thought about this, I encourage you to take some time and think about it. In fact, if you are serious about improving your situation, then I suggest you actually take the time to write out an answer to these questions. Act as if you must turn in this answer for a grade…an important one.

The Why Is The Root

Here is the root problem – you cannot get fulfillment from a job (and the fulfillment is what is missing) when you are not there for a clear reason that gets to the core of who you are.

More simply put, you cannot enjoy your job if you don’t know why you are there.

More Than A Paycheck

And this “Why” has to be more than just a paycheck or an entry on a resume. It has to resonate with your soul. The “Why” must connect directly with the person you want to be. It needs to bring goosebumps or cause a chill to go down your spine.

It has to be that significant.

Anything less will fade over time and put you right back where you are now.

Too Much To Ask?

So, the first thing you are probably thinking is that this is asking too much. Maybe someone like Dr. Ben Carson can have this kind of a “Why” when he surgically separates conjoined twins and enables them to have fully separate and productive lives.

Or you might think that kind of a feeling is possible for someone like Mother Teresa or Billy Graham. Maybe you think that these are the kinds of people that get chills when they think about the impact they can have on others, but for you to hope for this kind of “Why” is just not reasonable.

I disagree.

Different, But Still Impactful

It is true that your “Why”, and especially your “How”, can be different from theirs. At the same time, your “Why” can and SHOULD have the same impact on you that theirs has on them! No joke!

In my next post, we will go a little deeper into what your “Why” should be. Before I do that, I am charging you with taking some time to think about this on your own. Pray about it. Ask for wisdom and insight into this idea. God is faithful and He will answer you. I will be praying for you as well.

Have you thought about your “Why” before?

What are some of your reasons to do what you do?

Does your “Why” reach to your core?