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What Useful Tools Do You Have?

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Have you ever owned a Swiss Army knife? You most likely know what I am talking about – the pocket knife with anywhere from 10 to 100 additional little tools, all built into one pocket-carry device. Growing up, it was the coolest of tools for a little boy to own! Even now as an adult, I can see them as useful.

tools

Various Tools!

Not only did they have a couple of different-sized blades, they also included both flat-head and Philips-head screwdrivers, tweezers, a corkscrew, and a bottle-opener. Some had miniature pliers and a file. You could even find them with a toothpick hidden inside.

The point of the Swiss Army knife was to have whatever tools you might need for a variety of situations. You might not see a need for all of the tools they had available, but they were there in case you needed them. I remember sometimes being amazed how much I used them when I wasn’t expecting to need them!

You Are The Same!

You want to know something really cool? You are the same way in God’s hands! No kidding! You have a variety of talents, skills, and experiences that when submitted to God, can be used by Him just like the tools of a Swiss Army knife in the hands of a Boy Scout (Ephesians 4:11).

Think about it. Every experience in your life that seemed exciting, victorious, devastating or miserable at the time can now be used to comfort someone else in the same situation. You know this is true.

Useful Strengths…

Every success you have experienced can now be used to encourage someone else that is struggling to break through. The tough path you followed to get to the peak can now serve as guidance for the one you are mentoring.

Each talent God gave you at birth or since can be used to connect with others and point people to Him. Maybe it is your voice (singing), your strength (relationships at the gym), financial insights (business relationships), or even your ability to do magic tricks (fill in the blank!) – each can be used by God for His purposes!

…And Weaknesses!

Even your particular weaknesses can be used by God. When you seek guidance from someone else because of their strength, you are creating a connection that God can use. When you publicly acknowledge to your employees that you don’t have all of the answers, you point them to the One that does!

See, God is working on us every day – even when we don’t realize it. He is adding tools here and there. These are tools that He can use just when you are not expecting it. He can use these tools to reach others and to draw them to Him.

There are even times when He uses these tools to get your attention! Think about those times when you felt like you were at the end of your rope, unable to go any further. Just when you thought your weakness would be the end of you, He shows up and uses that weakness to show you His strength!

My Advice!

My advice? Go buy a Swiss Army knife and start carrying it with you. Maybe you should put it on your desk at work, the dashboard of your car, or on your bedside table. You might just want to carry it in your pocket. Put it wherever you need a reminder that your God is amazing.

Let this simple, but multi-functional tool be a reminder to you that God is still working on you. Let it remind you that He is still adding to your toolbox in ways that He plans to use later. Allow it to serve as a reminder to thank Him for allowing you to be used in such an eternal way!

Which of your tools have you seen God use?

What tools do you think He is developing in you now?

Which of your tools should you seek to put to use?

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Are You Waiting To Be Told What To Do?

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Our business is not a big one in the grand scheme of things, but we do get a good cross-section of employees with roughly 100 people working here. As a result, I have seen those that learn the job quickly and others that do not. Some understand their job and do what is necessary without being asked while others are waiting to be told what to do.

waiting to be told

Waiting To Be Told

If you have been working for any length of time, you have probably witnessed this. For the most part, any new employee needs to be told what to do in the beginning, right? Unless they have worked that exact job before, there are things they need to be told first.

They probably need to know WHAT to do, WHY, WHEN, and HOW they are to do it, and maybe a few other tips. Once they get this, they should be able to go forward on their own with only occasional guidance along the way.

Still Waiting…

The problem is that some employees are still waiting to be told what to do. You probably know some of these people where you work. Maybe they work for you. No matter how many times they have read the job description or listened to the training, they refuse to take action on their own. They can sometimes be found actually standing around because no one stopped to tell them what to do next! It really amazes (and frustrates) me!

To be clear, I am not talking about waiting to be told about NEW tasks, responsibilities, or ideas. As employees are being developed for promotion or more responsibility, they need to be taught more. They cannot know the new stuff until it is taught to them. I am only now talking about what they already know (or should know) they are to be doing.

What About Us?

So now that I have you worked up and as frustrated as I am, let’s (again) turn this around to be about us. You probably knew this was coming, didn’t you? For the sake of this discussion, we are the “employees” in this picture and God is the “employer”.

As you go through the rest of this post, ask yourself if you are acting just like one of these employees. Ask yourself if you are “standing around” waiting to be told by God (again) what He wants you to do. Be honest with yourself and allow Him to guide you. He will show you what He wants you to see.

Examples

Let’s take an easy example to start with.

Our “handbook” (the Bible) says that we are to love God (Matthew 22:37-40), right? This is called the Greatest Commandment and we should all be aware of it by now. We have probably read it many times and have likely heard sermons (training) on it as well.

So, are you DOING it? Are you really LOVING God? Are you doing it with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength? OR are you waiting to be told again that you are to do this?

If I am honest in answering these questions for myself, then I would say I am doing it sometimes and I am trying to do it other times. I can’t really say that at any point in time I am sitting around waiting to be told again to love God. I think I have a passing grade here, but not by much.

Another Example!

Let’s get a little tougher. We have all likely heard of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) as well, right? We are told here to go and make disciples of all nations. Again, we have read it and heard many sermons on it. I doubt there are any of us that can honestly claim ignorance here.

So, again I ask the question. Are you DOING it? Are you truly making disciples? Are you mentoring someone in the Christian walk? Are you engaging your employees, co-workers, and others in Christian ministry? Are you teaching what you have been taught?

In the past, I could answer this question with an easy “Yes!” without blinking an eye. Lately, I have allowed distractions to creep in and now I am unable to answer with confidence. What about you? Have you made an effort? Have you allowed distractions to interfere?

More Examples!

I won’t go into detail with each of the following areas from our “handbook,” but I will at least list them and let you ask yourself the questions. Think about each category and ask yourself the tough questions. Where are you waiting to be told what to do? If that is difficult for you or if you think you will go too easy on yourself, ask someone else to help you. Maybe that can be the start of a discipling relationship!

Evangelism (Acts 1:8)

Tithing (Matthew 23:23)

Love your enemies (Matthew 5:43-44)

Forgive your enemies (Luke 17:4)

Praying for others (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

Bible study (2 Timothy 2:15)

Take Action!

When you have had enough abuse for one day and you are ready to close out this post, stop and do one more thing. Decide on one, only one, of these areas and commit to do something!

Commit to make at least one change. Start doing something that you already know you should be doing. It will be the first step down a great and rewarding path!

Where are you doing what you know you should be doing?

Where are you waiting to be told what to do?

What are you going to do about it?

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Are You A Worthy Example To Follow?

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Recently, my wife and I were out of town on a date and wanted to get some dinner and do a little shopping. We knew where we wanted to shop and that restaurants were likely nearby, but we did not know how to get there. So, like any intelligent adult that can, we decided to blindly follow the navigation system in my truck. Bad idea.

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Follow Bad Directions?

Evidently, the store we sought had moved to a new location and had failed to notify my truck. In fact, when we arrived at our “destination,” we found that ALL of the businesses formerly in that area had decided to move…and a neighborhood was put in their place! There are few things more frustrating than to follow bad directions.

Folks, this is so true for us as Christian business leaders as well! Look back to my last post. In it, we discussed taking Paul’s advice and imitating another Christian who is ahead of us in their walk with Jesus. If you are not taking this advice, I urge you to find someone worthy to follow.

However, today I want to turn the focus back on us. Let’s assume you are taking Paul’s advice and you have decided to follow another, more mature disciple of Jesus. Great! You should give yourself a pat on the back for making a good decision.

Does Anyone Follow You?

Before you hurt yourself though, turn it around and ask yourself if anyone has decided to follow you. No matter where you are on your walk with Jesus, there is someone else that is behind you (earlier in their walk). Assuming this is true, are you walking in such a way as to be a worthy example to follow?

See, Paul’s advice really is good advice to follow. And at the same time it is good for us to see ourselves in both roles – the follower AND the leader. We should follow those who are more spiritually mature and lead for those who are less spiritually mature.

Don’t Feel Responsible?

Unfortunately, some people don’t mind deciding to follow someone else, but they don’t feel responsible for being the example for others. This may be due to feeling to new at being a disciple of Christ. It could also be a aversion to the responsibility that comes with being an example.

Whatever the case, we cannot shirk this responsibility. Jesus even touches on this in the following verse:

But whoever causes the downfall of one of these little ones who believe in Me—it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea!
Matthew 18:6

We Are Responsible!

Folks, we are in a position of leadership whether we like it or not. We have influence (intentional or not) with others and therefore we are responsible for how our behavior affects theirs. No, we cannot keep everyone else from sinning, but we can be diligent in making sure our behavior does not cause it!

The point here is that we should strive to live a life that is worthy of having someone else follow. We should be sensitive to any activity that may cause someone else to stumble. Look at Paul’s words to this point:

Therefore, if food causes my brother to fall, I will never again eat meat, so that I won’t cause my brother to fall.
1 Corinthians 8:13

It is a noble thing not to eat meat, or drink wine, or do anything that makes your brother stumble.
Romans 14:21

They Should Want To Follow!

Not only should we avoid that which will cause our brothers to stumble, but we should also strive to do that which will help them grow. Yes, avoid the sin that could lead them astray. Also do those things that they should imitate!

It is imperative that we remember there are others who may follow our example – both good and bad. While it might give us relief to ignore this fact, the truth remains. We are responsible for our behavior and should act accordingly.

I believe the best approach is to embrace this truth. Get excited that someone may decide to follow you! With humility and prayer, begin plotting out a course that you know is worthy of imitation. Then praise God when someone decides to follow! He will give you the strength to handle it!

Do you accept responsibility for being an example to follow?

What do you need to change to be a more worthy example?

Do you have some successes stories from those who follow you?

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Who Are You Imitating?

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Imagine someone offered to pay you handsomely if you would give them a shirt or a dress. The only catch is that they require you to make it on your own! If you had to take a bolt of fabric and thread, cutting and sewing it together yourself, how would you do it? If you are smart, you would find a pattern and follow it, right? The same is true for imitating other people!

imitating

Eyes On The Prize

In my last post, we talked about keeping our eyes on the prize. This is great advice for us to take from Paul, but sometimes it is tough to visualize. What exactly does it look like for us to get the prize. While I can certainly picture a scene with Jesus telling me, “Well done!”, it is tough for me to imagine exactly what it looks like between here and there.

Have you thought about this? Have you tried to imagine the various steps taken and decisions made between your current self and the one that hears Jesus say, “Well done!”? I have done this and it is not easy. In fact, it is downright difficult!

Paul As An Example

The funny thing? Paul knew this. He knew it would be difficult for most people to closely follow the commands of Jesus without an example of how to do it. While Paul himself was not perfect, he was fully committed to living according the example Jesus had set. Therefore he offered himself as an example.

Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.
1 Corinthians 11:1

If he were following Jesus and others were imitating him, then it could work, right? While this sounds like a simple idea, it is not necessarily easy for us.

In fact, for us it sometimes seems that imitating Paul could be just as difficult as imitating Jesus! Of course, Paul was sinful just like the rest of us (Romans 7:15-25), but so much of what we learn from him is flat out hard to put into practice. Plus, we can’t sit and physically talk to him for advice when we get stuck!

Imitating Another

It is for these reasons that I recommend we follow Paul’s advice, but we apply it to present day. Rather than (only) imitating Paul, I recommend we find someone we know that is living out the example of Christ and begin imitating them.

Sure, there are pitfalls to this practice. They are the same pitfalls you encounter when you put anyone other than Jesus on the pedestal as an example. At the same time, if we can know this and protect ourselves accordingly, I think there is value in this exercise.

Potential Pitfalls

First, to avoid the pitfalls associated with this idea, we need to choose someone we know about and trust. We need to know that they more mature spiritually and truly are attempting to follow the example of Jesus. Someone that is simply morally good, but not a disciple of Jesus, will only lead us astray. Eventually, it is likely that their own morals will conflict with Biblical principles.

Assuming you know someone that is truly following the example of Christ, then you also need to be able to observe their behavior. Being able to talk with them about it and understand their motivations is even better. Having them agree to mentor you along the path would be the ultimate goal!

Right Expectations

Another key to avoiding trouble with imitating someone else is to know in your heart (and not forget) that a man (or woman) will always let you down. There is simply no way (short of imitating the example of Jesus) to find a human that can rightly lead you at all times and through all circumstances.

They will stumble. They will fall. They may even crash and burn. That is due to our sinful nature and there is nothing you can do to change it. The only thing you can do is to acknowledge it and protect yourself against it. Do not rely too heavily on their example. Do not put time with them ahead of your time with God.

You Are Unique

A final note that you need to consider when imitating someone else is that you are you. Sounds silly, I know. But the truth is that God created you as a totally unique individual with a combination of gifts, talents, and weaknesses that no one else on earth has ever possessed. You are the only you that God has ever created. He will never create another you!

That means that you need to remember you are only imitating this godly example, not copying them. Your goal should not be to become anyone else. Remember that you are unique and should remain that way. Imitating their voice is fine, but don’t lose your own unique accent. Imitating their actions is likely good, but don’t forget your distinct mannerisms!

You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)! God has plan for you that is only for you (Psalm 139:15-16). Embrace this! It is an awesome truth and no one can take it from you.

Imitating Jesus (And Others)

And while becoming the you that God designed you to be, take the opportunity to follow the example of others He has placed in your path. Imitating Jesus is certainly to be your first priority (1 John 2:6), but don’t ignore Paul’s advice as well. Imitating others can be a healthy part of your maturing process.

Have you considered imitating someone else?

Do you have someone you are already imitating?

What have you learned during this experience?

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Are Your Eyes On The Prize?

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Yesterday was a great day of football. Two teams fought their way into the Superbowl – the championship game of the NFL. These teams have had their eyes on the prize of this championship from the very beginning of the season. In two weeks, one team will achieve that prize. What about you? Are your eyes on the prize?

eyes on the prize

Eyes On The Prize

In Philippians 3:12-14, Paul says the following:

Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:12-14

Simple Questions

I am sure you have probably read this before. I am sure you have probably heard several sermons on this passage before. Guess what? I am likely not going to tell you anything amazing about this passage that you have not already heard before. I am simply going to ask you a couple of questions.

Are your eyes on the prize?

Are you reaching forward toward the prize?

What is the prize to you?

Like I said, I am not going to tell you anything new about this passage. I am simply putting it in front of you and asking if you are following Paul’s example and applying it to your life.

Paul’s Eyes On The Prize

In reading about Paul in the Bible, it is clear that he lived what he preached. Everything he did was focused on his desire to do exactly what God had called him to do. He was determined (as we read earlier in the same chapter) to know Christ and to be like him in his death – obedient.

As I read about Paul, I want to do the same thing. I want to focus everything I do around knowing Jesus. I want to be obedient in every area of my life – including the business. For me, I try to have my eyes on the prize. That prize, in my mind, boils down to hearing the following words from Jesus:

‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!
Matthew 25:21

Hearing “Well done.”

Therefore, when I am trying to make decisions in the business, I try to figure out which decisions would move me closer to hearing those words. I imagine Him standing there in front of me ready to say, “Well done.” What path do I take to cause Him to smile and say those words?

I am by no means perfect at this. Much like Paul, I do not consider that I have got this whole business as ministry thing figured out. Not by a long shot. However, I do try to have my eyes on the prize. When I am successful in doing that, it seems like everything works better.

For you, the prize may look different. You may imagine a different scene. That is perfectly fine! The key here is that you recognize that God wants us to be obedient and that is where our focus should be. God wants us to focus on Him and His purposes, not our own.

Wrong Prize?

There are those in this world that are completely and totally focused on themselves. They have their eyes fixed on the prize, but the prize is all about them. These people are similar to the Israelites that God referred to below:

For they did not practice My ordinances but rejected My statutes and profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on their fathers’ idols.
Ezekiel 20:24

Folks, I don’t know about you, but I do not want to be in that group. I do not want to be seen by God as having my eyes on the prize of my father’s idols. I do not want Him disappointed in my focus. I only want to hear, “Well done.” from Him.

Great Advice

I encourage you to pray about this. Take some time and ask God if you have your eyes on the prize – the right prize. Ask Him to make it clear to you where this is not happening and to give you the will and strength to change where necessary. Paul gives this same advice.

If you keep reading in Philippians 3, after he describes how he has his eyes on the prize, he says this:

Therefore, all who are mature should think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal this also to you.
Philippians 3:15

I think that is great advice. Will you follow it?

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Are You Living The Truth You Know?

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In my last post, we looked at Apostle Paul’s resume and talked about how he thought of it as filth and counted it as loss. My goal was to get us to take a look at the goals we have for our lives and compare them to what we see in Scripture. Like Paul, we should be heading in a different direction from the world. If not, are we applying the truth we know to the lives we live?

truth

***If you have not read my last post, you might want to do that now [HERE] so you are on the same page as the rest of us.

Accountability From Scripture

Just to make sure we do not escape the accountability that Scripture gives us, let’s take a look at another verse that comes up just after the ones we looked at last time:

In any case, we should live up to whatever truth we have attained.
Philippians 3:16

Now, that is a pretty short verse, but I think it is also a very powerful one. Do you get the meaning? Paul is telling us that attaining truth, or gaining knowledge, is not enough. We cannot simply know something and leave it at that. We have to also apply it! We must LIVE UP TO IT!

Truth Applied

Therefore, if we know that this world cannot offer us anything eternal and that only a life lived for Christ will survive the fire that is to come, then our lives should reflect this knowledge (1 Corinthians 3:11-15).

And as an extension, our business lives should also reflect this knowledge.

Assuming you agree with me at this point, or at least are willing to read more before making a decision, let’s take a look at some key areas where we might be likely to exhibit inconsistencies in our workplace.

Potential Areas Of Inconsistency

It is in these areas that many of us fail to fully live up to the truth we have attained. As you read through these areas, think about your own work life and how you might need to rethink your approach to some of them.

1. Business Mission
Every business book will tell you that the purpose of a business, the reason it exists, is to produce a profit. It is similarly believed that the main purpose of a job is to provide income.

I believe the Bible says otherwise. I think the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) shows us that a business exists to produce a return for its owner. The problem is that we are not the actual owners…God is the owner (Psalm 50:10-12). And as the owner, He wants a return.

Since God already has all of the money in the world, I believe He wants what He does not already have – souls. I believe the Bible shows us that the purpose of our business (or job) is to impact others (souls) for eternity by pointing them to God. Sure, income and profit are necessary to sustain us and our businesses, but they are not the purpose.

2. Money
Even those of us that agree with #1 above can still fall victim to erroneous thinking about money. We may see the eternal purpose of business, but then turn right around and hoard the money that comes from it. It is not always one big decision that we make, but the accumulation of a bunch of little ones.

One of the questions in the C12 Yearly Audit I recently shared with you talks about becoming less acquisitive. When we are assessing our lives in light of the truth we know, we should look hard at our use of money.

Are we freely giving it to those who have needs greater than ours? Are we treating it as stewards of it rather than owners? If pressed, are we more likely to leverage it for eternity or spend it on temporary pleasure or luxury? We likely know what this SHOULD look like, but are we living up to the truth we have attained?

3. Time
An area of our lives that often receives less focus is time. We tend to spend it even more frivolously than we do our money. We often fail to budget it. Even when we do budget it, we frequently allocate too much of it to the wrong uses.

Think about your calendar. What types of activities get the most preference as you schedule out your time? How much time are you committing to a personal relationship with God, the owner of all you steward?

Does your family get more than adequate time or are they generally the last to receive a ration of minutes? Is the time they do receive considered your higher quality time or your leftovers? Would they answer the same way you are right now?

Other Areas?

I can keep on going, but I think you get the idea. I encourage you to take some time and come up with some of your own areas of inconsistency. Pray through each of these and ask God to help you see clearly into each one. He is faithful to do so.

Once you have seen the truth, apply it. Live up to it. Don’t simply accept it and move on from it. Stop and take action. Map out a plan to make corrections over time if the initial results are too overwhelming to take in at once.

In any case, we all should live up to whatever truth we have attained!

What other areas of inconsistency did you consider?

How do you make sure you apply the truth you attain?

Where do you need to take more action?

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Resumes Are Overrated!

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Our world as a whole is obsessed with appearance. In the business world, one’s resume is critical because it is thought to reflect the strength and depth of the individual it describes. Even in Christian ministry and leadership circles, the resume is called a “platform” and carries a lot of weight. Without it, you are likely not to rise in importance beyond the city limits where you live.

resume

Resume Builders

As a result, there are many in our position of Christian leadership that clamor for recognition in a variety of areas. They seek it wherever they can find it and add another corresponding line to their resume or platform as soon as they can. Are these people aware of something we are missing? Do we need to imitate them and attempt the same accomplishments?

My Annual Planning

In a recent post, I mentioned how I was frustrated with my current state. One of the reasons for that frustration was that I missed my normal time for annual review and planning this past fall. I allowed issues at work to consume me and I failed to carve out the time.

As I am now beginning this process (better late than never!), I am looking into 2014 to see what can be accomplished. My natural tendency is to think big and I have many ideas about what I would like to achieve this year. However, I began to rethink this mentality recently after reading a passage in Philippians.

Apostle Paul’s Resume

I was reading Paul’s words (talking about himself) in Philippians 3 when I came across the following verses:

…although I once also had confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; regarding the law, a Pharisee; regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law, blameless.
Philippians 3:4-6

Add one fact to this passage that is found earlier in Acts 22:3. Paul was educated by Gamaliel, a well-known teacher of the law and a respected member of the Sanhedrin (similar to a Senate body). Now that you have this picture, do you see a pretty strong resume here?

Impressive Platform!

I am not a Bible scholar, but I know enough to say that Paul’s resume at that time would be the equivalent to a present-day, third-generation Ivy League law school graduate with internships at one of the top law firms and an invitation to practice law or teach anywhere he wants to go. It was that strong!

With that kind of a resume, or platform, you would think Paul would be proud and flaunt it wherever he went. Just to verify that, let’s take a look at the verses that follow:

But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ and be found in Him,…
Philippians 3:7-9

Paul’s Choice

Wait a minute…huh? Did we read that right? Paul considers EVERYTHING that was a gain (his resume) to now be a loss? He actually calls it all FILTH? Is he serious?

Of course, you already knew this, right? You have read this passage and you have known that Paul traded everything on his resume for the simple life of a traveling evangelist. He traded the life that came with his impressive platform for one that included shipwrecks, being stoned (by others), chains and whips, prison, etc. because he saw something most people miss.

Knowledge Proven In Actions?

So if we already know all of this, is this knowledge proven out in our actions? If someone from the outside were to look at you or me to determine our main goal in life, would they guess it to be an impressive resume or something else entirely? Would they see our actions matching up with our knowledge of something greater than this life?

If your answers are anything like mine, then there is some serious work to be done. If you are seeing inconsistencies in your actions like I am seeing in mine, then we need to stop and assess what gets us up in the morning.

Work To Be Done!

Maybe you do not require a complete overhaul, but some serious tweaking instead. I think that is where I am. I have allowed distractions to take my eyes off the prize and point me in other directions. Hopefully you are either in a similar position or better.

Either way, I encourage you to join with me in intentional, intimate prayer. We need to ask God to reveal those areas in our lives where we are seeking to add to our resume. We need to seek His guidance as to where we are to place our focus. We need to submit our plans to His plan.

If we will do this, I believe peace will replace frustration. Trouble will not disappear, but our peace within the trouble will increase. I don’t know about you, but I can handle that!

Have you ever been guilty of this resume building?

If not any longer, what changed?

What needs to change now?

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A Yearly Audit

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Every year in December, our C12 material includes a Yearly Audit. It is a great opportunity to look back over the past year and assess what it might look like from God’s eyes. Rather than auditing our financials or other measurable metrics, this exercise is more about determining our growth in various areas of our walk with Christ.

audit

Yearly Audit

This year, I have included the actual audit from C12. Take a look at the following 10 dimensions and give yourself a rating from 1-10 (1 is Low, 5 is Average, and 10 is High) as measured against your potential or opportunity. Total your scores for each at the end of the post. Keep track of your score from year to year to see your improvement as you go!

1. You spent more time with The Lord.

    This is an easy one. Everything we are or do comes out of our relationship with God in Christ Jesus. We can never be more than our relationship with Him enables us to be. Obedience to God is the FINAL definition of success in our lives and our obedience comes out of our relationship with Him. As we grow to know Him better we are more able to hear His voice. The more clearly we hear Him, the easier it is to obey Him.

    Don’t be deceived. Our ministry in business or anywhere else will never grow if our relationship with God doesn’t. Of course our relationship with God is not totally defined by the amount of time that we spend with Him. The quality of the time and the result of the time are just as important. It’s possible that you may not have to spend more time with God to build your relationship with Him… but not likely!

    Unless you’re “one-in-a-million,” your love for God and your devotion to Him are mirrored in the prioritized time you spend with Him. We’re talking about all kinds of time here: daily quiet time, prayer during the day, evening meditations, and the sense that He is in you and with you in the everyday decisions you make to run the business.

    Wherever each of us may be in this equation, there’s plenty of room to grow. How was your year?

2. Your family relationships strengthened.

    Were you able to spend more time — and more quality time — with your spouse and children? We need to look at these relationships right after our relationship with God. It isn’t very likely that we had an improving relationship with God and a deteriorating relationship with our family.

    We can’t really get closer to God and not be convicted to love and serve our mates and children. Did you make more time available to your spouse, as your top ministry priority, and less to your hobbies or business? Is your sacrificial love for (and service to) your family growing? If so, you’ve had a good year.

    [Why do we start a year-end audit of our business by talking about God and family? Because we can only bring to work what we already have in Christ in our lives and homes. We are not two people. We are one person, living an integrated life before the Lord. Our ministry in business is simply an extension of our lives in Christ, not separate from it!]

3. You spent more time listening and relating to your key team members on a one–to–one basis.

    Increasingly, you did this with an ear tuned to God and His purposes and eyes searching for ways to minister to stakeholder needs. You had a good year if you care more for your lost employees, seeing the horrible prospect of their eternity in hell more painfully. You had a good year if you frequently prayed for their salvation, and an even better year if you actually did something more to impact them for eternity.

4. You saw the people that you deal with – suppliers, customers, employees, and others – more as objects of your personal ministry than as objects to be exploited for your personal gain.

    If you increasingly see yourself as an entrusted servant to them, rather than master over them — even a little bit more — you had a good year.

5. You are even slightly less acquisitive than you were a year ago.

    The urge to acquire things is of the flesh, not the Spirit. The vain thought that simply possessing more stuff will bring any real benefit to our lives is immature and foolish. Any honest Christian knows that there’s no joy or peace in things.

    The more stuff we have, the more we must tend to and use. Materialism is a curse; a cancer of the spirit. If you’ve extricated yourself, even a little, from its grasp, and are more able to steward your gifts with an open hand before the Lord, you’ve had a good year. You might measure this as a percentage of what you gave from what you were given. Were you more of a “cheerful giver” of your “first fruits” this year?

6. You are measurably more thankful for what you have and content with your present lot in life.

    Spiritual maturity brings with it a contentment that comes from the awareness of what God has done for us by grace. What do we have that we deserve? And, given that we have as much as we all do, being among the most materially wealthy people in the history of the world, how can we not be thankful? Why do we need more?

    If God were to say to you, “What you have is the best it will ever be,” what would you say to Him? Could you say, “Thank You, Father…I already have more than I deserve or need,” and really mean it? If you can, with a truly grateful heart, you’ve had a good year.

7. You have more peace in your heart.

    This is especially true if the peace is not related to circumstances, since circumstances always change. If our peace is dependent on them, it comes and goes with the changes. Spiritual maturity, and the peace that comes with it, is dependent on abiding in our God who never changes. Do you more clearly see God’s hand in your circumstances (i.e., “…give thanks in all circumstances” [1 Thessalonians 5:18], “Consider it pure joy…” [James 1:2], “…in all things God works…” [Romans 8:28]). If so, you’ve had a good year.

8. You learned more about your profession and are able to apply greater technical expertise in your field.

    If you believe that (a) your business is a gift from God, (b) as steward you’re to run it for Him with excellence, and (c) you’ve mustered the time and will to learn and apply better ways to do so, you had a good year.

9. You took better care of your body.

    Did you get the exercise you need? Was your diet better than last year? Are you giving the time to the maintenance of your body that you know you should? The way we care for our body is one measure of our self–control and a visible part of our witness. Mastery of self is a key to spiritual growth. If your temple is in better shape than it was a year ago, allowing for the wear and tear of time, you had a good year.

10. More eternal fruit has been produced through and around you, due to your effort and influence while abiding in Christ.

    Eternal fruit is defined as “lives turned toward God.” It means simply this: your obedience to God in what you say, do, and are, influences others to move towards God in their thoughts and actions, yielding eternal fruit.

    This doesn’t only involve conversions and discipleship. It includes anything that brings a heightened and more favorable awareness of God and His ways to others. A Godly life lived in a Godly way produces eternal fruit. Everywhere Jesus went eternal fruit was produced. This is true in all areas of our lives, not just in business, but we’re talking primarily about the workplace here.

    Are more people more favorably aware that you are an Ambassador for Christ in and around your business? Have more needy people been helped because God has entrusted the business to your care? Do they know that they’ve been helped because you love God and are doing so in His name? Are more Christians being influenced to grow in their faith because your business has brought you, reflecting Christ, into their lives? Have you grown as a humble, but firm servant leader and found ways to lead effectively according to timeless Scriptural core principles?

    If you can see that more eternal fruit has been produced in, around, and through your business, you’ve had a GREAT year.

_____ Total for the Year (Total your ratings for all 10 dimensions)

What were your strongest areas in the audit? Did you work on them?

Where do you need the most improvement?

Do you see value in this annual audit exercise?

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Being Faithful For What Purpose?

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I don’t often do this, but today’s post is actually a response to a comment I received from someone that regularly reads this blog. While I cannot always respond to comments by writing another post, I thought this one merited it. The reader’s comment concerns my last post and a possible misinterpretation of what I see as the purpose of being faithful in the small things.

faithful

Not Faithful Recently

In my last post, I confessed to being dissatisfied with how I have not been faithful in the small things. As a result, I described how I have that “out-of-shape” feeling we sometimes get at the end of the year – not just from eating too much, but also from straying from being faithful with the small things God has given us.

I went on to detail five ways I believe we can be more faithful in the small things as we head into a new year. For a closer look at these five ways, read that post [HERE] before continuing. This will also help you understand my attempt to clarify some of my statements in that post.

In general, I went through five areas where we can be more faithful. Some of these are areas in which we sometimes feel we have less to work with than others may have. I proposed that as we are more faithful with the small things, He will give back in increase.

Not Enough Explanation

This is where I did not spend enough time explaining exactly what I meant by increase in each area. Nor did I go into detail about what I see as the purpose for this increase. I did not completely ignore these issues (they WERE on my mind), but I did leave too much to interpretation. For this reason, I want to clarify.

So you understand the whole picture, here is the comment I received:

The practices below are absolutely right on! Did you intend for the purpose of each practice to point towards personal blessing and increase? You don’t seem to write this way usually, but the article started to read a bit like prosperity gospel and I wanted to check your thoughts on my interpretation.

Opportunity To Learn!

First of all, I am seriously thankful that the reader sent this comment to me. We have exchanged emails before and I am glad he felt comfortable enough to question the content of the post. I love to get feedback on what I publish and I took this feedback as sincere and constructive. Even if I disagreed with his position, I would consider it an opportunity to learn from someone else’s perspective!

So, now to clarify what I believe as it relates to his comments. Essentially, he asks if I believe the purpose of being faithful in the small things is to receive “personal blessing and increase.” The short answer to that question is easy for me – No.

Not A Believer Of Prosperity Gospel

I am not a promoter of the prosperity gospel that says we should do this and that spiritual activity or discipline so we are wealthier and happier here on earth. I believe that message takes us away from being a true disciple of Jesus and moves us toward putting ourselves and our own well-being on the throne.

I know there are verses in the Bible that can be used to support this message, but I do not believe they are being used in context. Nor do I believe using them this way to be consistent with the overall message of Scripture.

Faithful Out Of Love

Our purpose in being faithful in the small things God has given us should not be to gain our own wealth, wisdom, talents, etc. so that we can make our lives here more comfortable or easy. We should not be seeking to learn more about God in our spiritual disciplines so we can figure out how to get Him to give us more.

Instead, I believe we should be more faithful in these areas because we love Him and want to please Him. Our purpose should be to bring Him fame and make His name known among those around us. We should seek His renown, not our own (Psalm 115:1).

Increase Happens!

The cool thing is that when we are being more faithful with what He has given us, He often gives us more (2 Corinthians 9:6-12, Galatians 6:7, ). That “more” may be in the form of wealth or it may come in wisdom. He may even give us more peace in return for being more faithful in giving. Only He knows what form the increase may take.

The problem here is that too often we experience the increase and then fall right back into the mindset that we deserve it and should keep it! Unless we are careful, we can revert to the prosperity gospel without even realizing it.

Blessing To Others

Instead, our mindset should be to get excited about how we can turn to give and share the increase! I mentioned how God promised Abram the following:

“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 12:2-3

Clear Purpose

Note the bold phrases. God promised to bless Abram and his descendants SO THAT others (all peoples on earth) could be blessed THROUGH them. The purpose of the blessing God gives us – whether in the form of wealth, wisdom, talents, etc. – is so that we can bless others. It is not about us!

We are to be conduits through which God can bless all peoples on earth!

The bottom line is that our purpose for being faithful is to please God. If He sends increase as a result, we are to use that increase to bless others – being faithful with the increase. If that results in more increase, then we continue to bless others with that as well!

Rinse, lather, and repeat.

What has been your purpose for being faithful?

Where has God given you increase?

Do you agree that the increase should be shared with others?

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5 Ways To Be Faithful With The Small Things

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It is the beginning of another year and I am not pleased with where I am. Maybe this does not happen with you, but I have let too many little things build up around me and remain undone. Rather than being faithful in the small things, I have not been as intentional as I like to be. I have felt “out of shape” as a result. Have you felt like this before?

faithful

Faithful With Small Things

While I am not a fan of typical New Year’s resolutions, I do want to take advantage of the opportunity for a fresh start. I will be taking some time over the next weeks to make some changes. As I go, I will share some of what I find.

I am doing this because I am determined to be faithful with the small things God has given me so that one day I can hear, “Well done!” But the reward is not only in those two precious words. The reward is also now, in this life. While it may not look like you think it should, I promise you it is available!

In fact, below I have listed five different ways you can be faithful with small things so that God can give you more in each area. Take a look at this list and see if any of the items could apply to you.

1. Spiritual disciplines

I list this item first because it is hands down the most important. We are to be faithful in prioritizing the time to spend with God on a daily basis. This time should be spent in a number of ways – reading Scripture, praying, meditating, journaling, etc.. There is not a one-size-fits-all formula for doing this, but I can tell when I am not faithful here.

If you will make the time to spend time with God in these ways on a consistent basis, He is sure to give back to you. You will receive wisdom, patience, joy, compassion, and a whole host of other qualities that are too numerous to count. Your relationships, with yourself and others, will improve dramatically. Try it and see what happens!

2. Giving

For many people, this is a sticking point. Maybe they tithe, but to give beyond that seems extreme. Most look at their income vs. their bills and determine that they have little to nothing left to give. I am not judging anyone on this. Each person has to determine in their heart what they will give – in fact God doesn’t want you to give more than that (2 Corinthians 9:7)!

At the same time, I believe it is our heart that needs to change. If we will determine in our hearts to give more – even out of the small resources we have right now – I believe God will add to our resources. He promised Abram to bless Israel in order for Israel to be a blessing to all nations (Genesis 12:1-3). I think He has the same thing in mind for us.

3. Godly Treatment of Employees

When I have been to conferences and heard Christian leadersof huge businesses talk about all of the programs and benefits they provide for their employees, I get frustrated. I want to do the same for our employees. The problem is that our resources are so much smaller than those of the larger companies.

However, much like the argument for giving in #2 above, this is a poor excuse. Sure, a larger company can do more than a smaller one. The question is whether we are doing all we can for our employees with the resources we have available. If we are faithful in treating the employees we have with the resources available, then I believe God will increase both!

4. Application of Wisdom

I have met some wise people over the past 10 years or so. Some of them have so much wisdom that I feel weak in comparison. I have prayed for wisdom for many years and God has answered, but I still pale when compared to them.

At the same time, we have to ask ourselves if we have applied the wisdom God has given us already. Have we been faithful with the wisdom we have? If not, why should He give us more? If it is not being applied, then we are wasting it and do not deserve more! Instead, we are to be faithful with the small wisdom in order to receive more.

5. Use of Talents

Just like wisdom, God has given each of us a measure of unique talents and abilities. It is up to us to apply those talents and abilities in a way that advances His purposes and brings Him glory. Are we doing all we can with what we have been given or are we guilty of burying these talents? (Matthew 25:14-31)

If we are faithful with the talents He has given us, we will see that He will expand those talents. Maybe He will choose to increase the talents themselves or maybe He just will just expand their influence on those around us. It is up to God as to how He does this, but I promise He will bring increase.

Do feel you have been faithful with the small things you have been given?

Where do you need to be more faithful?

What other categories would you add to this list?