When I mention the word competition, what comes to your mind? For most business leaders, thoughts of rival businesses are the first to appear. While this is not wrong at all, I think there is a competition that deserves more of our attention than these other businesses. It is this competition that renders many of us useless in God’s kingdom. It is this competition that we must destroy by every means necessary!
Have you ever set some seriously strong goals for yourself or your business, only to later find yourself so far from them that you lost hope? Have you done the math and realized you simply had too far to go in too little time? If you have ever set huge goals, it is likely you have experienced this frustration. When you did, how did you feel? What was your overall outlook at the time?
A good friend of mine was recently telling me about a ministry he is working to build. Part of this ministry is a retreat that caters to ministry and church leaders, giving them much needed rest and refreshing of the minds and vision. I have heard of other retreats and programs seeking to meet the same need. Evidently, Christian ministry is hard, often frustrating, work for God and can wear us out, right? I think there may be a good reason for part of this problem.
I do not have the national polling data to support this, but I would bet heavily that the one obstacle keeping most non-believers from being open to a relationship with Jesus is the hypocrisy of those calling themselves Christians. Even more critical is the hypocrisy of Christians that hold leadership positions. Fortunately, Jesus spoke many times about hypocrisy, giving us clear instructions on how to avoid these obnoxious behaviors associated with it.
Look around at the business world today and take note of those who claim to be Christians. Include yourself in this assessment. Some are easy to identify because their business practices clearly align with what they believe the Bible says. The rest are more difficult to identify because their practices are no different than the non-Christians around them. Why is this? Are these business people guilty of paying lip service to God or is there more to it?
I enjoy talking to older people, especially those who have experiences they are willing to share for the purpose of teaching others. I often make intentional decisions in group meetings or gatherings to sit near someone I know to be older and wiser so I can learn something from them. If you are like me in this, then you will love the following 7 crucial business principles.
If you are high-performing leader who has a track record for success, you still know what it feels like to get in a rut. Call it a slump, fog, funk, whatever – we have all seen them and they are not fun to experience. The rut drains our energy and takes away any motivation we have for moving forward. We know we are in it, but often have trouble getting out of it!
[This is the fourth post in a series about how Christian leaders are commanded to be teachers as well. In the first post, we looked at the actual command to be teachers. In the next post, we discussed what it means to be a skilled worker, correctly handling God’s Word. In the most recent post, we looked at being a godly example. In this post, we will determine our GOAL for teaching.]
Have you ever been in the grocery store when a mother has told her toddler “No, you cannot do that!” All I can say is that the picture is not normally very pretty after that, right? For the next several minutes, if she is lucky, the toddler pitches a fit and throws a tantrum in an effort to convince her otherwise. Unfortunately, we often react the same way!
As I said in my last post, God got my attention over ten years ago and changed the trajectory of my life. He made it clear that I was to begin working toward a vision of using our business as a platform for Christian ministry. From the beginning of this journey, my motives have been to do just that. My goal has been to one day hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”