day 1201: Associates and Friends

Today's post is a repost of one from the late David Wilkerson.  I first read David Wilkerson's words when I was 12 years old from his book, "The Cross and the Switchblade".  Today, I still read his words as his ministry continues to publish daily.  I've recently been thinking about those whom we surround ourselves with in the business world and in our personal lives and this message struck home and I wanted to pass it along.

Pastor David Wilkerson:

Who do you name as your closest friends? Believe it or not, this question is a matter of great concern to the Lord because your friendships speak loudly, both to God and to the world, about the condition of your heart.

"Lord, what do You think of my friendships? Are they pleasing to You?" Have you ever thought to ask Him these questions? The fact is, a righteous friend can provide a link to the blessing and favor of God, because he encourages you toward a godly lifestyle. On the other hand, an unrighteous friend can be a chain to every kind of evil, leading you into terrible bondages.

As I use the word friend throughout this message, I am not referring to immediate family members. My definition of a friend here is someone with whom you are closely associated, one in whom you naturally confide. In short, a friend is someone with whom you walk and talk and to whom you bare your soul.

You probably have various circles of friends: a "business" circle, which includes your coworkers, partners or clients; a "social" circle, which includes those with whom you associate on a surface level. You also may have contact with ungodly acquaintances. The apostle Paul says it's impossible for us to avoid these kinds of contacts; otherwise, we would have to leave the world altogether!

Yet the circle God cares about most is your intimate circle, your bosom pals.

These are the people you love most, and who most influence your life. You are naturally attracted to one another, and you agree on most things so you feel safe opening your heart to each other.

The Bible tells us we are not to be ignorant concerning Satan's seductions. And one of the devil's most common attacks against us is to bring into our inner circle of friends someone who is walking in deception, an agent of hell who is on a mission to destroy us. Satan especially uses this ploy with lonely or compassionate Christians. He tries to turn an undiscerning person's kindness into an affinity with an evil spirit!

“Do not be deceived: evil communications [companions] corrupt good manners [people]” (1 Corinthians 15:33).

 

day 1045: Year-End Examination

 'Let a man examine himself…'.

At the end of the year we are usually scrambling to get everything on our to do lists out of the way and cleaned and tidied up for a fresh start in the New Year. I also notice that at the end of the year there is a mad dash to use up all of the health reserve money that has been saved up tax-free throughout the year. I always thought that it must be interesting for doctors who get this year-end set of appointments for examinations, whether people need them or not. The end of the year is when most of us do the self-examinations of ourselves. We reflect back over the past year and evaluate how we did in life, work, spiritually, financially, etc. and we then set our goals for the New Year, some being called our "New Year's Resolutions". This self-examination is good. Paul calls for us to do this continually in I Corinthians 11:28. David Wilkerson, the author of The Cross and the Switchblade and former pastor of the Times Square Church in New York City said, "Paul further urges us, 'Let a man examine himself…'. The Greek word for examine here means 'scrutinize, test.' The apostle is saying, 'Test yourself—see if you’re walking according to God’s Word.' We’re to constantly ask ourselves, 'Am I changing? Am I becoming more loving and tenderhearted? Am I treating my family and friends with godly respect? Is my conversation becoming more righteous?” These are great questions of self-examination as we head into our new year of work life.

As we set our goals for the person we want to be at work and to be a person who works to their purpose, we can be assured that our constant self-examination and adjustments and corrections are the way that God wants us to live and pursue His righteousness. So, set those goals this year with confidence and great expectations that this New Year will be a year of positive change for each of us.


Reference; I Corinthians 11:28 (New Living Testament)

day 800: Ambitions

“In lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself”

We all have some level of ambition. It would be hard for businesses or business professionals to be at their best without some level of ambition to work to our full potential. But ambition that crosses a line to something that places ourselves or our efforts and business above other people turns into something else that is not good. Ambition has to be constantly kept in check and balanced against values and principles that keep other people and their needs above our own. Even within a company we have to be careful that we don't let our ambitions get the best of us against our peers. It starts with each of us and how we lead, manage, or interact with those we work. Companies that can't keep their ambitions in check run the risk of becoming bullies in the market and at some point that catches up with them. We know who they are and aren't surprised when they get hung out to dry when they stumble. We are better off in not letting our ambitions get the best of us.

The late Pastor David Wilkerson's brother, Gary writes this about how we are to manage our personal ambitions: "One simple way to measure whether you love well is to examine how you look out for the interests of others. As a pastor, I have to forge an unwavering vision to do this. I am charged by God with a call to stir my people to action and to relentlessly pursue the mission he has given us. The truth is, I can go about this in one of two ways: through my own ambition, pushing to achieve my individual goals; or to adopt the heart of Christ and make my mission to love.
If my church grows to ten thousand and I don’t have love as my vision...if
our church sends out 1,000 missionaries but doesn’t have love…then we are
failing in our calling as a believing body. We are raising up false ambassadors
and exporting a weak brand of watered-down Christianity empowered by something
other than love.How about you? Are your prayers or spiritual ambitions locked in a world of your own wants, needs and desires? Are you bothered or irritated when others’
genuine needs interrupt your goals?What is the remedy for selfish ambition? Paul wrote to the Philippians, “In lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” (Philippians 2:3b). Paul doesn’t say not to esteem yourself, your vision or your life
mission. But he does say others also have vision, purpose and a mission. If you
will esteem them, you will not just be helping them but also strengthening them
in their calling—and perhaps affecting many lives. Think about the power of Paul’s statement. Imagine what might happen if every Christian radically obeyed this truth. We would all have deep, world-impacting interests in others—and none of us would be immersed in our individual goals. The whole body of Christ would be so other-centered we would empower one another in our many varied callings. If each of us is looking only to interests of our own making, our testimony will be limited at best. But if we all are looking in love to build up others, every God-ordained mission will have more than ample support to be accomplished.

Reference: Philippians 2:3

day 731: Strategic Decisions, Part 3

"He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and in his strength he struggled with God. Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed; he wept, and sought favor from Him. He found Him in Bethel, and there He spoke to us"


When faced with strategic direction decisions we really have one of three decisions to be made; To lead, follow, or get out of the way. The final part this three part series is about leading.

As we have read the last two days, businesses can take one a number of strategies as they maneuver the marketplace. The one that most would prefer would be to lead. It sounds easy to say that we want to be the leader, but there is lots to becoming the leader and even more to staying there once the leadership position is achieved. A plan can be put in place, the right people hired, the perfect people managing perfectly and making it all happen but the competition just isn't budging and the business isn't gaining ground. This means that businesses may have to fight to gain the leadership mantle. Fighting doesn't have to be thought of as being mean or hurtful. Fighting can be thought of as contending and finding the extra strength, courage and fortitude to get even better and more creative than ever. A friend of mine was telling me about their company's new CEO who had come from the fast moving consumer goods industry and was now the CEO of a large telecommunications company. When the competition made a move in pricing or providing new services, this CEO struck back and countered and contended. The first time the company did so so it caused a lot of debate within the company as this was new and foreign to them. But the CEO said it right when he explained that what was happening was like losing that prime shelf space or display in the grocery store to a competitor's product. Once it is theirs you don't get it back. Once you lose a customer you can spend multiples trying to lure them back. He was willing to fight to keep his current customers and willing to fight to gain ground over the competition. That reaction was the look of a company who is going to be the leader. So, sometimes things are worth fighting for and those are also the things that we want to be in the leadership spot.

David Wilkerson describes the account of someone who was willing to personally contend so that he someday could be a leader for God. Let's read Pastor Wilkerson's account of Jacob: "Esau came forth from his mother's womb first—a baby covered with hair (his
name means "hairy"). But his twin, Jacob, grabbed his heel while still in the
womb. What a shock the midwife must have had when she saw Esau come forth with
a tiny hand gripping his heel! In the very brief passage (above) about Jacob, the prophet Hosea sums up how to overcome and prevail with God! Hosea's message was, "Here was a man greedy for God, hungry for everything God had for him!" Jacob came out of the womb in a fighting mood, longing for the blessings of God! There was something of a godly instinct in this child. It was as if he was saying, "Brother, if you don't want the fullness of God, I do. Get out of my way! I will not be left behind in God's blessings!" The birthright and blessing of Jacob's desire throughout his life represents all the blessings that are in Christ Jesus! Yet it was not the double portion of his father's wealth that Jacob was after nor was it the promise of the land.
No, Jacob wanted something more. He wanted the blessing of God so he could be in
the lineage of the Messiah! And he wanted the priestly blessing. This meant not
only being priest of the clan, but also being able to bless others!"

What are we wrestling with today that we know we should be leading, but haven't been willing to contend or fight for? It may be that God is telling us that it is time to step up and lead! It may be that now is the time that God wants to also give us our blessing and for us to become the leader for Him that He wants us to be! Lord, let today be that day!

Reference: Hosea 12:3-4

day 720: Bold Access

19 And so, dear brothers and sisters we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place."

Yesterday, I wrote of the open door and transparent policies that businesses have provided to shareholders, customers and employees. Not always has this been done voluntarily and not always has it worked, but in general, those companies that have found a level of comfort that mirrors the level of information sharing desires of their constituents are better positioned than those who don't. Then there are the companies that get uptight because some people then do demand access and they demand it boldly. Business shouldn't fear those people but instead work with them to satisfy their knowledge needs and then find a way to make them cooperative to the needs of the business. So many times we think we are wasting our time leaving the door open, because no one walks through. But, then we get anxious when someone does take the offer. Finding the middle ground of comfort is the key.

The late David Wilkerson wrote this about our ability to have bold access to Jesus and says it better than I can: "You see, we have absolute access to the very presence of the living God—and also for him to come to us! 'Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way . . . let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith' (Hebrews 10:19-22). That access came only after Jesus was crucified, died and was resurrected. It came at the moment the veil in the temple was rent in two. When that happened, it meant that man could go in and God could come out—that he would meet us! The word boldness in this verse means “with open, undisguised publicity.” Beloved, that 'publicity' is for the devil’s sake! It means we can say to every demon in hell, “I have a right by the blood of Jesus Christ to walk into the presence of God and talk to him—and He to me!” Nothing thrills the heart of God more than when his children come to him in boldness, without timidity! He wants us to come, saying, 'I have a right to be here. And even if my heart condemns me, God is greater than my heart!"

Reference: Hebrews 10: 19-20 (New Living Testament)

day 683: Inside The Boardroom

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid."

We often wonder what those Boardroom conversations must be like. We may know who the Board of Directors are within a company, but we probably never get a chance to meet many of the Directors or get to know them beyond a superficial level. And what really happens in this Board meetings anyway? Especially, in the closed door sessions? Along with keeping the company business going there is a lot of peace-making that happens. CEOs and Chairmen of the Board have to always be thinking about how to keep everyone aligned, on agenda and at peace. This is hard because each person on a Board comes to the body with their own personal level of knowledge and understanding of the business, their own experience filters, their own personality traits, and their own likes and dislikes of the management team and other Board members. At the core, each person is just a normal person from their own walk of life, but still this has to be managed to keep the group cohesive. The bottom line is that if we have any group of people who share a core set of common values and principles then things become a whole lot easier. I remember reading about Alfred Sloan when he was the Chairman of the Board of General Motors and how he would never allow a unanimous vote of approval from his Board because he felt if that happened then somewhere management had not presented the full story to the Board, so he would take preliminary votes and if it was all one-sided he would send management off to come back with a better and deeper understanding of the issues for a real vote later. That was gutsy because he trusted his Board so much that he was willing to give up peace for an open conversation that included dissension. Any of our Board meetings, or any management team sessions would be best served to get to this level of working.

Maybe the most influential group of people to ever gather into a "boardroom" were the Disciples that Jesus gathered. But even them, like all of us, had a hard time coming together, operating, believing and staying aligned and in peace. The late David Wilkerson gives us his take on this group:

"You would do well to consider the men to whom Jesus first gave his peace. None of them was worthy, and none had a right to it.

Think about Peter. Jesus was about to bestow his peace on a minister of the
gospel who would soon be spewing out cursings. Peter was zealous in his love
for Christ, but he was also going to deny him.

Then there was James and his brother John, men with a competitive spirit,
always seeking to be recognized. They asked to sit at Jesus’ right and left hand when he ascended to his throne in glory.

The other disciples were no more righteous. They simmered with anger at James and John for trying to upstage them. There was Thomas, a man of God who was given to doubt. All of the disciples were so lacking in faith, it amazed and stressed Jesus. Indeed, in Christ’s most troubling hour, they would all forsake him and flee. Even after the Resurrection, when the word spread that “Jesus is risen,” the disciples were slow to believe.

But there’s even more. These were also confused men. They did not understand the ways of the Lord. His parables confused them. After the Crucifixion, they lost any sense of unity they had, scattering in all directions.

What a picture: These men were full of fear, unbelief, disunity, sorrow, confusion, competitiveness, pride. Yet it was to these same troubled servants that Jesus said, “I am going to give you my peace.”

The disciples weren’t chosen because they were good or righteous; that much is clear. Nor was it because they had talent or abilities. They were fishermen and day laborers, meek and lowly. Christ called and chose the disciples because he saw something in their hearts. As he looked into them, he knew each one would submit to the Holy Spirit.

At this point, all that the disciples had was a promise from Christ of his peace. The fullness of that peace was yet to be given to them, at Pentecost. That’s when the Holy Spirit would come and dwell in them. We receive the peace of Christ from the Holy Spirit. This peace comes to us as the Spirit reveals Christ to us. The more of Jesus you want, the more the Spirit will show you of him—and the more of Christ’s actual peace you will have."


And to that, I say, Amen!

Reference: John 14:27-28 (New Living Translation)

day 657: Keeping

"While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost"

In business we all at some point or another are "kept" by someone else or by the organization. It we weren't then each of would likely be flushed out from one company to another much faster than normal. Of course, yes we are all capable, but at some point or another we get "kept" and for that we should count ourselves fortunate. What this means is that someone is watching out for us and when we slip up we got the second chance or we got a pass for something that we did that was either wrong or just silly. I'm not talking about something that is wrong in the sense of being immoral or illegal, I'm talking about those times that because of inexperience, poor judgment, or just the wrong decision that we just make a mistake. And then, because someone is keeping us, we get talked to but we don't lose our jobs and we don't have our careers derailed. Some companies are better at this than others. Those cultures that are dog-eat-dog or up-or-out are not so good at this, but others are really great at keeping us propped up even though we stumble and fall. I can't judge cultures but I can say that one or the other only happens because of the people in the organization who make the decisions based on their personal philosophies. It is good for us to check and understand what a culture is like and not like before we join up. Or once we are in them then we need to understand and adjust to that culture and how we can best succeed. It is not easy, but it can be done and we can adapt and learn to understand how to operate in a company successfully.

David Wilkerson, before he died, wrote about how God keeps His disciples. He wrote, "Peter said, '[We] are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation
ready to be revealed in the last time' (1 Peter 1:5). I see in this a prophecy
that in these last days, God is once more going to reveal his keeping power to
his people. Christ prayed to the Father concerning his disciples: 'While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and
none of them is lost' (John 17:12). The disciples did not keep themselves in
the will of God, they were kept by a mighty power outside of themselves. They
could not have made it a single day without Christ's keeping power.
What a glorious prayer Christ prayed on our behalf: 'I pray not that thou
shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from
the evil' (John 17:15)."

What a great promise and assurance we have in that God is "keeping" us and keeping us close and within His protection. Regardless of what you face today, know that you are being "kept".

Reference: John 17:12 and 15, 1 Peter 1:5

Day 643: A Simple Choice

"You both precede and follow me"

One of the earliest leadership lessons I was taught was to either "lead, follow or get out of the way". Seems simple on the surface but very hard to do. Much of the confusion in the workplace has to do with us not knowing which of the three we should be doing at the same time others are also figuring it out. Many a toe has been stepped on and ball dropped because we are confused on which role we should be playing. Lots of consultants have made a ton of money trying to teach people and organizations on the differences. However, we can all get better at this just by asking the question when we are unsure and then listening for the direction and following from there. We like to make that mistake too in once we hear what role we are supposed to take we fight it and rebel instead of falling into the lane we are supposed to be in and getting comfortable with it. Do you know what role you are supposed to take today on each project or task you have in front of you? It's not always the same and even if you are the boss, you are sometimes meant to follow or get out of the way.

King David describes the One, and the only One who leads and follows consistently each and every day in our lives. How wonderful it is to know that in all that we do that the Lord both precedes and follows us and even more glorious to know that He never gets out of the way even when we elbow Him out. Let's go into today allowing Him to lead and thanking Him for following so closely. In that time of thanks also ask Him what role He wants you to take today with others. Because He precedes us He will show us the way we are supposed to take.

On another note, it is a sad day in that a true servant and soldier of our Lord passed on to heaven last night. Since at 12 years old when I first read his book, "The Cross and the Switchblade", Reverend David Wilkerson, has been a voice in my life. I never had the honor of meeting him but felt like I knew him. In recent years his daily devotional has touched me and his words have found their way into this blog many times over. Please add his wife who was injured in the car accident, the rest of his family and his church into your prayers today.

Reference: Psalm 139:5 (New Living Testament)

day 602: The Joseph Company

If you read Purposed worKING regularly, you have seen me quote and reference David Wilkerson. Well, he recently wrote something that is so good and so applicable that it warrants being the topic of today's post. Enjoy, "The Joseph Company" by David Wilkerson:

THE JOSEPH COMPANY



Joseph had a vision that his life would be used mightily by God. But that

vision seemed like a pipe dream after his jealous brothers sold him into

slavery. The following years of Joseph’s life were filled with hardship and

injustice. Then, when Joseph seemed to get back on his feet, he was falsely

accused of attempted rape and sent to prison.



Yet, all this time, God was watching over Joseph’s life. And finally, after

years of turmoil, Joseph ended up serving in Pharaoh’s house. Pharaoh

eventually appointed Joseph ruler over all of Egypt.



Beloved, that’s how God works; he was preparing a man to save a remnant.

Indeed, in every generation, the Lord raises up a Joseph Company. He takes

these devoted servants through years of trouble and trials, to prove and

strengthen their faith.



What does this mean? Scripture says it’s what Joseph endured: “He sent a

man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: whose feet they hurt

with fetters: he was laid in iron: until the time that his word came: the word

of the Lord tried him” (Psalm 105:17–19).



The Lord also has a Joseph Company today. These are godly men and women he has

touched and called. They don’t seek fame or fortune. All they want is to live

and die fulfilling the calling God has placed on them. And the Lord promised

their lives would count for his kingdom.



Joseph told his brothers, “God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity

in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not

you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and

lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt” (Genesis

45:7–8).



Joseph could look back over his years of suffering and testify, “God sent me

on this journey. He had a purpose in taking me through all these hardships. I

see now that everything I’ve endured has led up to this moment. Brothers, the

Lord has been preparing me to minister to you. He orchestrated all of these

things, to bring you under his preserving grace as he did with me.”



What an incredible revelation for Joseph. Yet, what is the lesson here for

God’s people today? It is this: Our Lord has preserved us in the past and he

will preserve us in the days ahead. And, most important of all, he has an

eternal purpose behind it all. He preserved you because he has a purpose for

you. He has laid out a divine work ahead of you. And only a tried, tested,

proven believer can accomplish it.

day 563: Year-End Examination (Redux)

Originally published December 31, 2008

Year-end Examination
At the end of the year we are usually scrambling to get everything on our to do lists out of the way and cleaned and tidied up for a fresh start in the New Year. I also notice that at the end of the year there is a mad dash to use up all of the health reserve money that has been saved up tax-free throughout the year. I always thought that it must be interesting for doctors who get this year-end set of appointments for examinations, whether people need them or not. The end of the year is when most of us do the self-examinations of ourselves. We reflect back over the past year and evaluate how we did in life, work, spiritually, financially, etc. and we then set our goals for the New Year, some being called our "New Year's Resolutions". This self-examination is good. Paul calls for us to do this continually in I Corinthians 11:28. David Wilkerson, the author of The Cross and the Switchblade and now pastor of the Times Square Church in New York City says, "Paul further urges us, 'Let a man examine himself…'. The Greek word for examine here means 'scrutinize, test.' The apostle is saying, 'Test yourself—see if you’re walking according to God’s Word.' We’re to constantly ask ourselves, 'Am I changing? Am I becoming more loving and tenderhearted? Am I treating my family and friends with godly respect? Is my conversation becoming more righteous?” These are great questions of self-examination as we head into our new year of work life. As we set our goals for the person we want to be at work and to be a person who works to their purpose, we can be assured that our constant self-examination and adjustments and corrections are the way that God wants us to live and pursue His righteousness. So, set those goals this year with confidence and great expectations that this New Year will be a year of positive change for each of us.


Reference; I Corinthians 11:28 (New Living Testament)

day 363: Are We Really Teachers?

Purposed worKING is written for each of us to know our Purpose and to give us lessons and examples on how to put that purpose to life each and every day within our work. There is an old adage, "He who teaches, learns twice." Not only are we to be examples, role models and living illustrations of how Jesus would live within our lives, we are also, by default teachers of others. God puts us in situations and also gives us opportunities and challenges to follow His plan so that we can be the teachers of others. Pastor David Wilkerson posted this message about how we are all teachers but also how through examples of how we face and deal with the blows of life and let God be in control, we are being trained by God so that we can teach further. Enjoy the words and message of Pastor Wilkerson:

"By the close of the book of Genesis, God had chosen a small, insignificant people to become a teaching nation. He wanted to raise up a people who would be living examples of his goodness to the heathen world. So, to bring about such a testimony, God took his people into places that were beyond their control. He isolated Israel in a wilderness, where he alone would be their only source of life, caring for their every need.

Israel had no control over their survival in that desolate place. They couldn’t control the availability of food or water. They couldn’t control their destination, as they had no compasses or maps. How would they eat and drink? Which direction would they go? And where would they end up?

God would do it all for them. He would guide them every day by a miracle cloud, one that glowed at night and dispelled the darkness before them. He would feed them with angels’ food from heaven and provide them with water from a rock.
Yes, every single need would be supplied by the Lord, and no enemy would be able to defeat them.

“Out of heaven he made thee [Israel] to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee” (Deuteronomy 4:36). God’s people would hear his very words guiding them, and in turn they would testify, “Who is there of all mankind who has heard the voice of the living God?” (see 4:32-34).

The nations surrounding ancient Israel were filled with “other gods,” idols made of wood, silver and gold. These gods were mute, unable to see or hear, unable to love, guide or protect the people who worshipped them. Yet any one of the nations could look to Israel and see a special people whom God carried through a terrible wilderness. They would see a God who spoke to his people, who loved and felt, who answered prayers and provided miracles. Here was a living God, one who guided his people in every detail of their lives.

God raised up a people who would be trained by him. There had to be a people who lived under his authority, who would trust him completely, giving him full control of every aspect of their lives. That people would become his testimony to the world."

What do you have to teach today to others? The answer is obvious...a lot!

Reference: Deuteronomy 4:32-34 & 36

day 345: Sure Fire Trouble

Every company and organization has their own set of cultural norms, values and principles. After many years of being a student of human behavior at work, I would say that one of the signs of sure fire trouble is someone who is arrogant. I was reflecting on this the other day when I saw that they are bringing back the remake of the movie "Wall Street". Apparently, Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) returns after 20 years in jail. He comes back, or so it is advertised, as repentant and reformed. Even in the "Bonfire of the Vanities" days on Wall Street (that was 1980 or the early 2000's?) even there it was arrogance to believe that one is above the law, that ultimately brought down many people. But even among the youngest and most junior in their careers, arrogance can create such a feeling of animosity among peers and co-workers that a person's career can be damaged even before it hardly starts. It is a fine line between confidence, which we all need to survive in the workplace, and arrogance. I strongly believe that the difference is many times found in someone's ability or inability to listen, be self-aware and take open feedback from others. The minute one stops listening to others, it means that arrogance has taken over. Even David talked about arrogance in Psalm 31:23; "Love the Lord, all you faithful ones! For the Lord protects those who are loyal to him, but he harshly punishes all who are arrogant." Yes, there is sure fire trouble coming if we become arrogant. Today would be a good day to consider what parts of our lives have we allowed an over-confidence to turn into an arrogance that needs to be metered and removed? Do we have areas where we have stopped listening to others and as such, may have lost perspective about ourselves? One of the best ways to know this is to reach out to the one who loves us the most and begin to go to Him with the request to open up our eyes and ears to others so that we can see and hear what we we need to know. The best way to keep from trouble is to remove the sure fire signs of trouble that are there, but we just keep missing!

Reference: Psalm 31:23 (New Living Testament)

day 332: IBNO Status (part 4)

Being in but not of the world (IBNO) means not being influenced by all of the behaviors of people around us. At work it is easy to be dragged in and consequently dragged down to the behaviors that are demonstrated, reinforced and sometimes rewarded all around us. We have been in discussion the last few days about many of the actions that can lead to bigger infractions or real value and principle breakdowns. But, there are even more impacting changes that can come from us that can upend our reputation and all the hard work we have put in to keep our character intact. These are things of the world that fill up our work. At work, if not more than any other place in our lives, we need to constantly be checking out IBNO Status. David Wilkerson puts it this way when he says that we must always be questioning ourselves against where the world wants us to go: "In other words, we are to ask ourselves: “Am I becoming more like Christ? Am I growing more patient, or more quick-tempered? Kinder and gentler, or meaner and more argumentative? More tender and forgiving, or more bitter, holding onto grudges? Do I ‘bear with others’? Do I put up with the weaknesses and faults of those near to me, or do I always have to be right?” What Pastor Wilkerson describes is a constant checking of ourselves to be sure that are not drifting or abandoning the ways of Christ in our attitude, our demeanor, our words and our minds. The world wants us to be less like Christ. We want to be more like Him, so it is a daily and continuous scrutiny of ourselves. This would be a great day to dissect your work relationships and see where you have slipped into the ways of the world and where it is time to pull yourself back up and most importantly back towards the true example we should be following.

Reference: Romans 12:2 (New Living Testament)

day 228: Corporate Gyms

It started in the mid 1980's that corporations began to put exercise equipment in the office so that employees could work out while on the job. Exercise rooms grew into fully equipped fitness centers with staff, trainers, showers and locker rooms, etc. Any new headquarters today will typically have a corporate fitness center as a part of the building. The original idea behind these centers was a good one; if our employees are more fit, that means they are healthier, which means that the cost of medical benefits should go down over time, etc. The benefit for the employee is the convenience and cost savings that they receive when they don't have to go outside of their work pattern to join and frequent a gym. It's a great perk when offered but even then, usually less than 1/2 to a 1/3 of the population will ever regularly use a corporate fitness center. Because of this, there is the ongoing debate about the cost vs. benefit of keeping the fitness center staffed, equipment up to date, etc. There would be no debate if the number of people who regularly use the gym was 80%. But, that's really hard to make happen. To get 80% plus of any population to voluntarily want to exercise would be hard to accomplish even though when someone works out they are bettering and growing their body's physical strength and health. Working out can be painful but as the popular phrase for trainers goes: "No pain, no gain". To grow and better ourselves we have to go through some pain and struggle. Our workplace and our jobs are also great places to grow ourselves spiritually and "work out" our faith. And, we don't need to be offered a special "gym" to do so. Each time that we go through the challenges at work to either live and work to our purpose or to go the way of the world we are growing. Those little and big decisions that are put in front of us that test our values, force us to think through right and wrong, make us look at ourselves in the mirror on how we should be treating others; all of these are growth points in our spiritual lives. And like when we have been in the fitness center for weeks and months and we say, "I'm just not seeing any difference", we only have to step back and remember how far we have come. David Wilkerson talks about our spiritual growth being like the slow growth of the lilies in Hosea 14:5: "I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily." Wilkerson says, "God is telling us, 'Go to the lilies! Just try to watch them grow. I’m telling you by day’s end you won’t see any growth whatsoever. But know this; I water the lily every morning with the dew I send—and it’s going to grow.' The same is true of most spiritual growth. It’s imperceptible to the human eye!" Today, you may (hopefully you do) go to the corporate gym and workout your body. Each time you do it, you are growing. Today, you will also have the opportunity to go to God's gym and work out your spiritual body and grow. See today that each of the decisions and challenges you have today as the chance to "work out" and grow.

Reference: Hosea 14:5 (New Living Testament)

day 62: Year-end Examination

At the end of the year we are usually scrambling to get everything on our to do lists out of the way and cleaned and tidied up for a fresh start in the New Year. I also notice that at the end of the year there is a mad dash to use up all of the health reserve money that has been saved up tax-free throughout the year. I always thought that it must be interesting for doctors who get this year-end set of appointments for examinations, whether people need them or not. The end of the year is when most of us do the self-examinations of ourselves. We reflect back over the past year and evaluate how we did in life, work, spiritually, financially, etc. and we then set our goals for the New Year, some being called our "New Year's Resolutions". This self-examination is good. Paul calls for us to do this continually in I Corinthians 11:28. David Wilkerson, the author of The Cross and the Switchblade and now pastor of the Times Square Church in New York City says, "Paul further urges us, 'Let a man examine himself…'. The Greek word for examine here means 'scrutinize, test.' The apostle is saying, 'Test yourself—see if you’re walking according to God’s Word.' We’re to constantly ask ourselves, 'Am I changing? Am I becoming more loving and tenderhearted? Am I treating my family and friends with godly respect? Is my conversation becoming more righteous?” These are great questions of self-examination as we head into our new year of work life. As we set our goals for the person we want to be at work and to be a person who works to their purpose, we can be assured that our constant self-examination and adjustments and corrections are the way that God wants us to live and pursue His righteousness. So, set those goals this year with confidence and great expectations that this New Year will be a year of positive change for each of us.


Reference; I Corinthians 11:28 (New Living Testament)