KINGDOM ECONOMICS

 So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant (Josh 24:13).

In the world of business we are taught to do whatever it takes to produce a desired outcome. Competitive forces can drive companies to go beyond the limits of ethics and integrity to achieve a desired outcome. Men and women can become work-a-holics as the need for competitive advantage is passed down the various management levels in order to meet sales and marketing goals. This sweat and toil mentality contradicts God’s Kingdom Economy.
The Kingdom Economy is found in the above verse in Joshua. When the people of Israel were coming out of Egypt, a place of sweat and toil and slavery, God was trying to teach them a new economy of receiving. Instead of sweat and toil, He wanted them to learn obedience. Now their income would be based on their obedience, not their skill or their sweat and toil.
This new Kingdom Economy meant that there would be times when what you receive from your efforts might be less than the commensurate time invested. Yet, there would also be times when you would receive more compared to your time invested.
I used to determine whether I would meet with a person based on my perceived return on that investment. I justified that behavior as being a good steward. God says we are to determine if He wants us to meet with that person or be involved with an endeavor based on His leading alone, not based on the perceived outcome. It is His responsibility to bring fruit from the activity.
This will result in a new freedom in your work life. Stay vertical with God and let Him determine your next activity.

PEACE - A WEAPON AGAINST THE DEVIL

 

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me." - Psalm 23:4a KJV In the battles of the workplace, your peace is actually a weapon. The workplace creates many opportunities to rob us of our peace. Cash flow concerns, deadlines, relationships - all create stress on us. Your confidence in the God of peace declares that you are not falling for the lies of the devil. You see the first step toward having spiritual authority over the adversary is having peace in spite of our circumstances. When Jesus confronted the devil, he did not confront satan with His emotions or in fear. Knowing that the devil was a liar, He simply refused to be influenced by any voice other than God's. His peace overwhelmed satan; His authority then shattered the lie, which sent demons fleeing. There is a place of walking with God where you simply fear no evil. David faced a lion, a bear, and a giant. In this Psalm, he stood in the "shadow of death" itself, yet he "feared no evil." David's trust was in the Lord. He said, "...for Thou art with me." Because God is with you, every adversity you face will unfold in victory as you maintain your faith in God! David continued, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies" (Ps. 23:5a). The battle you are in will soon become a meal for you, an experience that will nourish and build you up spiritually. Only God's peace will quell your fleshly reactions in battle. The source of God's peace is God Himself. If fear has been knocking at your door, begin to face that fear with God's peace. It is God's secret weapon to destroy fear.

DAVID'S SOURCE OF DIRECTION

 "Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul." - Psalm 143:8

David is the only person in the Bible whom God describes as a man after His own heart. Despite David's many setbacks he continually sought to know and do God's will in his life. Like many of us, his will got in the way of a sinless life.
In the morning hour, David sought to hear from God. I can imagine David sitting on the open deck of his palace looking over the hills of Jerusalem, listening to God. There, in his morning watch, he felt God's unfailing love. He reaffirmed his trust in God. He also understood that the key to knowing God's will lay in spending such moments alone to reflect on what God had done and was doing in his life.
"Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground" (Psalm 143:10).
Sometimes we fall prey to believing that God is not concerned and that He does not lead us in our work life. We are tempted to think that He leads us in other areas, but not in our daily workplace. The truth is that God is in every aspect of life and desires to direct us.
Do you need direction in your life today? If so, David provides the best example of gaining direction. Set aside the morning hour to draw close to His presence. There, you will sense His unfailing love for you. His direction for your life will be a natural by-product of this time of communion with Him. Ask God to lead you by His Spirit today.

TWO TYPES OF PEOPLE

 

O LORD, by your hand save me from such men, from men of this world whose reward is in this life (Ps 17:14). There are two types of people in the world. There are those whose activities are designed to generate a reward in this lifetime. And there are those who live to generate a reward when they meet our Lord in Heaven. Not every Christian models the latter. How does one judge whether they are living for the future reward versus the earthly reward? There are several key indicators. Future reward people tend to be givers. They make their time and resources available to be channeled for Kingdom purposes. They realize their sowing will ultimately be rewarded at the Judgment Seat of Christ where what they have done on earth will be judged and rewarded by God (2 Corinthians 5:10). Future reward people live a life based upon obedience-based decisions. They don’t make decisions based on their perceived outcome. They realize a decision based on obedience alone may not result in an immediate outcome. Jesus was obedient to the cross, but the immediate outcome was His own death on the cross. Future reward situations show up in daily life in a number of ways. Perhaps a person has wronged you and God calls you to forgive and even bless that person without expectation of their response. Perhaps God calls you to sow money into a ministry or another person’s life without expectation of return from them. Perhaps you are called to serve another person without the expectation of any earthly reward. The situations we might encounter are unlimited. Are you living a life based on a future reward, or a short-term reward? Today, evaluate how you make decisions and how you allocate resources. This will reveal whether you are a future reward Christian.

OBEYING THE SPIRIT OF GOD

 "Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, 'Go south to the road - the desert road - that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.'" - Acts 8:26

Philip was conducting what we might today call a revival meeting. God was blessing the meeting, and many were being healed and delivered from demonic influence. Here is the scene:
Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed Christ there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. So there was great joy in that city (Acts 8:5-8).
And yet, in the midst of this great event, the Holy Spirit spoke to Philip and told him to remove himself and go to a completely different area to speak to one individual. Philip was so sensitive to the directive of the Holy Spirit that he left what would be deemed a successful event to go speak to another - an Ethiopian eunuch. The result of his obedience was that Philip led the eunuch to faith in Christ and baptized him. The Lord then took Philip away supernaturally to another region many miles away.
God's ways of determining where we invest our time and energy often have little to do with results. The danger for each of us is to determine that we are in the center of God's will simply by the success or failure of the events we are involved in. Our plumb line for determining success can be only one thing: obedience. Philip responded in obedience to the direction of the Holy Spirit.
Are you listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit? Has God prompted you to speak, go, or come alongside another? Ask God today to help you hear the Holy Spirit's voice so that you might be used mightily in your workplace.

DEATH AND BIRTH OF A VISION

 

"I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." - John 12:24 Almost every significant thing God births He allows to die before the vision is fulfilled in His own way. -Abraham had a vision of being the father of a great nation (birth). Sarah was barren and became too old to have children (death). God gave Abraham and Sarah a son in their old age. He became the father of a great nation (fulfillment). -Joseph had a vision that he would be a great leader and that many would bow down to him (birth). Joseph's brothers sold him to some merchants and he became a slave. Later he was falsely condemned to spend his years in prison (death). God allowed Joseph to interpret the dreams of the butler and baker and later the king, whereupon, he was made a ruler in the land (fulfillment). -Moses had a vision of leading his people out of the bondage of Egypt (birth). Pharaoh as well as his own people drove Moses out of Egypt after Moses' first attempt to relieve their bondage (death). God gave Moses signs and wonders to convince Pharaoh to free the people and bring them out of Egypt and into the Promised Land (fulfillment). -The disciples had a vision of establishing the Kingdom of God with Jesus (birth). The very ones He came to save killed Jesus, and the disciples saw Him buried in a tomb (death). God raised Jesus from the dead, and the disciples performed great miracles until the gospel had spread through all the world (fulfillment). -A grain of wheat has a "vision" of reproducing itself and many more grains of wheat (birth). The grain dies in the ground (death). A harvest springs up out of the very process of "death" in the ground (fulfillment). Has God given you a vision that is yet unfulfilled? If that vision is born of God, He will raise it up in His own way. Do not try to raise the vision in your own strength. Like Moses, who tried to fulfill the vision of freeing the Hebrews by killing the Egyptian, it will only fail. But wait on your heavenly Father to fulfill the vision. Then you will know that it was His vision when He fulfills it in the way only He can do.

SHEPHERD YOUR PEOPLE

 

Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, which lives by itself in a forest, in fertile pasturelands (Micah 7:14). You and I are called to be shepherds in the workplace. Your "staff" (vocation) represents your calling to your work-life ministry. Moses’ staff represented his calling as a shepherd. God’s first words to Moses were: "Remove your shoes. For this is Holy Ground." God came to Moses during his workday. His work became holy because God’s presence was there. God used Moses’ staff to perform miracles and deliver the people of Israel from bondage. (Ex. 4:17). He is still issuing this same call today to you and I in the workplace. For most of us, this is where our inheritance lies. As we minister through our work life call, our inheritance will come as a result of letting God use our abilities. Paul tells us in Colossians 3:23,24: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." What makes our work holy is the motivation by which we do it. If we work to glorify God in it and serve others in the process, that is what makes it ministry. The word ministry and service are derived from the same Greek word, diakonia. Those in the workplace are like a remnant of wayward people in a forest awaiting harvest. It is a fertile pasture awaiting a shepherd who can lead them into a life of purpose and destiny. Will you be the instrument of God to shepherd His people out of bondage? Ask the Lord to use your "staff" to perform miracles and to become a shepherd to those He has called you to lead. Why not start today?

WHEN GOD RESTORES WHAT THE LOCUST EATS

 

"I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten - the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm - My great army that I sent among you." - Joel 2:25 There are seasons in our lives that involve times of famine and times of restoration. Solomon tells us that He has made everything beautiful in its time and that there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under Heaven. (See Ecclesiastes 3:1,11.) God brings about both the good and the bad. The seasons of famine have a divine purpose in our lives. They accomplish things that only these hard places can accomplish. But there is a time when those hard places have accomplished their purpose and He begins to restore. God did this with the nation of Israel after a season of famine and devastation. Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God, for He has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn, and spring rains, as before. The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil. "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten - the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm - My great army that I sent among you. You will have plenty to eat until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will My people be shamed. Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and that there is no other; never again will My people be shamed" (Joel 2:23-27). God wants each of us to know that there is a time when He will restore in order to demonstrate His gracious hand in our lives. He is a loving Father who tenderly guides His children through difficult places. If God has taken you through a time of leanness, know that He is the restorer of that which the locusts have eaten. Wait patiently for Him to bring this about in your life. He will do it.

DISCIPLINING THE NATIONS

 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous ( Prov 13:22 NKJV).

As a student in 1971, Berthold Becker was converted from being a socialist activist to a disciple of the Lord Jesus. Shortly after completing his university education, Berthold decided he wanted to understand what it meant to experience God in his professional career. So, he learned to walk with God at work in the automotive industry. Berthold testifies how God gave him many designs for cars that became their best-sellers. He was often referred to as the "prophet" among his non-Christian auto executives.
With his wife Barbara as his personal intercessor, Berthold left his career in the auto industry in 1986, to begin many entrepreneurial Kingdom initiatives. One was launched in Ukraine through an initiative called GfS (Gesellschaft für Strukturentwicklung). Berthold became active in many training, consulting, and joint venture situations, helping Ukrainian business start-ups. During his travels there, he noticed the lack of availability of good bread, and he decided to do something about it. He started small businesses using mobile bakeries that he bought from the Swiss Army. The German and Ukrainian governments soon recognized that Berthold had been serving the nation through his business expertise and came alongside him to say, "You are doing it better than we can." The governments began funding his enterprises, while his group remained in control of the business. The Bible says "Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession" (Ps 2:8).I believe one way that will happen is when Christians become the source of blessing to a city or nation.
These enterprises (which include technology transfer and training centers for bread, meat, and dairy products) have become a joint venture with a Ukrainian business group, operating successfully in the food industry.
Today, God is raising up a new breed of Christian workplace leaders. God will use anyone to impact a nation because we are all called to disciple the nations. How might God want to use you in the days ahead? What idea might God give you to impact a nation?

GOING WITHOUT JESUS

 After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it (Luke 2:43).

Bob and Janice had five kids. When they go on any trip, Benjamin, the youngest, always sleeps under the seat in their minivan. In the rush of preparing for their visit to the grocery store and getting the other kids situated, they failed to pick up Benjamin, who was standing outside at the other end of the store. As they proceeded down the road, they assumed that Benjamin was quietly sleeping in his normal place under the seat in the back of the van.
Meanwhile, about an hour later, young Benjamin was wondering why his parents had not picked him up. He went back into the store and told the manager his plight. The manager called the police. The young boy was eventually picked up by a policeman.
Mary and Joseph traveled to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. Jesus was 12-years old. They were evidently very distracted by the excitement and business of the Feast. In fact, Mary and Joseph began their return trip to Nazareth only to realize well into the trip that Jesus was not with them. It would be three days before they would be reunited with their 12-year-old son. It caused quite a scare for Mary and Joseph, and they reprimanded Jesus for "wandering" off.
As a parent, I find this story truly amazing. How can parents of the Son of God not know their son is not in their presence? Yet, this story illustrates how each of us can become so busy that we continue to operate not realizing Jesus is no longer with us.
We can walk away from fellowship with Jesus. Do not let this happen to you. He longs to have daily fellowship with you because He loves you.
Today, ask yourself if Jesus is accompanying you in your daily activities. He desires to walk with you each and every day.

DEVELOPING OUR HEART FOR GOD

 "I will rouse your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and make you like a warrior's sword." - Zechariah 9:13b

In the third and fourth centuries, followers of Socratic teaching and other Greek scholars began to influence the Church in ways that were different from the Hebraic roots of the early Church. The Greek influence appeals more to the intellect, whereas the early-Church Hebraic model appealed to the heart. The Greek influence resulted in more emphasis on oratory skills and cognitive knowledge of God. Over the many centuries, this influence has shown itself in a more programmatic approach to the gospel rather than a process of living out our faith. So why is it important for us to understand this?
I realized in my own life that I was a product of this Greek system. My walk with Christ-focused more on what I knew rather than on an intimate and powerful walk with God. Knowledge without power to express the life within is of little value. The more programmatic the focus, the less emphasis we place on building deep and caring relationships that result in changed lives. Our early Church fathers knew there was a cost to living out the Word of God, not simply giving mental assent to it.
Are you walking with God today in an intimate fellowship? Or, are you only involved in programs and activities designed to do good things? Reflect on Proverbs 23:12: "Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge." We must listen and respond with the heart. Whatever service we give to God should be a result of our relationship with our heavenly Father, not an end unto itself.

THE JUDAS TEST

 If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him.  But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God (Ps. 55:12-14).

Betrayal is one of the most difficult tests that we will ever face because it involves being wounded by someone we trust. It’s hard not to become bitter when a friend or family member wounds us. It takes a lot of Christ-like grace to forgive a traitor.
You have probably faced the Judas Test yourself. Every day you and I work in a marketplace that is rife with betrayal, deception, duplicity, and treachery. Perhaps you have been betrayed by your boss or a coworker. Or perhaps somebody betrayed a confidence or stabbed you in the back. It may have even been someone you’ve gone to church with or prayed with—someone you trusted as a brother in Christ.
The Judas kiss stings worse than a slap across the face. Almost every leader I know has experienced that sting at one time or another. Yet God is watching to see how we respond to the Judas Test. If we pass the test, He can then take us to the next level, the next test. If we fail, we’ll probably have to repeat the test until we learn to forgive.
The Judas Test is God’s graduate-level course in faith, designed to reveal the truth about ourselves: Are we willing to trust Him enough to forgive the Judases in our lives? The book of Hebrews warns, "See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many" (Hebrews 12:15). When we refuse to forgive we risk infecting others with a "bitter root" of resentment.
The above Psalm was written by David during one of his times of betrayal. He chose forgiveness when his advisors often encouraged retaliation. How about you? Will you wash the feet of Judas and model the forgiveness of Jesus?

LEARNING THE ART OF FORGIVENESS

 

Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us (Luke 11:4). "I’m sorry for speaking to you harshly last night," I said. Then the Holy Spirit reminded me to add the second and most important part of my admission. "Will you forgive me?" Without this request we have only partially repented of our sin. It is important to humble ourselves before those we sin against. This is repentance. If we only say we are sorry we are only stating remorse for our actions. Jesus modeled this in the Lord's Prayer: "Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us" (Luke 11:4). Os Hillman shared, "When I owned my advertising agency I once filed a lawsuit against a client who refused to pay a $140,000 bill. However, the Lord instructed me that because I had also sinned in the situation, I was to drop the suit. My next move was to talk to my former client. I tried phoning him, but he wouldn’t return my calls. Finally, I reached his secretary and said, "I want you to take this message down and give it to your boss, word for word—no changes: ‘I have sinned against you. I know that I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I ask your forgiveness for filing the lawsuit against you. You are no longer obligated to pay the balance you owe me if you don’t feel you owe it.’" I could hear the secretary begin to cry on the other end of the line. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. About an hour later, my former client called. We hadn’t spoken for six months. We reconciled the relationship. The next few years were incredibly difficult because of the financial setback I suffered, but God provided for my needs. Looking back, I realize that this was my Judas Test. I passed the test when I let go of my resentment and asked to be forgiven, and God was glorified in the situation".