OVERCOMING ALL ODDS

..."Because you have prayed to Me...." Isaiah 37:21
 Have you ever had your back against the wall so badly that if something didn't happen to change your situation, you were sunk? King Hezekiah was one of Israel's greatest godly kings. One of the greatest challenges to his reign came when the king of Assyria threatened to attack Israel and wipe them out. The Assyrians were the local bullies of the region and had wiped out all other enemies in their region. They mocked the idea of having a God who could save them. Do not let Hezekiah deceive you. He cannot deliver you! Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the Lord when he says, "The Lord will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria" (Isaiah 36:14b-15). The workplace is full of "Assyrian kings" who mock the idea of a living God who delivers. Without God's help, Israel would not overcome. Their backs were against the wall. They would be destroyed. King Hezekiah saved Israel because of one act. He prayed; and because he prayed, God moved on his behalf. In fact, God moved so powerfully that Hezekiah did not even have to fight the battle. Then the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies! (Isaiah 37:36) The king of Assyria was even murdered by his own sons. Imagine seeing your enemy totally destroyed without one hand raised in battle! God wants to act on behalf of His children if they will call on Him. One of the motives Hezekiah had in seeking God's help was "so that all kingdoms on earth may know that You alone, O Lord, are God" (Is. 37:20). This is what happened. God was glorified. God wants to let your workplace know that God is a living God. He can deliver. Seek Him today for the crisis in your life. Keep your motive pure and God will surely answer.

ENLARGING YOUR TERRITORY!

..."Oh, that You would bless me and enlarge my territory!...." -1 Chronicles 4:10
 

He is mentioned only once in a brief description in the Old Testament,

yet what he says and what his life bespeaks could fill volumes. He was a
man whom God saw as worthy of a request that had significant
consequences for him and his family. His name was Jabez. Here is how the
Scripture describes him:
Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him
Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain." Jabez cried out to the God
of Israel, "Oh, that You would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let
Your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from
pain." And God granted his request (1 Chronicles 4:9-10).
When you think of territory, you probably think of land or some area in
which you have dominion. Jesus often spoke about giving responsibility
based on what we do with the little things first. Jabez must have been a
very responsible person. God describes him as honorable. Jabez must have
understood what it really means to be blessed by God. He was a man who
knew what it meant to press into God and ask for God's favor with
passion. God saw the heart of this man and gave him his request. His
borders were enlarged! He lived a life free from pain. Imagine that!
The only reason God will enlarge a person's territory is that He knows
that person will use it responsibly. He will steward what is given in
light of God's Kingdom. God truly wants to increase our territory to
have greater influence in the world around us. That territory can mean
personal influence and/or physical territories.
It is rare to have a life without pain. Pain is often necessary to mold
us and shape us. This is the only exception I have seen in Scripture.
Jabez must have been quite a man with incredible integrity and purity of
heart.
Are you this kind of person? Can God enlarge your territory and entrust
you to use it for His purposes? Ask God today to enlarge your territory.
Ask Him to make you the kind of man or woman who is worthy of such
trust.

THE POOR AND THE MARKETPLACE

When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I am the Lord your God (Lev 19:9-10).
God has a special place in his heart for the poor. In the book of Isaiah we read these words:

"Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?" Isa 58:6-7

So how does God want us to care for the poor? Is it through government welfare programs, food stamps, or soup kitchens? God gives us his answer in the Old Testament story of Boaz, Ruth and Naomi. It was customary for farmers to not glean their entire fields in order to leave some of the crop for the poor to glean. This allowed the poor to come at the end of the day and work to receive their provision. This is how the widow Naomi was able to care for herself. Boaz allowed the poor in his community to come to his field at the end of the day to get the leftovers of the harvest. Notice that God created a partnership between the marketplace and the poor. I believe it is the marketplace that has a responsibility to the poor. By providing an opportunity to glean something from our businesses through an opportunity to work, we provide provision and dignity to the poor. What are the gleanings in your business? Consider how you might serve the poor.

BUSINESS AS MINISTRY

"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." Colossians 3:23-24
 The Bible is very clear that the purpose for our work life is to reflect Christ in and through our lives. It is an attitude that says our work is to have an overriding "ministry" objective to it. Our work is our worship to God. These two words even originate from the same Hebrew word, avodah. Robert Laidlaw was born in Scotland in 1885 but grew up in New Zealand. Born to Christian parents, he committed his life fully to the Lord when he was 17. Laidlaw began working in a hardware merchant company as a traveling sales representative when he was 19. Later he had the idea for a mail-order catalogue business that sold everything imaginable including underwear, groceries, cosmetics, and farm equipment, all at bargain-basement prices. His concept proved successful and his business later merged with the Farmer's Union Trading Company. He became general manager and held that position for 50 years. But this is not the most significant thing that can be said about Robert Laidlaw. He understood that his work life was a tool to affect others for Jesus Christ. He began giving ten percent of his income early in his business life. Later, however, he entered this into his journal: "September 1919, age twenty-five. I have decided to change my earlier graduated scale, and start now giving half (fifty percent) of all my earnings." This he continued for the next 60 years. [John Woodbridge, ed., More Than Conquerors (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1992), 351.] The result of that commitment was countless numbers affected for Jesus Christ through the resources he gave to mission groups and other worthy Christian causes. He was personally involved in ministry. He wrote a small book that gave a thoughtful answer to basic questions about life and faith. It was titled "The Reason Why." Many hundreds of thousands came to faith in Christ because of this 46-page booklet. He publicly spoke to many of his faith in Christ and became very involved in the Soldier's and Airmen's Association when World War II broke out. Robert Laidlaw understood what it meant to view business with an overriding ministry objective. Does the Lord have complete control of your life? If so, you will be able to see your work life as an extension of His life in you. Let the Lord live in and through your work life today.

LIVING UNDER AUTHORITY

"Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake; whether it be the king, as supreme, or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well (1 Peter 2:13,14).
 God used government authority in the lives of many people in the Bible to accomplish His purposes in their lives. Scripture tells us that even the king's heart is in the hand of God (See Proverbs 21:1). God uses these authorities to continue the work that He has started in us and will continue to manifest His character in us through governmental authorities. Moses and Pharaoh, Joseph and Potiphar, Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar, Esther and the king, Jesus and Pilate, and many others throughout the Bible became great men and women of God because they gave those in authority their rightful place. If we find it difficult to live under the authorities in our life, we'll usually find it difficult to submit to the will of God in our lives too. Rebellion is reflected in our unwillingness to live under the authority placed over us. We may not have respect for the person who is the President of the United States, but we are still to honor and respect the position the presidency represents, and we are to recognize that God has placed him or her in authority over us. As long as we are not asked to violate a biblical commandment, we must recognize those in authority as God-given and that He is going to work through them on our behalf. We must not obey the government when it calls us to compromise God's Word. Issues that violate the Word of God may require civil disobedience. However, each person must evaluate these situations in light of what God's Word says and be true to their own conscience. Pray for those in authority over you.

BLESSING GOD'S CHOSEN

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace." Numbers 6:24-26

Os Hillman shared this testimony. "Recently, a friend from London sent this personal account of an experience he had: "I was walking passed the Stock Exchange in the City of London when I overtook an Orthodox Jew with his black hat and long gray beard. As one does, I put my arm on his shoulder and gave him the blessing which God gave to Moses to give to Aaron with which he was to bless the Jews.

" 'The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.' "The Jewish gentleman turned round with a smile. 'God said to Abraham, "Those who bless the Jews will be themselves blessed." You will be blessed!'
" 'I know,' I said. 'Ten years ago, I blessed a Jew at Kennedy Airport and I was upgraded to Club class and this happened again on my next two transatlantic flights. Every time I blessed a Jew I was upgraded!'
" 'You're the man, you're the man!' cried my friend. 'I read that article in the Jewish Chronicle and was just going to tell you the story.' "We ended up embracing each other on the pavement, no doubt to the astonishment of passing stockbrokers and bankers!"
Is there an opportunity to bless a Jew today? You might find yourself blessed if you do.

HOW SHARP IS YOUR AX?

http://www.intheworkplace.com/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=6537&view=post&articleid=73179&fldKeywords=how%20sharp%20is%20your%20ax&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

"If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed but skill will bring success." (Eccl 10:10).

 "If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed but skill will bring success." (Eccl 10:10).

 

Manufacturing companies live and die by the ability of its designers, engineers, and staff to bring new products to market quickly. Yet for many organizations, a team's capacity to turn promising ideas into new revenue is diminished because of fragmented business processes, a geographically dispersed workforce, and a lack of standards across the supply chain according to an industry expert on innovation in technology.
We live in an information age where the level of knowledge is increasing at warp speed. The way you did things two years ago may not be the same way you do it today. The knowledge you have two years ago may not be adequate to compete in the global marketplace today. Businesses have gone bankrupt because they were not willing to change with the times. Have you seen a Polaroid camera lately? Do you know someone over sixty years old who chose not to learn about computers? The world passes by such people because they are unwilling to "sharpen their ax."
God calls every workplace believer to model four key attributes: 1) Excellence, 2) Ethics and Integrity, 3) Extravagant Love and Service, and 4) Signs and Wonders.
The first quality of a Christian worker should be excellence. Excellence does not just mean the way we do our jobs, but it also means staying abreast of how we do our jobs. God desires to reveal His innovations in His creation. You will not compete in the marketplace today unless you make a commitment to stay abreast of innovation. This too is good stewardship.

How is your "workplace ax"? Does it need sharpening? What are the areas in your working life that need to be sharpened? What innovation is needed to insure that you will be the "head, not the tail" in your workplace calling? Begin today to evaluate action steps you may need to take to have a very sharp "ax".