Path to Victory https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/daily-in-the-word/id74069780?mt=2
“while everyone prefers good results, most
people are not willing to pay the price of achieving those results
They will take them if they happen to come, but
they will not expend the effort and make the sacrifices to rise above the
normal.” http://www.dailyintheword.org/today
VICTORY OVER PRIDE
http://www.dailyintheword.org/sites/default/files/podcast/May242017.mp3
In his book, Honesty, Morality & Conscience, published by NavPress,(2) Jerry White gives us five excellent
guidelines for conducting our business activities.
First, there is the
guideline of a just weight as found in Deuteronomy 25:13-15.
The principle of a just weight is to give a full amount in exchange for a fair
payment. Another way to look at it is to give full quality for what is paid for
and according to what is advertised. We must accept responsibility for both the
quality and the amount of our product or service. As a business owner, do I fairly
represent my product or service? As an employee, do I give a full day's work
for a full day's pay? Remember, as it says in Colossians 3:23, we are working
for the Lord and not for men.
Second, the Lord demands
our total honesty. Ephesians 4:25 calls upon us to speak the truth.
Jerry White reminds us that, "Although we will frequently fail, our intent
must be total honesty with our employer, our co-worker, our employees, and our
customers."(3) This is a difficult principle to adhere to. James 3:2 says
this is where we often fail, but if we can control our tongue we will be able
to control the rest of our body as well. The Living Bible best sums it up in
Romans 12:17 which says, "Do things in such a way that everyone can see
you are honest clear through." We must ask ourselves, are we totally
honest in reporting our use of time, money, and accomplishments?
The third principle is being
a servant. Someone has said Christians like to be called servants,
but don't appreciate being treated like servants. To serve God
sounds glorious, but to serve others is another matter. As usual, Jesus Christ
is our example. Matthew 20:28 says that Christ did not come to be served, but
to serve others, in fact, to give up his life for others. The value of a
business is its service. How well it serves the needs of its customers will
determine its success. The business, in turn, is made up of people who must do
the serving. The value of the employees is in how well they serve the
customer's needs. This is putting the needs of others before our own and then
trusting God to meet our needs in the process.
The fourth guideline is personal
responsibility. We must take full responsibility for our own actions and
decisions. We should not try to excuse our actions based on pressure within our
business or organization to do what we know is not right. We all fail at times
to do what we know we should do. We must then accept the responsibility for
what we have said or done and not try to pass that responsibility on to someone
else or try to blame it on some set of circumstances. Romans 12:2 warns us
about the danger of allowing the world to shape us into its mold.
Finally, there is the
issue of reasonable profits. This principle is quite a bit harder
to get a handle on, but it is still vital to have guidelines to follow. What is
a reasonable profit? This is something each person has to deal with on his own.
Luke 6:31 is a great help on this. It says that we should treat others the same
way we would want to be treated. Put yourself in the other person's shoes and
ask yourself how you would want to be treated in a particular situation. To the
business person this is the price of our service or product above our cost. To
the employee it is the amount of our wages for our service to the organization.
Luke 3:14 says to be content with our wages, but the Bible also reminds the
employer in 1 Timothy 5:18 that the laborer is worthy of his wages.
It is all too easy to
rationalize our way around many of these principles, but God will hold us
accountable in the end. Ultimately it is God whom we serve and to whom we must
give account. - http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/bus-ethi.html
Problem-Solvers - If FAMILIES
never had problems, there would be no need for leadership. If you are a FATHER,
you were enlisted (or married) primarily to solve problems—perhaps the very
problems that you wish someone else would
solve! If you are not solving problems, you are not leading. If you are blame
shifting, playing the victim, bemoaning the problems, then you are
not necessary—and are, in fact, a part of the problem. Adapted
- http://caryschmidt.com/2017/05/develop-problem-solvers-leading-healthy-change-part-8/
