There was a pastor who wanted to build a new church building. Fund-raising efforts proved inadequate. So one Sunday, the pastor announced that he was going to pull out what he called "the big guns," which meant that he was going to pray. For this pastor, prayer was the option of last resort.
Sadly, this is true for most of us. We tend to treat prayer as a fallback position. We resort to prayer only after everything else we try fails. This means that we are effectively professing Christians who live like deists—deists believe that God exists but does not concern Himself with the affairs of men. Therefore, since God is not engaged with men, there is no reason to seek divine help or intervention except in extreme cases. But in extreme cases perhaps we can find some creative prayer that will cajole God into helping us.
Jesus was not a deist. He was a person who lived in a state of continuous dependence and communication with the heavenly Father. He was so intimate with the Father that the Gospel of John records that Jesus did only what He saw the Father doing (John 5:19 NIV).
If you believe that the God revealed in the Bible is the Creator of the universe and that
God made all the rules for His universe
God is actively engaged in His universe, and
God blesses alignment with His will,
then everything in life should be about obeying God because this is the only way to truly succeed in life.
So how do we obey God? We obey Him by discerning and doing His will in accordance with His ways. This truth applies in every area of life—personal, family, church, work, and public policy.
In the workplace, this reality is sometimes difficult to grasp. Most of us don't seem to recognize God's involvement in this area of our lives. We tend to approach work as deists or naturalists—basically like unbelievers disconnected from God's will and God's ways.
If you want to have real, lasting success in the workplace, you must learn to live as Jesus did in constant communion with the Father, seeking wisdom, direction, and favor.
Here is your business tip: Integrate prayer into the lifestyle of your organization. Be quick to seek the Lord—not perfunctorily, but in faith, expecting the Father to clarify, guide, and direct. Remember work is about discerning and doing the will of God according to His ways. Be sure to hire people who share your conviction about the importance of living prayerfully, moment by moment. Learn the secrets to getting the ear of God so that your prayers will be heard and you learn how to hear Him. Remember that lasting success in God's universe only comes through obedience to His will and His ways. As the text above states, prayer is an essential tool to living in a state of peace so that you can make wise decisions and enjoy success in God's universe.
|
