Re-Purposing Failure: The Professionals Bible

* the Free Dictionary

How many times in life we take a decision or done or not done something only to realize we have blown it? When failure stares us in the face we dread the result with that sinking feeling, with the knowledge of the outcome of our failure?

But guess what? We know of at least 5 Biblical characters who went through failures and yet built on it for success.

You see it is not the failure itself that Hurts us but our reaction to that failure. And there are enough examples in the Bible. But God does not turn His face away when we fail. He loves a good come back !

Look at King David - he broke half the commandments! David coveted Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba (2 Sam. 11:2-3), committed adultery with her (2 Sam. 11:4) effectively stealing her from Uriah (2 Sam. 12:9), lying to him (2 Sam. 11:12-13) , and eventually having him murdered (2 Sam. 12:9).

The prophet Elijah had such a major burnout he ran and hid himself.

And what about Paul's awful history, Peter's denial, Moses' disobedience?

So when we fail, spiritually or otherwise, or make choices which do not turn out well, we do not have to lie down and cry but turn to the life book called Bible and take advice, instruction and motivation from the stories there. That's what they are there for so take heart. 

The key lies in this: Failure is not the opposite of Success. It is part of Success. Without failure there will be no success because failure teaches us what not to do. 

Read Jeremiah 8:4 Jeremiah, say this to the people of Judah: This is what the Lord says: You know if a man falls down, he gets up again. And if a man goes the wrong way, he turns around and comes back.

As Eric Schenkel said - "The only way that failure can get the last word in our life is if we choose to let it. We serve a God who is able to take our defeats and missteps and still use us to bring glory to his name".

Leadership 101: The Professionals Bible

Management has a new Mantra these days: Leadership. Leadership courses are being taught all over while management consultants and coaches specialize in Leadership.

According to McKinsey, a very respected consulting firm, Leadership is defined as a set of behaviors used to help people align their collective direction, to execute strategic plans, and to continually renew an organization. In short, it addresses one of the activities of management know as influencing.

But Leadership is nothing new and the Bible is full of examples of Leadership. Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Saul, the apostles, Joseph and so on, all appointed and mentored and led by God, the greatest leader of all.

If God produced so many leaders, and is the greatest leader, is it not worthwhile to understand how He defined leadership?  because it logically follows that His definition and therefore His method, would be the best.

To understand this, we need to remember that leadership stems from management, which stems from stewardship (the actual meaning of management), which means to take care of something entrusted to us. And which has nothing to do with power, but everything to do with service.

Colossians 3:12-13 offers one of the best Bible verses about leadership (and life in general). The guidance here calls for kindness, compassion, patience, humility and gentleness — all wonderful qualities of good leaders.

Biblical leadership, therefore, is leading through serving, people or resources who have been entrusted to us by our employers or by God. This is popularly known as servant leadership.

"A servant-leader focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they belong. While traditional leadership generally involves the accumulation and exercise of power by one at the “top of the pyramid,” servant leadership is different" (Greenleaf). This was best demonstrated by Jesus Himself when He washed the disciples feet.

Now measure each of the Biblical leaders against this definition. What do you get? 
Again, let's measure our own leadership - are we dictators or bullies? Is our leadership objective over riding people or are we inclusive? Can we liken ourselves to any one of the Biblical leaders or none?

We don't need any consultants to teach us good leadership. We have a proven resource- the Bible. No other really has a clear-cut curriculum and framework, which is reproduced below for reference.

Attitude of humility and service	Intolerance of injustice or wrongdoing.	Attitude of humility and service
Share a Vision	Empower people	knowledgeable
respectful and hardworking and demand that from others as well	Lead by example	Change Makers
Prudent	Motivators	50K Feet Vision

The Apple or the Orange: The Professionals Bible

 

We are not Robots. We all have the ultimate freedom - the freedom of choice.

“Thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee” (Moses 3:17).

As did Adam, we are also free to choose between good and bad and live our life the way we choose to. These choices reflect both in our professional and personal lives. I can choose to make good decisions or bad decisions for both. 

God has given us this gift of free will, the freedom to choose. Why? Because He would have us as His children, not as His slaves or robots. God created humanity in the image of Himself and called them to partner with Him in expanding his creation. But partnership requires trust, so God trusted us and gave humanity the freedom to choose. 

So, we can either choose to work and live with God, following His wisdom or we can choose to live our life, according to our minds and heart. Sadly, humans often make the choice to trust their own wisdom over God’s, and our own understanding while making choices.  Like Uriah Heep said (in Choices) " we all make our choices, Like a blind man feels his way.....". Come to think of it, that is exactly what we do, because we do not have a vision of the future nor can we change the past. 

But those who do consult God in their business or personal life, do eventually end up with the right choice. So how do we do that? 

Ask yourself these two questions as you consider decision-making - 

• When did you last seek God’s wisdom regarding any choice you were faced with AND gave God time to revert to you? 

• How often could you or perhaps should you, seek God’s wisdom? 

If we do that, we are not only growing in wisdom through biblical values or advice, we are also creating wisdom-building moments in our business and into our life. This is the key to our growth as a leader at home or at work. 

Now how do we do that? The question is - Do I really trust God with this problem or this choice? Or are we doubtful we may not like His answer. 

Today, the choice we have is not between a good decision or a bad one. The Choice always is this:  a Bad decision or God's wisdom. 

The moot question is do we really believe Him and trust Him in ALL aspects of our life? A lot of us will be surprised by an honest answer. 

And if we do believe and trust Him, then let's believe in this verse as well and make that choice.

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight" 

The Leap of Faith: The Professionals Bible

 

Sometimes, challenges can lead us to complete inactivity and paralyses. We do not know what to do or where to go. This is not new. Read 1 Samuel Chapter 14 to see what I mean.

Saul was paralyzed and sort of gave up fighting the Philistines because they outnumbered him and had superior war technology.  

But while he sat under a tree in dejection, surrounded by his six hundred men, Jonathan decided to take some action. He reasoned with himself and his armor carrier, in complete logic built on his faith in God's promises, on why and how he could possibly defeat the Philistines alone, only assisted by his armor carrier. It is worthy to note that the carrier did not flinch from his duty, and supported Jonathan verbally and in action.

From all human aspects, Jonathan took a leap of faith, supported only by his belief.

How many times are we faced with similar hopeless situations and succumb to inaction like Saul?

Jonathan lays out the perfect example of battling our own fears, by going ahead with complete trust in God. In time of trouble, we all have our confidantes and armor men, and if they are believers, their support is all the more powerful. But above all, it's God we should trust and take that leap of faith, not blindly but following Godly wisdom as Jonathan did.

This story has a very engaging analyses and can be found here https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/1-samuel-14/ and I would really urge everyone to read this.

The Professionals Bible: The Leap of Faith

Sometimes, challenges can lead us to complete inactivity and paralyses. We do not know what to do or where to go. This is not new. Read 1 Samuel Chapter 14 to see what I mean.

Saul was paralyzed and sort of gave up fighting the Philistines because they outnumbered him and had superior war technology.  

But while he sat under a tree in dejection, surrounded by his six hundred men, Jonathan decided to take some action. He reasoned with himself and his armor carrier, in complete logic built on his faith in God's promises, on why and how he could possibly defeat the Philistines alone, only assisted by his armor carrier. It is worthy to note that the carrier did not flinch from his duty, and supported Jonathan verbally and in action.

From all human aspects, Jonathan took a leap of faith, supported only by his belief.

How many times are we faced with similar hopeless situations and succumb to inaction like Saul?

Jonathan lays out the perfect example of battling our own fears, by going ahead with complete trust in God. In time of trouble, we all have our confidantes and armor men, and if they are believers, their support is all the more powerful. But above all, it's God we should trust and take that leap of faith, not blindly but following Godly wisdom as Jonathan did.

This story has a very engaging analyses and can be found here https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/1-samuel-14/ and I would really urge everyone to read this.

The Professionals Bible: Can I be trusted?

 Today's Reading - 

Genesis 1 and 3 and Luke 16 1-13

We trust God, maybe in totality, but a question we need to ask ourselves is this: can God trust me?

This is a personal question and needs to be probably asked by each of us of ourselves.

Unfulfilled vows, so small we may have forgotten. Unkept promises to God and to fellow man, misuse of resources provided by employers, friends, or God Himself, are all indicators of untrustworthiness. 

Man has a white washed memory, that is, we tend to forget things which are not convenient, even though we had committed to them. So it is not easy to remember. When we ask of ourselves, in complete honesty, we need to make the effort and remember where all we committed such acts of omission.

In the professional world, the hallmark of quality is simply doing what we have promised to do. But do we ? Do we do personal stuff on the employers time? Do we use official resources for personal work? Do we use God given talents for His use or do we just ignore them. Do we while away official time?

Like the steward or the manager, we have been entrusted with some resources, by our employers, by God, by friends etc. What are we doing with those resources?

Biblical management: Can commandments be personal?

Deuteronomy 11:13-16 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,
That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.
And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.
Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;

I think the most heard of principles and religious laws would be the 10 commandments. In fact there are 613 commandments in the OT. Somewhat impossible to follow isn't it? And the Jesus summed them up into 2 and made life so much simpler.

The quoted verses somehow indicate blessings for those who follow His commandments as mentioned. Going further, one wonders if there are commandments or expectations God has from us personally? And the answer is yes. 

The simple truth is that if we are to follow what God wants (11:13) we need to overcome things in our own life to be able to succeed. We need to overcome human weaknesses, follies and habits, all of which stop us from following and obeying and more than anything, which are impediments for us to live the life we are supposed to. These become stumbling blocks for us. Roadblocks as well.

These personal changes themselves are as important as the commandments as listed, because they cause our disobedience.

Deuteronomy 11:26-28  says

Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;

A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day:

And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.

Biblical Management: Creativity.

Did you know "Management" is another word for "Stewardship"? As part of this concept, today we would like to highlight the importance of "creativity" as part of management as well as stewardship. 

Creativity is not something new. It was there from the beginning of the world. Adam was made from no preconceived design. He was created. Creativity is inherent in humans, in varying degrees. Being that we are made in the "image" or spirit of God, the ultimate creator, Creativity is our humanness, our best bet against ourselves.

When used for good, creativity helps us at home and at work. Our gifts and abilities are unique to each of us, and they reflect a God just as extraordinary.

When we have created something, don't we feel the pleasure and satisfaction of that creation? God must feel the same way, though on a much higher scale.

Today God wants us to hone and use our talents - for our use and His. Can you think of all your resources and make something beautiful out of them? Can you think of how your talent can be used by God? 

God created us for a plan. Think of ways of how we can excel in that plan. He may have given us a job, or a business or a ministry and it is our duty to excel in it. We could use it to solve one of the many problems that surround us; we could use it to reduce someone's poverty, get someone a job, make life easier for a senior we may know or simply to serve in the community or church. All this apart from our job which sustains us. Creativity knows no bounds. 

Going forward, let us not take our inherent creativity lightly or of no importance. It's God given and it is our duty to use it and grow it. 

Exodus 35:31-32 ESV says - 

And he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver and bronze....

Biblical Management: An Introduction

We are happy to announce that starting tomorrow, we will be introducing work life concepts, principles and practices from the Bible, for individuals - whether students, professionals, home carers et all. 

A common notion that exists is that our professional and spiritual lives are separate. This is not true. many do not know that Biblical teachings can be practiced in our work lives as effectively, helping us to grow in both.

So do watch this space from tomorrow where we will draw on teachings from the world bestselling Book - The Bible, reflecting on our work life, whether at home or in the office. 

Stretch towards the Light

 

"Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path..."

Epipremnum aureum – a tropical vining plant, in the Araceae, found in Northern Australia through Southeast Asia into China, Japan, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan , also known as money plants are very popular indoor plants in these countries. Like all plants, they need water and sunlight.

Recently, one made a strange discovery: a money plant in the room, next to the windows, turned and strained its stems and leaves towards the window! We turned its direction and in a few days it turned back towards the light.

At least to us, this was a strange phenomenon. What was obvious was that the plant would strain to get life, from the sun and get energy through the process of photosynthesis, which is the process by which plants get life and spread oxygen for our benefit. 

What gives us life? Food and water, yes, but like what the sunlight was to the plant, Gods word is for us. It converts negativity into positivity, fear to hope, love to hate. Light is used to symbolize God, faith, and holiness throughout Scripture. As Christians, we are called to not only walk in the light but to be the light for others. Use these Bible verses to gain a better understanding and interpretation of the positive notion light has in the Bible.

Like the plant, we need the word of God to live and grow. And not only that, like the plants spread oxygen which is our mainstay, we will spread the outcome of His word to the world around us, through the way we live, work and treat people around us.

In Matthew 5:16, the verse states the following: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

But we need to make the effort and stretch towards the word. Stretch Towards the light.