Liz and I talked yesterday about a business proposition yesterday .. and she asked me this,”So, do you think God’s calling you to business?” My answer was,”I know God has given me an entrepeneuring, creative and smart mind so I need to do the best I can with it.”
I’m really quite serious about this … so I thought the thing through the day. Major logistical considerations such as work force, location, capital, and nature of business were largely vague and tough to foresee, but will be planning thoroughly from now onwards to look at the feasibility of it.
That’s why I need some godly inspiration for business!
Pray along! And patronize me next time, kay?
God is good. God is smart. We are made in the image of God .. therefore we are good and we are smart!
After stumbling upon a blog yesterday, and surfing again .. I found a great “Focus on the Family” affiliate site called boundless.org. If you’ve noticed on the sidebar, I’ve set up an RSS feed to grab the latest articles from their boundlessline.org.
Here are some of the articles from the blibical dating series so far:
I think there is such a lack of standards, even among Christian couples and for those out there who’s looking for some guidelines and input on relationships .. check it out!
Oh .. and I like this feature!
The purpose of this assessment is to help you see how your evidence of connection compares to your level of clarity about your relationship. This assessment is structured to be helpful both for those who have seen a relationship grow over a period of time but want to know if it’s moving toward a more formal romantic relationship and those who want to know if their formal romantic relationship is moving toward marriage.
Here’s a snippet of an article I found while surfing ..
“It means that I need to have my own private life of prayer. It also means that I need to be in touch with the work of the Spirit within the community of believers I’m serving. In other words, I can’t fake it. My relationship or lack of relationship with God will have a direct influence on my ability to facilitate the corporate sung prayer of the congregation.“
I found this, among the many points in the article really true. For you out there who aspire to take up worship leading, or wonder how some of us lead worship, the article outlines some simple but practical steps to leading worship.
Good stuff.
On another note, I’m thankful that I can also relate to many points in the article, such as the snippet above.
My mom called day before yesterday, and she asked me how I was doing. I told her I was tired. Physically, and also with the things at work. Not that I don’t enjoy my work, but I yearn for so much more. I told her that the clients I’ve been meeting were SMEs, some wouldn’t even be able to be classified as that. Small budgets plagued by as-cheap-as-possible mentalities that disregard the obvious benefits, ignore the even more essential business and revenue improvements.
The unwillingness to invest in something that will benefit and bring a return on investment in an acceptable timeframe just boggles me. It’s like, settling for second best when they have the option to go for the best. It’s like, David Beckham settling for a pair of “Adidas Kampung” instead of a pair of Predator.
What’s up with that? Well, I yearn to meet larger clients. Clients that have a better sense of business, that think long term and not just short term cost saving measures but investments that feel like they’ve gained rather than spent. And I felt as though I was not getting the exposure that I would like.
Then in Mandarin, my mom advised me that .. small deals are important too. You’ll never know if a small deal will land you a bigger deal, and consequently land you other bigger deals, or a small company that you’ve been dealing with one day becomes a multi national company.
I am reminded of the parable of the talents. In Matthew 25:23,”Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”
I guess I need to learn to be patient and faithful with the few things, and wait for the many things. Small deals, big deals .. need to be worked upon.
Sometimes I wonder how people live with themselves, thinking that they know where/what God wants them to be, but don’t do anything to be where/what they think God wants them to be.
Maybe all they do is just think. Easy, aye?
It comes back down to the simple phrase that we are all too familliar with.
No Action, Talk/Think Only.
Charles Stanley said,
A thought reaps an action,
An action reaps a habit,
A habit reaps our character,
Our character reaps our destiny.
If we don’t move beyond thinking [thought] to doing [action], how are we going to arrive at our destiny? I guess it’s always the hardest to take the first step. Wouldn’t you agree? Here’s a great example. How many of you spring out of bed in the morning, right up on your feet? First step of the day! Of course, I’m sure all of you .. eventually .. get up .. to go to work, like this morning .. right?
Back to our destiny. If God has a plan for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, to give us a hope and a future, why aren’t we on that plan? Why aren’t we living the destiny that God has promised us? And the answer to all of God’s promises are YES and AMEN! We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us
Back to action. Why no action? Maybe we don’t have enough faith. Some snippets from James 2:
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if people claim to have faith but have no deeds? Can such faith save them?
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
With no action, no faith, no destiny, no life. Man, this entry is getting more morbid by the paragraph.
You know, that is one of the biggest lie that sometimes even Christians quote and believe in. I remember my father used it on me once, and I actually believed him. Only a few years down the road did I really find out that it was a lie. The fact that God has lavished His grace on us, because we are unable to help ourselves when it comes to the forgiveness of our sins has already debunked and rendered the statement void.
God is always there to pick us up when we fall. In Psalms 139:8b says,”… if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.” He’ll never leave us, nor forsake us.
Though, having said all that .. if we are unwilling to be saved, deny His salvation and forgiveness .. who can help? That’s the one thing that God does not have control over : Man’s freedom of choice.
Now, the statement changes. If we don’t want to be helped, how can we expect anyone to help us? Truth is, good help is hard to come by. But good help is of no help when there is no need for help.
I have realized, over the years of growing up like a nomad .. that if you’re not willing to help yourself, no one around you will help. I might not have grown up like others who’ve had many childhood friends and peers that have stuck with them for umpteenth years, but I do realize this: that people become complacent, feel too comfortable and eventually lose their drive when they’re part of a group of friends, or been in a familliar environment for too long.
Complacent in? Comfortable with? Drive for?
Souls. Growth. Depth. Height. Success.
Today’s quote of the day reads,
“I do not want merely to possess a faith; I want a faith that possesses me.” - Charles Kingsley
So, what possesses you today? Your work? Friends? Family? Or faith? Do comment.
I looked back at my first year of work (which I didn’t elaborate here), and all I could see was traces of God’s leading and guidance in my life. How He saw me through my situations, even though they were not major ones that would shake a person up, nor were they too minor to make an impact on my life.
The song below speaks so much about what I’ve gone through this past one year, not only at work, but life as a whole. Though I have not walked on water, nor felt the waves beneath my feet, but at His word, I’ll receive His faith to walk on oceans deep.
Yesterday’s Quote of the Day reads,
One of the mysteries of faith is that, although it constitutes our deepest response to God for what He has done for us in Jesus Christ, yet it is, at the same time, a gift from Him when we lift our eyes beyond ourselves. He meets us with faith when we want to have faith. - John Gunstone
It says that God meets us with faith when we want to have faith .. and when we receive God’s word, instruction .. we need faith to obey cause .. it’s hard. For those who find it hard to hear from God will find it even harder to LISTEN to God, because listening requires obedience, action, and sacrifice.
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
- John 10:27
God has challenged me beyond what I think my calling encompasses. He has not only challenged, but already provided for it even, and how does that not give you faith to go?
It only takes one slip, and next thing you know .. you’re sliding downhill.
Yesterday, I felt under the weather. Took the day off, and slipped. That subconsious abyss that exists deep in my soul consumed me whole, left me alone in the dark.
As I waded through the darkness of undealt frustrations I had buried in that abyss, I feel deeper. Deeper into frustrations with my own inability to achieve excellence, even though I strive and toil at, with all my heart, soul and strength. Loneliness overcame me, in areas that few are concerned about. Even fewer, address the issue and manhandles it by the neck.
Maybe I am not alone. Maybe I’ve narrowed my perspective and vision within the confines of my own abyss.
I slept, after getting off the phone with Elizabeth.
I awakened, and spent some time in quietness with God.
And then He reassured me.
Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope;
Because of God’s great love we are not consumed
for His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness.
I say to myself,”The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for Him.”
The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him,
to the one who seeks Him;
it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
It is good for a man to bear the yoke
while he is young.
Let him sit alone in silence
for the Lord has laid it on him.
- Lamentations 3:21-28
The revelation of His word never fails to capture my amazement.
Whenever I struggle to hear God’s voice, the story of how God called Samuel presents such a perspective to how we should always respond. Don’t we, one time or another ever thought twice about the voice of God, whether we heard right or not?
1 Samuel 3 starts with Samuel being under the covering of Eli. Oh, how essential is that. If we are serious about hearing from God, even though the word of the LORD has not come upon us [in which the phrase "word of the LORD" I think would mean the rhema word of God], we need to minister/function under a more mature and godly person. The rhema word of God means the REVEALED word of God released for that season in your life. Here’s the entry on it. And when we are not sensitive enough to God’s voice, the mentor will always be there to help us discern. And in the case of Samuel, it was Eli.
The story also depicts how God had to call Samuel 3 times before he responded correctly. Actually, he DID respond correctly, only to the wrong person. It is easy to mistake someone else’s voice as God’s. Especially when that voice is so familliar and prominent in your life. It could be your pastor, or youth leader, or maybe parents. And when you step out in faith based on the voice of a human being, the basis of how you function is rooted on a foundation that is not directly on God’s word. When the strong winds come, you begin to shake.
Samuel responded,”Here I am, you called me.” all three times. His character is amiable, with such meekness, ever ready, ever willing. I have to admit, it is tough to always be ready to go, ready to serve. But we try our best! And when you do, God speaks.
And after God speaks, we must guard that word like how Samuel guarded the Lord’s word for him.
The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground.
I feel God calling me.
Though all this while I have had no issues obeying what He has spoken and called me to do, but this time it is quite beyond what I expected. Yeah, it doesn’t come as a surprise considering the fact that I shared about it once, in Cell. But STILL!!
Ah girl encouraged me with a mini-card that she made, and it had this verse written on it:
Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
- Titus 2:6-8
I’ve been sharing to her about my struggles in leadership, how by being out of it for so long has affected me and the way I function. It’s tough to regain that position, that influence .. but it’s not just about that. It’s about doing that is good, living what we preach, and setting the standards according to God’s word so that the current generation and the ones beyond can take as an example of proper Christian living.
This is faith: the renouncing of everything we are apt to call our own and relying wholly upon the blood, righteousness and intercession of Jesus - John Newton
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