Jesus and the Marketplace
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Photo by Justin See
I would be lost without my old school yellow note pad where I write my daily tasks and important notes reminding me of things I need to do.
I’m a type-A, task-driven, practical, big picture, creative dreamer all wrapped into one. Its like mixing Tabasco sauce with bananas. I think it confuses a lot of people and even sometimes it confuses me. The one side of me, the big dreamer, tends to see the first step and the last step. The other side tends to see all the steps in between the first and the last. My dreamer side is the gas and the other side is the brakes. Cars need both. So do people. But here’s the deal and a word of encouragement when the rubber meets the road at decision time. Faith in Jesus trumps practicality.
In my experience God likes to hook me up with people who are big dreamers. Why? Because without these people, my practical side would too often win over my dreamer side. I’d end up talking myself out of everything and God must know I need these people around me to stretch me outside my comfort zone. A few things I pray you’ll keep in mind as you’re out there in the marketplace this week working, dreaming, planning, and implementing:
Your Priorities - Be spending time in the Word and spending time in prayer. This is priority number one. If Jesus wants your foot on the gas, you need to be seeking Him in that. If it’s time for the brakes, you need to be seeking Him in that too.
Your Team - Have a trusted team of people around you that balance out your weaknesses and vice-versa. We all have weaknesses and they have a tendency to come out when we get tired. My team knows I have a tendency to be conservative. Sometimes its motivated by wise thinking and good planning while sometimes its motivated by fear and lack of faith. God wants us to be bold and pray prayers like Joshua did when he asked the sun to stand still. Instead of fighting with those who are different and think different, stop and spend time thanking God for putting some of these people in your life. A lot of times God is wanting to use these relationships to mold us and stretch us to look more like the person of Jesus.
Your Purpose - What does your task list look like for today? No kidding as I sat down to write this blog, a friend of mine who works in the ad business just posted this on Facebook: “You know when your to do list gets so long that it’s like it doesn’t even exist because it’s too unfathomable to be able to accomplish all of those things…that’s where I am.” We can’t take any of the accomplishments of this world with us when we leave this place. We must remind ourselves that our ultimate purpose is wrapped up in Jesus. It’s wrapped up in “whatever we do, do it for the glory of God”. So if you’re heading to a meeting to talk about a marketing plan for 2013, obviously go prepared but also, don’t get so hung up in the details that you miss the opportunity to love the people in that meeting. If we’ve given our lives to Jesus, the old is gone and the new has come. We are all in ministry and our purpose is to point to Jesus. People won’t remember you for the great marketing plan you put together or the deals you closed. They will remember you for how you loved them.
I’m praying you’ll love well this week. I’m praying you’ll love with a love that flows out of your love for Jesus. I’m praying you’ll discipline yourself to spend time in His Word or maybe you need to start building a team of people around you that will encourage and speak truth into your life. Whatever Jesus is asking of you today, whether it’s to be bold in a decision or take a step back and be practical, I pray you will follow Him.