June 3-Purposeful Living
Edited by Gary G. Hoag and Tim MacReady
How do we see work and earning in the bigger picture of our Christian faith?
By Wes Willmer, Principal of the Wes Willmer Group, LLC.
The world’s advice on earning leads you to disaster. It erodes your character and pillages your relationships. You fall into the trap of loving money and using people to accomplish your purposes. There’s a higher road you can take. I believe you can maximize, even multiply your impact as a steward and worker for God through your work and relationships but only by mastering three tasks.
Acknowledge Your Place in God’s Work
God made humans to work. Genesis 2:15, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” So, your work is part of God’s work, and you must not get in God’s way. You are an instrument for God to work through — a steward — so avoid trying to control or change other workers, that’s the Master’s job.
If you are a follower of Christ, Scripture says to “put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22–24). This new self is more about your being (internal Christ-like characteristics) rather than your doing (external actions) as a light for Christ in this dark, sin-filled world.
While the world sees the aim of the worker as taking compensation, God’s vision for you as a worker is to make a contribution through your work and into the lives of your fellow workers. Thus, your being and doing shapes the world and builds up those around you.
June 4-Purposeful Living
Edited by Gary G. Hoag and Tim MacReady
How do we see work and earning in the bigger picture of our Christian faith?
By Wes Willmer, Principal of the Wes Willmer Group, LLC.
Know Yourself
Related to earning, Deuteronomy 8:18 states, “But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth…” In your role as a steward, you need to know where you are in your faith journey as it relates to all that you earn.
Ask yourself these questions: Do you daily seek to know the Owner of these possessions and ask how He wants them to be stewarded? Do you hold on tightly with a clinched fist to the possessions God entrusts to you? Are you a reservoir that stores up these resources? Or, are you a free-flowing river that directs the resources in accordance with the Master’s wishes? Would others say that you are generous as Christ is generous?
Your job is to know yourself and follow the instructions in God’s Word regarding possessions so that you produce eternal fruit in God’s eyes.
June 5-Purposeful Living
Edited by Gary G. Hoag and Tim MacReady
How do we see work and earning in the bigger picture of our Christian faith?
By Wes Willmer, Principal of the Wes Willmer Group, LLC.
Understand How God Views Money
In God’s eyes, your financial decisions are spiritual matters because all the money you earn and possess belongs to Him. From Luke 16:1-9, I suggest that three purposes come into view that instruct you how to handle money from God’s eternal perspective.
First, God provides you with money and possessions as a tool to bring others to Christ. Wise stewards use these resources to draw people to faith in Jesus. What do you possess? How are you leveraging these possessions to glorify God and make Him known?
Second, the stuff entrusted to you is a test that reveals whether or not God is Master and Lord of your life. You cannot serve both God and money, and God knows your attitudes and actions better than you do. This relates to everyone, as Randy Alcorn writes in Money, Possessions, and Eternity, “God considers it His business. He does not apologize for watching with intense interest what we do with the money He’s entrusted to us.”
Third, how you use possessions indicates your trademark. One of the most visible signs of your Christ-centered values is how you use your possessions. As your neighbors, friends, and others look at your life, what brand or trademark do they see? Is it clear from how you use what you have that you value your home in heaven more than what you have on earth? What specific evidence related to your handling of money and possessions shows that your trademark is that of a Christ-follower?
Once you master these three tasks — acknowledge your place in God’s work, know yourself, and understand that God views money as a tool, a test, and a trademark that points others to Him — then you will maximize your ability to multiply your impact as a steward by inspiring others to join you in the journey of faithful and generous stewardship.
June 6-Purposeful Living
Edited by Gary G. Hoag and Tim MacReady
To the Next Generation of Kingdom Builders, by Peter Lowe, Business Leadership Coach
Where do we find purpose?
Some years back I was watching Secret Millionaire, a reality TV program where a wealthy individual goes undercover and spends time with different people to understand their journey and heart. At the end of each episode, the wealthy person reveals themselves as they sow into the life of another in a game-changing way.
I switched the TV off and sobbed. It was at a time when life was hard. Relationship betrayal and lack of profitability in business led me to think I was not making an impact. The cry of my heart was that God would use me to honor Him and bless others. The “facts” were that there was a significant gap between my dreams and reality. I felt broken. I was lost and did not know even where to start.
I turned to God’s Word. I learned that my life was ordained before the beginning of time, that He loved me intimately, that “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;” Isaiah 49:16 and “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Luke 12:7
June 7-Purposeful Living
Edited by Gary G. Hoag and Tim MacReady
To the Next Generation of Kingdom Builders, by Peter Lowe, Business Leadership Coach
My life and yours are not an accident. We are born for a purpose far greater than ourselves. We need more than duty, obedience, and diligence. We need hearts overflowing with love, vision, passion, and possibility of what could be. We find all that in Christ.
We begin to understand why people went to great lengths to see Jesus, why they ripped a hole in the roof to lower their sick friend to be close, to be healed. When Jesus interacted with people, transformation happened. He changes our hearts. He renews our perspectives and purpose for living.
What would our lives look like if each of us knew that we played an essential part within the body of Christ? What if we understood that we were destined for impact? Dangerous for good? What if there’s more to life than making money or finding success in business?
Jesus teaches that what we possess in this world does not define us. Luke 12:15, “Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
We fix our identity in Christ. From there, how we use possessions reveals to God and others what we believe (or don’t believe).
June 8-Purposeful Living
Edited by Gary G. Hoag and Tim MacReady
To the Next Generation of Kingdom Builders, by Peter Lowe, Business Leadership Coach
We see this illustrated in the parable of the talents (see Matthew 25:14-30). The servants were entrusted with different amounts of resources corresponding to their varying abilities. Knowing the master, “at once” two of the servants put the master’s money to work (Matthew 25:16). This gives us a picture of faithfulness.
The other servant, however, meticulously buried the master’s money in fear to avoid the pain of loss. In so doing, he lost the opportunity for growth and missed experiencing joy. Clearly, his actions demonstrated that he didn’t know the master!
What will you do?
Your journey starts now. Jesus’ call to follow is just as applicable as if it’s the first start or if it’s the umpteenth re-start. To be fruitful in any endeavour, you must start small, start now, and stay in rhythm. And you must know the heart of God, to stay in step with Him.
The master’s response to the two servants was the same, “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” (Matthew 25:21, 23). Each of us will have to give a similar account.
This should encourage those who have been given little and it should sober those who grasp that they have been given much. Unless we risk everything for God’s kingdom, we gain nothing. The unfathomable return is available to all.
Edited by Gary G. Hoag and Tim MacReady
How do we see work and earning in the bigger picture of our Christian faith?
By Wes Willmer, Principal of the Wes Willmer Group, LLC.
The world’s advice on earning leads you to disaster. It erodes your character and pillages your relationships. You fall into the trap of loving money and using people to accomplish your purposes. There’s a higher road you can take. I believe you can maximize, even multiply your impact as a steward and worker for God through your work and relationships but only by mastering three tasks.
Acknowledge Your Place in God’s Work
God made humans to work. Genesis 2:15, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” So, your work is part of God’s work, and you must not get in God’s way. You are an instrument for God to work through — a steward — so avoid trying to control or change other workers, that’s the Master’s job.
If you are a follower of Christ, Scripture says to “put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22–24). This new self is more about your being (internal Christ-like characteristics) rather than your doing (external actions) as a light for Christ in this dark, sin-filled world.
While the world sees the aim of the worker as taking compensation, God’s vision for you as a worker is to make a contribution through your work and into the lives of your fellow workers. Thus, your being and doing shapes the world and builds up those around you.
June 4-Purposeful Living
Edited by Gary G. Hoag and Tim MacReady
How do we see work and earning in the bigger picture of our Christian faith?
By Wes Willmer, Principal of the Wes Willmer Group, LLC.
Know Yourself
Related to earning, Deuteronomy 8:18 states, “But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth…” In your role as a steward, you need to know where you are in your faith journey as it relates to all that you earn.
Ask yourself these questions: Do you daily seek to know the Owner of these possessions and ask how He wants them to be stewarded? Do you hold on tightly with a clinched fist to the possessions God entrusts to you? Are you a reservoir that stores up these resources? Or, are you a free-flowing river that directs the resources in accordance with the Master’s wishes? Would others say that you are generous as Christ is generous?
Your job is to know yourself and follow the instructions in God’s Word regarding possessions so that you produce eternal fruit in God’s eyes.
June 5-Purposeful Living
Edited by Gary G. Hoag and Tim MacReady
How do we see work and earning in the bigger picture of our Christian faith?
By Wes Willmer, Principal of the Wes Willmer Group, LLC.
Understand How God Views Money
In God’s eyes, your financial decisions are spiritual matters because all the money you earn and possess belongs to Him. From Luke 16:1-9, I suggest that three purposes come into view that instruct you how to handle money from God’s eternal perspective.
First, God provides you with money and possessions as a tool to bring others to Christ. Wise stewards use these resources to draw people to faith in Jesus. What do you possess? How are you leveraging these possessions to glorify God and make Him known?
Second, the stuff entrusted to you is a test that reveals whether or not God is Master and Lord of your life. You cannot serve both God and money, and God knows your attitudes and actions better than you do. This relates to everyone, as Randy Alcorn writes in Money, Possessions, and Eternity, “God considers it His business. He does not apologize for watching with intense interest what we do with the money He’s entrusted to us.”
Third, how you use possessions indicates your trademark. One of the most visible signs of your Christ-centered values is how you use your possessions. As your neighbors, friends, and others look at your life, what brand or trademark do they see? Is it clear from how you use what you have that you value your home in heaven more than what you have on earth? What specific evidence related to your handling of money and possessions shows that your trademark is that of a Christ-follower?
Once you master these three tasks — acknowledge your place in God’s work, know yourself, and understand that God views money as a tool, a test, and a trademark that points others to Him — then you will maximize your ability to multiply your impact as a steward by inspiring others to join you in the journey of faithful and generous stewardship.
June 6-Purposeful Living
Edited by Gary G. Hoag and Tim MacReady
To the Next Generation of Kingdom Builders, by Peter Lowe, Business Leadership Coach
Where do we find purpose?
Some years back I was watching Secret Millionaire, a reality TV program where a wealthy individual goes undercover and spends time with different people to understand their journey and heart. At the end of each episode, the wealthy person reveals themselves as they sow into the life of another in a game-changing way.
I switched the TV off and sobbed. It was at a time when life was hard. Relationship betrayal and lack of profitability in business led me to think I was not making an impact. The cry of my heart was that God would use me to honor Him and bless others. The “facts” were that there was a significant gap between my dreams and reality. I felt broken. I was lost and did not know even where to start.
I turned to God’s Word. I learned that my life was ordained before the beginning of time, that He loved me intimately, that “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;” Isaiah 49:16 and “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Luke 12:7
June 7-Purposeful Living
Edited by Gary G. Hoag and Tim MacReady
To the Next Generation of Kingdom Builders, by Peter Lowe, Business Leadership Coach
My life and yours are not an accident. We are born for a purpose far greater than ourselves. We need more than duty, obedience, and diligence. We need hearts overflowing with love, vision, passion, and possibility of what could be. We find all that in Christ.
We begin to understand why people went to great lengths to see Jesus, why they ripped a hole in the roof to lower their sick friend to be close, to be healed. When Jesus interacted with people, transformation happened. He changes our hearts. He renews our perspectives and purpose for living.
What would our lives look like if each of us knew that we played an essential part within the body of Christ? What if we understood that we were destined for impact? Dangerous for good? What if there’s more to life than making money or finding success in business?
Jesus teaches that what we possess in this world does not define us. Luke 12:15, “Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
We fix our identity in Christ. From there, how we use possessions reveals to God and others what we believe (or don’t believe).
June 8-Purposeful Living
Edited by Gary G. Hoag and Tim MacReady
To the Next Generation of Kingdom Builders, by Peter Lowe, Business Leadership Coach
We see this illustrated in the parable of the talents (see Matthew 25:14-30). The servants were entrusted with different amounts of resources corresponding to their varying abilities. Knowing the master, “at once” two of the servants put the master’s money to work (Matthew 25:16). This gives us a picture of faithfulness.
The other servant, however, meticulously buried the master’s money in fear to avoid the pain of loss. In so doing, he lost the opportunity for growth and missed experiencing joy. Clearly, his actions demonstrated that he didn’t know the master!
What will you do?
Your journey starts now. Jesus’ call to follow is just as applicable as if it’s the first start or if it’s the umpteenth re-start. To be fruitful in any endeavour, you must start small, start now, and stay in rhythm. And you must know the heart of God, to stay in step with Him.
The master’s response to the two servants was the same, “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” (Matthew 25:21, 23). Each of us will have to give a similar account.
This should encourage those who have been given little and it should sober those who grasp that they have been given much. Unless we risk everything for God’s kingdom, we gain nothing. The unfathomable return is available to all.
Posted in Daily Devotionals