Forget Me Not

Isaiah 17: 10 – 11             NIV

You have forgotten God your Savior; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress. Therefore, though you set out the finest plants . . . yet the harvest will be as nothing.

This is a very good commentary on how to run our business, how to operate in our lives, and indeed how to function in every area of life. The seeds of failure are sown when we ignore the God of the Harvest. Let’s look at how we avoid this ruin.

You may have been taught to dedicate things to the Lord. That is a good first step. What should be dedicated? Everything; your home, car, business, job, recreation, family, relationships, etc. Literally everything should be placed on the altar as you dedicate its function and purpose to the Lord. Putting these things in the Lord’s hands, giving them to Him, gives Him permission to function therein. Let us not stop there.

As you see from today’s verse dedicating your job or your business to the Lord is not the end. Many have done so but promptly forgotten Him. He has a role in your business. He has a function. If you cut Him out, it will be to your detriment. Think about it. What is the incentive in cutting Him out of the operation. Does He require a paycheck? Does He ask for a raise every year? You should be tithing on all business income already. The raise He gets is when He causes your business to prosper and His 10% gets larger.

Christians fail because after they dedicate themselves and their businesses to the Lord, they subsequently forget about Him or they just have not figured out how to incorporate the Lord and His wisdom into every day operations. So, we need practical advice on how to keep God in the middle of your business life.

One of the clearest ways to do that is to communicate with Him about your business. This necessarily means that you will need to have developed the skill of hearing His voice. If you lack confidence in this area, you can search the Word of the Day on our website (www.iveyministries.org) for “voice” or “hearing.” You will find a number of articles which will help you in this regard. Also, check out Four Keys to Hearing God’s Voice by Dr. Mark Virkler (www.cwgministries.org). He teaches a simple way to develop your inner ear such that you can hear God’s voice anytime you choose to.

Then, make it your daily habit to spend some time with the Lord before you begin your day. You don’t have to spend two hours travailing over what to do. Just have a cup of coffee with the Lord as you would any business partner. Discuss ideas, plans and necessary tasks. Check in during the day with Him for any further wisdom He may share. It is that easy. Just don’t forget Him. Don’t forget that He is your partner and is willing to be with you all day long. Keep God in your thoughts and in your business and your harvest will be plentiful; more than you can contain.

Love Law

Romans 13: 10

Love does no wrong to a neighbor, love therefore is the fulfillment of the law.

If Paul is right and love is the fulfillment of the law, then we ought to know this verse by heart. Interestingly, I don’t really hear this verse bantered around very much. Paul derived this teaching directly from Jesus’ “One Commandment” message. Jesus gave us a new commandment, that we love one another, knowing that it would fulfill all the requirements of the law. Paul synthesizes that idea for us in today’s verse.

Love is a high hurdle. There are people we don’t like but God requires us to love them anyway. What does that really mean? How can you love someone you don’t like? Well, liking them may mean that you want to spend time with them, that you enjoy their company. Love means regardless of their personality or behaviors, you still want all God’s best for them. You pray for their salvation, blessing, etc. You are going to be tested when your prayers succeed though, so be warned. God will bless them because of you even if they don’t do anything worthy of his blessing. That is how He is. You might choke a little when they begin being blessed because you have stood in the gap for them for a long time. It’s okay. Just enjoy knowing your prayers are honored in God’s throne room.

This verse should be a lesson for every avenue of life. It applies to governments and diplomacy. It applies in businesses. It applies in every organization. Love never does any harm to another. There is a better way for you to succeed than to step on another human being or their business. We don’t succeed on the backs of other people. We succeed on eagle’s wings. That is the love principle and I tell you the truth, there is no power in the universe stronger than love.

Keep today’s verse in mind. Memorize it perhaps and let it guide all of your human interactions.