iWork4Him PowerThought

What's the purpose of business? God designed business to be a blessing to the employees of the business. What's that look like? It means paying your people well, treating your people nicely, providing a safe work environment, and listening to them. There are so many things you can do to be a blessing to your employees, but number one is they need to be loved… Have you ever asked your employees how you're doing? Have you ever asked them if they feel blessed to work for you as a business owner? If you haven't, maybe today is the day you start asking those tough questions. If your business isn't being a blessing to your employees, then they're likely not being a blessing to your customers, and eventually, your business will run out of steam and close its doors. Jesus said love your neighbor. Start doing that with your employees today.

What's the purpose of business? God designed business to be a blessing to the vendors that supply your business. What does that look like? It means ordering your supplies well in advance. It means being respectful on the phone when you're making your orders. It means paying your bills on time. It means telling others about the quality of service you receive from the vendors. If your business is blessing your vendors, then they will be a blessing to your business, because you're one of their customers. If your vendors aren't happy with how you treat them, then there's something wrong with your business. As Jesus followers, how we treat others really matters. It's one of the two things Jesus said was more important than anything else. Love God and love people. How are you treating your vendors today?

What's the purpose of business? God designed business to be a blessing to the customers of the business. That may sound oversimplified, but if your customers aren't feeling blessed by your product or service, then you won't have a business for very long. What does it look like to be a blessing to your customers? It means that the product that you provide is well-built, long-lasting, and meets the needs of the customer. It means that the service you provide is done with excellence, on time, and exactly what you told the customer you would do. Do you ever survey your customers to see if they're satisfied? To see if you're a blessing to them? There really is no point in being in business if your business isn't a blessing to your customers. Ask them today how you're doing.

What's the purpose of business? God designed business to be a blessing to the business owner and his/her family. What does that look like? A paycheck, or is it more? Of course, a business needs to provide an income to the owner, but it must also help his/her marriage and family to flourish. If your business is robbing your family of your time, then it's not a blessing. If your business isn't providing consistent income, maybe your business model needs a little work. God designed business to be a blessing, to have purpose in meeting the needs of those the business serves. But first and foremost, if the business isn't a blessing to the business owner and their family, something has to change. Is your business a blessing to your family?

We can spend a whole year preparing for a short-term mission trip. But how much time have you spent preparing for your workplace mission field? We need to prepare our openness to God's leading as we work. All day long, decisions need to be made. You will also be presented with opportunities for conversations. How often do you stop before you make that decision and say, "God, what do you want me to do here?" How often do you stop before talking with someone and say, " God, what do you want me to say here?" Too often at work, we are so busy checking things off our to-do list that we miss the opportunities to involve God in our daily work. Prepare yourself today to be directed by God in all that you decide and in all your conversations.

We can spend a whole year preparing for a short-term mission trip. But how much time have you spent preparing for your workplace mission field? We need to prepare our strength daily. I'm not sure who said it first, but whoever said it was right. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Exercise isn't a bad idea either. If you never get to eat a decent breakfast and never get a chance to exercise, how can your strength be prepared for your workplace ministry? We need to be ready to battle the enemy who wants to keep the lost souls of our workplace neighbors entrapped in eternal damnation. We need to be at the top of our game every day. We must eat right, grow strong, and keep our face to the Son and our feet on the rock. Are you at your full strength today?

We can spend a whole year preparing for a short-term mission trip. But how much time have you spent preparing for your workplace mission field? We need to prepare our souls daily as we get ready for work. What does that mean? So often, our souls have been hurt and damaged by the people we work with and the people we live with. Preparing our souls means forgiving those who have sinned against us. Remember, forgiving isn't for them it's for you. If you don't forgive others, your soul will never be prepared for your workplace mission field. Do you have people at work that you need to forgive? If our souls are not prepared through forgiving others who have hurt us, we will not be able to prepare others for the soul repairing that Jesus can do for them. Is your soul prepared today?

We can spend a whole year preparing for a short-term mission trip. How much time have you spent preparing for your workplace mission field? We need to prepare our minds daily as we get ready for work. What does that mean? Spending time in God's word, prayer, journaling, and just plain quiet time. If we jump out of bed, get ready for work, and take off down the driveway, our minds will be filled with furious thoughts about everything we want to accomplish in the day. If we prepare our minds, we will focus on the people we work with and how we need to love on them and pray for them. If you don't prepare your mind, your workplace mission field is in danger today. If you do prepare your mind, those people you work with, they're in danger of meeting Jesus.

We can spend a whole year preparing for a short-term mission trip. But how much time have you spent preparing for your workplace mission field? We need to prepare our hearts daily as we get ready for work. What does that mean? It means confessing our sins to our heavenly Father before our day starts. Confessing just means agreeing with God for what He already knows about our attitudes and actions. So often we carry negative attitudes and actions towards those we work with because of frustrations at our jobs. Our hearts need to be prepared with love for those in our workplaces. Whether that be our bosses, our vendors, our customers, or fellow employees, our hearts need to be ready to hear the voice of God and respond lovingly to those around us. Have you prepared your heart for today?

I have never worked a manufacturing line. But I know this. If people don't do their jobs at the manufacturing plants, then many items we count on wouldn't be made. If you feel like you're just a manufacturing worker and want to quit your job to go into full-time ministry. Don't! That's a disaster. Your job is so critical to the lives of thousands of people, perhaps millions. God has gifted you uniquely to be able to build things, fix things, and package things. Without manufacturing, we'd still be in the dark ages. Every day as a worker in a manufacturing environment, you have the unique ability to touch the lives of everyone around you and impact the lives of people you'll never meet. Please stay at your job and keep making a difference. Imagine a world where everybody in a manufacturing environment quit their job to work at a church. That's not a world I want to live in.