CHAPTER 1: PARTNERING WITH GOD
Now that is a title. Partnering with God. Is there a better way to describe a show stopper. “Hi, everybody, my business partner is God. Yep, God. God, the guy who made everything. Heaven and Earth, you and me, all the animals in all the world, the sea, the fish, the stars and the moon, just to name a few. That’s the guy, He’s my partner in business. And basically, I work for Him because all though I’m the front man, He’s really the brains behind the whole thing. Okay, let’s open the floor for questions on produce, deliver and collect of my product. Oh, yes, you in the back, your question is good, I am a sinner of the worst kind with a resume to prove it, and now I’m in business with God, explain. Right, understandable, so let me quote scripture.”
Galatians 1:11-13 New International Version (NIV)
Paul Called by God
11 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
13 For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.
“Do I have any other questions from the group? What’s that, what gives me the right to teach? Great questions.”
Galatians 1 New International Version (NIV)
1 Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead
“Ah yes, the man in the back with judgement on his mind, let me be clear, I am in agreement with you on my irreverent beginnings and my sinful nature.”
Galatians 1:22-24 New International Version (NIV)
22 I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they praised God because of me.
That was Paul, a Christian killer by trade, brought to the faith by Christ himself. A powerful man, an amazing story, you should read about Him. He makes no apologies, He teaches Kids, teaching the bible is not for the faint of heart, and neither is turnaround. Partnering with God is not for sissies. This is the super duper deal. You can’t hold on to it by yourself. He is holding you on this amazing ride. The trick is you gotta ask Him, you gotta believe, you gotta know the Word so you know how to believe, how to walk in Faith and what the Lord Jesus Christ did for you.
I work with a lot of people, with way different backgrounds. There are believers, non-believers, some kind of believer and then there’s used to be believers, or maybe casual believers. Believers that are active, listen and learn the Word, period. They’re comfortable with God. Non-believers simply don’t believe in God, they believe in themselves, luck and making one’s own opportunity. In times of trouble, they roll with whatever looks like the best move, there is no structure or guidance that is utilized. Life is simply what you make it, in the good times and the bad times. I call that reactive management mode. You just do what you think might work after chaos has already crashed through the door of your life. Let’s break it down.
“Maybe believers” (maybe I believe, maybe I don’t), believe in God and pray when in need. They are generally opinionated on numerous religions and generally have not studied any belief system to an extent of authority on the subject. “Casual believers” (I go to church, but don’t really study anything) perhaps grew up in the faith, church is optional if there are other things to be done. If you take right, wrong, good or bad out of it, leaving no judgement all you have is what works or not.
If you are casual about God, it won’t work. God is not convenient. He is a project for sure. And one, that if done correctly, yields peace of mind, effective living and most importantly, an understanding of God and what He has in store for you.
Let’s use marriage and family as an example. Using the system of “casual or non-believer” applied to a marriage would definitely fail. There is no such thing as a casual commitment or a non-commitment commitment. Can you imagine? “Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife until it is inconvenient?” In what is hoped to be a lifetime commitment, there must be faith in the relationship, a learning of each other and a consistent honing of the skills required to grow together. Apply the same to your business, nothing can be casual there unless failure is the goal. Okay, let’s get to The ten commandments. Let’s just say I’m not a believer. Well, then I can kill, steal and destroy as long as I can get away with it. I’ve got no rules. Sounds like confusion to me. A casual or maybe believer is like an almost airplane. It ain’t gonna work. How about almost dinner, or almost a job, or almost a life.
Religion is made by men. The Bible is inspired by God. I believe that every word in it is either absolute or obsolete. I must believe that or I won’t read any of it. I do read it. I do believe it. And my life is changed irrevocably because of it. I’m not talking about religion, I’m talking about a relationship with God. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the risen King. Again, the ten commandments. Long story short, I try and live by them, I fail, I ask forgiveness and try again. How does this help my business? Well, let’s look at the big 10 first.
Okay, without God the first four don’t really work. Let’s go to number 5. Honor your father and mother. Hmm, might work. Number 6, no murder. Number 7, adultery. Number 8, no stealing. Nine, bear false witness, coming in at number 10, you shall not covet. Wow, what does all that man in corporate lingo? “You might want to do right by your parents by doing a good job with your life, not murdering your friends, or sleeping with their wives and husbands, or lying about your competitor because your jealous of what they have, or on your taxes because you can. Sounds pretty straight up. Live without murdering, stealing, lying, cheating and being jealous and people might even say nice things about you.” Okay, so 6 out of 10 and you got a little less than a fifty/fifty chance of success. I don’t like those odds. I want a for sure, absolute deal. Can it happen? Let’s investigate.
Paul the apostle, didn’t care how people felt about him. Admittedly a Christian murderer, non-believer now a teacher of the word of God. Paul, used to be Saul, renamed by the Lord and writer of most of the new testament. God knocked Him down and then brought Him into the service of the Lord. Let’s get real. Add the first four commandments. Now you got some heat. He has a plan for you and it would smart to follow it.
Jeremiah 29:11
New International Version
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Let’s stop for a moment. What if you don’t put in the top four, what if you don’t believe and you still get out of trouble?
Proverbs 26:11 New International Version (NIV)
11 As a dog returns to its vomit,
so fools repeat their folly.
Alright, partnering with God. Could you learn about business in a science book? Probably not. In a math book? Probably not. How about in a business book? Sure, but then which business book? All of them? How would you have time to work? Which book did I use? Much experience the Lord put in my path and many people from whom I have learned. None compared to Him. I learned best from the original turnaround expert. Jesus Christ, the very first turnaround master. What is the best teaching I received from Him?
Luke 16:10 ESV / 125 helpful votes
“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.
It’s important to stick with church, 10 commandments and the bible as it was originally written, at least that is what I did. Even the best of us are inconsistent in study and obedience to the Lord. I keep trying. He keeps helping me to try. As a sinner, it is challenging. Temptation waits at every turn. The love of money, property, prestige, alcohol, drugs, gambling, inappropriate relationships all waiting to destroy men and woman.
James 4:7 ESV
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
If you don’t believe in God, partner with yourself, make your own rules, be a lone wolf and maybe all the world will be envious of you. Or not. You could make a mess out of your own self will run riot. Honor is a great value and personal trait. It is learned for sure. Left to my own devices I am selfish and self-centered. Things change with my mood, fact and fiction are the same to a mind without God.
You are a company owner and have been given the position of fiduciary. What does fiduciary mean? It means the buck stops with you. There is nobody to blame. In times of trouble and success. All days I can praise God because I want to be with Him, I have no desire anymore to oppose Him or His will. Produce, deliver and collect is a prayer every day and a gift every day. To do the right thing, at the right time, efficiently and for a fair price. All of it, even on challenging days – I get to do it, in His holy grace I get to proceed, to continue, to live, to love and serve.
Galatians 6:9
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Partnering with God is a journey, and all along the way things get better even when stress takes over. Let me share a couple things with you.
- Stress comes upon me when I’m resisting my responsibilities. I don’t think about it when I’m doing my responsibilities.
- I watch all of us fight for the right to be stupid. Common sense is not so common and stupid is very, very expensive.
These two items force to me to keep myself in check. Walk the road, truth be told, believers and non-believers fear the same thing. Yes, that’s true. What do all of us fear? Life without order, life without love, life without hope. We all choose to deal with that fear in God or not. Either we depend on ourselves or God. When trouble comes do you really want to be the only one you can depend on or some other person? What is the downside to partnering with God. Well, I have to take time to give to the relationship, no different than any other relationship. I need to take time to listen and understand, study and discuss, fellowship and the sabbath. What is the upside to life “without God?” I don’t have to study. I can judge everybody who does. I don’t have to do anything and I can believe I’m intelligent and superior to all who are clearly more learned than me. Do you really want to be the casual or maybe believer when chaos knocks your door down? Do you really want those who understand to see you as a fool? Do you really want your actions to be those of someone who shuns knowledge and wisdom? Do you really want to be that person who has a few sips of alcohol and knows more than everybody in the room, is stronger than Samson on his best day? Really? Or do you want to have your secret weapon, that puts you in the right place at the right time, a place you don’t have to question, your faith holds you in position and God, His very hand is upon you.
Romans 8:31 King James Version (KJV)
31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
I can tell you one thing for sure. There are no atheists in foxholes with rockets and bullets flying overhead. There are no atheists when your child is laying on a death bed. There are few atheists when you are on your deathbed, if you’re lucky enough to know you’re going to die. Not everybody gets that option. Get a jump on life and on your faith. Decide while you’re breathing. All of us, through the Grace of Heaven, have made it this far. I can’t lie to myself and think I saved me from calamity. There’s a good chance I created the calamity the Lord delivered me from. Perhaps, He pulled me through, gave me another chance, another shot at a destiny the Lord made just for me? Don’t you want to find out about His plan for you? It a great one for sure, one that is better than anything you could think of. There are only so many minutes left in my life, same as you. What will you do with yours? Here’s a tip. Ask Him.
Psalm 107 New International Version (NIV)
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
3 those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.[a]
4 Some wandered in desert wastelands,
finding no way to a city where they could settle.
5 They were hungry and thirsty,
and their lives ebbed away.
6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
That was me. I asked God everyday if He will partner with me. As I understand scripture there are many job openings for Kingdom work. It pays good dividends. Apply for the job, every day. He is waiting for you, every day.
1 Chronicles 4:10
New International Version
10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.
Dig it, kids. Amen.
