The Faithful Manager

The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.” (Luke 12:42-44)

A very important question for each one of us to ask is this:  “What is the task the Lord has placed in my hands at this particular time?” Could the task be extraordinarily difficult, requiring His all achieving power and our diligence and perseverance to carry it out? Could the task be extremely boring and mundane, requiring the same all achieving power and our diligence and perseverance to finish it well?

“If by doing some work which the undiscerning consider ‘not spiritual work’ I can best help others, and I inwardly rebel, thinking it is the spiritual for which I crave, when in truth it is the interesting and exciting, then I know nothing of Calvary love.” -Amy Carmichael

God calls us to persevere in the mundane as well as in the difficult and the exciting. Oftentimes life’s work can become quite daily. A great verse to memorize is the wonderful command in Colossians:

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:23-24)

Our Lord, who judges without favoritism or partiality, will repay each and every person in full when He comes again. When we work as unto Him, all our efforts become set apart for God’s glory. We are told in Isaiah:

“Let us work as if success depended upon ourselves alone, but with heartfelt conviction that we are doing nothing, and God everything.” -St. Ignatius Loyola

See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. (Isaiah 40:10)

Jesus said:
“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.” (Mark 13:32-34)

Jesus’ exhortation is for each generation to be watching, waiting, and working until His return or our own homegoing. Paul gives us a wonderful charge:

And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me–the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace. (Acts 20:22-24)

Life is not nearly long enough for everything! As believers, we must be focused on the things of God! We must stand firm in our commitment to Him and remain unencumbered by things that might keep us back from attaining our goal. This is the crux of Hebrews 12:1-3:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)

Just as surely as there are always consequences to sin, there are always blessings to obedience. In our verses for today Jesus speaks of the rewards of the faithful. Scripture has many illustrations regarding rewards in the here and now and also our future eternal rewards. Jesus assures us that we will be rewarded according to our actions:

“For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.” (Matthew 16:27).

Paul echoes the same sentiment in Ephesians:
Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does. (Ephesians 6:7-8).
Our good deeds will not go unnoticed!

Resolving the Ownership Issue
The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters (Psalm 24:1,2).

As Christian business people, we are called by God to view all that we have as not our own. We are to be stewards of all that he entrusts to us. This is one of the hardest of all commandments to follow for the Christian businessperson. Because if we work hard at business, we receive all the benefits of that work. It appears as though all that we have achieved was through our hand. Yet, God says that it is by His hand that we are able to make wealth (Deuteronomy 8). He is the source of that ability. As soon as we become owners and not managers we fall into trouble with God.

Joseph understood that he was a steward of all the resources of Egypt. God promoted him to affect an entire region of the world. He had the most power, prestige, and wealth for any thirty year old who ever lived before him. The temptation for him in this newfound role in life must have been great. There has been many a man who has not been able to handle material success. Many of God's choicest servants began well in their calling and service to God only to fail at the end. Consider Hezekiah, the great king who achieved many great things but failed to acknowledge God's blessing at the end of his reign. His reign was cut short and was not passed down to his family line because of pride.

"Not every man can carry a full cup. Sudden elevation frequently leads to pride and a fall. The most exacting test of all to survive is prosperity." Oswald Chambers.

Ask the Lord today if you are living as a steward versus an owner. Put whatever skills and resources you possess on His altar. Then, you can expect God to do great things through you.

Biblical Principles in Network Marketing

As a Pastor, Bill Nissen was against Network Marketing for years.  In 2003, a friend helped 
him see a new perspective.  He still dislikes the ethics of many who do it, but he sees a 
biblical perspective that allows him to not only support network marketing, but embrace it as
a way to serve people.  Watch This Video. It is longer than most (20 minutes) but carries essential information.

Christ's Leadership

He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. (Colossians 1:18)

Jesus is the living leader and head of his church. There is no man who has this right. No one but Jesus has earned this position. Jesus is supreme. Even though supremacy is rightfully his because of his divinity, he has earned his supremacy by what he has done for us. He was there before there was a beginning, he was the Creator of all that is, and he was the one who passed through death victoriously for us.

As I looked at the launch of Jesus’ leadership in Matthew 4, I was amazed.  He began by gaining people’s attention through a bold vision:  “The Kingdom of God is at hand!”  He then began to create meaning through social architecture as he called his disciples and began to teach them about the Kingdom and their role in it as “fishers of men” (Kingdom Networkers).
Then he established trust and credibility for his organization through positioning as he networked “about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and … disease among the people.” 
(Matthew 4:17-23)

Finally, after doing these things, he “gave [the twelve] power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness … and diseases”—i.e., to do the very same works he was doing.

Those who know nothing but their Bibles, as Matthew Arnold once famously said, do not even know their Bibles.  It is amazing how secular literature on leadership can call out principles that open our eyes to things in the Bible that we gloss right over in our daily reading.  It’s also wonderful to recognize that Jesus knew everything about leadership. Though he never wrote a word that survived history, we can find no better textbook on the topic than his open-book life.

Great leadership always appoints people to help them accomplish the vision that God has given them. To provide an example for leadership and discipleship, Jesus had to establish that practice Himself.

Who could better show us Christ-like living than Jesus Christ?

Jesus walked along, ministering to those in His path and finding those whom He was going to bring alongside Him. This was no random selection; Jesus knew exactly whom He was calling and why. The men He used were busy tending to their family occupations, or were busy with a task at hand when Jesus asked them to drop all they were doing in order to follow Him.

The great thing about this scene is this: Jesus picked people just like you and I to do Kingdom work. How exciting is that? Please remember from this day forward that if God could use those 12 men in all their humanity, then He can use you and me today!

Many people followed Jesus wherever He went, waiting to see a miracle or some amazing feat being accomplished by this man in their midst. The mass of people may not have realized that Jesus was gathering a group that would support Him in ministry as He traveled from place to place.

He asked men who were actively working and busy with their own lives to drop everything they were doing to follow Him. And they did. When they became a part of His following, and when the timing was right, Jesus decided to bring structure to this plan. Jesus brought those He had chosen with Him on the mountainside, named them as His apostles, and these men were ready to go forth in a group, serving their Savior in unity.

Jesus ultimately appointed 12 men, designating them as Apostles. He appointed them to follow Him and to preach the message He gave them. Why did He choose 12 disciples? Or a better question might be: why did He choose this motley assortment of leaders?

Most of The 12 weren’t very noteworthy in society; a few were despised; and a few were even related to each other. Fishermen, tax collectors, and the like were not what that society would have considered being among the most respected professions!

It was not their impressive resume or knowledge of Scripture that caused these men to be worthy in Christ’s eyes—it was their potential dedication to the cause of spreading the Gospel and the true intentions in their heart that won Him over. It was the simple fact that they would follow Him and not try to take His spot as Savior.

There was no great campaign with a controversial election. There was no “smear campaign” going on among these men discrediting others to elevate themselves. They did not ask to be selected. They were selected while focused on activities that were critical to their lives. They were selected because God wanted to mold them, use them, and walk with them. They were chosen because God called them.

These men who were chosen were already involved in activities they were dedicated to. They put their heart into their work and focused on the task at hand. Their hearts were set on the present and were not usually swayed by what others were doing.

Like the disciples, no matter what our words or actions may say about our intentions, our heart is what God sees, and God judges us based on our hearts. Their hearts are what God searched, and He found them to be useful vessels to serve Him. They were not necessarily perfect, but they were useful to God. Teachable.  Loyal.  Willing.

Are you teachable? Would God consider you loyal and willing? Take a moment to ask God to shape you into a more teachable, loyal and willing servant, focusing on His will, and not just focused on pleasing man.

So, who were the 12? The first apostles were “. . . Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), and James, the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means, “Sons of Thunder”); and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus, and Simon the Zealot; and Judas Escariot. . .” (Mark 3:16–18).

These followers were not just the favorite men of Christ. He gave them the title of apostle, anointed them with power to preach the Word of God and authority to cast out demons. These were no longer just ordinary men who followed their Savior. They were separated for service, and given a task to complete.

The first disciples modeled the very charge for all believers. Again, Jesus gives us the example of how to fulfill what God asks. We bring others alongside us to help in the ministry of the gospel. Jesus showed us how to do this through His appointing of the disciples. Out of the multitude of believers, Jesus saw those with a call from the Father on their lives, and put them into positions of servant leadership. Jesus saw the ones whom the Father had brought alongside Him, and He asked them to serve with Him in ministry.

In Acts 6:1–7, after Jesus had ascended to the heavens, we see the apostles carrying out the Great Commission. We see them appointing helpers. God had blessed them with a great following, and now these men needed to select other helpers to serve meals so that those chosen to preach could focus on preaching. The apostles were following the example of delegation given by Jesus.

Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. (Hebrews 13-7)

What makes a great Christian leader? The Holy Spirit emphasizes 3 things in this passage: 1) they teach others the word of God; 2) they live as great examples for others; and 3) they have observable faith. God puts each of us in positions of influence with our children, our friends, our work acquaintances, and our neighbors. 

What kind of spiritual leadership are we showing them?

Today's Thoughts 
We often fail to realize that one of the very best ways we can make Kingdom leadership better is by being better followers. Kingdom leadership means that leaders will have to answer to God for how they have led. Kingdom citizenship means that we will be held responsible for how we have obeyed and blessed our leaders. What have you done to show your love, respect, and support for your church leaders lately?

How does Jesus’ example of appointing helpers compare with your way of asking for help? Do you look for the “right” person, or do you tag the person closest to you, whether that person is right for the job or not? If you ask Him, the Lord will equip you to do what He has called you to do, and He will call others to come alongside you in service.

Today's Prayer
Almighty King, all authority and dominion belong to you. You alone are worthy of power and the right to rule. Please glorify yourself in us and permeate our leaders' hearts with your will. We want the world to see your supremacy because of our unity and devotion to you. Please bless our leaders at church that they may lead by serving and following Christ.

Please empower us to follow their leadership in ways that exalt the cause of Christ and bless the leaders in your Kingdom.  May our  life never be a burden to them or an embarrassment to you and help us to be a better Christian leader to the people you have put in our sphere of influence. Empower us to have a life worth imitating. In Jesus's name I ask it. Amen.

Biblical Principles in Network Marketing

As a Pastor, Bill Nissen was against Network Marketing for years.  In 2003, a friend helped 
him see a new perspective.  He still dislikes the ethics of many who do it, but he sees a 
biblical perspective that allows him to not only support network marketing, but embrace it as
a way to serve people.  Watch This Video. It is longer than most (20 minutes) but carries essential information.

Diligent Work & Good Stewardship

Where contentment helps us to spend less on ourselves, understanding God’s call to work diligently helps us earn more money. As the gap between our spending and our income grows, we are left with more and more to manage wisely, prosper, and give generously to the needs of others. The attitude and spirit we have as we approach our work can also glorify and honor God’s name. We can be a witness to the goodness of God in how we deal with people in our businesses and our motivation in our work.

From the beginning of creation, part of our purpose was to work. When God created Adam, He assigned Adam the task of working in the Garden of Eden.

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. (Genesis 2:15)

Additionally, we need to work to meet our needs. 

Proverbs 28:19 says:

He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty. (Proverbs 28:19) 

We can use the abundance that comes from diligent work to meet our needs and to meet the needs of others. Paul exhorted his fellow Christians to work precisely for those reasons. 

Ephesians 4:28 says:

He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. (Ephesians 4:28)

Paul lived out the example of diligent work by meeting his own needs while he was serving among the brothers. 

Acts 20:34-35 says:

You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions.  In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:34-35)

The Bible warns against the dangers of laziness because it brings poverty, dishonor, and difficulties in life. God wants to protect us from these dangers, and that’s part of the reason He calls us to work hard. But in following God’s call to work hard, we must not forget our need for rest. God wants us to rest because He knows we need it. We will do our best work for Him and others when we balance diligence and a strong work ethic with the wisdom to know when to take our rest.

Being Diligent As a Believer!

"He did it with all his heart and prospered." (2 Chronicles 31:21)

God does not give harvests to idle men except harvests of thistles, nor is He pleased to send wealth to those who will not dig in the field to find its hidden treasure. It is universally confessed that if a man would prosper, he must be diligent in business. It is the same in religion as it is in other things. If you would prosper in your work for Jesus, let it be heart work, and let it be done with all your heart. Put as much force, energy, heartiness, and earnestness into religion as ever you do into business, for it deserves far more. The Holy Spirit helps our infirmities, but He does not encourage our idleness; He loves active believers. Who are the most useful men in the Christian church? The men who do what they undertake for God with all their hearts. Who are the most successful? The most talented? No; the most zealous; the ones whose hearts are on fire! Whole-heartedness shows itself in perseverance; there may be failure at first, but the earnest worker will say, "It is the Lord's work, and it must be done; my Lord has bidden me do it, and in His strength I will accomplish it." Beloved, are you thus "with all your heart" serving your Master? Remember the earnestness of Jesus! Think what heart-work was His! He could say, "The zeal of Thine house hath eaten Me up." When He sweat great drops of blood, it was no light burden He had to carry upon those blessed shoulders; and when He poured out His heart, it was no weak effort He was making for the salvation of His people!

Finally, we can honor God by reflecting His character in our business and work. God values fairness, justice, integrity, and careful stewardship. These are values that we should use in our businesses and as we work for our employers. As the Spirit works through us, we will naturally follow God’s will in our work. But identifying the values and ethics God teaches us in the Bible can help us better serve Him as we grow in the likeness of Christ.

Our Work Versus Our Value

Man was created to have seven basic needs. Each of us has a need for dignity, authority, blessing and provision, security, purpose and meaning, freedom and boundary, intimate love and companionship. It is when we go outside God's provision to meet these needs that we get into trouble.

Every man has a need to work and gain satisfaction in caring and seeing something come from his efforts. Many of our basic needs are derived from our work. It was one of the first acts God did for man in the Garden of Eden. He gave him responsibility to care and work the Garden. God knew man needed to be productive. He needed to gain satisfaction from his work.

The danger of this is when we allow our work to be our complete source of purpose and meaning in life. This leads to a performance-based life. A performance-based life says, "as long as I perform in my work, I am acceptable to myself and others." This is a subtle trap for all of us. It can lead us to become work-a-holics if we are seeking acceptance through what we do. Sometimes this can be on a subconscious basis.

Our value must be centered in Christ, not in what we do. If we lose our job or our business, this should not devastate us if we are centered in Him. It will certainly create difficulties, but God is the orchestrator of all the events in our lives for His purposes. Even this has its purposes.

Today, ask the Lord if you have a proper balance in your work life. Is Christ the central focus? If you work long hours, ask yourself "why"? You might discover that God may not be the central focus.

Good Stewardship

While the Bible says little about financial planning as we know it today, God has shown us the value of using wisdom and prudence in managing our affairs. There are verses that speak to planning ahead, saving, avoiding debt, and other practical matters we will encounter in our personal finances. By wisely managing the blessings God provides (that gap between our income and our spending), we can be good stewards and have even more to give in His name.

Good stewardship starts with understanding that God is the Creator of all things, the Owner of all things, and the Giver of all things.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters. (Psalm 24:1-2)

And David says in 1 Chronicles 29:14:

But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.              (1 Chronicles 29:14) 

The fact that God created all things, owns all things, and gives us all that we have should profoundly shape our lives. When we start to see our lives through the lens of God’s ownership, we make decisions based on eternal results. How you spend your money, what you buy, how you spend your time, your plans for the future – they must all run through the filter of God’s will. We must step back and ask ourselves “How does God want me to handle this decision?”. Through prayer, study, and discernment we learn how we can glorify and honor God through our personal finances.

What this often boils down to is determining how we can store up treasures in Heaven rather than treasures on Earth. Instead of always focusing on how we can maximize our wealth to meet our desires and dreams, we learn to focus on how we can meet the needs of others. 

We learn to follow Paul’s instructions in 1 Timothy 6:17-19:

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.  Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.  In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.  
(1 Timothy 6:17-19)

Biblical Principles in Network Marketing

As a Pastor, Bill Nissen was against Network Marketing for years.  In 2003, a friend helped 
him see a new perspective.  He still dislikes the ethics of many who do it, but he sees a 
biblical perspective that allows him to not only support network marketing, but embrace it as
a way to serve people.  Watch This Video. It is longer than most (20 minutes) but carries essential information.

Contentment in Christ

Once we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He becomes everything to us. He must become everything to us. We are in a continual struggle against Satan to keep other things (especially money) from taking the place of Christ. The World sends us a message that says more wealth and more stuff will make us happy. But God warns us in  that worldly wealth cannot offer us true satisfaction and security.

You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.  I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. (Revelation 3:17-18)

Only God can provide us with true wealth and open our eyes so we can see the truth. God has a higher purpose for us than riches far beyond our needs and 6,000 square foot homes. God wants more meaning in our lives than a brand new luxury car in the driveway and a shiny yacht next to the dock. God has a higher calling for our retirement years than fruitless day after fruitless day spent on the golf course, beach, or back porch. The World’s message contradicts God’s message so much that we must choose between the two. 

He who is not content with what he has will not be content with what he wants.

Life may seem like a race to accumulate more money, more wealth, more status, and more possessions. Sadly, many people are very greedy and look only for ways to get more for themselves, thinking, "If I could just get this certain thing, then I would be happy."

However, greed is not the path to contentment. Greed is when you always want a little bit more. Yet, greed causes you to never be satisfied, because you always want more and as soon as you get what you want, you want even more. And so you never get what you want, because what you really want is contentment.

The old cliche "money cannot buy happiness" really is true.

It is no wonder Ecclesiastes 5:10 says, 

Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. (Ecclesiastes 5:10)

Likewise, Hebrews 13:5 tells us: 

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." In other words, God is enough to keep any person content and joyful. (Hebrews 13:5)

The fact that God is always with you and that He will never leave you ought to be a cause of great joy in your life.

Luke 16:13-15 says:

“No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”  The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.”  (Luke 16:13-15)

We must choose between serving God or Money. There is no middle ground. Devotion to Money is completely and absolutely opposed to devotion to God. Greed and generosity cannot exist together. Consumerism and contentment demand different paths. Choosing to love and serve Money means that you are choosing to turn your back on God. But if you want to serve God, you must give your heart completely to Him.

In Mark 7:21-23, Jesus tells us that greed and envy come from our hearts:

“For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.'” (Mark 7:21-23)

Once God has the commitment of our hearts, He can begin to transform our minds – change our thinking. The New Living Translation renders Romans 12:2 this way:

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.  (Romans 12:2 NLT)

The solution to serving God and rejecting the World’s message is not to start trying to do what we think are all the right things. The solution is to give ourselves completely to God – to offer our entire lives as a sacrifice to Him in thankfulness and love for what He’s done for us. Then as we focus on Him we’ll learn what His will is for us and how we can glorify Him.

This step of getting God’s view takes time. It is a gradual transformation in our thinking that God effects as we grow in Him. We have to see that our focus on the things of this world keeps us from seeing the importance of love and relationships. That misplaced focus keeps us from fully serving God. We must focus on storing up treasures in heaven rather than on Earth because that will show whether our hearts belong to God or Money. If we let the concerns of this life take priority over the concerns of eternal life, we will be unfruitful. Jesus warns of this danger in Mark 4:18-19:

Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. (Mark 4:18-19)

We must learn that everything belongs to God and everything comes from God. We must learn to be thankful in all circumstances. We must find satisfaction in our daily bread. We must learn that life is more than pursuing wealth, buying everything our culture tells us to want, and retiring early. And even though these ideas go against our human nature, we must understand that it’s not worth gaining the whole world if we end up losing our souls.

The transformation that happens as we let God renew our minds and thinking has huge repercussions in our lives. We gain understanding of what it means to be content in Christ. We see that our faith in Jesus gives us eternal life. We see the utter worthlessness of everything on earth when compared to our salvation and the riches of eternal life with God. We put our hope in Christ and the life He gives. Christ then gives us true contentment that conquers any circumstance we may face, but we must continue to focus on our hope in Him and weigh everything against the surpassing value of our eternal life with God.

When we find contentment in Christ and Christ alone, the importance of money in our lives diminishes and pales to the value we place on Jesus. We learn the secret to being happy in all situations – whether we’re full or starving, rich or poor, employed or jobless, single or married – nothing in this life matters at all when compared to the glorious gift of Jesus and the fact that no one and no circumstance can take that away from us. 

The apostle Paul knew how to be content.  He said, I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.(Philippians 4:11-13)

In other words, Paul said that regardless of his immediate circumstances he could be content. Why? Because he lived his life through Christ and in Christ. In short, Paul knew that the secret of being content is God!

If you don't have peace and joy right now where you are in your life, please understand that getting more things will not give you contentment. Instead, you need to seek God, because He is the source of true contentment. Then, once you have established God as the source of your contentment, you can be content in any and every situation.

When we see everything in light of eternity, we find that nothing on earth is of more value than our faith in Christ. We learn that while we may never be rich by the world’s standards, we have riches that can’t be measured in dollars, gold, houses, cars, or anything else in this life. We understand that contentment in Christ is true wealth.

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (1 Timothy 6:6-12)

Once we have this conviction of always finding our contentment in Christ, the Spirit will teach us to place much less importance on material things. We will no longer be focused solely on our own needs and wants – an early retirement, a bigger house, a nicer car, and so on. Instead, we’ll be consumed with a desire to focus on the needs of others – to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, and show God’s love to the world through our faith and deeds. This is the essence of contentment in Christ. We’ll spend less and less on ourselves and our desires as we seek to give more and more to others and fulfill God’s desires.


All Sufficient God

“Jesus replied, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’” (John 6:35, NLT)

Many wander through life, wondering if this is all there is. Maybe live hungry for something more, often feeling drained, worn and tired. Jesus takes authority over this age-old problem, for He tells us He is the Great I Am. He is more than sufficient for our every need, burden, or pain. He alone can fill every hole in our hearts.

Our all-sufficient God satisfies, for all is fulfilled in Him. In Him we are no longer hungry. In Him our thirst that seemed endless is finally quenched. In Him is Life, a life filled with the abundant fruit of His Spirit here on Earth, and a life everlasting with Him for all eternity.

This life is full of hurt, pain, and suffering, but this life is not all there is. There is all-sufficient life given to us by the Great I Am, our Creator – our Savior, and His name is Jesus Christ.

Satisfied in Christ

The Law of Life says that the presence of Christ within the believer results in spiritual satisfaction. If we have Him then we will never hunger or thirst again, because He is Infinite Supply.

Anything less than spiritual satisfaction indicates that there is a problem. I am not saying that one should be content with their progress and present knowledge of Christ so that they stop growing; but I am saying that no matter what stage of progress you may be at presently, Christ should be your satisfaction.

Today's Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,
Please open my eyes that I may see. Open my heart that I may know and understand how sufficient You are. Lord I don’t want to hunger and thirst anymore. Fill me Oh Lord; let my cup overflow with all of who You are, because of what You have done for me. I want to rest in Your all-sufficient grace, no longer needing anything of this world. What I really need is You, my Great I Am. Amen.

Biblical Principles in Network Marketing

As a Pastor, Bill Nissen was against Network Marketing for years.  In 2003, a friend helped 
him see a new perspective.  He still dislikes the ethics of many who do it, but he sees a 
biblical perspective that allows him to not only support network marketing, but embrace it as
a way to serve people.  Watch This Video. It is longer than most (20 minutes) but carries essential information.

Our Labor in the Lord

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain (1Corinthians 15:58).

There is a paradigm shift going on among a remnant of business people today. That paradigm shift is a focus on using our business and work life as a platform for ministry versus a platform solely for material success. There is a remnant of business people throughout the world today who understand their birthright in the marketplace is to reflect Christ fully in and through their work. It is reflected by a commitment to use their resources and skills to provide a product of excellence with the overall motive to affect people for Jesus Christ. The difference is these individuals have an overriding ministry objective to their work.

When the apostle Paul tells us to fully work unto the Lord, he does not mean we must be in a missionary effort or "full time Christian effort." He understands that all of life is holy and sacred to God. If our motive is to serve God where we are, then our labor in the Lord's will is not in vain.

As you begin your work today, ask God if you are working with the primary motive of reflecting His life and character through your work today. Let nothing move you from this motive being central to your activity. The Lord will reflect His power and leading in and through your life when this becomes your primary motive.

The Work God Blesses

“And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth’” (Genesis 9:1).

Every man and woman has a work assigned to them by God. This becomes their purpose, their reason for being on the earth, their calling, their destiny. Abraham had an assignment for his life, as did Joseph. Moses was called to perform a specific life-task. David had a destiny. So did Daniel, Jeremiah, and all the prophets. Esther was raised up “for such a time as this.” John the Baptist fulfilled a definite role, as did Peter and John. Paul had a purpose, a reason for being.

Only a few of these people realized what their work was. Most of them were like you and me: we only come into an awareness of our purpose slowly. Everything seems ordinary and mundane; we feel like there is nothing special about us, no calling we could possibly fulfill. Moses is a striking example. The first forty years of his life were spent learning how to be a prince of Egypt. The next forty years of his life were spent in the desert, unlearning everything he had been taught. It seemed like a huge waste of a life. When God sent him back to Egypt at the age of eighty, Moses still did not understand or appreciate the full extent of what God was calling him to do. Neither did the Hebrews. But now we understand that God had a purpose for him all along.

Or look at Joseph. At an early age he senses God’s call on his life for something special. But things do not go the way he expects them to go (things seldom do). His brothers first seek to kill him, but then settle for selling him to the slave-traders. His situation improves for awhile, but then he is framed for something he did not do and gets thrown into the dungeon. As the years slipped away Joseph must have believed he’d made a mistake when he thought he heard from God. But when we see the final result everything makes perfect sense. God used those experiences to shape and mold his character, and to prepare him for the work he was called to do.

And consider Noah. In Genesis 9:1 we see that God blessed Noah and his sons. The blessing of the Lord means divine favor and approval. How do you feel when someone ELSE gets blessed? Are you happy for them? Envious? Frustrated? All we see is the end result – but we do not see all the labor, the sweat, the tears, the pain, the struggle, the misunderstanding, the confusion, the dark nights, all the things that person has endured in order to have the blessing of the Lord. I am not saying the blessing is something we can earn through self-effort; but the blessing of the Lord is the benefit of fulfilling the work He has called us to do.

In this writing we will look at the life of Noah, learn the universal principles behind the work that God blesses, and apply those principles to our lives as well. They are not complicated principles, but very, very simple. I pray they will encourage and strengthen all of us to persevere in whatever situation the Lord has placed us.

A Heritage of Walking With GOD…

The story of Noah begins over four hundred years before he was born. The Scriptures tell us that Noah’s great-great grandfather was Enoch. We know Enoch was a man who walked with God and suddenly disappeared, for God took him. Exactly what that means we can only speculate, but this much is clear: Enoch had a close relationship with the Lord.

Enoch was also a prophet. Jude 14, in the New Testament, records one of his prophecies of a future judgment. But a little closer to his own time, Enoch perceived that the Lord was about to execute judgment on the earth. So when Enoch had a son he named him “Methuselah.” You remember Methuselah is the oldest person in the Bible, living to the ripe old age of 969. The name “Methuselah” has prophetic significance. Most Bible reference books give the meaning as “dart man” or “man of the spear”. A less frequently found definition is of Chaldean origin and means something a little more intriguing: “at his death, the sending forth.” The sending forth of what?

Perhaps that makes no sense to us – until we use the chronology provided to us in Genesis 5. All the generations of Noah are given to us with the exact time frames in which they lived and died. Enoch had a son named Methuselah, Methuselah had a son named Lamech, and Lamech had a son named Noah. When we do the calculations from Enoch to Noah, we find that Noah finished building the ark the same year his grandfather Methuselah died, just in time for the “sending forth” of a great flood – exactly 969 years after Enoch said that it would come.

So this judgment had been building for nearly a millennium. Enoch knew it was coming. Certainly Methuselah knew. Presumably Lamech knew. But none of them were called to build the ark. That work was reserved for Noah. And even then, he was five hundred years old before God revealed His purpose for Noah. Think about it: Noah walked with God for five hundred years before God gave him the plans for building the ark. If the man is not right then the plans are not right; but after five hundred years of relationship-building, the Lord finally said, “Now I can trust you to do the work I have called you to do. The survival of all life on earth depends on it.” What an awesome responsibility!

The Lord Blesses Us To Be A Blessing…

That brings us to the first principle: the work that God blesses is bigger than us. The ark was not Noah’s private little retreat. It was not his personal little ministry, his private little vision. Of course, Noah and his family were beneficiaries of the work, but the purpose of the ark was to preserve all living things. Otherwise, Noah would have built a much smaller vessel.

When the Lord gives us a work to do it will be bigger than ourselves. The size of a person’s heart may be judged by the size of their work. By size I do not mean numerical or financial strength. I mean this: is the work larger than the person working? Is it fulfilling a purpose far greater than the people involved? I say this because I am convinced that most churches exist only because the pastor needs a place to preach. Entire ministries are created to give some man or woman an audience. What a tragedy that is. Yesterday I drove past a little building that calls itself a church. The church was named after the presiding elder: “Smith Apostolic Church” (not the real name, but a true story). Such work fulfills nothing of eternal significance, it only meets the self-serving needs and aspirations of the person leading it.

The work that God blesses is not merely for our own personal benefit, but for the benefit of the Body of Christ, for the Kingdom of God. Our vision must carry us beyond ourselves; our vision must survive us. The only vision that is bigger than ourselves is Christ. If our vision is Christ then we are building upon an eternal foundation, and the Lord will bless that labor. Noah carried the Messiah in his loins – the ark was meant to preserve not just physical life, but a spiritual lineage. Thus, it was bigger than Noah, and the Lord blessed the work.

The Lord Blesses What We Cannot Do On Our Own…

The second principle is closely related to the first, and it is this: the work that God blesses is beyond our ability to do on our own. In other words, if I can do it all by myself, then I do not need the blessing of the Lord. I can simply call upon my natural talent, experience, and skill to do what needs to be done. Now, work done in this manner may or may not be successful, but irregardless, it is MY work; it is not the Lord’s work, and it does not enjoy the blessing of the Lord.

The Lord delights to place us in impossible situations. Noah was no shipbuilder. Yet God calls him to do the very thing he cannot do and gives him specific and detailed plans for doing it. The sheer size and scope of the work is astounding. First, Noah is to build a boat. Not just a little fishing boat, but a floating fortress with three levels in it. The Living Bible gives the dimensions as 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. Nothing this large had ever been constructed. The project would take one hundred years to complete. But the most amazing thing about this huge boat is that it was built on dry land. The Bible says Noah had faith (cf. Hebrews 11:7)!

But building the ark was only part of the work. After the ark was complete, there was the issue of bringing every sort of animal and bird into the boat. In the movies you see the animals streaming towards the ark of their own accord while Noah looks on in amazement. Perhaps that is the way it happened. Yet the Scripture says that the Lord told Noah to go get them and bring them into the ark (cf. Genesis 6:19). He had to go and gather them. How does one go about gathering one male and one female of every kind of animal in the world? And with some species God said to get seven pairs!

Then there is the matter of food. The Lord told Noah to gather samples of every kind of food that is eaten (cf. Genesis 6:21). The food was for feeding his family and all the animals, but it was also for future planting. Today we have fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains because Noah somehow managed to find them all and store them in the ark. Now I ask: is it humanly possible to do all the things Noah did? Can someone with no experience build a boat that large? Can an ordinary person gather together every kind of beast, bird, and bug? Can anyone gather together every kind of food in the world, and store it? The Bible says, “Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he” (Genesis 6:22). When God asks us to do the impossible, we can ask for, and expect to receive, the blessing of the Lord on our work. He will show us what to do, and He will enable us to do it.

The Lord Blesses Obedience, Not Originality…

The third and final principle is this: the work that God blesses is originated by God Himself. This is one of the most important lessons we can learn. I spent many years creating and executing my own plans, asking the Lord to bless them. One day I understood that instead of always trying to get the Lord to bless what I wanted to do, it was much simpler to find out what the Lord wanted to bless, and simply do THAT. Instead of trying to get God to come down to my level and do what I wanted, it was far better to come onto the Lord’s ground and do what He wanted. Great synergy and blessing is released when we simply cooperate with what God has already purposed to do. Heaven backs us up with tremendous power and authority. Instead of trying to make something happen, I simply flow in a current that already exists. The Lord will deny no request that is in agreement with what He Himself has originated.

Noah could expect the blessing of the Lord on his work because he was simply carrying out what the Lord had already determined to do. It is so much easier this way. Often the greatest hindrance to the best is the good. The greatest hindrance to Isaac is Ishmael. There are many good things we can create, many good things we can do. But only one thing is needed (cf. Luke 10:42). We have to discover the “one thing,” and we only discover it when we are seated at the feet of Jesus. When we are only motivated by what JESUS needs, not what MAN needs and not what we think WE need, then we are on the path of continual and perpetual blessing.

Noah walked with God, and Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord (cf. Genesis 6:8,9). It took five hundred years of walking with God, but Noah found grace, and that made it all worthwhile. Let us learn to do nothing apart from this amazing grace. It is better to wait five hundred years for grace than to work for five minutes without it. What is grace? I teach people that Grace is a Man. Amazing Grace is simply Jesus living in me, doing what I cannot do. It does not matter if “what I cannot do” is save myself, overcome sin, love my neighbor, or build an ark. “For by Grace (Jesus) are you saved through faith (trusting Jesus to do what you cannot do); and that not of yourselves: it (He) is the Gift of God”Ephesian (s 2:8). I am insufficient; but His Grace (Jesus) is sufficient. His Grace (Jesus) is more than enough. His Grace (Jesus) is Infinite Supply! But “without Me you can do nothing” (cf. John 15:5b).

Be encouraged. The Lord has a purpose for you, and a destiny for you to fulfill. But things will not always go the way you think they should. That is because the Lord calls you to something bigger than yourself, something beyond your ability, something you cannot originate or perpetuate without Him. It takes time. Noah walked with God for five hundred years and spent one hundred years building the ark. Abraham was one hundred years old before he finally saw God’s promise come true. Moses spent forty years in Egypt, then forty years in the desert, before God sent him to Pharaoh. Jesus prepared thirty years for an earthly ministry of three and a half years. Dear brother, dear sister: walk with God. Find Grace. Discover the One Thing. Focus on being, not doing. And when it IS time for you to do something you can be confident that your labor of love will be the work that God blesses.

Your Work

I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do (John 17:4).

The Lord has given to every man His work. It is his business to do it. And the devil's business to hinder him if he can. So sure as God has given you a work to do, Satan will try to hinder you. He may present other things more promising; he may allure you by worldly prospects; he may assault you with slander, torment you with false accusations, set you to work defending your character, employ pious persons to lie about you, editors to assail you, and excellent men to slander you. You may have Pilate and Herod, Annas, and Caiaphas all combined against you, and Judas standing by ready to sell you for thirty pieces of silver; and you may wonder why all those things come upon you. Can you not see that the whole thing is brought about through the craft of the devil to draw you away from your work and hinder your obedience to God?

Keep about your work. Do not flinch because the lion roars; do not stoop to stone the devil's dogs; do not fool away your time chasing the devil's rabbit. Do your work. Let liars lie, let sectarians quarrel, let corporations resolve, let editors publish, let the devil do his worst; but see to it that nothing hinders you from fulfilling the work that God has given you.

He has not sent you to make money. He has not commanded you to get rich. He has never bidden you defend your character. He has not set you at work to contradict falsehood which Satan and his servants may start to peddle. If you do these things, you will do nothing else; you will be at work for yourself and not for the Lord.

Keep about your work. Let you AIM be as steady as a star. Let the world brawl and bubble. You may be assaulted, wronged, insulted, slandered, wounded, and rejected; you may be abused by foes, forsaken by friends, and despised and rejected of men, but see to it with steadfast determination, with unfaltering zeal, that you pursue the great purpose of your life and object of being, until at last you can say "I have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do."

Pray with Os Hillman...

Biblical Principles in Network Marketing

As a Pastor, Bill Nissen was against Network Marketing for years.  In 2003, a friend helped 
him see a new perspective.  He still dislikes the ethics of many who do it, but he sees a 
biblical perspective that allows him to not only support network marketing, but embrace it as
a way to serve people.  Watch This Video. It is longer than most (20 minutes) but carries essential information.