Humility of Authentic Leadership

Proverbs 20: 27 (AMP).   27The spirit of man [that factor in human personality which proceeds immediately from God] is the lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts.

• (MSG) GOD is in charge of human life, watching and examining us inside and out.

That question and "What business are you really in?" have fueled the longest, deepest and hardest discussions in my consulting career. In fact, I discovered that Goffee and Jones had asked this very question in a ten-year study and the results published in the Sept-Oct 2000 HBR, Why Should Anyone Be Lead by You? They discovered four "unexpected" traits of "inspirational" leaders and the first is that these kinds of leaders "reveal their weaknesses." Proud people would shun away from that kind of leading. Their only "light" for their path is themselves. No one else can do it better, think in through better or explain it better. It is all about them. As Coffee and Jones point out, people who try to communicate that "there will be no need for anyone to help them with anything...signal that they can do it themselves." That is not leading: preening, maybe. Leading no! Vision is needed. Sense of command is important. Passion. Strategic thinking vital. But as important as these traits are to leaders, they will fail to lead if they try to from a position of pride.

Moses led millions. He learned to better manage the process by his father-in-law who immediately saw a managerial flaw early in Moses' career as the leader. Moses listened, set up the system to manage the process. And Numbers 12:3 reminds us that "Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth." Leading from a position of humility works.

Christians should have a natural advantage as business leaders. After all, we have "put off the old" haven't we and now have "the mind of Christ" who is to be ruling in our lives, right? But humility is hard work - and for the driven and successful, very hard work. We are so used to solving problems on the fly, driving action, dynamic presentations, and on top of things, that it is very easy to forget that we are stewards of those gifts of leadership, and we are called to manage ALL that God has given us for His glory. Our flesh is not about humility, rather about what "lights us up!" And God calls this sin.

Lamps whose light source is self, is a dead light. It's a lamp that lights the path to destruction. On the other hand, we are told to "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matthew 5:16

It's all about His light. Not ours. Are you shining? Is it your feeble light or His strong light?

Copyright (c) 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell     

Discretion and Diligence of a Leader

Proverbs 19:11 (MSG) Smart people know how to hold their tongue; their grandeur is to forgive and forget.

• (NIV) A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.


• (AMP) Good sense makes a man restrain his anger, and it is his glory to overlook a transgression or an offense.


• Exodus 34:6 (NIV) And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness…


• Isaiah 48:9 (NIV) For my own name's sake I delay my wrath; for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you, so as not to cut you off.


• Proverbs 14:29 (NIV) He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who is quick-tempered exalts folly.


• Proverbs 16:32 (NIV) He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.


• Ecclesiastes 7:9 (NIV) Do not be eager in your heart to be angry, for anger resides in the bosom of fools.


• James 1:19 19 (NIV) This you know, [Or Know this]my beloved brethren But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;


• Matthew 5:22-24 (MSG) I'm telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother "idiot!' and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell "stupid!' at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill. "This is how I want you to conduct yourself in these matters. If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, 24abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God.


• Matthew 5:44 (NASB) But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…


• Ephesians 4:32 (NASB) Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.


• Colossians 3:13 (NASB) …bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

The verses above say it all to us as leaders and followers. It does not matter. You want to follow the master model of both. Jesus, who followed his Father’s will and not his own is our perfect model as we follow. Jesus, who lead the Apostles and others in such a powerful way that they were willing to die for following His lead, is our perfect model for leading.

You want to have that kind of impact on people? We are most like our model when we are compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness (see Ex. 34:6 above). But there’s more: when we exercise patience it honors His name (see Isa. 48:9) above). It is our duty to practice patience and show compassion.

Anger has its place, and that anger is called righteous anger. This anger is potent with the kind of energy needed for leaders and their team to conquer evil when it is manifested. It’s the kind of anger that drove the creation of MADD and like organizations. It’s the kind of anger that define some missionaries who stay in places where evil reigns because they can provide medical or other help to those who desperately need it even in the face of evil. Wrongful anger, (see Matt 5 above) like calling someone an “idiot” or “stupid” only destroys the target of disdain – leaders are to build up, not tear down.

Discretion to defer anger and diligence to pass over a transgression in a way that gives the glory to God and not you – those are the qualities of a leader that will energize followers.


Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Leaders Listen - Actively

Proverbs 18: 2 (AMP)   A [self-confident] fool has no delight in understanding but only in revealing his personal opinions and himself.

• (MSG) Fools care nothing for thoughtful discourse; all they do is run off at the mouth.


• Eccl. 10:3 (NASB) Even when the fool walks along the road, his sense is lacking and he demonstrates to everyone that he is a fool.

When you read this verse, did you do as I? I put it into the "them" category: this was not for “me.”  Upon reflection, however, I began to realize that there are times that this belongs in the "me" category.  I realized that there are times when it’s all about me, and not all about learning – you know those times:  when we want to be right, or respected, or show-off what we know.  Instead of being open-minded, we dig into our heart (which remember is "desperately wicked") and spout off what comes out - not a very humble approach!

There are other times, of course, when I engage in thoughtful discourse by asking questions, listening, responding and learning. There is power in asking clarifying questions before giving advice – a process of collaboration that mitigates spouting advice based on personal opinion.  There is power in a mentor who, through a process of questioning often in casual conversation, reveals with clarity some of the spiritual components of a business issue. Mentors, advisors, peers who are wise, will often revel a lack of understanding of what Scripture might say about business issues.

Today, the more I read, the more I realize that I know very little about God's wisdom as applied to business. Of course, if you had asked me a year ago, I would have said that I knew something about that. This discipline of daily thinking about business applications of verses from Proverbs has shown me how foolish I have been. I also have confidence in my business knowledge and sometimes I become "self-confident" in that knowledge - how foolish. I must learn to take that business knowledge I have and run it through Heavenly Wisdom (understanding) so I screen out those things that do not honor God. This is not some Excel spreadsheet I can run data through (although I love doing that). This process of taking delight in understanding is more about reading, praying and meditating on His word. (And that I find much harder to do - and this tells me that a spiritual battle is raging. I just arm myself against the Liar who would want to deceive me into thinking that my intellect, my experience and my general knowledge are enough. Lie. All lies.)  

We are called to delight in God's Word. "Happy and secure is the person whose delight is in the what God teaches in His word; therefore, he meditates day and night on what is taught there." (Lindell paraphrase of Psalm 1:1,2)

Are you listening? Are you delighting in what God says? Do you thirst after righteousness? Positive responses prevent prideful self-confidence.

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

The Way of Wisdom

Proverbs 17:16 (NLT)  It is senseless to pay tuition to educate a fool who has no heart for wisdom.

• (NIV)   Of what use is money in the hand of a fool, since he has no desire to get wisdom?

• Luke 12: 18-20 (NLT) "So he said, `I know! I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I'll have room enough to store everything. And I'll sit back and say to myself, 'My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!' "But God said to him, `You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get it all?'"

• James 4:13-15 (NLT) Look here, you people who say, "Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit." How do you know what will happen tomorrow? For your life is like the morning fog--it's here a little while, and then it's gone. What you ought to say is, "If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that."

• Matthew 6: 19 (NIV) "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal."

Wealth cannot buy wisdom:  wisdom can however, result in wealth. Wisdom at its very least drives living life God's way. Just as money cannot buy happiness, it cannot buy wisdom, nor would it probably want to even consider the purchase of wisdom as today's verse suggests. God's ways are not the ways of the world. Believers are called to a different world: to a different way of living. It matters little whether we are a butcher, baker or candlestick maker. What does matter is that whatever we do, we do it with a heart for wisdom.

Those who are single-minded in growing wealth for themselves are not treated kindly in Scripture (Luke and James passages). Those verses dramatically shift our focus from ourselves to others. Whatever God gives us we are to give back to him by our consideration for those with less than we have.

What wealth we have does not last forever - and Paul reminds us that we "brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it." (I Tim 6:7) It is what we do with what we have gained that God looks at.

Paul, whose heart was dramatically changed, whose wealth suddenly meant nothing to him, wanted all Believer to gain Wisdom - a new insight into what counts in life:  (Eph 1:18) "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints..." It is the riches of our inheritance that we should be focusing on.

So, how does a person own or running a business do all this? Does it mean we give up our livelihood to become Pauline Missionaries? I think not. What we are called to is a heart change: an understanding of whom it is that provides all that we have; a commitment to use what we have, where we are, and what we do for His glory, not our own. It's not about giving money: it is an attitude of the heart translated into the actions of our life.

God's ways are not man's ways: to which way are you committed?

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell     

Managing Change

Proverbs 14: 14 (NKJV)  The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways, but a good man will be satisfied from above.

• (AMP)  The backslider in heart [from God and from fearing God] shall be filled with [the fruit of] his own ways, and a good man shall be satisfied with [the fruit of] his ways [with the holy thoughts and actions which his heart prompts and in which he delights].


• Psalm 111:2 (NIV) The works of the LORD are great, studied by all who have pleasure in them.


• Psalm 40:4 (NIV) Blessed are you who give yourselves over to GOD, turn your backs on the world's "sure thing," ignore what the world worships;


• Psalm 112:7 (NIV)  They [people who fear the Lord] do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the LORD to care for them.  


• Gal 5:13 (MSG) It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows.

How do you handle change? Filled with your own ways of handling the stress of change. Or filled with God's way?

I know that my first reaction to significant change is an emotional one. Why did that employee have to move on? Why did that client want that? Why did those potential equity partners dry up? Change happens. There are many kinds of changes and my reaction to them reflects where I am spiritually.

So, how did I get onto "change" from this verse?  It was the phrase "satisfied from above" and I began to think about times when I was not.  And I realized that those times were when I was in the midst of change and, wallowing in my emotional reaction, I sometimes did not look for my satisfaction "from above." I began a process of managing the changes - either trying to change the change or adapt to the change - on my own strength.

When I am responding to change counting solely on myself, that dependence on my own ability, my strength, my wits, I have fallen into idolatry. That mental lapse filling one's heart with "his own ways" drives that person to practical atheism. "I am the captain of my ship, the master of my fate."

The result of that thinking is always disastrous. Sometimes it is not quickly evident, but the end is assured.

However, if my response to change is satisfaction that can only come from "holy thoughts and actions" that is evidence of finding pleasure not in my ways or my thoughts, but in God ways and pursuing God's thoughts. Evidence that I have added to my study of management and leadership principles, Biblical principles. Sorting out what the "world worships" from principles that have a spiritual foundation. And this takes discipline.

Backsliding is that practice of ignoring the study of what God says and depending on what the world says - and what "I" say.

Interesting juxtaposition here: by God's grace, I am free of the law and free to be me - but in a new way. I slide backwards, when that "free to be me" becomes all about me, and not about Him. Freedom for believers is not about a set of rules to be followed. It is about a principle:  "love the Lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself." Not some of your heart. All.

So, when change happens, with what is your heart filled? Where is your satisfaction?

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell     

Your Life: a Lesson.

Proverbs 13: 14 (MSG)  The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, so, no more drinking from death-tainted wells!

• Proverbs 14:27 (NIV) The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.

Teaching. Law. Instruction. Doctrine. Rules. All those words are captured in the phrase "the teaching of the wise."  Great for religious studies. Sunday School or maybe even a Bible Study. But for running a business?  For leading a team? For managing a company? The answer depends on an understanding of the real end-game.

If you believe that what you believe and do while you are on earth has value after your journey here is over, then the answers to those questions would be resounding YES!

This metaphor "fountain of life" is used at least six times in Scripture and its companion phrase "living water" which is used almost a dozen times. Something important is being said here. Part of the meaning is that as water is important for just simply living, so the counsel of the wise, the fear of the Lord is vital for living a meaningful life.

Do I see learning from the foolish as a "death-tainted well?" Frankly, I never thought of it that way. Of course, there is much that can be learned from those classified as "fools" in Scripture: I would dare say the vast majority of teachers in college and graduate school fit this classification. As I pondered this verse, I was driven to ask: How much has my thinking been influenced by their belief system? By their world-view? By their system of morality. I'm thinking it is more than I would like to admit. The press of building a business too often interfered with building a life that really mattered.

I see the modern evangelical church conforming to the culture of this age and if the church can, I certainly can. I have said in other places that I am intrigued with the idea that Seminaries should provide a business track and teach MBA students. I know that when I teach at the college level, I am using the text as a base point, but constantly adding a Biblical perspective - after all, much of what "works" rings with universal truth - truth that came from our Creator.

I have come to understand that a setting where Godly business people can "teach" each other and where the Word is used as the source book is a way to drink from that fountain. Those who have disciplined themselves to the process are a "fountain of life" to their employees, suppliers and customers.

Think of it: people looking to you for more than just a business solution. They want a life solution. Incubating eternal truth at work. Now that is a mission field.

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Leaders Take Advice

Proverbs12: 15 (MSG) Fools are headstrong and do what they like; wise people take advice.            

• Proverbs 3:7 (MSG) Don’t assume that you know it all.  Run to GOD! Run from evil!


• Proverbs 26:12 (MSG) See that man who thinks he's so smart?  You can expect far more from a fool than from him.


• Isaiah 5:21 (AMP) Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and prudent and shrewd in their own sight!

Business people who do not practice critical thinking skills and feed off their own foolish thinking, who are autonomous and look only at what they know to be true, they are the ones considered fools in God's eyes. In fact, God declares a "woe" those who are wise in their own eyes.

But it also strikes me that Godly leaders who have learned to lead do so because they first learned to follow - follow the One who has provided eternal advice about living, about life, about letting go and letting God. They have learned to take advice as God speaks through His word or sometimes, His workers. Here is some advice: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Phil 4:6)  

Great advice for life - and for business. "Doing what we like" is sometimes a recipe for at least anxiety, and at worst, disaster.  Often the team knows more about the product, the customer, the competitor and the internal team dynamics than the executive.  But that understanding is lost because the executive did not take the time to simply ask for advice.

It has been observed that leaders, who have the ability to keep their vision clearly in mind and ask probing, hard questions, discover what team members would do in particular situations. This ability to actively listen communicates that one does not know it all. While maintaining passion for the vision and clarity about the mission, this ability to motivate the team using active listening skills is the mark of a leader who has learned to take advice in the advancement of business.

Advisors give advice. Leaders take advice and the ultimate advice begins with communion with the Lord and is supported with community with others. The question I have to ask myself is, am I practicing Colossians 3: 16? "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."  Are you?

Copyright © 2005 by P. Griffith Lindell     

Size Matters: Especially the Little Things

Proverbs 11:1 (NASB) 1A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is His delight.

• (MSG) GOD hates cheating in the marketplace; he loves it when business is aboveboard.


• Luke 16:15 (MSG)  So Jesus spoke to them: "You are masters at making yourselves look good in front of others, but God knows what's behind the appearance. What society sees and calls monumental, God sees through and calls monstrous.


• Luke 16:15 (NIV) 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.

Small things matter. Even really small things. I asked myself: what are all the things that are an abomination to the Lord?

The list was interesting. When Israel was to take a land where idol worship was prevalent, they were to burn the idols and NOT take the silver and gold that encased the idol. That too was to be burned. On the face of it, seems impractical: but that is what God commanded - he did not want anyone to covet silver and gold that had been used to adorn other gods. Child sacrifice, divination, sorcery, spells, mediums, witches, unnatural sexual behavior and so the list goes. But in that list, is this business thing: dishonest scales. Numerous times it is mentioned in Scripture - several times in Proverbs. In Micah, God is judging Israel for, among other things, dishonest business dealings - dishonest weights and scales. Differing weights is a little change, slight, not even noticeable to the eye. A very small variation in a measure of oils or grains for example, could over time yield a merchant much. A little here. A little there. Who is going to notice?

I am reminded of a high school friend of my wife's who is a wealthy businessman whose hobby is Poker. Margaret Ann saw him preparing for a match, stuffing various pockets with rolled up wad of bills. She discovered that there was $5000 in each wad and asked if everyone did the same. His reply included this truth, "My integrity is wrapped up in these rubber bands: if I cheat by even one bill, I loose all I have gained in the Poker World. When I say this is $5k, it's exactly $5k and those that have tried to cheat, have been discovered and banned."

He understood it was the small things that mattered to build character, not how he was dressed; his personality; nor his prestige. It was the unseen, the honest heart. How we look on the outside is almost of no interest to God: who we are on the inside is. And the inside is often about the little things. Most of us don't "do" the big, bad stuff. Most of society even steers away from the big, bad stuff. It is the tiny, unseen, seemingly insignificant that is focused on our needs, our desires, and our greed that matters to God. Self- righteousness in any form is sin.

It is that self-centered small stuff that God calls detestable - an abomination. Size matters.

Copyright © 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Be Diligent to What Drives You

Proverbs 10: 4 (AMP) He becomes poor who works with a slack and idle hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.

• Proverbs 13:4 (NKJV) The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.


• Proverbs 21:5 (NKJV) The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.


• 2 Peter 3:14b (NASB) ...be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless...


• Matt 22:4-5 (NKJV) Again, he sent out other servants, saying, "Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding."' But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.

As you see above, Proverbs has a few things to say about diligence and one can see why: the major writer of this book was driven by excellence and diligence - a classic Supporting-Giving® type who is drivien by the belief that “hard work” will get them ahead.

But the question that came up for me when I thought about this verse was: Where have I shown up "as one with a slack and idle hand?"

Slack and idle would not be the normal label applied to me; however, being consistent in my personal time with the Lord is certainly one area where I have not always been diligent. I took our relationship for granted. Even when I got back into the Word, I read with an "idle hand"- as it were - since I didn't think of it in the context of my life. The diligence to do business right (right to me now really means producing eternal results - not just temporal results) begins with being personally diligent in one's walk with the Lord (see 2 Peter above).

Of course, many principles of business, if followed, can result in reaching certain goals, profitable growth, etc. Hard work pays off. Even if the failure of a business is the result of consequences of outside factors that lack of capital cannot overcome, hard work still will result in contacts, learning and personal growth.

However, God is not interested in our being diligent in the development of our business strategy for just the sake of the business. He is interested in our being diligent because we really do know that we work for Him alone; therefore, our work reflects our relationship with Him. But sometimes our work blinds us and we forget that the Lord wants to spend time with us - invite us to dinner, as it were. Our response is too often like those in the parable given in Matthew. "Can't make it Lord - got work to do!" Priorities confused. Focus flawed.

Diligence demands discipline: the discipline to respond to the important not the urgent. The diligence to live by faith, not sight. Idleness comes in many forms.

Are you and I diligent to give the Eternal priority over the temporal? Only then will our soul be made rich.

Copyright (c) 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Living Beyond Shrewdness

Proverbs 7: 4 NIV Say to Wisdom, "You are my sister," and call understanding your kinsman.

• Psalm 31:3 Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.


• Luke 16:14 - 16 When the Pharisees, a money-obsessed bunch, heard him say these things, they rolled their eyes, dismissing him as hopelessly out of touch. So Jesus spoke to them: "You are masters at making yourselves look good in front of others, but God knows what's behind the appearance. What society sees and calls monumental, God sees through and calls monstrous.

I found this verse curious. I am an only child and so I asked: "Why sister?" "Why not brother, mother, or father? Why "Say to" vs. "call?" Why kinsman in one translation; kinswomen in another? Intimate friend in yet another?

Oh, I get the point that we want to have intimacy with Wisdom; having that, we will be able to "count on" understanding. So I went to my interlinear and discovered that "say to" includes the meaning of thinking about, and could include "self-talk" something we focus upon in our thinking. Then "call" is a far different and richer word that includes more than just simple, casual identity. It's a stronger association - a sense of belonging to the same group. The word "sister" is feminine; but the word "kinsman" is masculine and I cannot figure out why some translations render it intimate friend or kinswomen. The context may be a key since the reader is being challenged to contrast God's ways with the way of the adulteress - or the seductive ways of the world (figuratively). Sisters and intimate friends are generally people who love unconditionally; and, unlike a mother who would love the same way, but would also be an authority figure, sisters and intimate friends could "correct" without that parent/child thing getting in the way. I have concluded that "sister" and "intimate friend" were people you could generally count on- each a rock in your life.

God's Wisdom is that. And it's different than worldly wisdom. For example, the parable of the "Unjust Steward" in Luke 16 is worth a glance; and, I'm sure that on first read, it seems that Jesus is condoning the unjust servant. Luke provides us parables that the other gospels do not - and this is one. A parable of contrast: Verse 8, seems very startling, "...[the owner/boss] commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely…" But there is more, “For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.” Worldly wisdom produces spiritual dullness.

The wisdom of the world is very different than the ways of the Lord and "shrewdness in the gray areas" is admired by the world. The Luke narrative follows with a really interesting discussion about how a follower of Christ values and uses money- but that is for another day - what is vital is that we are stewards, not owners of all that we have. Actually, we own nothing. As stewards, we must be wise - even in the little (Luke 16:10), and one of the big barriers to being Christ-like is how we view and handle money.

It is not our choice whether or not we want to be epistles of Christ. We just are. Who masters you: the love of money or the love for God? As Believers we must remember: "What society sees and calls monumental, God sees through and calls monstrous." What is the message others read in you?

Copyright (c) 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Learning From the Ant

Proverbs 6:6-11 (MSG) You lazy fool, look at an ant. Watch it closely; let it teach you a thing or two. Nobody has to tell it what to do. All summer it stores up food; at harvest it stockpiles provisions. So how long are you going to laze around doing nothing? How long before you get out of bed? A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there, sit back, take it easy--do you know what comes next? Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life, poverty your permanent houseguest!

• 6:6 (AMP) Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider her ways and be wise!—


• Job 12:7a, 9, 10 (NIV) "But ask the animals, and they will teach you…which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this [allowed calamity to befall Job]? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.


• Proverbs 30:25 (NASB) The ants are not a strong people, but they prepare their food in the summer;

The instruction was simple, but profound. "You think you have it made, do you. You can rest awhile. Well, consider the ant. And be wise." The lesson to be learned in your observation is not just to collect facts, and information, and a body of knowledge; rather, learn to be wise.

The ant society has no leader, no guide, no management team, but follows only the instinct of nature living out the patterns set forth by its Creator. Our work is not just our job; a believer’s work is to “make disciples” no matter what we are doing. From the ant we learn that we are to “redeem the time” in following the Great Commission. It is our responsibility – not the pastor’s our some other spiritual leader. Ours.

Here is a collection of 16 ant “behaviors” that mirror human behavior. Observe and be wise.

Armed Forces: During attack, they will raise up an army of specialized soldier ants
Career Training: Ants learn particular jobs, especially worker ants, then, on some schedule, change & learn new careers
Childcare: Ants feed their young and provide intensive nursery care
Civic Duties: During catastrophes, respond with massive group projects
Controlling Climate: Ant nests maintain a strict 77o F. for developing ants
Communications: Ants have a complex tactile, chemical communication system
Cultivation: They forage, but also grow underground gardens for food
Earth Movers: Ants move at least as much soil as earthworms – consider the size difference and then be astounded!
Education: Ants may be the only group of animals besides us in which interactive teaching behavior has been observed during their life: they teach younger ants the tricks of the trade.
Engineering: Incredible ability to tunnel from two directions and meet exactly midway
Flood Control: When building nests, incorporate water traps to keep out rain
Limited Free Will: It seems that ant inter-relationships more symbiotic than coercive
Livestock Farming: Ants will herd aphids down to their nest at night, "milk" them for nectar-like food, and when it warms during the day, herd the aphids back up to plants
Planning: Ants store food in the warm summer to feed a colony all of winter
Security: Ants maintain a security system, warding off other ants, insects, and animals
Social Planning: Colonies maintain ratio of worker ants, soldier ants, and ants tasked with reproducing

© Copyright 2006 P. Griffith Lindell

What You Think About Matters

Proverbs 5: 6 (NKJV) Lest you ponder her [a sexually promiscuous woman] path of life-- Her ways are unstable; You do not know them.

• (NASB) She does not ponder the path of life; Her ways are unstable, she does not know it.
• Jeremiah 2:36 (NIV) Why do you go about so much, changing your ways? You will be disappointed by Egypt as you were by Assyria.
• Eph 4:14 (NLT) Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or because someone has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth.
• James 1:6-8 (NIV) But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

Wisdom, in this chapter, is urging us to avoid sexual and emotional satisfaction outside of marriage and that is the simplest and most direct meaning.

The book of Proverbs has also pictured both Wisdom and Foolishness metaphorically as women, both calling for our attention. Wisdom personified as being with God before creation offers instruction that will result in eternal life. Foolishness, personified as an adulteress, seduces to distract us from choosing eternal life with our Creator. Distractions like: present pleasure; ego engagement; or just sweet, seductive thinking.

Note that two renderings above: the NKJV points the reader to the one being seduced. The NASB points the reader to the seducer. In either case, instability is the issue. The way of the wicked - the Foolish - might look good, but the ground underneath is unstable. This foolish path of life -going for greener on the other side - does not produced what looks promised. Wisdom recognizes that life happens and it is our reaction to life, our response to what happens that concerns God. The dark shadows of life are simply something getting between the light source and us. Our focus must be on the light source - not what is blocking it. Humans want, in their flesh, to ponder alternatives (the sin of Adam and Eve - we suffer from their eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil) and like them, we look for a "better way."

The warning here is to remember that the Evil One can make alternative paths look good, but he is the great counterfeiter. Jeremiah warned Israel that the grass was not greener on the world's side - and that only disappointment would result for going "over the fence." We must be disciplined to attend the school of Wisdom (in the Word, with people of the Word, in prayer with the Giver of the Word) or the Evil One will seduce us with a "lie [that] sounds like the truth."

The metaphor that James develops points to the results from pondering perilous paths. There's the real danger! Instability follows. In everything. Not just religious stuff. Everything. Business strategy. Business plan implementation. Operations. Sales Leadership. Managing. Dating. Marriage relationships. Parenting. Everything.

Make the Sunday stuff impact the Monday stuff and you will see lives changed and your business thrive.

Copyright (c) 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Leadership: The Art of Extending Self to Others

Proverbs 4:5 (MSG) Sell everything and buy Wisdom! Forage for Understanding! Don't forget one word! Don't deviate an inch!

• Proverbs 4: 7b (NKJV) "...and in all your getting, get understanding"
• I Cor 1:24 (NIV) "...but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
• Col 2:3 (MSG) "I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God's great mystery. 3All the richest treasures of wisdom and knowledge are embedded in that mystery and nowhere else. And we've been shown the mystery!"
• Matt 13:45,46 (NLT) "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a pearl merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. 46When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!"
• I Cor 1:25 (NLT) "This "foolish" plan of God is far wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God's weakness is far stronger than the greatest of human strength."

The rendering in The Message captures some of the intensity in this verse with 7b adding the underlying tone. The writer has said, in so many words, that in all of the learning, in all the schooling, in all of life, Wisdom is not only the first thing, but also, the primary thing of importance. Godly wisdom is so important that everything else is second place. Not business experience. Not an MBA. Not a PhD. Good stuff to have, but not unless you get Wisdom -- and the reason?

The Apostle Paul sheds some light on that in several places as shown in the verses above. It is Christ who is Wisdom. It is He who is "understanding" and knowledge. And that fact is hidden to the fleshly nature of people, but revealed to those who have appropriated God's nature through Christ. So the getting of Wisdom is more than just knowing stuff.

And its getting is very different from "getting something at the supermarket." Its not about "getting a new car" or some other thing. The phrase used in Proverbs 4:7b is a similar phrase that Jesus used for seeking (see Matt 13) the kingdom of God - in ALL your getting means there is nothing of greater value for you to be getting. The analogy that Jesus used creates the picture of someone who knows what he was looking for, and when he found it, he did something rather extraordinary. He sold EVERYTHING he owned - He sold it all. Seems rather silly. A good financial planner needs to have a chat with this fellow. "How are you going to buy food? Pay the mortgage? Provide for your family? Get the car you need? Don't put your eggs all in one basket! The market for pearls is volatile depending on amount of rain, the temperature of the water and the amount of algae in the water. Slow down. Think about what you are doing here!" Not Jesus' advice. Not Solomon's advice. Sell it all to get Wisdom.

Paul even anticipated the financial planner's advice (see I Cor 1:25). God's ways are not man's way. His thoughts not our thoughts. Focus on one thing and one thing only. Get God's Wisdom - which is Christ. It's all that matters - even for those running a business. Or a home. Or a life.

Copyright (c) 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell

Who Owns Your Business? Really...

Proverbs 3:9 (MSG) Honor GOD with everything you own; give him the first and the best.

• Joshua 24:14 (NAS) Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.
• Malachi 3:10 (AMP) Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
• Isaiah 29:13-14 (MSG) The Master said: "These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their hearts aren't in it. Because they act like they're worshiping me but don't mean it, I'm going to step in and shock them awake, astonish them, stand them on their ears. The wise ones who had it all figured out will be exposed as fools. The smart people who thought they knew everything will turn out to know nothing."

First and best belong to me, don't they? I worked hard for them. I'll give God ten percent. But first and best? Might this be what we sometimes think? Or at least, how we sometimes act. Honoring God with everything sounds good on Sunday. It becomes real on Monday.

This "honor" word is a word in the original where usage and context points to the meaning. The first four meanings seem to have little relationship with "honor" - be heavy, be grievous, be hard, be rich - but the usage is consistent that people of position, those "heavy" with wealth, the rich, the powerful, are, even today, accorded honor, respect, attention and even obedience. Look how Hollywood leads our young in what they wear, how they wear it, how the hair is cut of not, the pouty looks, the walk, what is ridden on or driven. Whole generations of young people speak and act a certain way because they honor entertainment stars. Stars come and go.

This verse points to the Eternal to honor. His wealth, power and strength will not fade.

The model for honoring people in positions and authority comes from the hand of God Himself: Ex 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you." Honoring God takes it to a new level because true honor FIRST comes from God - He promises to give honor to those you are obedient to Him and Jesus made that clear in John 12:26 "Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me." It seems to me that one cannot "honor God with everything" if one does not first acknowledge that everything comes from God - your customers, your inventory, your staff, your offices, your home, your finances, your family - everything comes from Him; therefore, because he is our Master and we are his stewards, his servants, it would follow that giving Him the best would be a small gift on our part. We had nothing to start. All we have comes from Him. Obeying Him with our life, using what he has given us for His Kingdom and acknowledging Him as the source of all is what a good steward would do.

Hypocrisy is talking this honor-God-attitude up and living for ourselves. Ouch. Israel was certainly guilty of this attitude over and over: honoring God with their lips, but by their actions making him appear meaningless or of no personal consequence. (See Isaiah 29:13)

Give Him first and the best. Ouch. That hurts! How are you doing with it?

THOUGHTS ON PROVERBS Copyright (c) 2006 by P. Griffith Lindell