Five Steps to Success, Modeled by Nehemiah
Our Mission
To present Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord to business and professional men and to develop Christian business and professional men to carry out the Great Commission.
Psalm 40.3 records, He gave me reason to sing a new song, praising our God. May many see what God has done, so that they might swear allegiance to Him and trust in the LORD!
I have been a part of the ministry of CBMC for nearly 30 years. I have worked vocationally for the organization for the past 21 years. The reason I love the ministry so much is because it’s process for making God known is so simple and so effective. The format is a luncheon where a business or professional man simply tells the audience how he met Jesus as Savior and what difference meeting Him has meant in his life. Simple. At the conclusion of the speaker’s talk, an invitation is given for men to begin a relationship with God through Jesus Christ just like the speaker did so many years ago. Simple.
The psalmist would have been a great speaker at a CBMC event. He had been positively impacted by God’s presence in his life. His experience of God created great joy in his heart such that he wanted the world to know how good God really is in order that they too might come to know Him. I have always believed if people could understand Who God really is they would all want to love Him.
Life experience has caused many to think God is bad or aloof. The perspective that God is all powerful causes them to think poorly of God because He did not use His power to stop the bad things from occurring in their lives. These bad things were almost always the direct result of people making bad choices but rather than blame the people we tend to blame God Who seemed to let the people make the bad choice.
What we fail to realize is that the freedom we want to make our own choices, including to love God, is a freedom we have to also make bad choices. The All Powerful does not exclude us from our choices and neither does He keep other people from theirs. While evil exists because people make bad choices God is still good because He comforts, heals, restores and blesses even in the midst of our bad choices or the bad choices of others.
Ultimately God’s goodness is experienced by His promise to recreate a world for us to live upon eternally, where people no longer make bad choices. Instead, the new world to come promised by God and proven by God through the resurrection of Jesus, will be one where we never die, never get sick, never are poor and never experience injustice.
God is good and promises good to come for all those who endure this world and its bad affects with Him. God wants those who know Him and the hope and future He promises, to enlighten others by telling others about Him so that they too may have a hope and a future while working through the evils of this world.
His Opportunities
- Next CBMC Special Luncheon October 5th. More information and registration HERE
- CEO's, are you looking for a private group of fellow business owners for encouragement, support, and advice? CBMC offers such a group. Contact Mike at mwinter@cbmc.com for more information.
- CBMC needs your help to continue its ministry to men in the marketplace. Please DONATE
MONDAY MANNA
A service to the business community
A Publication of CBMC International
August 28, 2017
Five Steps to Success, Modeled by Nehemiah
by Rick Boxx
Some people view the Bible strictly as a religious book, failing to see its relevance for every day. However, it can serve as a very practical, common sense guide for any aspect of life – including the business and professional world. No better example could be cited than the Old Testament book of Nehemiah. A trusted adviser to Persian king Artaxerxes in the 5th century B.C., he dreamed of rebuilding Jerusalem, reduced to mostly rubble for more than 140 years. The account of Nehemiah shows five key steps he took that paved the way for restoring the city:
- Prayerful assessment. Learning Jerusalem was in ruins, Nehemiah’s heart broke. He prayed fervently before approaching the king to ask his blessing to pursue the reconstruction project. After receiving approval, Nehemiah then went to Jerusalem and quietly assessed the damage for three days before taking action. Nehemiah 2:13 states, “So I went out at night…inspecting the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were consumed by fire.”If you desire a new project or your team to be successful, start with prayer, then objectively assess the situation.
- A compelling vision. For nearly a century and a half, no one had revived the city of Jerusalem; few people believed it was possible, or even necessary. Nehemiah, however, had a much bigger vision. For it to become reality, he needed the locals to catch his vision. He said to the people, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace” (Nehemiah 2:17). If you desire a team to follow you, communicating a compelling vision for the future is crucial.
- Find the right leaders for leverage. In those days, the high priest was very powerful. If that leader did not participate, few would follow. Along with the high priest, Nehemiah knew local business leaders would be very influential. With God’s help, he managed not only to engage business leaders in rebuilding certain sections of the wall, but also convinced Eliashib, the high priest, to lead the charge. Nehemiah 3:1 tells us, “Eliashib, the high priest, and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate.” To form a strong team that gets results, recruit and leverage people of influence.
- Build collaborative teams. More than 40 sections of the wall around Jerusalem needed repair. Each team could have focused on their piece of the wall, but without collaboration their section would become an island easily toppled. They needed to work together – to accomplish the bigger goal of rebuilding the wall, and to fight off enemies. “From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor” (Nehemiah 4:16). With collaborative teams, Nehemiah overcame opposition. If you desire a strong successful organization, build teams that work together.
- Encourage commitment and accountability. When adversity comes, teams either fall apart or become stronger together. A good leader recognizes this and addresses adverse situations accordingly. Nehemiah and his team received multiple death threats; they were understandably scared. Nehemiah was at risk of losing his workers without their strong commitment. He encouraged them by saying, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes” (Nehemiah 4:14). He later encountered internal conflict as well, requiring that he hold his leaders accountable to God’s standards. If you desire a successful project or business, encourage commitment and accountability.
Copyright 2017, Integrity Resource Center, Inc. Adapted with permission from “Integrity Moments with Rick Boxx,” a commentary on issues of integrity in the workplace from a Christian perspective. To learn more about Integrity Resource Center or to sign up for Rick’s daily Integrity Moments, visit www.integrityresource.org(http://www.integrityresource.org/) . His new book, Unconventional
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