Some of the thoughts in this series are taken from a series by Bruce Wilkinson, Leading a Company For Christ
Steps To Becoming A Priest
"I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit: apart from me you can do nothing." John 15: 5
Being a priest is not an easy or natural thing to do. We don't just come into the world with the priest robe on ready to demonstrate Christ and His principles on how to conduct our business. We only recognize our position and begin to grow into a priest by growing spiritually. As we continue in His Word and fellowship with Him and other believers, God shows us more and more of who He is and what He requires of us. Abiding with Him is essential if we expect to bear fruit.
Demonstrating our faith in the world, and particular the marketplace, can create real anxiety and struggles in our life. Our self identity can become an intricate part of how far we reach out to others. All of us have a tendency to form opinions and ideas of who we are. We read or hear who God says we are, but our self perception can take rule over what God says. We have the perception that we are not worthy, or we are ill fitted to do the work God has called us to do.
Fear is another reason we hesitate in exercising our faith. The fear of what others might say or what we might loose in the business deal can be a tremendous wall to overcome. The thought of not knowing how to respond if questioned about our stand can cause us to avoid any opportunity.
God's presence and power is always there for those who take the stand. God can show up in real and powerful ways when his Holy Spirit is the power and resource used in demonstrating his character and principles. God only asks us to plant the fruit of his principles with others around us. He will do the watering and his water is the purest of all and never ceases to flow. Just as the fruit of a vine nourishes and contains within itself the seeds of its own reproduction, so the outward manifestations of the life of Christ in us nourishes and reproduces his life in others.
The later part of chapter six of Matthew, verses 19-34, tell us that we consider the biggest concern for ourselves to be clothing and food for the body. But Jesus says that if we place Him first, "all these things will be given to you as well." Bruce Wilkinson, in his comments in this series, states that the Bible teaches us what God's priorities are for the believer. They are to grow spiritually, help nonbelievers hear and believe the gospel, help other believers grow spiritually, and to serve the needs of other people.
God has placed all of us in certain business opportunities as a profession. It is vital that we understand that He did not place us there just so we could fill our barns with worldly success. God has placed each of us here because He has something for us to do. We can only do His work when we are abiding with Him on a constant basis. The more we fall in love with Jesus, the more we will grow spiritually. We loose the joy of the work when we stop feeding the roots of the vine.
QUESTIONS FOR THOUGHT
Do you believe that you exist not for your own pleasure but to help people know the love of Jesus?
Is your business life a help or a hindrance in your relationship with Jesus?
* Are you falling in love more or less with Jesus as time goes by?
