Remember, we will all face tests, trials, and temptations in this world; whether they bring us closer to God or not is determined by the attitude with which we face them.

Today I will:

work as if God were my supervisor and not other people
consider my motives for what I do each day
scrutinize my attitudes towards those I serve either at work or as a volunteer

Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man's envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. Ecclesiastes 4:4 (ESV)

What motivates you in your work? The desire to be the head of the company? Keeping up with what the neighbors have? Trying to outperform your colleagues to get the next available advancement? If so, Solomon is speaking to you. If you are motivated by envy, jealousy, or competition to get ahead, what you are doing is merely smoke and spitting in the wind. What a waste. Why? Because even if you get what you are after, your selfish motivation will undermine your reward.

The Bible has great advice about serving those who have rule over us: "Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men" (Ephesians 6:6-7 NIV).In other words, don't just work for your employer to accomplish the tasks for the day, but work for what will last into eternity-the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) you develop as you go about the duties of each.

Is it possible to get to know your Lord and Savior better as you attend to the affairs of this world? It depends largely on your motivation and how you approach the challenges you face each day. Challenges can either exercise your righteousness or undermine it; the choice is really up to you.

Remember, we should not define ourselves by what we have, but by the lives we touch.

Today I will:

not give in to the temptation to be a workaholic
balance the value of what I do at work with what I do at home, at church, and in my community
analyze my goals from the perspective of eternity

A very little food eaten in peace is better than twice as much earned from overwork and chasing the wind. Ecclesiastes 4:6 (CEV)

What are the basics a person needs for living? Food, shelter, and clothing? A reasonable means of transportation and fulfilling work that provides enough for the basic needs of one's family? Just how much do we really need to survive in this world? How much is enough?

If we live in a developed country, we fool ourselves if we say that God meets only our needs and not our wants. The fact of the matter is we have several times more than enough to meet the basic needs of life, yet what do we do with the extra? The question is really not, "How much is enough?" but "How much more than enough is enough?" And since we have more than enough, what is our responsibility regarding the abundance that we have?

Paul said of those as privileged as we are, "Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life" (1 Timothy 6:17-19).

What are you doing now with your wealth-your time, talent, and treasure-that is having an impact on eternity? How about the eternal destiny of your family and loved ones? What will another late night at the office accomplish that will truly last?

Remember, we should not define ourselves by what we have, but by the lives we touch.

Today I will:

not give in to the temptation to be a workaholic
balance the value of what I do at work with what I do at home, at church, and in my community
analyze my goals from the perspective of eternity

A very little food eaten in peace is better than twice as much earned from overwork and chasing the wind. Ecclesiastes 4:6 (CEV)

Remember, what you focus on will define who you are. Are you focused on the right thing?

Today I will:

take time to reevaluate my goals
eliminate distractions from my life that eat up time that should be used to accomplish something
let the past be the past and focus on what is ahead

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14 (ESV)

Motivational speaker and minister Bob Harrison has often said, "Setting goals can be one of the most dangerous things anyone ever does." Why is that? Because we often remember to set goals in business and finances but forget to set goals in more personal areas such as family, spiritual growth, health, and service to others.

Goals have a way of bringing focus in our lives to certain matters, and thus pull attention away from other areas of our lives deemed less important by omission. By having goals in only one or two areas of our lives, we inadvertently determine to fail in all others. Goals create focus and determine how we will allocate our resources, time, talent, and treasure.

When we set goals, we need to determine to look at all the areas of our lives and give them equal attention so that our focus is on what is truly important and not just on what will get us the greatest advancement in our careers or the most financial success. Just as Paul used the power of his focus to push ahead to accomplish what God called him to do, so should we whether that be in business, our church involvement, building our family's futures, maintaining our health, or building the character within ourselves to be able to handle greater responsibility tomorrow than we have today.

Remember, where there is no clear vision, there is no self-control.

Today I will:

carry God's principles and ways in the forefront of my mind and my heart
look for God's way in the midst of the confusion of the world's ways
live as a beacon of God's light in the midst of a selfish and money-oriented workplace

You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"? James 4:4-5 (ESV)

There may be no greater deception in the world of business than a sense of entitlement. While entry-level employees may be deceived by it to the point of justifying the theft of pens or copy paper, upper-level managers can fall to using it to manipulate those they supervise-or abuse their company credit cards to buy personal items or expensive lunches. CEOs and presidents also fall into its grasp to justify huge raises and bonuses for themselves, while there are large layoffs or cutbacks in their companies. Entitlement allows them to disregard the truth and ethical principles in order to satisfy selfish desires.

James tells us that we deceive ourselves when we hear what is right, but don't do it. (See James 1:22.) This deception occurs in business when facts and figures are presented to the decision-makers, but instead of securing the future of their companies and employees, they choose instead to secure their own positions or financial situations. People aren't hypocrites because they have consciously chosen to be so, but because they have allowed themselves to be deceived. Then, walking in that deception, they spin the facts to justify their actions to others, spreading their deception to those who trust them.

Take a moment today and look for areas in which you may be deceiving yourself about what you are doing at work. Pray that God will reveal these areas to you and bring people into your life who can help you see the truth clearly. Only by clearing your vision can you see your way ahead to do the right things and accomplish your goals.

Remember, the only way to avoid money mastering us is to master it.

Today I will:

Take an account of whether I control my money or my money controls me
do good with what falls within my influence
dedicate my resources to build my Lord's kingdom as well as secure my family's future

“No servant can serve two masters. For either he will hate one and love the other, or be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and riches!” Luke 6:13 (ISV)

In his book The Purpose-Driven Life, Pastor Rick Warren says, "Money is both a test and a trust. God uses finances to teach us to trust Him . . . God watches how we use money to test how trustworthy we are." When money goes from a test and trust to lord of our lives, determining how and where we spend our time, then something is seriously out of place. If we are ever going to get to a place where money doesn't control our lives and dictate our actions, then we are going to have to get to a place where we control money and dictate what it will do.

The fact is that money is a force in our world that makes things happen, and those things are generally very negative unless good people determine what it does. Many people believe that we are stewards of what God has given us, but then they look only to what is in their immediate influence as the responsibility of that stewardship. The Bible tells us that we are stewards of all that is on the earth. Is it really responsible stewardship to allow the corrupt and selfish to control most of the earth's resources?

How we work in our businesses and manage the wealth of our companies as well as how we manage our personal finances determines the faithfulness of our stewardship. We need to be mindful each day about how we will answer when we are called to give account before Jesus on that final day. Will you be among the good and faithful stewards God has left to be responsible for His resources on the earth?

Remember, we will all face tests, trials, and temptations in this world; whether they bring us closer to God or not is determined by the attitude with which we face them.

Remember, we should not define ourselves by what we have, but by the lives we touch.

Remember, we should not define ourselves by what we have, but by the lives we touch.

Remember, what you focus on will define who you are. Are you focused on the right thing?

Remember, where there is no clear vision, there is no self-control.

Remember, the only way to avoid money mastering us is to master it.

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