Today I will:
"My God will fully supply your every need according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” Philippians 4: 19 (ISV)
Paul prayed this blessing over the offering he had received from the Philippians while he was in prison in Rome. Their offering to him came as a sweet-smelling sacrifice to the Lord and also symbolized their continued dedication to what they had learned from Paul even though he was now in prison for it. For this, Paul prayed that God would fully supply their need because of their generosity-in essence, that God's generosity would be poured out on them because they had so willingly poured out blessings on him. A cycle of blessing was formed because they gave out of their hearts and their pocketbooks to help Paul when he was in need.
The same cycle of blessing exists in the church today as we give into our local churches and to ministry and missionary organizations as God leads us. Even non-Christians who have written financial books recognize the importance of giving and entering into the cycle of blessing that comes from having a generous heart.
Many have been mistaken, however, because they have assumed that the blessing of the money they give would come back to them in the same way it went out-that God would have someone write them a check just as He had them write a check to sow to someone else. However, as businesspeople and entrepreneurs, we should look for much more than that. We should expect God to bless us with new ideas and technologies to sustain our businesses to produce more for us to give down the road. Our businesses and employment are blessed just as we are a blessing.
Today I will:
"Be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil” Ephesians 5: 15-16 (NASB)
Far too often we underestimate the most valuable commodity we have been given so freely once we are born-the irreplaceable gift of time. Think about it for a moment: If we lose money, we can always work or invest to replace it; lost time, however, is gone forever. Yet, while it seems that advice about investing money abounds, when is the last time you saw a television commercial for someone offering to help you invest your time?
It has been said more than once that there are basically three things that we can invest for a return or give to help others: our time, our talents, and our treasure. Of these three, time is the most precious. In fact, all of us who work at a job are actually trading our time and talent for a paycheck. Those who build companies from the ground up and those who spend their lives working for minimum wage both have the same amount of time, but they've chosen to invest it in different ways.
Only a foolish person would invest something without hoping that it would provide a return of some sort, whether that return be for themselves or for someone else. What are you investing your time in today? Who will benefit from it? As you make out your schedule today-both for work and home-take a minute to ask yourself what you are investing in and who will benefit. What can you do to improve the return on your time investments?