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Grace…

By July 11, 2013August 30th, 2022Devotional

It’s very late, and I am alone – everyone else has gone to bed and it’s strangely quiet in the lodge. I’m in Kentucky this evening and I wish to say at the top of this post that I may not even have time to write tomorrow evening – it’s crazy busy and very hard to get a wifi connection. On top of that, this is a shorter post because the morning will come early and I am the first person up for presentations when we get started.

The purpose of tonight’s post is that I wanted to share with you that the last two major assignments I have had with clients have both resulted in my working with companies who are God centered and it was brought to my attention again this evening how important that is to me.

One of the companies I have worked with for the past two years is a family held company that is strong in values and has been around a quarter of a century making a difference in the community – and we start every meeting with prayer. There are people who stop me in the hall and ask what they can pray for in helping to make sure the leadership team is in alignment with God’s will. And ownership cares about their employees and their families. Company picnics and celebratory events are commonplace and the human relationships are what holds the company together and moving forward.

The other client, who I have only worked with for about six months, is a much larger organization, with multiple owners, a complex structure including manufacturing, marketing, purchasing and sales. I had an inkling when I first started there that it may have a similar mentality to the client I just mentioned above and truly love, but then again, it’s tough to compare a smaller, intimate family held organization to the leadership dynamics that happen in a company hundreds of times larger.

I have worked with many companies like this one; politics and egos always seem to get in the way of real success. Sure these companies can have financial success, but in terms of people – well – quality of life, work balance issues and opportunities for advancement without sacrificing your family in the process are rare indeed. Several weeks ago, I attended the company annual meeting and was pleasantly surprised to see the entire audience stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Then, the Chairman of the Board stood up and gave the invocation.

But tonight, as we sat down to dinner, I couldn’t believe it when the 8 top officers of this company, together with me for several days, waited in anticipation for me to say grace. It was a very important moment. At times like this, thanking God for the food just isn’t enough. It is important to invite God into the meetings and make sure that we are in alignment with His will for this company. And the weight of the decisions that impact literally thousands of families who depend on this company for their livelihoods hangs squarely in the balance.

For a moment, I felt the full mantle of responsibility – what to say to the Father… And then it came to me, and the words just flowed out of my mouth. The disciples of Jesus faced a similar problem. They asked Jesus how they should pray and He answered them this way, our verse for the evening, from Matthew 6:9-12, “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’

My encouragement this evening is that you are a witness for Christ all the days of your life and there are people who are just waiting for you to step up and share your faith. My prayer is that you will accept this assignment from God and let your light shine on others as you pray for guidance and wisdom – asking God to direct your steps and the steps of those people whose lives you touch. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…

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