16 This is what the Lord says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
–Jeremiah 6:16 (NIV)
Today is just like thousands of years ago. We are at a crossroad and we don’t know what to do.
We think we should probably pray. Let’s get God’s wisdom on this stage in our life, our business, or our situation.
We look in scripture trying to find direction. Maybe if we open the bible to the right page there will be a special verse, just for me, telling me what to do.
And of course, we ask others what they think. What should we do, what direction should we go?
And after we do all of the God research, see and hear biblical truth, believe intellectually that God’s way will be the best……
“We will not walk in it.”
What! Why?
We aren’t sure. We need clarity. We want the flashing sign.
You might say that in Jeremiah’s day, the Lord audibly spoke, so they don’t have an excuse. But that would be hypocritical.
There are so many times that we see clearly in scripture what we should do. There is definitely grey in the Bible, but even when it is black and white, we will see grey, if God’s path is not the way we want to go.
And yes, this happens in business too.
- The business owner who tells his wife that he can’t work less or his business won’t make it, when in reality, there is never enough success. He keeps working to make even more money, at the expense of his family and relationships.
- Your business isn’t doing what it should. You have a lot going on and there are many strategies you could employ to enhance your business. Yet, week after week you don’t follow-up with customers, you don’t give enough time and attention to employees, and yet you don’t understand why things never change.
- You wonder, if you live out your faith in your business, will you lose customers or alienate them? God may or may not care if you are a Christian branded business. We aren’t all going to be. But, if you feel pulled to be, and don’t for fear of losing business, that is a shame.
It’s actually kind of funny and kind of sad. We pray, read, and listen for God’s plan for us and our business; but do we consistently step out in obedience and/or faith to do what God tells us?
God gives us the plan and we say,
“We will not walk in it”
I have to believe that given the opportunity to follow God, and then using excuses not to….
….it isn’t clear….I’m confused….I can’t believe God would want that for me…
we may be missing God’s best path for us.
And, that too, would be a shame.
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