The Inspired Leader: 101 Biblical Reflections for Becoming a Person of Influence (2 page)

EDWARD BJURSTROM

Pharmaceutical Executive and Founder of CompassioNow

Richard Blackaby is clearly qualified to author a book on leadership. He comes from the unique perspective of personally bearing such responsibility for a church and seminary, and also interacting with hundreds of business leaders in the course of his work at Blackaby Ministries International. He has taught, counseled, and listened to the testimonies and concerns of CEOs of some of the world’s major corporations.

Richard understands this and the obstacles business leaders face in grasping, applying, and implementing biblical truths and insights in the complex and diffuse world of business organizations. The reader who applies this book to their life and work is in for a real blessing.

LAWRENCE COLLETT

Chairman, Cass Information Systems, Inc.

Richard has a God given gift for using historically famous businesspeople and working their lives into spiritually edifying lessons for current times.

LEO F. WELLS

President, Wells Real Estate Funds

Unless otherwise indicated, scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version of the Bible. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version.® NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, by International Bible Society.

Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from the The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2012 by Richard Blackaby

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means © electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other © except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Boise, Idaho by Russell Media

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ISBN (print): 978-1-937498-07-8

ISBN (e-book): 978-1-937498-08-5

OVER THE PAST several years, members of the CEO Forum and I have been privileged to sit under Richard Blackaby’s teaching of the Scriptures at the Forum’s Spiritual Leadership Institute. God has uniquely gifted Richard with an ability to apply scripture to real-life situations in the workplace in ways that cause his listeners (or readers) to “get it”—that we not only
should
, but we
can
use scripture as the basis for our personal and our work lives.

Richard Served as president of a seminary for 13 years. In that arena, he faced many of the pressures that corporate leaders face: having to fire executives, meeting budget, addressing immorality in the workplace, facing critical press. So he speaks and writes from a backdrop of personal business experience, but his perspective is also that of a man whose life is steeped in the truth and the power of God’s word.

In
The Inspired Leader: 101 Biblical Reflections for Becoming a Person of Influence
, Richard provides wisdom, encouragement, challenge, and hope for Christian business leaders working in secular environments. Following each reflection, which he has taken from his own devotional writings produced for the CEO Forum and from those of other Forum members, he invites us to “Reflect for a moment,” asking ourselves—and god—how we can apply what we’ve read to truly become persons of influence for His kingdom.

I'm honored to count Richard Blackaby not only as a teacher and spiritual mentor, but also as a friend and trusted colleague. I wholeheartedly recommend
The Inspired Leader
to you.

DAVID “MAC” MCQUISTON

President and CEO, CEO Forum, Inc.

AS AN EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD
, first-year university student, I had an unforgettable encounter with God. When it was over, I knew I’d be spending the remainder of my life serving Him. As might be expected for an on-fire Christian of my vintage, I began preparing myself to go to seminary upon graduation from college, and then becoming a pastor of a church. Sure enough, after some eventful moments in university and a prolonged stay at seminary, I launched my ministry career as the senior pastor of Friendship Baptist Church, in Winnipeg (affectionately dubbed “Winterpeg” by its frigid inhabitants) Canada.

My ministry at the church would be considered a success by most standards. Numbers rose significantly. Debts were paid off early. Enthusiasm became widespread. But something changed during my fledgling years as a minister. I always worked hard, arriving at the office generally by 6:30 a.m. Each week I would diligently prepare my sermons, perform various administrative duties, meet with staff, and conduct my correspondence. Everything I did anticipated the coming Sunday, the big day. My success as a minister hinged largely on how well Sunday went. Did we have a good attendance? A sizeable offering? Good music? Enthusiastic response? Were there visitors? Did people laugh at my jokes?

After a year or two, I had the church functioning like a well-oiled machine. But something seemed to be missing. It dawned on me that while I sat ensconced in my church office day after day, waiting for Sunday to return, my congregants were marching off to work each morning, living out their lives in the midst of the marketplace. I began to realize that the “action” was not so much what happened for an hour or two at the church building on Sunday morning, but what my people were experiencing at their workplaces and in their neighborhoods, Monday through Friday.

I began paying visits to my members where they worked. For the vast majority of them, it was the first time a minister had ever been to their office or shop floor. To say it was eye-opening is an understatement. I had no idea what they dealt with each week! Some faced enormous pressure from their overbearing boss to compromise their moral convictions. Others carried the burden of responsibility for hundreds of employees. Several faced the constant scrutiny of government regulations. Others worked in hospitals and with people suffering from psychological issues that left them emotionally fatigued. Still others labored for companies in financial crisis, unsure if they would still have a job the following week. I also saw that many of my church members were highly regarded and appreciated by their colleagues. The people in my church were engaged in spiritual battles every day, and I had just learned where the front line was!

I learned some important lessons as a young minister. For one, church services on Sundays were not the primary work. That is where we met with God corporately so we could prepare for our task. The mission for God’s people occurs once they leave the church building and go out into the world. My job as a pastor was not to enlist laypeople to help me to have a successful church. My calling was to equip the people to be salt and light when they went to work. Finally, I learned that it can be tough practicing your faith in a secular environment that is often hostile to your beliefs.

Since that time, I have found myself investing myself in undergirding and equipping those who enter a hostile mission field each day as they go to work. I have also been privileged to work with a number of outstanding Christian organizations whose purpose is to minister to the marketplace. The ministry I have been most involved with is the CEO Forum. This organization ministers to Christian CEOs in corporate America as well as in Asia. Through it I have been privileged to get to know outstanding, talented, and dedicated Christian business leaders who are purposefully and successfully impacting their world for Christ. I have also worked with organizations such as the Fellowship of Christian Companies International that is helping business leaders be on God’s agenda in their business.

If you were to ask me where I see God at work today, I would tell you, “In the marketplace.” That is the forum in which God has always worked. And, it is where He has gathered many of His most talented and dedicated servants. If you work in a secular job, this book is for you. It is a collection of devotionals written for people who need a spiritual boost as they go to work each day while seeking to bring glory to God.

Thank you to my wife Lisa.
Every year I think I could not possibly grow
to love her any more than I already do,
and then I always discover I was wrong!

Thanks to my children: Mike, Daniel, and Carrie.
They make me have hope for the future!

Thanks also to Mac McQuiston and the CEO Forum
for the privilege of investing in some amazing
men and women of God who are serving their Lord
in extraordinary ways in the marketplace.

THE HUMAN BODY craves water. Our bodies use two to four liters daily. People can only live three to five days without it. Without proper amounts, our bodies soon begin suffering the debilitating effects of dehydration. Certain conditions such as cold or hot temperatures or physical exercise cause us to require greater amounts of water. Physically, we have all experienced this and innately know it to be true.

What can catch us by surprise, however, is that our souls require continuous replenishing as well. Without it, we soon begin to suffer the effects of spiritual dehydration. Depending on the condition of our environment, our spirit dries up at varying rates. The business world can quickly parch our spiritual vitality. It regularly bombards us with materialistic attitudes. The love of money is widespread. Greed, corruption, selfishness are ubiquitous. Non-Christian colleagues and people who are critical of our faith can drain our spiritual vibrancy. As we progress through the week, the spiritual “high” we experienced on Sunday can quickly morph into a desolate wilderness by Friday. If we are not careful, our souls become parched and barren.

The psalmist David lamented: “
O God, you are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water”
(Psalm 63:1). David recognized that the only remedy for a withered soul was spending time in God’s presence. One way to do that was to worship God in the tabernacle. David said, “
So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory”
(Psalm 63:2). David could also obtain spiritual nourishment by spending personal time with the Good Shepherd who invariably led him beside still waters (Psalm 23:2).

That is the purpose of this book. It is designed to provide you some tranquil moments beside still waters where you can refresh your soul before getting back to work. Today’s marketplace is stressful. It is often antagonistic to your faith, and draining to your soul. The following pages are designed to provide a spiritual oasis. Let the truths contained in them refresh, challenge, and prepare you for what God knows is coming next in your life.

I originally wrote many of these devotions for an amazing group of Christian CEOs of major American companies. This book also contains devotions written by some of those CEOs as they share the spiritual lessons God taught them on shop floors and in boardrooms. They live where you do and they have experienced the practical difference Christ makes in their work life. God has used these words to encourage and inspire top business leaders across America as well as in Asia. My prayer is that you will allow the truths contained in the following pages to speak to your heart and to revive your spirit.

DAVID EVENTUALLY BECAME immensely wealthy. More than a few people who knew him as a youth would have been surprised at how his life ultimately turned out. David grew up as a simple shepherd boy, the youngest of eight brothers. Later he was appointed chief harpist for the king when the monarch needed his jittery nerves calmed. He rose to become his nation’s most renowned warrior and Philistine slayer. Unfortunately, David subsequently topped the government’s “most wanted” list as a homeless fugitive with a price on his head. Despite seemingly insurmountable odds, he eventually rose to become king and lived in a palace in the City of David. His is truly a “rags to riches” story. If David lived in our day, he might write a book on
How To Leverage Your Shepherd’s Staff into a King’s Scepter
and make the rounds on the morning talk show circuit. But notice what David asked God:

“
Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am. Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my age is as nothing before You; certainly every man at best is but a vapor. Surely every man walks about like a shadow; surely they busy themselves in vain; he heaps up riches and he does not know who will gather them. And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in you”.

PSALM 39:4-7

Success didn’t go to David’s head! He had a healthy perspective on his life. He knew that all good things come to an end, even being the top CEO in the nation. We don’t hear of David feverishly collecting and building palaces. He did not hide in his treasury greedily counting gold coins, nor did he invest his nation’s resources building grandiose monuments to perpetuate his legacy. Instead, David placed his trust in God. His aspirations were for eternal life. He sought to live his life with purpose and joy. David realized that accumulating wealth, power, or fame was fleeting at best, completely dissatisfying at worst.

Consider for a moment that God has determined your life’s purpose, just as He did for David. He knows to the exact second how long your life will be. He is aware of how your life can exert its maximum impact and how you can experience the most joy. The only way for
you
to know these things is to relate to Him, closely. You only get to live your life
once.
So develop a close, vibrant, growing walk with Christ and let Him reveal to you His purposes for your life. Then live that life with abandon.