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Proverbs 4 is a beautiful description of how King Solomon, who was arguably the highest-grossing consultant of all time, received training from his father (King David) about the necessity of getting Wisdom.

One of my favorite sections of this passage is in verse 7:

The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; And with all your acquiring, get understanding. Proverbs 4:7 (NASB)

At first glance, Solomon seems a bit redundant:  the beginning of wisdom is: get wisdom!  But in fact, what Solomon is saying is that the first step toward becoming wise is that you set your trajectory toward acquiring wisdom.  Becoming wise is not something you do casually or accidentally.  It is a lifestyle of learning to learn.  It involves a commitment to receiving instruction, seeing things differently, listening and observing.

As leaders, developing a habit of becoming wise is contagious.  It will also help you to win the trust of those you lead.  We respect those whom we trust, and we trust those who are willing to be vulnerable enough to show us that they are in the habit of seeing their own mistakes and learning and correcting as they go.  How different would your organization, business or team be if this were a habit practiced by all?

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You’ve probably heard the saying, “You can accomplish anything if you set your mind to it.”

While I’m certainly not espousing self-reliance (I’m much more into God-reliance), I am interested in one nugget of truth that is buried in this saying:

You have the power to change your mind.

Overcoming failure, discouragement, negativity, or just a plain old sour attitude is achievable.  And, in reality, it’s not as hard as it seems.

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 1 Peter 1:13 (NKJV)

In writing to 1st-century believers, Peter uses this beautiful analogy: “gird up the loins of your mind.”  The picture is of an athlete who, preparing for a race, would tuck his garments into his belt in order to eliminate the restrictions for running.  What Peter was literally teaching these early Christians was:

It is critical for us to intentionally “gear our minds up” to prepare them for action.

Peter even gives us something to set our minds on: the grace (power) that comes to us when the Lord Jesus Christ is revealed or manifest to us for who He is.  If you’re lacking power today, perhaps it’s time to adjust your line of sight — much like Peter did when he was learning to walk on water.  Rather than letting your mind drift to the source of your worries, concerns, negativity, or even failures (no matter how real the source may be), let’s set our minds on who He is.

What is in your thinking today that is restricting you?  Rather than letting your mind drift where it will, take charge and set it on something that empowers you instead!

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In my last post, we talked about this Proverb:

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous. Proverbs 13:22 (NKJV)

Having already looked at this from the standpoint of building something transferable to future generations, I’d also like to talk about some of the implications of this verse as it relates to our overall approach to money.

In a society that is so completely obsessed with consumption, it is something akin to swimming upstream for us to not live our lives that way.  We have more choices and more ways to spend money, it seems, than ever before.

The wise pattern, however, is quite the opposite.  This proverb challenges us that our lifestyle is one of steady increase, not steady consumption.  It might sound like a subtle difference, but where the rubber meets the road, this is a huge difference.

It’s funny how a recurring theme throughout the texts of wise writers is that of discipline and diligence.  When we refuse to engage in systematic indulgence, but instead live in a state of restraint, we end well.

More from this passage in future posts!

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I was talking with a friend recently over lunch about how easy it is for us to fall into the common pattern of short-sightedness.  Specifically, we were talking about money.  How are money and short-sightedness connected?

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous. Proverbs 13:22 (NKJV)

I’ve given this passage a lot of thought over the last couple of years.  It seems that our modern mentality is that we should try to make enough money to pay for our own existence until we die — and this is for the people that are planning ahead!  Those who aren’t planning ahead are living a lifestyle of debt that says, “somehow this will get paid for later.” 

And yet God’s plan for “good” people is that we are not only not just thinking about paying for our own lives, but that we are building something that is transferable — not just to the next generation, but to the generation after that!

There’s much more to say about this subject, so perhaps we’ll pick it up again in future posts, but for today:  how are you building something that can be transferred to future generations?

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One habit that has brought consistent good to my life has been that of reading a chapter from the book of Proverbs everyday.  Doing so allows me to digest the book every month, and it provides a tremendous diet of thought-provoking wisdom for meditation everyday.

This morning, reading Proverbs 29 leads me right into one of the verses that has been challenging me constantly for the past couple of years.

When the [uncompromisingly] righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked man rules, the people groan and sigh. Proverbs 29:2 (AMP)

Naturally, it is easy to interpret this verse from its obvious political perspective.  It was, after all, written by a king.  There is, however, a deeper perspective that I think is far more significant and certainly more relevant — since most of us will not share Solomon’s political authority.  What does it mean for me to be in authority?  If I consider myself ‘righteous’ by way of covenant (certainly not based upon performance), how do I exhibit the quality of being “in authority?”

One of the most critical challenges this has presented to me personally is that of following orders.  How can I be “in authority” if I am not first in submission?  In other words, as I hear and live out the call of God on my life, I carry authority.  If I am “off post,” I have no authority. 

We’ve all met people who exhibit this quality.  You can tell by the look in their eye, by the way they carry themselves . . . you can even feel it in the grip of their handshake.  It is as if everything about them says, “I know who I am.  I know what I am doing.  I am unstoppable.”  This is the mark of a person who is being who they were created to be.

As leaders in the marketplace, it is critical that we are in touch with headquarters to understand, in real time, who and what we are called to be.

If we work without authority, we lack effectiveness.  We spin our wheels.  We are prone to find ourselves adrift.

On the other hand, when we have allowed God to reveal to us who we are, and are in the habit of hearing Him, we are focused and productive.  We say “no” to the things that would divide our focus.  We attract those who can help us execute our vision.  People respond.

This isn’t to say that we won’t face challenges.  On the contrary, someone carrying authority will attract attention – both supportive and in opposition.  But, well-equipped and centered, we will rise to the occasion at every turn.

In your business or organization, which set of attributes characterize the way things work?  Are people focused or distracted?  Is the organization proactive or reactionary?  Are you fruitful or unproductive?  Are people rejoicing or goaning and sighing?  Is there a focused vision or haphazard trajectory?  Do people find work fulfilling or frustrating?

It might be time to examine our level of authority.

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eChaplain.com began life as a daily email in the fall of 2001.  Each weekday morning, a few paragraphs went out to some “opt-in” subscribers that were friends or coworkers of mine.  It was originally intended to provide a bit of perspective and perhaps help stimulate some thought about integrating faith and work. 

One day, a friend of mine, Biblical Sales Trainer, speaker, and author, Michael Pink sent me a gentle e-mail warning me that the volume I was writing each weekday wasn’t really sustainable.  I kept right on writing at my vigorous pace, but eventually . . . a few months later . . . his wisdom proved true.  The frequency of the emails dropped, eventually ceasing entirely.

Since then, I’ve lost track of some of the subscribers, have grown my consulting practice, and now find myself interacting with a different group of people.  The habit of writing for subscribers has, however, always held a special allure for me.  The time I spent constructing those messages proved extremely valuable to me personally, and, quite frankly, I miss it.

So . . . today I launch the “blog” version of eChaplain.com.  This platform is brand new to me, but having gone through the technical process of setting things up has already hooked me.  Posts may or may not appear with real frequency, but my hope is that wherever you are in your journey, at whatever time you read from these pages, you’ll find yourself challenged and inspired.

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