Scriptures for Success in Church, Business and Government Administration
"Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure with trouble" 15:16"The rich man's wealth is his strong city; the poverty of the poor is their ruin" 10:15
"Wealth acquired unjustly will diminish; but he who gathers justly
shall increase his wealth" 13:11"Wealth makes many friends, But the poor is deserted by his friends" 19:4
"The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender." 22:7
"He who trusts in his riches will fall,
but the righteous will flourish like foliage." 11:28"He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich" 10:4
"The soul of the lazy man desires, and has nothing;
but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich" 13:4"The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty,
but those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty" 21:5LENDING AMONG BELIEVERS Ignored by most except Orthodox Jews, lending money at interest to a fellow believer is a death penalty sin in the Law of God ... Lev. 25:77 as also is being a party to, a witness or a co-signer to such a transaction ...Ex 22:24
HONEST TRANSACTIONS "Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, But a just weight is His delight" 11:1
"He who walks with integrity walks securely" 10:9
"A wicked man accepts a bribe behind the back To pervert the ways of justice." 17:23
"Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man
But afterwards his mouth will be filled with gravel" 20;17
SECURITY CO - SIGNING " My son, if you become surety for your friend, if you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger, you are snared by the words of your mouth; you are taken by the words of your mouth. Proverbs 6
LABOR RELATIONS
"In all labor there is profit, But idle chatter leads only to poverty" 14:23
"Prepare your property outside, and get it ready for yourself in the field,
and afterward build your house and establish a home" 24:27"Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished, But he who gathers by labor will increase" 13:11
Labor Agreements: Matthew 20 vs2 "And when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard ..vs10 but when the first came they supposed that they should have received more ..and they murmered against the employer" ... and Jesus said vs13 "Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst though not agree with me for a denarius ?" vs15 " Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own money? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?" ... We are not to be deceived , Paul said that to extort money, wage increases or benefits from an employer by threat or coercion is a sin which damns the soul and excludes one from the Kingdom of Heaven ... 1 Cor. 6:10
THE POOR " He who has pity on the poor tends to the Lord,
and He will pay back what he has given." Proverbs 19:17" The poor man uses entreaties, But the rich answers roughly" Proverbs 18:23
"He who oppresses the poor to increase his riches,
and he who gives to the rich, will surely come to poverty." 22:16"Better is the poor who walks in his integrity
than one perverse in his ways, though he be rich" 28:6Generosity
"A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor." 22:9
To share a dollar when you only have one -- To share your food when you are hungry -- To spare your time when you are in a hurry -- To give away your possessions when you worked so hard for them -- To lend a hand when you are down -- To forgive when you have been wronged - To smile when you are hurt -- To listen when you are lonely - To greet the one who has spurned you.
from the Torah, the Law of God ...
171. Not to make a loan to a brother on interest (Lev. 25:37)
172. Not to borrow on interest (Deut. 23:20) (because this would cause the lender to sin)
173. Not to take part in any usurious transaction between borrower and lender, neither as a surety, nor as a witness, nor as a writer of the bond for them (Ex. 22:24)
174. To lend to a poor person (Ex. 22:24)
175. Not to demand from a poor man repayment of his debt, when the creditor knows that he cannot pay, nor press him (Ex. 22:24)
176. Not to take in pledge utensils used in preparing food (Deut. 24:6)
177. Not to exact a pledge from a debtor by force (Deut. 24:10)
178. Not to keep the pledge from its owner at the time when he needs it (Deut. 24:12)
179. To return a pledge to its owner (Deut. 24:13)
180. Not to take a pledge from a widow (Deut. 24:17)
181. Not to commit fraud in measuring (Lev. 19:35)
182. To ensure that scales and weights are correct (Lev. 19:36)183. Not to possess inaccurate measures and weights (Deut. 25:13-14)
170. Not to do wrong in buying or selling (Lev. 25:14)
Beware of Wolves in Sheep's clothing ..... Just because a person has extraordinary gifts that inspire deep respect in others doesn't mean that he or she has integrity or is not false!
The recent investment scandals of WorldCom and a large church Foundation of Arizona had "born again" leaders who used their cloak of righteousness to mislead employees and investors alike. BFA served as a custodian for tax-deferred Individual Retirement Accounts. It used pastors and former pastors as sales representatives to rob 13,000 elderly Christians by promising high returns. It was nothing but a fraud and a Ponzi scheme.
Bernard Ebbers, a former milkman in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, was ousted from Worldcom with $400 million in loans. The 6-foot-4-inch Canadian-born businessman, once one of the world's richest men with a fortune of $1.4 billion, attended shareholder meetings in jeans, cowboy boots and a bolo tie, and started the sessions with a prayer -- a sure winner in the heart of America's Bible Belt. Appearing at his church in Brookhaven, Miss., to teach Sunday school Bernard Ebbers made his first public comments about WorldCom since the disclosure of $3.8 billion in improper accounting "The Wall Street Journal" reported. "I just want you to know you aren't going to church with a crook," Ebbers addressed the congregation at the end of the service. But God doesn‚t bless, liars and thieves and sooner or later judgment comes to all!
The recent economic and religious scandals in America, be it pedophile priests, CEOs of organizations, or members of Government, shows that integrity is hard if not impossible to find. Foreign investors are realizing that America is not a good place to invest in because some times there is no integrity and that a few CEOs have made themselves rich at the expense of others, even if it means destroying the corporation.
The most popular woman in America was also named Woman of thr Year by the Lesbian / Homosexual Community. A former President leads a parade arm in arm with homosexuals and the next Sunday teaches his Sunday School class. A recent President commited unspeakable acts of sexual uncleanness and retained a high approval rating.
" Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, sexual uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies .... and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." From Galatians 5
Yes, to be truly successful and prosperous in God‚s eyes and in the affairs of men a person one must have resting on him the Spirit of the LORD including, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
Dangerous emotional attachments As more employees labor longer hours together, close friendships increasingly are taken for granted. And as more women move into a workplace once dominated by men, there are greater temptations for both sexes.
The new infidelity is between people who unwittingly form deep, passionate connections before realizing that they've crossed the line from platonic friendship into romantic love.
Jesus said: "You have heard that it was said to those of old, `You shall not commit adultery.' "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Matt: 5:27
Adultery does not have to be sexual. Sometimes the greatest betrayals happen without touching. Infidelity, unfaithfulness, adultery is any emotional or sexual intimacy that violates trust. It is the harboring or allowing something into your heart that is not meant to be there and is contrary to the Word or wishes of God. People are incredibly devastated by their partners emotional affair. They separate over it, they divorce over it because it is a breaking of trust, a breaking of a sacred and intimate bond between a husband and a wife.
A platonic friendship, such as those that grow in the workplace, edges into an emotional affair when three elements are present; Emotional intimacy. Transgressors share more of their "inner self, frustrations and triumphs than with their spouses." They are on a slippery slope when they begin sharing the dissatisfaction with their marriage with a co-worker. Secrecy and deception. They neglect to say, 'We meet every morning for coffee.' Once the lying starts, the intimacy shifts farther away from the marriage. ... Sexual chemistry. Even though the two may not act on the chemistry, there is at least an unacknowledged sexual attraction.
These things can happen during the coffee break at work. At lunch, On the internet With a co-worker, with a spouses friend. All of these areas, if they are not checked and kept in balance, can leave you vulnerable and on slippery ground heading towards a physical manifestation of the inner sin.
There is no such thing as an affair-proof marriage, because we are all fallen and broken people. But there are things we can do concerning our marriage, as with any area in our life that can reduce the probability of one ever happening. .... A friend who was an alcoholic once asked me how did I beat the bottle. I simply replied "If you don't have a drink, you'll never get drunk".
Stay alert for temptations: Be very careful of getting involved in the first place with someone else. Know the dangers. You can be drawn to an affair as to a drug. And once you are past a certain point of emotional connection, it is very hard to go into reverse.
Don't flirt: .... Flirting is never innocent in any employee/worker. relatiopnship Its motive is to entice and titilate &endash; and often is the bridge between playing around and fooling around &endash; flirting is how affairs start!!
Recognize that work can be a danger zone:
Don't lunch or take private coffee breaks with the same person all the time. If you find yourself eagerly looking forward to their voice, their words, their affirmations you are already in trouble!
johnking@amn.com.auBusiness Practices