outcomes

Outcomes

Dr. Mike 2025 , ,

In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.   Ecclesiastes 11:6

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And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.  Deuteronomy 8:2

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Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”  Daniel 3:16-18

One of the principles that I teach in management class is expectation of outcomes. Many of the students in class are in the leadership training program. They are people of high intelligence and accustomed to finish with a top grade. They are achievers. For them to get anything less than an “A” on their essay paper or test is unbeknownst for them.

Their self-perfection mindset though is soon broken. It begins when they form teams to play a business simulation game. Some try to implement their personal willpower to produce their expectant outcome. Others struggle to reach mutual agreement on strategic decisions. If they do reach consensus, they are perturbed by poor business results on each turn. Their frustration leads to blaming others for the outcome. They have difficulty acknowledging that maybe their judgement was wrong.

They review their work and are confused why their formula didn’t respond as expected. The formula was correct. The decision was based on good facts. Everything was done according to the book. Then how come the outcome was so poorly attained. The closed environment of an academic setting has unprepared them for the real world. My job is to prepare them to be managers of uncontrollable outcomes. Systems are manageable; but people are not.

Systems operate within the bounds of mathematics and logic. People operate under the guidelines of emotion and willpower. Faith is an open system. Trust and belief are dependent on others. You may believe. You may be trustful. You may be able to control yourself. But what about the others? In business, you have your customers. Your vendors and suppliers. Your competition. You have the local, state, and federal governments. And yes, there is always God. There are a lot of others who have a say in the matter.

Daniel’s three friends Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego knew what they believed. They were also willing to die for it. But they also realistically knew that God could save them, but didn’t have too. They were being tested and willing to accept the outcome.

Remember how Moses helped the nation of Israel escape from Egypt. It was only a 13-day journey to the promise land. But they found themselves wondering in the wilderness for forty years. They didn’t expect such a short trip to take so long. Yet through the process they learned humility, faith, and trust in their God.

It takes a life time for most of us to learn the important things. You can do everything according to the Book. You can manage your response. But the outcome is best left to God.

When you can lay the outcome in HIS hand, you learn to walk with HIM. You learn HIS Spirit is involved in your life as well as in the life of others. That there is a greater purpose being shaped then the results you seek in your life. As HIS disciple, you are being morph into the character of Jesus. So are others. We are all in this together. Your responsibility is to do your part as best as you are able. And let God and HIS Grace do HIS.

So, like I teach our future managers, focus on what you can manage and let God manage the outcome.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Faith-Integrator, Encourager, Scribbler

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,” (Colossians 1:9)

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Be Fruitful

Dr. Mike Business & Faith, Kingdom Paradigms , , , ,

Genesis 1:28 – And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it… ESV.

Colossians 1:9-10 – we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God… ESV.

 

fruitful

God’s first instructions to mankind taken from Genesis 1:28 was to “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it…” Nothing has changed since then except humanity’s natural inclination to first try it their way.

At the very beginning of man’s timeline, our heavenly Father gave us the personal responsibility to exercise wisdom, imagination and creativity to manage His earthly domain for Him.  The Bible calls it stewardship.

Like the manager of a company given the responsibility to grow the business for the owner, we likewise have been given the assignment to improve the world around us. When we take the focus away from ourselves and on others, we find needs to be satisfied. As a steward, we analyze the resources at our disposal and best deploy them toward satisfying the needs of others. In business, we receive the reward of developing a relationship with a person who becomes our customer. Through this process, we are financially compensated that allows us to purchase the resources we need to do it again and again. As we keep repeating the process, our client base grows, our resources under management grows, and the more people we can serve.

The challenge for most of us is locating that sweet spot where our natural gifts and talents intersect the needs of others and is fueled by our passion. Some of us may not recognize what our strengths are; others have placed mental or emotional limits on themselves; and then others are so wrapped up in themselves that they are blind to the need of others.

The apostle Paul in his letter to the Colossians mentioned his prayer for them was that God may supply the strength and internal fortitude to walk with our Lord and be fruitful in their work. Maybe some of us (if not all) need to invest more time praying for the same resources. Maybe we are not as fruitful as we can be because we are trying to accomplish our dreams apart from God. Maybe instead of striving for more, working longer hours, and chasing after dollars, we ask Him to show us how to rest in Him and learn from Him how to be more fruitful. Most of us will become pleasantly surprised how He has a way to open doors, bring people into your world, and generate opportunities beyond our wildest imagination.

God wants you to be fruitful in your work. But more than this, He also wants you to be fruitful in His relationship with you. Make Him the center of your life and then watch how He showers you with His fruitful Grace and Presence in your corner of the galaxy. For wherever He goes, the world around Him grows more fruitful.

This is the reason Jesus stated in John 15:5 that you will bear much fruit as long as you remain in Him.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & Founder of
Vocational Leadership 360
Author of e-Books:

*  Dancing With God: Life-Giving Theology Explained
*  Great Business Emulates a Good God
*  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
*  Simply The Messenger
*  Unequally Married

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