Os Hillman's Top 10 Biblical Principles for Success in Life & Work
PRINCIPLE # 1: SPEND TIME WITH JESUS
Nothing can be accomplished affectively in the Kingdom of God unless we are connected to Jesus Christ in an intimate and daily basis. Paul understood this better than anyone when he said, "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead" (Phil 3:10,11).
Jesus said we must abide in the vine and that we can do nothing apart from Him.
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing( John 15:5).
You get to know someone by spending quality time with them. If you do not have a regular and ongoing sense of His presence, you must cultivate this by spending time in His Word, talking to Him daily throughout your day and look for Him to respond to you.
Make getting to know Christ your priority and you will begin to experience the power of God in your life.
PRINCIPLE # 2: WISDOM AND POWER IS GAINED THROUGH OBEDIENCE IN YOUR WEAKNESS, NOT YOUR STRENGTH
One of the great paradigms of the gospel is the bible's exhortation for us to depend upon God, but also use our skills for His glory (Col. 3:17). Paul understood that what really changed the world was not his persuasive words or his skills, but it was the power of God that was working through him. He ministered out of weakness, not power. Our society depends too much on the "Greek-based knowledge systems" which focus on oratory and information.
"I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power"
(1 Cor 2:3-5).
Sometimes we think we must be in a place of strength to have an impact. This is wrong. It is being weak that makes us strong and allows Christ to be reflected to others.
The early Hebraic church learned that wisdom came through obedience, not knowledge or information. The power of God was reflected through their obedience. Our culture often has a Greek-centered focus on knowledge and information, instead of focusing on obedience to the voice of God in our lives.
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow his precepts have good understanding" (Ps 111:10).
PRINCIPLE #3: MAKE SURE YOU'RE WORKING WHERE GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO WORK
(You will discover this as you spend intimate time with Him).
Whether you are a VP of Household Affairs with four children, or a CEO of a major corporation, your work IS your ministry which is ordained by His will for your life. However, we need to make sure God has called us to the work we are doing so that we can walk in His anointing and blessing in that work.
"May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us--yes, establish the work of our hands" (Ps 90:17)
"In the beginning we do not train for God, we train for work, for our own aims; but as we go on with God we lose all our own aims and are trained into God's purpose. Unless practical work is appointed by God, it will prove a curse." -- Oswald Chambers.
You may not believe that the work you are doing fits your personality or skill set. This does not necessarily mean you are not where God wants you. God sometimes places us in unattractive jobs in order to develop character in us. It is the training from this work that leads us to God's "perfect" call for us. Many times these difficult jobs are mere stepping stones that will lead to other, more fulfilling work. You may have many jobs before you end up where God plans to use you most in your workplace calling.
PRINCIPLE #4: WHEN GOD GIVES A VISION, LET HIM FULFILL IT BY RESPONDING TO HIS PROMPTING, INSTEAD OF HELPING HIM MAKE IT HAPPEN
God's ways often involve God giving us a vision, (Joseph's dream), then there is often a long period between the fulfillment of that vision. In between reality and the vision being fulfilled, there is a deep valley of failure and humiliation (Joseph in prison and slavery). The vision often dies. If the vision is from God, He will raise it up (Joseph made ruler) if we don't try to help God fulfill it. Ishmael was Abraham and Sarah's attempt to help God fulfill God's vision for them. A great deal of Christian enterprise today is "Ishmael". We must learn the difference between allowing God to lead us, instead of helping God fulfill our vision.
"and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him" (Genesis 15:12).
Maintaining a vertical dimension with God allows us to understand how God wants us to fulfill the vision He has given to us.
PRINCIPLE # 5: RECEIVE WHAT GOD GIVES YOU THROUGH OBEDIENCE, INSTEAD OF SWEATING FOR OUTCOME
God called Adam and Eve to join Him in His work by working in and managing the Garden. It was a form of worship to Him. Work and worship come from the same Hebrew word, Avodah. God called the people out of Egypt where they sweated and toiled for food to eat, to a land of milk and honey so they could worship Him. He was their Jehovah Jireh - My Provider, regardless of whether there was fertile soil to work.
"So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant' (Joshua 24:13). Whenever we begin sweating our finances, we are making a statement about our belief in God.
What is the inheritance God has for you? We are to enter our own personal Promised Land and take the land God has provided for us through obedience, not sweat and toil. "Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain.Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat--for he grants sleep to those he loves" (Ps 127:1-2). Each of us must come to understand God's provision for us is through our obedience, not our self-effort. This includes our physical, emotional and spiritual needs.
"To this John replied, 'A man can receive only what is given him from heaven'" (John 3:27). John knew what his calling before God was. He knew what he was to do and what he was not to do. Each of us must walk in this understanding in order fulfill what God has planned for us.
PRINCIPLE # 1: SPEND TIME WITH JESUS
Nothing can be accomplished affectively in the Kingdom of God unless we are connected to Jesus Christ in an intimate and daily basis. Paul understood this better than anyone when he said, "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead" (Phil 3:10,11).
Jesus said we must abide in the vine and that we can do nothing apart from Him.
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing( John 15:5).
You get to know someone by spending quality time with them. If you do not have a regular and ongoing sense of His presence, you must cultivate this by spending time in His Word, talking to Him daily throughout your day and look for Him to respond to you.
Make getting to know Christ your priority and you will begin to experience the power of God in your life.
PRINCIPLE # 2: WISDOM AND POWER IS GAINED THROUGH OBEDIENCE IN YOUR WEAKNESS, NOT YOUR STRENGTH
One of the great paradigms of the gospel is the bible's exhortation for us to depend upon God, but also use our skills for His glory (Col. 3:17). Paul understood that what really changed the world was not his persuasive words or his skills, but it was the power of God that was working through him. He ministered out of weakness, not power. Our society depends too much on the "Greek-based knowledge systems" which focus on oratory and information.
"I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power"
(1 Cor 2:3-5).
Sometimes we think we must be in a place of strength to have an impact. This is wrong. It is being weak that makes us strong and allows Christ to be reflected to others.
The early Hebraic church learned that wisdom came through obedience, not knowledge or information. The power of God was reflected through their obedience. Our culture often has a Greek-centered focus on knowledge and information, instead of focusing on obedience to the voice of God in our lives.
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow his precepts have good understanding" (Ps 111:10).
PRINCIPLE #3: MAKE SURE YOU'RE WORKING WHERE GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO WORK
(You will discover this as you spend intimate time with Him).
Whether you are a VP of Household Affairs with four children, or a CEO of a major corporation, your work IS your ministry which is ordained by His will for your life. However, we need to make sure God has called us to the work we are doing so that we can walk in His anointing and blessing in that work.
"May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us--yes, establish the work of our hands" (Ps 90:17)
"In the beginning we do not train for God, we train for work, for our own aims; but as we go on with God we lose all our own aims and are trained into God's purpose. Unless practical work is appointed by God, it will prove a curse." -- Oswald Chambers.
You may not believe that the work you are doing fits your personality or skill set. This does not necessarily mean you are not where God wants you. God sometimes places us in unattractive jobs in order to develop character in us. It is the training from this work that leads us to God's "perfect" call for us. Many times these difficult jobs are mere stepping stones that will lead to other, more fulfilling work. You may have many jobs before you end up where God plans to use you most in your workplace calling.
PRINCIPLE #4: WHEN GOD GIVES A VISION, LET HIM FULFILL IT BY RESPONDING TO HIS PROMPTING, INSTEAD OF HELPING HIM MAKE IT HAPPEN
God's ways often involve God giving us a vision, (Joseph's dream), then there is often a long period between the fulfillment of that vision. In between reality and the vision being fulfilled, there is a deep valley of failure and humiliation (Joseph in prison and slavery). The vision often dies. If the vision is from God, He will raise it up (Joseph made ruler) if we don't try to help God fulfill it. Ishmael was Abraham and Sarah's attempt to help God fulfill God's vision for them. A great deal of Christian enterprise today is "Ishmael". We must learn the difference between allowing God to lead us, instead of helping God fulfill our vision.
"and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him" (Genesis 15:12).
Maintaining a vertical dimension with God allows us to understand how God wants us to fulfill the vision He has given to us.
PRINCIPLE # 5: RECEIVE WHAT GOD GIVES YOU THROUGH OBEDIENCE, INSTEAD OF SWEATING FOR OUTCOME
God called Adam and Eve to join Him in His work by working in and managing the Garden. It was a form of worship to Him. Work and worship come from the same Hebrew word, Avodah. God called the people out of Egypt where they sweated and toiled for food to eat, to a land of milk and honey so they could worship Him. He was their Jehovah Jireh - My Provider, regardless of whether there was fertile soil to work.
"So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant' (Joshua 24:13). Whenever we begin sweating our finances, we are making a statement about our belief in God.
What is the inheritance God has for you? We are to enter our own personal Promised Land and take the land God has provided for us through obedience, not sweat and toil. "Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain.Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat--for he grants sleep to those he loves" (Ps 127:1-2). Each of us must come to understand God's provision for us is through our obedience, not our self-effort. This includes our physical, emotional and spiritual needs.
"To this John replied, 'A man can receive only what is given him from heaven'" (John 3:27). John knew what his calling before God was. He knew what he was to do and what he was not to do. Each of us must walk in this understanding in order fulfill what God has planned for us.
