A recent sermon on the importance of reading the Bible got me musing on what difference reading the Bible has made in my life.  Until I picked up the Bible for the first time in 2004, I wondered how relevant it really was for day-to-day living.  I was amazed at how it had the answers to life’s questions; ten of which are below:

1. Don’t all religions lead to heaven?  Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)
2. How do I get to heaven?  That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)
3. Will there be a difference in me once I become a Christian? Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
4. Has God really forgiven me?  As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:12)
5. Does God have a purpose for me?  For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)
6. What am I supposed to do as I go about my days?  So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.  (1 Corinthians 10:31)
7. How should I respond when someone is mean to me?  Do not repay anyone evil for evil. (Romans 12:17a)
8. What should I do when I can’t make sense of things?  Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding   (Proverbs 3:5)
9. What should I do when I have a lot of concerns?  Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. (Psalm 55:22)
10. Does God really love me?  The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)

God’s word is not only relevant, it is also true, unfailing, and allows us to get a glimpse of our holy and wonderful creator – and friend.  I can’t think of a better Book to curl up with!

What does the whole world want?

Jim Clifton is chairman and CEO of the Gallup Association, and his book “The Coming Job War” is the product of studying the data from surveying thousands of people, from Manhattan socialites to Masai mothers, in 150 countries. Clifton writes, “Six years into our global data collection effort, we may have already found the single most searing, clarifying, helpful, world-altering fact. What the whole world wants is a good job.”

Clifton defines a good job as, “a job with a paycheck from an employer and steady work that averages 30 plus hours a week.”

Leadership and business writer Jim Collins goes even further and talks about not just having a GOOD JOB, but a GREAT JOB…not being just good, but GREAT.

So, given the current economic situation, what can the church do to create Great Jobs in RI?

Now you may be asking, is it the church’s responsibility to create jobs? Good question, and I think my first response would be no. But our churches are filled with very smart business men and women each week. People who run their own businesses. People who are excellent employees.

What if the church in RI created environments where we were bringing business men and women together to brainstorm ideas? What if these men and women started a “greenhouse of ideas” that would lead to business experimentation, and what if even ONE idea stuck? What if that one idea lead to one sustainable business that put tens of people to work with a sustainable wage to live in RI? What if that business brought money into our state that was able to be poured into the community? What if Christian business men and women continued to meet over the years, creating many of these sustainable businesses that employed tens or even hundreds of people — can you image the impact that would have on our economically challenged state?

What if these business were run with Biblical principles where the family came first and the job wasn’t an idol? Where office politics were not tolerated! Where people truly had care and concern for co-workers and for those outside the walls of the office? What if the company were pouring resources into the community? What if the bosses were praying for and mentoring their employees? Isn’t this Kingdom building?

I hope that if you are an entrepreneur or a business person, you will consider whether God might be calling you to create jobs in RI. What would it look like for you to run your business or collaborate with others to help start businesses that would bless the people of RI? What if God used you and other business partners to turn the economy around in our state? What if you could bring honor and glory to God by putting people to work with “great jobs”?

You never know what God may be calling you to do. We would love to pray for you in this way. Send me an email and let us know how to pray for you.