Business by the Book 1 Timothy 5:22 Lay hands suddenly on no man… One of the wonderful things about the principles of God’s Word is that they transcend disciplines. Today’s verse is an example. The Apostle Paul is giving instructions to Timothy about ministry. One piece of advice is Lay hands suddenly on no man…   In context the Apostle is speaking about ordaining men for ministry in local churches. He is saying, be careful, use caution, and exercise restraint in placing indi

Business by the Book Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.   The law of sowing and reaping is inescapable. Of this law someone once said, “You reap what you sow, you reap later than you sow, and you reap more than you sow.” No individual that seeks lifelong success can risk ignoring this law. That which a person does today will bear fruit tomorrow. A perfect illustration of this law is a story about Abraham Lin

Business by the Book Ruth 4:9  And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto  all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was  Elimelech’s, and all that was  Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, of the hand of Naomi .   Handle things in an above board and open manner, Boaz did. This mighty man of wealth did not hide his transactions in a corner, nor did he skirt the darkness to hide his intentions. He straightforwardly and single-mindedly performed that which he said

Business by the Book Ruth 3:18 Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day.   Create a reputation for keeping your word, Boaz did. The above is a quote from Naomi. This lady was the mother of Ruth’s deceased husband (Mahlon). Naomi knew that Boaz would keep his word, and as is revealed in Scripture he did. Boaz kept his word. This is how a reputation for keeping one

Business by the Book Ruth 3:13 Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that  if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman’s part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the LORD liveth: lie down until the morning .    Have a plan, Boaz did. This mighty man of wealth told Ruth of his plan to contact her nearest kinsman and ask that man to perform the part of the kinsma

Business by the Book Ruth 3:12 And now it is true that I am thy  near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I .   Live according to a code. Boaz did. According to the Law of Moses, a near kinsman could redeem all that belonged to a close relative. Ruth, having been instructed of Naomi, requested that Boaz would do the part of a near kinsman. This would mean that Boaz would take her as a wife, which he obviously wanted to do in that later he did marry her. However, B

Business by the Book Ruth 3:11 And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou  art a virtuous woman .   Do you know what is going on in your community? Boaz did. This mighty man of wealth did not live as an island, he did not shun public opinion, and he did not hide his head in the sand. He knew what … all the city of my people … knew and thought about Ruth. Successful people are well advised by oth

Business by the Book Ruth 2:16  And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them , that she may glean them , and rebuke her not .    Generosity, Boaz had it. Not only did Boaz give his workers instructions about their treatment of Ruth, he also taught them to be generous toward her. His allowing her to glean in his field was fulfillment of the Law of Moses (Leviticus 23:22). His protection of her was that which any honorable man would do. But to let f

Business by the Book Ruth 2:15  And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not :   Strive to give clear instructions; Boaz did. Throughout the story of Ruth there are several references to Boaz giving clear and specific instructions to his workers. In today’s verse he instructed them in the form of a command to let Ruth glean in his field and to leave her alone. They evidently obeyed in that

Business by the Book Ruth 2:11  And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how  thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.   Search out a matter before reaching a conclusion; Boaz did. There is no feeling like that of being in the middle of a disagreement and it dawns on you that

Business by the Book Ruth 2:9 Let  thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.     Protect the weak; Boaz did. He told the young men that worked for him to not even touch Ruth. He knew that she had nothing, no money, no standing in the community, no husband, and no father on the scene. The

Business by the Book Ruth 2:8 Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens :   At this point in her story Ruth is greatly impoverished. She had no husband, no way to provide for herself, she was not Hebrew, not to mention that she was trying to care for her mother-in-law who had neither husband nor sons. Ruth was in a bad way. Sometime before Boaz arrived at this field she b

Business by the Book Ruth 2:5 Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?   Hold leadership accountable. Boaz did, when he noticed that there was a woman that he was not familiar with he asked the … servant that was set over the reapers ... about her. Boaz greeted all the workers, but when he had a question about this possible intruder he searched out the manager (if you will) for answers. Fortunately, the manager had the answers as he

Business by the Book Ruth 2:4 And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the reapers, The LORD be with you. And they answered him, The LORD bless thee .   My father was the vice president of sales and marketing for a subsidiary of a major oil service company. When I was in my mid-twenties I visited him at work one day. I was in town on business and wanted to spend some time with my dad. During our visit he was called out to the factory floor and I tagged along. I no

Business by the Book Ruth 2:1 And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was  Boaz .   Within the pages of God’s Word we are introduced to heroes and villains, kings and paupers, warriors and poets, good men and horrible men, good women and treacherous women. We can learn lessons from each of them. Someone once said, “The entire Bible was not written to you, but it was written for you.”   Romans 15:4 bears this o

Business by the Book 1 Thessalonians 4:11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you ;   America is quickly becoming overrun by “arm chair quarterbacks.”  You know the type, those who accomplish little but seem to know what everyone else ought to do at any given time. Today’s verse admonishes to … do your own business…  Individuals that are busy doing their own business seldom have time to meddle in the bus

Business by the Book Romans 16:2 That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also.   A shoe company sent two salesmen to the indigenous people of a remote land. The individuals of this land had never seen a pair of shoes. After a few months one of the salesmen wired the company asking for arrangements to come home. “Nobody here wears shoes,” he sai

Business by the Book Romans 12:11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord ;   Through the Apostle Paul, the Lord strikes straight at the heart of success:  Not slothful in business . The word slothful conjures up visions of a slug. Remember those slimy, slippery, creatures that we used to pour salt on when we were kids just to see them shrivel up? A slug never seems to be industrious, but rather lazy, lackadaisical, lethargic, lackluster, and languid. Up

Business by the Book Acts 6:3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.   Yesterday we noted that God is in a business. His business is souls. Your business may be something else, but there are things that can be learned from His business that may help yours. One such thing is the manner in which He set guidelines for individuals who would aspire to increase responsibilitie

Business by the Book Luke 2:49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?   Has it ever occurred to you that God is a businessman? He has a business. Jesus was a businessman, for He worked in His Father’s business. One overriding lesson to be learned from these two businessmen is to keep the main thing the main thing. Many businesses fail because they begin to major on a minor. The major thing in any business is

Business by the Book Matthew 21:28-30 But what think ye? A certain  man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go , sir: and went not.   “ I go , sir ,” but he didn’t. No amount of politeness covers up ones actions. The first son, the son who changed his course of action and did go to wo

Business by the Book Matthew 21:28-30 But what think ye? A certain  man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.   I knew what to do, I just didn’t do it. One of the biggest failures of my life resulted. Some years ago our church thought it would be good to start a C

Business by the Book Matthew 21:28-30 But what think ye? A certain  man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.   It’s not what a person says that counts; it’s what a person does that counts. These two brothers both said one thing but did another. One said he would

Business by the Book Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.   The shortest distance between “I can’t” and “I’ll try” passes through the possibility of failure. Those who say “I can’t” have already failed. Those who say “I’ll try” at least have a chance to succeed. Many say “I’ll try” when they have no real plans to try. Those are only words they use to dodge responsibility or perhaps to assuage guilt. However, for those who mean it when th

Business by the Book James 4:13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:   James gives us the essence of business … buy and sell, and get gain.  It is as simple as that. Someone once said, “Making a million dollars is easy, buy a quantity of flour for one dollar, sell it for two dollars, and do that a million times.”     The fictitious duo of Bubba and Winston decided to go into the wat

Business by the Book Nehemiah 6:15 So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day  of the month  Elul, in fifty and two days.   In less than three months the wall around Jerusalem was finished. In spite of the oppositions, the hardships, and the danger, the work was complete. Nehemiah’s planning, scouting, leadership, wisdom, integrity, and fortitude won the day. The wall that the enemy said could not be built was finished. Nehemiah’s story is an intriguing tale of huma

Business by the Book Nehemiah 6:5 Then sent Sanballat his servant unto me in like manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand ;   Opposition never ceases. Sanballat, one of the enemies of Nehemiah, continued to hinder his work. Five times this enemy sent warnings, letters and threats to Nehemiah. Later he would hire false accusers to further harass Nehemiah. Yet, our hero never allowed this adversary to stop him. The work was finished in spite of the opposition.   I

Business by the Book Nehemiah 6:3 … I am  doing a great work …   The work you are doing is a great work. Nehemiah knew this in his day, and we need to understand it in our day.   To illustrate this truth consider a story I heard years ago. Two men were digging ditches from a subdivision street to building sites for new homes. An interviewer asked one of these ditch diggers, “What is it that you are working on?” That worker replied, “I am digging a ditch from here to there bec

Business by the Book Nehemiah 5:7 Then I consulted with myself…   The Bible teaches that there is great wisdom in consulting with others, getting their input, advice and thoughts. However there comes a time when the final decision has to be made. Obtaining guidance from others is wise indeed, but sooner or later each leader must determine the course of action that will be taken.   Nehemiah was faced with a decision, and he consulted with himself. You are your best advisor. Ha

Business by the Book Nehemiah 4:17 … every   one  with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand  held a weapon .   It was the fourth quarter of the game. Our football team was undefeated, but we were on the verge of losing. We needed a defensive stop. I played middle linebacker. The team we were playing was a good team, a big team, a championship team. On a certain play they gained about 12 yards by running the ball on a simple dive play. The defensive co