DISCOVER What the 7 Days of Creation Teach About Business

Have you ever felt overwhelmed with responsibility? That things are getting out of control? Are you struggling to keep all the plates spinning so you are running from one pressing demand to the next?

One day, I asked God how He ran His business, the one we call, “Planet Earth.” I figured there must be great wisdom to be learned from the Genesis account of creation, and I needed all the help I could get! After all, there had to be a reason why He created certain things on certain days. There had to be a message there. It seemed more than coincidental that the first thing He did to bring order to chaos was turn the light on. (”Let there be light.”)

What I thought would be a 30-minute Bible study turned into months of research, study and revelation that turned my business around and delivered me from the throws of chaos and disorder. My business took on purpose like never before and God prospered the path before us.

Start 2008 With Clear Vision & Fresh Purpose
If you would like to get control of your business life, then check out this Biblical model for business based on the wisdom of God as revealed by the creation account of the longest running, continuously replicating business model in the known universe, planet Earth.

When I speak about vision for business, I am speaking about getting a panoramic 360 degree, three dimensional view of your best understanding of what God desires for the business you are running for Him. That comes from spending time, waiting on Him and entering a place of emotional and intellectual rest with Him.

After Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected, He walked along the shore of Galilee and found some of His disciples fishing. It was amazingly big news that Jesus had been resurrected and now He comes to once again reveal Himself to the disciples. But before He does, He starts a fire, gets some fish and takes the time to fix them breakfast. Can you imagine jus how at rest He was “in the moment”?

Jesus then calls to the disciples, invites them to cease from their labor and join Him in His place of rest. Upon accepting His invitation, they join Him in that place of rest whereupon Jesus imparts vision to Peter. Jesus paints a word picture and commissions Peter to feed His sheep. This was reminiscent of the first time Jesus imparted vision to him when Jesus was starting His earthly ministry and called Peter to leave his nets to become a fisher of men.

In both cases, Jesus called His disciples aside from the busyness of their business to enter into a place of rest where they could receive the vision God had for them. If you need clarity of vision for your life, accept His standing invitation to come aside from your work, spend time soaking in His Word and wait for His presence. His words of light will show you the way.

“The earth was without form and void.” The Hebrew term for “without form and void” is “tohu and bohu”. Wherever that term is used in Scripture it conveys the idea of confusion and disorder, but the first time was in Genesis 1:2. So God is looking upon the earth and upon seeing its condition of confusion and disorder, the first thing He brings to the equation is “light.” It is of some interest that many suggest the earth had actually fallen into a state of confusion and disorder somewhere between verse 1 and 2. That is interesting and even fanciful to consider, but not the point of this B-mail.

If the first thing God introduced to remedy confusion and disorder was light and if light is analogous to vision, then introducing or getting a clear vision statement developed may actually help in clearing up confusion and disorder in your life and business. Make sense?

You see, vision provides clarity. Clarity allows for focus. Focus gives certainty. Certainty encourages action. Action produces results. Results are how we are measured. Measurement shows where to improve. Therefore, clear vision is absolutely critical to clearing up your confusion and disorder and lighting a path for you to walk on.

Vision is an inner knowing of exactly what you are doing and why. It sees the result and can communicate its value to others. When others see that kind of clear vision, it is easy for them to run the race. Are you feeling a little sluggish lately? Are your employees trudging through the fog in the mud at night? Take some time and get your vision clear.

Let there be light: God said it - Light happened. We are still trying to figure out what it is and what it means to mankind. It causes photosynthesis, which in itself is a miracle of God. It makes life possible. Jesus said He was the light of the world. Why did God choose to start the creation process on day one with light? Why not the land and sea? Could He not see in the dark?

I don’t pretend to know the depths of God’s wisdom on that or any matter, but I do believe we can study this model of creation and glean life-changing truths that can be easily applied to business. To me, light enables vision and thus the first thing God built was the capacity for vision. Vision must therefore be important. I am not speaking of sight. Helen Keller said, “What a tragedy to have sight, but lack vision.”

Do you have a strategic vision for your life? For your business? Do you know what that looks like? I am not speaking of some snazzy poster you put up in the lobby of your business. I am speaking about a document that describes for you and then for your employees what the experience of being part of your company (or family) really means. It’s detailed, descriptive and moving. If it doesn’t move you, it won’t move anyone. If it doesn’t stimulate a reaction within you that makes you want to take action, then you still don’t have a clear vision.

Just like light causes a physical reaction in plants, so vision must inspire people to action. If it doesn’t, you probably have a trail of words leading nowhere important and no one will find their destiny following that!

We’ve begun to consider What the 7 Days of Creation Teach us about Business and to lay a foundation for this study. Consider this: “For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and deity.” (Rom 1:20)

Do you get that? Paul says that we can learn a lot about God, His nature and His power by simply studying the things He made. If you want to learn about a carpenter, look at some of the cabinets or furniture he has made and you will learn much about his capability, character, commitment to quality, etc. The same is true with God… Look at His heavens and you will see His glory; examine the firmament and you will see His handiwork (Psalm 19:1)

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