23. DILIGENCE IN BUSINESS
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Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men (Pro.22:29).
1. The one thing that God says that His workers need above all is to be found faithful.
2. Only those who have the patience to do simple things accurately will acquire the skill to do difficult things correctly.
3. The conduct of successful business merely consists in doing things in a very simple way, doing them regularly, & never neglecting to do them.
4. If you want something done, ask a busy man to do it, for only a great and busy man recognises the importance of getting things done now!
5. Don't be late -- God's appointments cannot wait!
6. He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster. Pro.18:9
7. First do more than you are paid for before expecting to be paid for more than you do.
8. Everyone who got where he is had to begin where he was.
9. Often it is easier to do a good job than to explain why you didn't.
10. Efficiency: Making each member of the office staff toe the line. Regimentation: When it's your toe.
11. The good is often the enemy of the best.
12. Waste not, want not.
13. When business is good it pays to advertise, when business is bad you've got to advertise.
14. Unfaithfulness in the keeping of an appointment is an act of clear dishonesty. Stealing his time is worse than stealing his money!
15. Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well.
16. Good, better, best, never let it rest. Until your good is better & your better is best.
17. You should not produce one scrap of paper with any kind of writing, charting, or even a mark of any kind on it without dating it, locating it, and signing it.
18. It's not what you've got that determines the outcome, it's what you do with what you've got!
19. God Himself keeps book & logs--even the hairs on your head are numbered!
20. Don't settle for anything less than the best!
21. When we can't trust you with bigger things, we keep pushing you down the line hoping you'll be faithful with the smaller things.
22. Initiative is doing the right thing at the right time without being told.
23. It's better to catch a problem before it gets too serious, rather than wait 'til everything falls apart.
24. God is sick and tired of giving you things you don't take care of!
25. If I had the slightest doubt about it or hesitancy about any kind of a deal at all, let me tell you, I wouldn't sign one jot or one tittle on a contract.
26. We're investors, & we're literally investing in souls, & we want to get the best soul dividends that we can get, & not just pour funds & lives down some "black hole" that gobbles up everything with nothing to show for it!
27. We're a growing group but without much money, so let's put it where it really counts! Let's get our money's worth! Let's make every penny count!--Especially every precious priceless life!
28. What's wilfully wasted will be wilfully wanted!
29. Salvation is our business!--We even save paper and postage stamps!
30. What a great fire a little flame kindleth, but you can also freeze to death for the lack of a match.
31. If you put something off until everything else is done, it will never get done, because everything else is never done! You have to give everything a certain priority.
32. We're either going to do this job right or we're not going to do it at all.
33. What did you do this past week that is going to last forever?
34. If you'll just take time to put it away where it belongs, you'll save a lot of time looking for it later! A place for everything, & everything in its place!
35. We ought to run this like an efficient business for God! He says to "Be diligent in business"--why should we be less diligent & less efficient than the World is?
36. Do everything you can, and expect God to do the rest.
37. The Church is filled with willing people--some willing to work & others willing to let them.
38. A short cut is often a wrong cut.
39. Good beginnings make good endings.
40. Well begun is half done.
41. Why is there never enough time to do it right, but always enough time to do it over?
42. You gotta have a glory in the thing you do!
43. To sit down and write takes self-discipline, research and hard work.
44. If you are not willing to finish it, don't start it!
45. Make it a habit to do the unpleasant job first. Don't paralyse present activity by letting past work hang over your head.
46. No matter what kind of a mess you found the place in, you are now the steward, and it's your responsibility to care for it, maintain it, repair it, and then leave it in better shape than before!
47. A stitch in time saves nine!
48. Blessed is the man who is too busy to worry in the daytime & too sleepy to worry at night.
49. If you don't take an inventory once in awhile, you're apt to go out of business.
50. Handle your equipment gently & lovingly as you would a woman & she'll love you forever & last a long time!
51. One of the most important witnesses a Christian can have is paying his bills!--& on time!
52. Keeping your word & fulfilling vows to be in a certain place at a certain time is a part of your good witness & testimony.
53. Plan your work--work your plan.
54. Next to knowing all about your own business, the best thing is to know all about the other fellow's.
55. Lend only what you can afford to give away.
56. When you have a number of disagreeable duties to perform, always do the most disagreeable first.
57. Wilful waste brings woeful want
And you may live to pay.
How I wish I had that crust
That once I threw away.
58. When in doubt, ask.
59. If you run after two hares you will catch neither.
60. If you take care of God's business, He'll take care of yours!
61. If things are a little short & income's a little down, that shows we've got to get up & move & start fighting & get busier & expand & do more!--Not less!
62. One reason we have survived this long is because I don't take anything for granted! I take a good look at it every time & ask myself, "Is it worth it?"
63. Our enemies have tried to put us out of business lying about us, but we're still here! And I'm sure it's because of the Lord & His mercy & our prayers & our faithfulness to be diligent & obey, & also to watch & pray & keep a watchful eye on what's happening & what's going on & to see that we don't spend money we haven't got or use personnel on things we don't need or have stats that aren't so & Members who aren't there!
64. I shouldn't have to be the only idea man in this outfit! You guys ought to be able to come up with a few smart brainstorms of how to save money, personnel, time & labour! Go over your operation with a fine-tooth comb & try to figure out ways you can do without things.
65. God help us to think it through, survey & count the cost, & to analyse it & check it!
66. Lord, help us & give us wisdom, guidance & inspiration! Make us a little bit smarter, Lord, so that You don't have to say of us that the children of this World are wiser than the children of Light! (Lk.16:8.) Help us to think things through & analyse things & weigh things & count the cost & figure out how to save money & not have to wait till we don't have it to figure out how to save it, in Jesus' name. Do give us divine guidance, wisdom, skill & real concern for Thy work so that we will only do what needs to be done.
67. You guys ought to have ideas & make suggestions & ask questions--don't just accept it because that's the way it's always been.
68. Don't be afraid to ask why!--Why are we doing this? Why are we doing it that way? why do we have to do this?
69. We cannot afford just to support people because we like'm, not even because we love'm or want'm or think we need'm. We can only afford to support those now that we have to have & cannot do without! I think we'll survive, but the Lord expects us to trim the fat & do what we can to help!
70. There's no company in the World that I know that doesn't let off its labourers in a time of stress & let go the workers when they can't pay the bill.
71. Like any business, you've got to get set up & ready for business before you're going to get any!--When you get it, you've got to be ready for it!
72. Nobody should handle more than they're supposed to, more than they're capable of, & devote any more time & attention to things they don't have to do instead of what they have to do.
73. I'm not interested in reading false stats, padded accounts & inflated figures! That's just so much smoke & no fire!
74. The Lord talks about unprofitable servants, & we want to get rid of them like He did.
75. If you don't know what the question is, you can't very well come up with the answer!
76. I'm a little aggravated at people who let things roll on without really getting in there & thinking & analysing & figuring out how to save time, money, work, personnel, postage & everything!
77. You need to be familiar with stats & figures--accurate! When you go to a conference you need to know the answers to things that people are going to want to know.
78. Make it specific, brief, to the point & as simple as you possibly can! Try not to make it wordy. Try to spell it out very simply. And why don't you number it?--The first thing you do, number one, the second thing you do, number two, etc.
79. Stats don't mean anything unless you analyse them & interpret them & find out what they mean.
80. I don't think I would sign a contract to give the producer exclusive rights so that it would prohibit the use of the shows or music anywhere else.
81. God is interested in details & statistics! He even says that the very hairs of your head are numbered & not one sparrow falls to the ground but what your Heavenly Father knoweth it! Also someday you will have to give an account for every idle word & for all the deeds done in the body & every man shall be judged according to his works--His Word says so!
82. Statistics are extremely important & vitally essential to diagnosing the condition of each Home. If a Home is in good health, its statistics will likely show it, but if it's ailing, then they can also show that.
83. The purpose of statistical reports is to encourage all of us by being able to see how much we're accomplishing through these actual figures & also to help us detect any trouble spots, problems, or areas that need help, & correct our mistakes.
84. "Even as all things are ordered in every kingdom & all ministries fall in to their place, so shall it also be in My Kingdom under My King David!"
85. We've got to economise, & to economise we've got to centralise! A centralised government--a dictatorship really--is far more efficient & economical then all this spread-out stuff & everybody on their own & "every man to his own tent" & every man getting his own cheque & everybody working on their own independently & not having to answer to anybody.
86. Just do what has to be done today & put all the rest off until tomorrow or next week or next month or next year. And if none of the rest ever gets done, I figure God didn't intend for it to get done.
87. Don't blame it on God if you loafed around & goofed off for a week & then try to do a week's work in one day, that's not God's fault, that's your own. If you're overburdened or the yoke is too hard it's your own fault or somebody else's fault, not God's.
88. Every industry has what they call 'efficiency experts" & "time study" men who hang over the shoulders of the workers to figure out what they're doing & what they're not doing & what they don't need to do & what they do need to do, & how they could do it easier, cheaper & faster.
89. I would much rather see your work done on a nice easy leisurely, take-your-time daily basis than a last-minute cramming rush at the end of the week or month.
90. No matter how hard you work, if you do lousy, poor, pitiful, botched up work, all your hard work's in vain.
91. In some areas we need more emphasis & in other areas we need to let up a little. It's just like any war: Where the battle's hot you've got to put in the most troops to give it all you've got, & where you've pretty well got the situation in hand you can kind of let up a little.
92. I'm not going to go rocking along, status quo, laissez-faire, business as usual just because we used to do it & we don't want to have to admit we made a mistake.
93. Sometimes we almost go broke financially, but that's not what we're most worried about. We're most worried about going broke fruit-wise, soul-wise, & whether we're getting the job done & preaching the Gospel & winning souls!
94. There's nothing like the Lord putting a squeeze on you financially to make you pay attention & get you on the ball, make you stick your nose into everybody's business to find out what they're actually doing & what they aren't doing & whether it's paying or not & whether it's worth it or not!
95. The Lord will always supply all that we need, & if He doesn't, it's because we're spending more than we need to spend on something that's not paying.
96. Sometimes the Lord allows you to explore the method & find out what works & what doesn't work & what's best & what isn't so that you won't have any doubt about it! Otherwise you never would've believed it if you hadn't tried it.
97. If the profits are so slim in any business venture that it's hardly worth what you're investing, you get out of that one & you try to invest where the profits are the highest! You put your money where it gives the best dividends & the most results & the highest profit, & you trim off the failing & unprofitable businesses & the ones that are a drag. That's what we're doing, only we figure our profits in souls!--In Prophets!--The kind that preach the Gospel!
98. Sometimes the Lord puts the squeeze on you for a good reason, to make you get rid of the junk you don't need that's just costing money & not paying!
99. Learn how to be more efficient, more effective, more fruitful, more profitable, more economical!
100. Even our mistakes are not unprofitable as long as we learn by them! It's this business of "ever learning & never coming to a knowledge" that is frustrating! (2Ti.3:7)--Never waking up to find out how bad off you are!
101. We should only look back to be thankful for how much progress we've made & how far we've come by comparing how far behind we were a year or more ago.
102. Help us not to cry over yesterday or spilt milk, but to thank the Lord for all the milk that He's saved in spite of some losses.
103. We're in a hurry! We have a job to do & we've got very little time left to do it in!
104. In writing business letters try to make them short & sweet & simple. The person reading it is just as thick-headed as you are & it's just as hard for them to grasp what you've been talking about as it has been for you!
105. If you'd spend a little more time praying you'd have to spend a hell of a lot less time working to get things done!
106. Start each day by making a daily list of things to do & delegate. Make this practice as habitual as brushing your teeth or having the morning cup of coffee. Write down all the things you want to accomplish that day & rank them in order of importance, & then do your top-priority jobs first!
107. You cannot think, concentrate, pray & hear the voice of God on how to answer the mail, compose thoughts, dictate phrases & think on your feet, so to speak, unless you can get alone & away from the confusion, noise, disturbances & interruptions.
108. Think with a pencil or pen in your hand & write down ideas as they come & instructions as you get them. A short pencil is better than a long memory!
109. The Lord loves to give you the answer. He knows exactly what to do & how to do it, so why don't you ask Him instead of going to all the trouble of trying to figure it out yourself?
110. Stats are a part of our communication, absolutely essential & necessary for our well-being. They are our pulse-taking & temperature-taking of the body to know exactly its health & its physical functions.
111. It's not good to leave the whole thing up to one man, that's why you should always be training somebody to do your job, who can also double-check on you to make sure they catch any mistakes.
112. A stitch in time saves nine.
113. Better a fence at the top of the cliff than a hospital at the bottom!
114. It's better to have it & not need it than to need it & not have it.
115. Better safe than sorry!
116. If you can't do your job, then you've got to find a substitute to do it.
117. Be sure you're right, then go ahead! But if you're not sure you're right, you'd better not go at all.--You'd better drag your feet & go slow until you find out for sure what is right.
(See also No. 22, 212, 283A, 301A, 667, 682, 701, 1028.)
118. 1KI.11:28 And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph.
119. 1KI.20:40a And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone.
120. PRO.6:6-8 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
121. PRO.10:4 He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
122. PRO. 12:22 They that deal truly are His delight.
123. PRO. 13:4 The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.
124. PRO.18:9 He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.
125. PRO.18:16 A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.
126. PRO.19:15 Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.
127. PRO.19:24 A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.
128. PRO.20:4 The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.
129. PRO.20:13 Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.
130. PRO.22:29 Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.
131. PRO. 31:27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
132. ECC.10:18 By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.
133. LUK.16:8 And the Lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this World are in their generation wiser than the children of light.
134. ROM.12:11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.
135. 1CO.4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
136. 1TH.5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
137. HEB.6:12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
138. HEB.13:16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family