07/11/06
What audience do you play to? Each day you are seen by many who will make a judgment about the way you handle yourself among different audiences. Politicians have learned to play to their audiences, customizing messages for the needs of their particular groups. Musicians have learned to play to their audiences. Pastors play to their congregations each Sunday morning. Workplace believers play to the audiences who will buy their product.
Christ has called us to play to one audience - the audience of Himself. When you seek to please any other audience in your life, you become susceptible to situational ethics and motivations based on the need for the moment. Your audience becomes a pawn in your hands because you know what they want. Is that wrong? Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't.
Our lives will often meet the needs of those around us. It is God's will that you and I love our spouses, provide good services to our customers, and look to the interests of others before ourselves. This will result in meeting many needs of the audiences in our lives.
However, there are other times when our audiences are asking for something contrary to God's will. Politicians are often forced to appease their audiences, even though it may go against God's laws. When we are asked to go with the flow, we discover which audience is most important in our lives. Is it the audience of One, or the audience of many?
Today, be aware of which audience you are playing to. Ask yourself why you are taking a particular action. Is it to please the audience of One? Or is it to please the audience of others who might negatively impact you should you not play to their tune?
TGIF TODAY GOD IS FIRST is written by Os Hillman. To subscribe to his daily email go to: www.TodayGodIsFirst.com Copyright 2005 www.marketplaceleaders.org www.faithandworksresources.com
Factoids
A San Francisco radio station survey revealed that 80% of respondents stated they were dissatisfied with their work.
A Wall Street Journal survey revealed a 50% dissatisfaction rate among executives and 80% dissatisfaction rate among general workplace population. Among 500 surveys conducted with Christians through Your Work Matters to God it revealed a 50% dissatisfaction rate.
“Twelve years ago we could only identify about fifty workplace ministries. Today, we can identify more than nine hundred ministries that are national or international.” – Os Hillman, International Coalition of Workplace Ministries
A Gallup Poll taken in the workplace asked this question: How often do you discuss spiritual issues in the workplace? An incredible 50% of the people said they had discussed spiritual issues in the last 24 hours.
Quotables
“Every human life is made to fit some place, and there is a place for every life. The lives and the places are made for each other that they may serve the purposes of the God who made them.” – Asa Candler, founder of Coca-Cola
Greek view of work: We work out of necessity. But, you see, we are made in the image of God, and as such we are made to work–to create, to shape, to bring order out of disorder.” – Chuck Colson
“The most common self-inflicted put-down is ‘I am not a pastor—I am just a layperson.’ This is all part of a clever satanic scheme to neutralize apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers along with the entire army of disciples, already positioned in the marketplace.” – Ed Silvoso, Anointed for Business
“We have attempted to transform our cities for years without success. I now believe the reason is because pastors and church leaders do not have the authority to do so. That authority lies within those leaders in the workplace. When we recognize and affirm the apostles in the marketplace we will begin to see the transformation of cities.” – Dr. Peter Wagner, Chancellor, Wagner Leadership Institute
“His doing nothing wonderful (his first 30 years) is in itself a kind of wonder." – Saint Bonaventure