Christian Business Concepts
Christian Business Concepts
Purpose in Motion: Living Out Your Divine Why
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What happens when someone feels their life has no purpose? Harold Milby opens this powerful episode with heartbreaking stories of people who've ended their lives because they couldn't find meaning or significance—from a healthy 90-year-old artist to military veterans struggling to reconnect with civilian life. These tragic examples highlight a growing crisis in our society that transcends age, occupation, and background.
Drawing from scripture and personal experience, Harold explains why understanding your God-given purpose is absolutely essential for Christian business leaders seeking true success. "I've never felt more fulfilled or complete than when I knew I was working hard to fulfill the purpose God had for me," he shares, offering a compelling vision of purpose-driven leadership that transforms both businesses and lives.
The episode breaks down why purpose matters in practical terms: it brings decision-making clarity, builds resilience during challenges, inspires teams, increases productivity, creates Kingdom impact, and provides deep personal fulfillment that far exceeds financial success. Harold references key scriptures including Jeremiah 29:11 and Ephesians 2:10 to show how God has prepared specific plans and good works for each believer.
For listeners struggling to identify their purpose, Harold offers concrete steps: seek God through prayer, study relevant scriptures, journal insights, and reflect on your unique gifts and talents. "Your gifts are key indicators of your purpose," he explains, comparing them to finding carpenter's tools in your trunk if you had amnesia—they provide clues to your calling.
Subscribe to catch next week's continuation where Harold will share practical insights about finding your purpose and examples of purpose-driven business leaders who've successfully aligned their work with God's calling.
Welcome to the Christian Business Concepts with your host, harold Milby. Christian Business Concepts is dedicated to guiding companies and business owners in becoming effective, efficient and successful through God's Word and godly principles. Now, here's your host, harold Milby.
Speaker 2:Thank you, kelly, and welcome everyone to this week's Christian Business Concepts podcast. I'm your host, harold Milby, and I'm so excited that you've decided to download this podcast and, whether you're a regular listener or this is your first time, we welcome you and we hope that you'll be encouraged. We hope that you'll be enlightened and empowered by what you hear today on this podcast. Each week, I try to apply biblical principles, business principles that will help you find true godly success. The only thing that I ask is that you help us try to grow the CBC family by sharing this podcast with four or five others. Also, place the link. You can copy the link and paste that on your LinkedIn page, on your Facebook page. We'd love to have you help us to spread the word about Christian business concepts. It's just something that's in our heart to do. Business concepts, you know it's just something that's in our heart to do and God has been blessing the work that we're doing and with increased number of people that listen, it seems like each week. So whether you're a business owner, a business leader or an organizational leader, a department leader or a stay-at-home mom, you know the principles that we discuss here can be really a great source for finding godly success, not just in your career, but really these principles can be applied to almost every area of your life, and so we're excited about what you're doing in your business and we're excited about those who listen each week, and we're so thankful for you and we lift you up in prayer and we thank you for being a part. Now, before we get started today, I'd just like to give a really big shout out to the country of Zimbabwe for downloading our podcast and being a part of the CBC family, and we hope today's podcast will be a blessing to you as well and to everyone who's listening today. Now, in today's company spotlight, I just want to mention a business by the name of Mercy Ships.
Speaker 2:Mercy Ships is a non-profit. They're a healthcare maritime company. They're headquartered in Switzerland and it was founded in 1978 by Don and Dion Stevens. It's an international organization and they operate hospital ships to provide free medical care in a lot of the developing countries around the world, and its mission is really rooted in Christian values and it was according to them. It was inspired by Jesus's call to serve the poor and those who feel like they may be marginalized. But this is a great organization. They integrate faith into their operations. The crew members, the doctors, the staff on these ships have regular prayer meetings and worship time. Mercy Ships right now operates two hospital ships and to date they've served over 2.8 million people and in more than 70 countries, and a lot of those countries are in Africa. And you know, as a global nonprofit based out of Switzerland, mercy Ships really exemplifies how Christian principles can drive really an impactful business and they have those operations in every part, all parts of the world, internationally.
Speaker 2:We appreciate Mercy Ships, we appreciate the work that they're doing and we're thankful for them. I just wanted to encourage you to know about them. Feel free to go to their website. I'm sure they would love to have donations and you'll find a way to do that on their website if you so desire to be a part of that. But I think it'd be a well-worth nonprofit investment to those folks at Mercy Ships. They do great work there, great work.
Speaker 2:Now today's topic. It really comes from my heart and I tell you I was reading an article this week that really tore at me, and then I heard several stories and additional articles, that kind of follow in line with this, and the first article was about a 90-year-old artist and a professor and she was perfectly healthy. Nothing wrong with her. She was in great shape, she got around, great, she said out of her own testimony. She said she was pretty happy in most areas of her life. She was happy with most areas, but she decided she just didn't feel that she had that much purpose in life anymore and she just didn't have any significance. She felt like any longer. So she decided to commit suicide through assisted suicide and end her life. Now, according to the story, she decided she wanted to end her life on her own terms while she still had the mental faculties to do that and to make that kind of a decision.
Speaker 2:I read some other articles about the number of suicides amongst our military and especially those who have served in combat missions and had some horrific things either happen to their buddies or themselves. I listened to a chaplain talk about it who was also a combat veteran, but he became a chaplain to help these people and he said that on several occasions that the people that he was trying to help would be found in the parking lot of a VA hospital and they had committed suicide in their car while they were there at the VA center. And many of those people said the same thing. They were struggling and they couldn't find purpose. And that really tore at me. It really did. It just really touched my life to think that people are ready to check out, you know, because they just don't have a purpose. They don't feel like there's a purpose or there's any significance for you know, in their life, or that their life had any significance. You know, rick Warren said one time he said the greatest tragedy is not death but life without purpose.
Speaker 2:I think it's important that we understand what our purpose is, that we have purpose. I think it's incredibly sad that the number of young people that are also committing suicide teenagers, young teenagers that are committing suicide and they're doing that, and a lot of times they'll leave notes and they'll talk about how insignificant they feel and how that they have no purpose, and so this is a serious issue, I think, in our society today. I don't think it's related to any one country, I think it happens worldwide and I think a big part of that is that they don't really have purpose in their life and I think that comes spiritually. I do. I really think that to have true purpose in life, I think you need to be born again. You need to get God's direction on your life for the purpose that God's created you for.
Speaker 2:In Ephesians 1 and 11, it says In him we have also been chosen, predestined according to the purpose of him, who works all things according to the counsel of his will. So we have been chosen by God, you've been predestined by God for a purpose and this verse it just speaks to the idea that we're chosen, that we're predestined for a purpose that God has set in motion. You know there have been times in my life when either that purpose has been adjusted or God has even changed that purpose. But through all the years of my life I've never, ever, ever felt in my life more fulfilled, more complete, as when I knew I was working hard to fulfill that purpose that I knew God had for me.
Speaker 2:You know, as Christian business leaders, understanding what your God-given purpose is. It's really foundational. It's a foundation. You know it's going to be hard to lead with integrity, to have impact, to feel that fulfillment without knowing that purpose, to feel that fulfillment without knowing that purpose. You know purpose. When you have that purpose and you understand it, it really aligns your work with God's calling. You know it provides a lot of clarity when you're making decisions. It helps you to be resilient when you've got challenges. You know and recognizing the signs of passion, what your passion is. It really fuels your commitment to that purpose and it ensures your leadership. It ensures that your leadership reflects not just professional excellence but spiritual excellence as well. So today we're going to explore some important facts and principles about how to know your purpose, some practical steps to be able to figure that out, to discern what that is, and how to identify the signs of passion that confirm that you're walking in alignment with God's plan for your life.
Speaker 2:I can't talk about it enough. I've been so blessed to be able to clearly know that God has given me a purpose and even I'm right now, at the present time, I'm 63 years old and I have plans. I was sharing with somebody even this evening, before I came into the studio to record this podcast about my age, and they were talking about being elderly. And how did I feel about that? And I said well, honestly, I don't really feel elderly, but when I look at the purpose that God has put upon me and my wife and the vision that he's given us, the clarity that is coming in now, especially more clarity of that vision. It's just, you know, more clarity of that vision, it's just, you know, I'm in the center of God's will and I'm glad for that and it's so fulfilling. But you know, in terms of elderly, I was telling them, you know well, all I know is the vision that God's given me is so big that I've got time. I've got time and God's needing me to be here for this. That's why he created me, and so purpose is so much a part of everything I do every single day, and so it's important.
Speaker 2:It's important to know your purpose. You know the Bible teaches that every individual, every individual that's you, that's me, but everybody is created with a very unique purpose, and that purpose also will glorify God and it'll serve other people. You know, as Christian leaders, as Christian business leaders, your work, your career is a ministry. It's an opportunity to reflect God's character. You get an opportunity to advance his kingdom, even through your profession, through your career, and I think that's so, so important.
Speaker 2:You know, the Bible says in Jeremiah 29, 11,. It says, for I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. You know God has specific plans for your life. You know, in Ephesians 2 and 10, it says for we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do. So your endeavors in business and in your career, they're part of God's preordained work that he has for you. Proverbs 16 and 3 says commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. So when you align your business with God's purpose, it ensures that God's going to give you his guidance and his success which is really what this ministry is about is finding true godly success.
Speaker 2:So why does purpose matter for Christian business leaders? You know, I think there's several things. There's probably a lot more than what I've got here, but I think there's several things. Number one it helps you to really have clarity when you've got to make decisions. You know, knowing your purpose, it's like a compass. It gives you guidance, it gives you strategy, it helps you to make good ethical choices, even when things are tough, when you have challenges, when things are complex. It brings that clarity when you need to make decisions. It also gives you resilience when you're going through a challenge or adversity. You know it really anchors you. It really anchors you that it doesn't matter if it's an economic downturn or maybe there's competitive pressures or maybe just some personal challenges. It really doesn't matter what the obstacles are, because your goal is to get there, get to that purpose and to make sure you're doing everything you can to fulfill that purpose. But let me tell you something else it does it helps you to inspire your teams, your teammates, the people that work for you, the people that work with you. When you have purpose-driven leaders, they really inspire people. It really helps you to develop a culture within your organization that has real meaning, and when you do that, it helps to motivate people, and so it really brings about a lot of loyalty. But let me tell you something else it does too, and that increases. It increases productivity, because people are passionate. They get behind the purpose, they get behind the vision. So that's important.
Speaker 2:But another reason why purpose matters is kingdom impact. So you can have an opportunity to impact the kingdom of God when you know and understand what your purpose is. Because I promise you that once you find what that purpose is, god created you for that purpose to have an impact, to serve other people and to be a good steward with the resources that he gives you. Because I've always said this where God guides, he provides. So when you find out what your purpose is, I promise you that when you pray and you seek God's wisdom, you will find the resources that you need. And then you've got to be a good steward and manage those resources properly. And it also helps you to reflect. You have opportunities. When you have that purpose and you realize it, you will reflect Christ's love in the marketplace. You just can't help it.
Speaker 2:So you know, having purpose is not relegated to just pastors or ministers or evangelists or people of that sort, but having purpose is for everybody. I don't care what your career is, having purpose is for everybody. I don't care what your career is, having purpose is for everybody. And then I mentioned this earlier you know you get personal fulfillment when you live out your purpose and you align your work with your faith. It leads to a lot of joy, a lot of satisfaction. And let me tell you something when you have joy and satisfaction because you're fulfilling your purpose, let me tell you that's bigger than even financial success. It's incredible and it's a great way to live your life.
Speaker 2:And then, lastly, I think that when you understand and you know your purpose, it brings health. It brings health to your body. In Ephesians 4.16 in the New Living Translation, it says he makes the whole body fit together perfectly and as each part does its own special work. Now catch that as each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. And I think I forgot to mention when I talked about brings health to the body.
Speaker 2:I'm talking about the body of Christ, I'm talking about the church, I'm talking about the body, the body of believers around the world. See, we are all part of the body of Christ. Not everybody's a hand, not everybody's an eye or an ear or a foot. You know we all have different purposes, and that goes into your career as well. You don't compartmentalize the purpose that God has for you and say, well, here's my purpose in my church life, in my spiritual life, but that doesn't have anything to do with my career. That's not true, because God's called you for a specific purpose and that purpose is going to include your career. It's going to include that business that you possibly own. So I think that that is really really important to understand that you, as a part of the body of Christ, we all fit together perfectly, right? So a complete body physically has arms, it's got legs and eyes and ears, and hands and feet and it's got all these different parts to the body and some of those parts are really they seem to be a lot more important to you than other parts of the body. But in the body of Christ, all of the body, all of those parts, all of those people with different purposes, they all come together and fit together perfectly. And as we all fulfill that purpose in our life, it helps other people to grow. It helps them to grow in their purpose, because we have that ripple effect where we touch other people's lives, and it helps the whole body of Christ to be healthy, helps them to grow and to be full of love.
Speaker 2:Now, what possibly are some consequences for ignoring purpose? Well, let me tell you First off is you're going to have this disconnection from God's calling and when that happens, you miss a lot of opportunities to make a kingdom impact. When you ignore it, you do, it helps you. You kind of become sterile with regard to having any kind of impact for the kingdom of God. On the more professional side of that, you may, or your team may, lack direction. You don't have good direction because you don't have good purpose, and then you wind up having the opposite of what I shared earlier You're going to have high turnover, you'll have disengagement, your productivity will suffer. So there are consequences to ignoring God's purpose.
Speaker 2:So you know, I think it's crucial, it's very important that we discern what your God-given purpose is. In discerning your purpose, it requires you do this intentionally, it requires you to pray, it requires some good self-reflection, and these are very intentional steps that you have to take to align with God's will in your life. And so I want to talk about just a few practical steps for you to discern, to discover what your purpose is. All right. So first, what you want to do is you want to seek God. Seek him through prayer, seek him through scripture. The Bible says in James 1 and 5, you've heard me talk about it before If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God who giveth liberally and upbraideth not. God will give you that direction.
Speaker 2:You know, be sensitive to the Spirit, be sensitive to the Holy Spirit Say well, I've never really heard God's voice. Well, you probably have and you just didn't recognize it. Because God's speaking. He's speaking to us all the time and we just have to be sensitive. It's kind of like that radio, especially on the AM channels. You've got to fine tune it, you've got to tune it in. It's the same way when you are trying to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, you've got to tune in, get rid of the static and really tune in so you can hear him clearly.
Speaker 2:The next thing that's really important is you've got to study, study the Word of God, study scriptures about calling, about stewardship, about service. Study scriptures like Romans, chapter 12 and verses 1 through 8, and study Colossians, chapter 3, verses 23 and 24, and then meditate on these things, how that they apply to your business and how they can apply. I also want you to journal. I would encourage you strongly to journal Record some of the things that you feel like you're hearing from the Lord Record, you know, scripture that jumps out at you, that just seems to have things that just kind of reoccur over and over again when you read scriptures and it just keeps pointing to the same thing a lot of times. Those are kind of clues as to what your purpose is.
Speaker 2:The other thing that you need to do is you need to reflect, reflect on your gifts, reflect on your talents. You know, according to 1 Corinthians 12, verses 4 through 6, god equips every person with very unique abilities to fulfill their purpose. So, for example, if you had amnesia, if you had amnesia and you were released from the hospital and somebody said, well, you drove here, here's your car, here's your car keys. And you decided, well, I'm going to look in the trunk and see if there's anything in there. I'm going to look at the back seat If there's anything that I can find to help me to understand what my purpose is. And you look in there and you find a hammer and a saw and a level and a drill, and you find all these tools in there. You would probably come away thinking you know, I must be a carpenter because of all the tools.
Speaker 2:Well, it's the same way with the gifts and the abilities that God gives you. They are really a key indicator for what your purpose is, key indicator for what your purpose is. So you need to ask yourself what skills, what strengths do other people seem to continually affirm to you? What are things, what are skills that people look at you and say you know you're really good at this, or I noticed you're really good at that, you know. And then what task or roles really get you excited, or just kind of a natural thing, it just kind of flows naturally. And then how do your gifts align with opportunities in your business or industry? You've got to ask that question. An example would be a leader with a gift for communication might be called to advocate for ethical practices or mentor even young people, young professionals, if that person has the gift of communication. That's just an example, though. It could be anything. It could be anything. So you need to reflect on your gifts and your talents and find out what they are in order for you to find out and to get a clue about your purpose.
Speaker 2:So we're not going to be able to finish all of this in this first podcast, but I tell you, I really want you to listen to next week's podcast, because we're going to talk about practical insights about your purpose and how to find it for your life. I want you to understand some very important things. I've got several things I want to share with you, and then we're going to finish this podcast up, but that's not what we're going to be able to finish up today. We're not going to be able to get into that today. We'll do that in the next podcast. We're not going to be able to get into that today. We'll do that in the next podcast.
Speaker 2:And so I want to make sure that you are going to listen and download next week's podcast, as we continue to understand the importance of your purpose and helping you to find your purpose, okay, and we'll talk about some examples of businesses and business leaders that have those exact things, that have those exact things that have been through exactly what we're talking about. Well, thanks again, so much for downloading this week's Christian Business Podcast episode, and be sure to make sure, again, that you post this link to the podcast on your Facebook and your LinkedIn pages. Well, that's all the time we have for today, so until next time, remember Jesus is Lord and he wants you blessed.
Speaker 1:Thank you for tuning into this week's Christian Business Concepts podcast. Go to christianbusinessconceptscom for more information and resources. Be sure to check out other podcasts that will help you take your business and your personal life to a whole new level of success.