The Secret of Healthy Multiplication
Everyone wants to know how to multiply their business, their finances, and their influence. Jesus showed us the secret by having the crowd of people sit down in groups of 50 before He multiplied the bread. Order precedes multiplication. I have observed that multiplication is wishful thinking for most leaders. They forget that God is “not the author of confusion” and that everything should be done “decently and in order.” When your checkbook is a mess, chances are God is not going to give you more finances!
With that fact in mind, here are some areas that I try to be sure I keep in order:
1. Order in my time
Punctuality usually happens when I clean up my closet! I always run late if I can’t find my socks or my shirt is not ironed. I also shoot to arrive somewhere 15 minutes early so that if I hit unexpected traffic, I am still on time.
When I met with the Governor for six years I arrived 45 minutes early. If a person is important enough to meet with, they are important enough to be met on time.
2. Order in my home
I am not obsessive about every dish being put up the moment it is used. However, I have seen the difference in my mind when I clean out my garage, have a place for everything, and keep it from getting out of order. A clean car just seems to drives better.
Take a day off and clean out closets, give away clothing you have not worn for years. Simplify your yard, your furniture, your washroom. Order in the home will begin to bring peace to your life. If you want your neighbor to respect you more, make sure your grass isn't so tall you lost two kids back there last month!
3. Order in my finances
Many people have no idea how much they owe (debt), how much they have (net worth), and how much they need to live on (budget). Even fewer know how much they need to retire on and are actively moving toward a plan for that.
Take a Dave Ramsey course and watch yourself pay off thousands in debt. Go to a financial planner and let them help you budget and save. Start with 10/10/80: tithe 10%, save 10%, live off the rest.
Pay every bill on time and get your credit score over 740 so you get the best interest rate on any loans you have to take out.
4. Order in my priorities
Balancing work, play, family, home, and church can be a really delicate matter! With six children, a megachurch to pastor, TV/Radio stations to manage, and missions worldwide, life was always about priorities for me.
If even one of these areas is crumbling, your life is out of order. Have a planning day with your spouse to re-balance these five things in light of changes.
God took a ragtag multitude out of Egypt to Mt. Sinai. There, he transformed them in an army: three tribes camped north, south, east, and west. They were in order and could conquer Canaan. When you focus on order, you will began to discover the key to multiplication! Order precedes healthy multiplication.
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