THE RIPPLE EFFECT LASTS

Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 1 John 4:20 NIV

GOD, what an AWESOME, AMAZING, ALMIGHTY GOD HE IS! Do you LOVE GOD?  In this scripture it's pretty clear of GOD'S rules. GOD only wants the truth. Not a little, not half, but the whole truth! Remember, HE already knows what happened. HE already knows the truth.

John says, "who ever does not love their brother and sister whom they have seen, cannot love GOD, whom they have not seen."  That's pretty darn deep. Our brothers and sisters are all around the world, everywhere. They are sinners.  They make mistakes. They make wrong choices. Some of them walk down paths of darkness, but no matter what, they are still deserving of LOVE. I believe, with LOVE, comes FORGIVENESS. You truly can't have one without the other. It's a TWO FER!

Take a look in your own life at the people who have wronged you and hurt you. Can you honestly say you LOVE them? When I say LOVE, I don't mean an emotion or feeling, I am talking about a choice and an action.  Do you LOVE the woman they just showed on the news who left her newborn for dead in a dumpster? Or do you immediately feel harsh feelings for her. Some of you might wish her harm. Showing LOVE to her, would be stopping and praying for her. It would be showing her GRACE and not judging her. It's not an easy thing to do at all. We are humans and not GOD.

As we take a closer look at LOVE, so much is revealed. In the Bible John says, "GOD is LOVE." HE doesn't say "LOVE is GOD." We as humans have changed the meaning of LOVE for our own selfish reasons. We believe or think that LOVE is what makes us feel good. So we sacrifice morals, values and principles and sometimes other's right in order to obtain this so called "LOVE."  That's not LOVE, that's complete selfishness. That's not GOD'S LOVE. GOD'S LOVE is PERFECT & PURE.

Let's dig into how this kind of LOVE can change the Corporate World. Your company is in the process of negotiations with another large company for a huge deal. The contracts are drawn, it's the morning of the big meeting to close the deal and sign on the dotted line. Jim, your right hand man is in charge of bringing all the paperwork to the meeting. You trust Jim, he is a work horse! His passion for your company is displayed daily.  He overproduces, stays late, comes in early. Everyone knows this type of employee/human being is a KEEPER!  Jim walks in for the meeting, disheveled and distraught.  You, the owner might be thinking many thoughts; What is going on with Jim? Is he ok? Shoot, I am going to lose this deal because Jim doesn't have it all together. We have worked for months on this and it's millions of dollars. We could go on about all the thoughts one could have. What would you do if Jim was your employee? Would you immediately snap at Jim? Or would you pray asking GOD how to handle the situation. Would you excuse yourself and Jim out of the room to see what was going on and check in with Jim? Could you walk back into the conference room saying, "Thank you for your time, but I have to cancel this meeting. I have an emergency with one of my family members, Jim. My employees are my family, and family comes first!"   That's LOVE.  LOVE is taking yourself, your emotions, out of the equation and focusing on the greater good for your brothers and sisters. It's taking ACTION, it's a CHOICE. That's seeing things through the eyes of GOD. Imagine if we all could see things the way GOD does.

As you go about your day, think about LOVING your brothers and sisters. How could you spread LOVE around your workplace and encourage others to do it as well?  Do you check in with your employees daily, or even weekly? Everyone wants to be acknowledged and praised, hence, feeling loved and appreciated.  Giving 5 minutes of your time praising an employee far outweighs giving them a small bonus.  Anyone can write a check, it takes a loving, caring, person, to give away their time.  YOU MUST BE IN THE PRECIOUS PRESENT TO PRAISE A PERSON. When moral is boosted, a company flourishes.  Furthermore, when a company is a team, lead by servant leaders, it far succeeds anyone's greatest dreams. The RIPPLE EFFECTS OF LOVE.

GOD Bless

Coach Gretch