Benefits of Penitence

Lent - Will you be ready?

Don’t roll your eyes and moan, “What is he thinking.  Lent doesn’t begin until February 13, 2013?”  I am thinking that Lent is only a few weeks away?  If you intend to have a good, meaningful Lenten experience, you must prepare.  You can’t just let it sneak up on you, catching you unaware and unprepared. 

Penitence has held a place of great importance in the lives of most ancient peoples.  It was closely linked with an intimate sense of religion connected with the progress of culture.  Hmm!  Is the culture of your business progressing?  Culture:  the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization; the act of developing the intellectual and moral faculties especially by education.

In the Old Testament, external penitential practices were accompanied by an inner attitude of conversion whose aim was love and surrender to God – fasting for the sake of God, not for one’s own self.  And Christ, who always practiced what He preached spent 40 days and 40 nights in the desert praying, fasting, preparing, in synergy with God The Father, before beginning His public ministry. 

Prayer, fasting, charity, preparedness are fundamental means of complying with the divine call to penitence.  This penitence should be not only internal and individual but external and social. How to accomplish this?  Preparation! 

What can you do today to become a better example of yourself today?  What can your team do today to become better examples of them self today?  What one thing can we learn, practice and become better doing today as a team? 

The Desert

Jesus went into the desert for 40 days and 40 nights after being baptized in the river Jordan by John the Baptist.  Why?  To set an example!  To fulfill the law of the Old Testament!  To show us the way to overcome sin and moral weakness, and how to avoid the temptation of sin!   He surely knows we are continually tempted to go astray.  The devil tempted Him. 

Can we use some time in The Desert?

Did you know that better than 56% of U.S. executives feel their single greatest obstacle to growth is their corporate culture (Economist Intelligence Unit)?  One of the reasons it is important to have events such as this upcoming Christian Automotive Super Conference, March 13 and 14 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway In Charlotte, NC is because they encourage us, or challenge us, even force us to step back from who we are, where we are, and what we're doing; and take another look at who we are, where we are, and what we're doing. 

If we don’t stop and re-charge our batteries, change direction and head to the desert for some penitential time, how do we ever expect to better ourselves?  We are human, meaning we are freely capable of getting stuck in mediocrity, stuck in same old, same old, stuck in individualism, hedonism and minimalism.  We need Church and private prayer.  We desperately need community, fellowship with each other to help hold ourselves accountable to become the best example God created us to be. 

Just as we need sleep, food and water to assure life, we need balance in our lives to assure we don’t go astray (individually, family, team, business). 

We are Spiritual Beings

A balanced life centers on our Physical, Mental and Spiritual balance.  We were Spirit in Heaven. We have our Spirit and the Spirit of God in our human body.  When we die our Spirit lives on in either Heaven or Hell; the choice we make in how we live our lives today until our bodies are reunited with our Spirit come judgment day.  God not only made clear that He resides in us and us in Him, He speaks to us, or the devil speaks to us, every time we listen to whom speaks to us inside us.  Jesus made it crystal clear we can do nothing without Him, so PRIDE is typically that ugly sin that creeps into all of us whenever we put ourselves before others. 

Is the life of your business in balance?

How balanced is your Spiritual life?  How balanced is the Spiritual life of the life of your business?  What?  Yep!  The Spiritual life of the life of your business is every bit as important as the physical and mental.  God created each of us, our world, and everything in it. God created your business through specific people He called to be part of it.  Everyone and everything needs Spiritual balance.

At the Heart of Lent

The Christian Automotive Super Conference (www.automotivesuperconference) occurs in the heart of Lent, a perfect time to step back from who we are, where we are, and what we’re doing, and take another look at who we are, where we are, and what we are doing.  Consider attending as one of your benefits of penitence; fasting, preparing, praying, meeting Jesus in the desert to rejuvenate, refocus, recommit, reappraise our ways, our culture, our own little world, and perhaps even reinvent it as we reinvent ourselves --- together as one in Him!  Think about it!  Pray on it!  Fast on it.  Act on it!

Lenten Daily Retreat

Face the fact we need each other!  Would you want to either participate or get a link to a daily (10 minute) live broadcast for each of the 40 days of Lent to help us (together) endure, prepare, fast, pray in the desert?  I am considering hosting so long as several want to take the co-host role and offer up short wisdom clips that will help others become better each day while in the desert of Lenten Penitence.  Pray on it.  Let me know.  May God bless you abundantly!

Tom Wiegand, 1TeamSynergy Evangelist; 443-910-7702, tom@1TeamSynergy.com/blog/