PURSUING GOD’S WAYS
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — His good, pleasing and perfect will.”
— Romans 12:2
The Bible tells us that God’s ways are higher than our ways. As an organization we want to choose God’s ways above all else, whether or not they seem to make sense. We don’t get it right all the time; we aren’t perfect. But we seek to shape our corporate culture and practices according to God’s ways and biblical truth rather than popular opinion or standard practice. For example:
God gets the glory
It’s human nature to want to take credit when something goes right. But the truth is, only God deserves praise. The plans are His, the resources are His, and the transforming power is His. The Bible says that we can’t even take a breath apart from God sustaining us. So we strive to point to Him with every activity, every blog post, every tweet.
God is our primary advisor
We read books about strategy and effective communication, we consult experts whenever we get the chance, and we watch the news. But pursuing God’s ways means that, first and foremost, we consult Scripture and practice listening prayer. We don’t make a move or start a program without seeking God first.
We are collaborative, not competitive.
We recognize that God is doing many fantastic things around the world through many churches, organizations and other groups. We want to celebrate that, to learn from others and, where appropriate, to share what God has given and taught us through the years.
It’s easy to fall into comparison or competition with other organizations. The very act of raising funds has the potential to make you feel that you need to prove that you are better or more worthy. We want to consciously step away from that. We pause to ask ourselves—in what ways are we building God’s Kingdom and not our own? How are we learning from others? How are we serving others?
We take it personally
Applying the principles of our Framework for Transformation starts within each individual in our organization, then as an organization as a whole, before it works its way out to our programs. Each of us is serious about pursuing God in our personal lives and through our work at Reconciled World. We seek to grow to be like Christ in humility, transparency, honesty, generosity, service, and love for others.
Examples from Our Work
Our website, www.tctprogram.org, freely shares the materials and methods of that program for anyone wanting to replicate the work. Our Executive Director provides consulting to many other organizations who are either running the TCT program or looking to understand and apply the principles of our Framework for Transformation.
Each year, we pray and ask God to give us a “theme” to focus on as an organization. Most years He responds with verses like “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:16) and “Be Still and Know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Being still and often withdrawing to pray certainly don’t feel like a formula for productivity. Yet we know that seeking God and obeying Him are more important than all of our human measures of success. So we choose to carve out time to pray, to worship, and to focus our eyes on Him.
‘PURSUING GOD’S WAYS’ BOOKLET
If you want to go deeper in understanding what this principle is and how you can apply it – this booklet gives more information.
GO DEEPER
If you want to learn more about this principle and how to apply it, you can find articles and a free downloadable booklet at the Framework for Transformation website.
FROM THE BLOG
Here are two of our favorite blog posts related to the core principle Pursuing God’s Ways. You can read more related posts here.
Sit Down, Martha
All in all, it’s made for a crazy busy year. And a year for which God has continuously been whispering, Be still and know that I am God.
Pursuing God’s Ways
His ways are not our ways. That means we never get to just sit down, make a plan, and ask God to bless it. We don’t get to make Him an after-thought..