Ultimate Strategy
How strategic are you? When was the last time you chose something at a great cost in order to gain something you valued more? How did it work out?
Consciously or not, we use strategy every day. Taking an alternate route on purpose to arrive on time is strategic. Saying no to a child now in order to help them build character for the future is strategic.
Strategic Difference Makers
Martin Luther King Jr. worked to achieve civil rights for those who were oppressed by using a nonviolent protest strategy. Ronald Reagan worked to end the Cold War and achieve global peace by using the threat of power. Although their strategies were different, Dr. King and President Reagan both crafted visions of a better future. King motivated millions with his “I Have A Dream” speech, casting a vision where all people are treated as equals. Likewise, Reagan inspired millions that America could be “a shining city on a hill.” Both men believed in something bigger than themselves and worked strategically to achieve great success.
We Experience Strategy
We see strategy used in business and sports every day. Companies review their strengths, study their markets, and decide clever ways to achieve goals. For example, Airbnb completely changed the vacation rental business and even the larger rental housing markets by starting with a simple strategy of presenting a listing with high-quality photography. The co-founders grabbed a camera and knocked on the door of each and every one of their NYC listings. Within a month of starting this strategy, sales doubled. Strategy is on display in sports each time an athlete or team decides to cleverly deploy one of their greatest strengths. For example, a team that is ahead toward the end of the game knows that their lead is their greatest asset. They deploy a delay strategy to hold on to the ball and win. Mohammad Ali famously employed the “rope a dope” strategy to wear out George Foreman to win the heavyweight title.
Strategy Is Cleverness
Strategy is a unique plan to leverage assets (corporate or personal) in a clever manner to achieve an intended goal or result. Good strategic planning requires making tough choices. In Michael Porter's 1996 Harvard Business Review article, "What Is Strategy?" he says, “Competitive strategy is about being different. It means deliberately choosing a different set of activities to deliver a unique mix of value...The essence of strategy is choosing to perform activities differently than rivals do.”
God’s Strategy
The Creator of the universe (Genesis 1), the great I AM (Exodus 3:14-15), and the preeminent Being (Colossians 1:16-18), chose selfish and sinful humans to display His glory. Throughout history God has used creation (primarily people) to display His glory and endless love.
Just as the Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land, Moses shared with them the strategy God had given him for how the people could avoid idol worship and remain faithful to God's promises.
“Ask now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created human beings on the earth; ask from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything so great as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of? Has any other people heard the voice of God speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived? Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides him there is no other. From heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline you. On earth he showed you his great fire, and you heard his words from out of the fire. Because he loved your ancestors and chose their descendants after them, he brought you out of Egypt by his Presence and his great strength, to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you into their land to give it to you for your inheritance, as it is today. Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the LORD your God gives you for all time” - Deuteronomy 4:32-40 NIV
God uses fallen humans (Genesis 3) who are unable to follow His commands perfectly so that His perfect glory is put on display (Isaiah 43:21). God, through His son, Jesus is the very definition of love (John 15:13). God allows us to participate in His ultimate strategy not as subjects or servants who deserve wrath, but as friends (John 15:14) and heirs to His throne. Throughout the Bible, He makes known His plans for glory and our purpose as His chosen instruments.
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” - Ephesians 2:4-7
God’s Strategy In Our Daily Lives
God’s purpose for our lives should impact all of our strategic plans. Our purpose is to glorify God in everything we do (1 Corinthians 10:31). Yes, everything.
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” - Colossians 3:17
Glorifying God is accomplished when we trust God and turn our lives over to Him. This means when we make a clever plan to take a shortcut we consider how doing so might impact our witness to our King. This means when we discipline a child we think about how this helps them know God better. In business and work-life, this means we take the long view (eternal view) of how to deploy our differentiated God-given gifts to serve the needs of our family, coworkers, customers, and neighbors.
Join us this week to develop clever plans for your life and work using God’s redemptive strategy.
How strategic are you? When was the last time you chose something at a great cost in order to gain something you valued more? How did it work out?
Consciously or not, we use strategy every day. Taking an alternate route on purpose to arrive on time is strategic. Saying no to a child now in order to help them build character for the future is strategic.
Strategic Difference Makers
Martin Luther King Jr. worked to achieve civil rights for those who were oppressed by using a nonviolent protest strategy. Ronald Reagan worked to end the Cold War and achieve global peace by using the threat of power. Although their strategies were different, Dr. King and President Reagan both crafted visions of a better future. King motivated millions with his “I Have A Dream” speech, casting a vision where all people are treated as equals. Likewise, Reagan inspired millions that America could be “a shining city on a hill.” Both men believed in something bigger than themselves and worked strategically to achieve great success.
We Experience Strategy
We see strategy used in business and sports every day. Companies review their strengths, study their markets, and decide clever ways to achieve goals. For example, Airbnb completely changed the vacation rental business and even the larger rental housing markets by starting with a simple strategy of presenting a listing with high-quality photography. The co-founders grabbed a camera and knocked on the door of each and every one of their NYC listings. Within a month of starting this strategy, sales doubled. Strategy is on display in sports each time an athlete or team decides to cleverly deploy one of their greatest strengths. For example, a team that is ahead toward the end of the game knows that their lead is their greatest asset. They deploy a delay strategy to hold on to the ball and win. Mohammad Ali famously employed the “rope a dope” strategy to wear out George Foreman to win the heavyweight title.
Strategy Is Cleverness
Strategy is a unique plan to leverage assets (corporate or personal) in a clever manner to achieve an intended goal or result. Good strategic planning requires making tough choices. In Michael Porter's 1996 Harvard Business Review article, "What Is Strategy?" he says, “Competitive strategy is about being different. It means deliberately choosing a different set of activities to deliver a unique mix of value...The essence of strategy is choosing to perform activities differently than rivals do.”
God’s Strategy
The Creator of the universe (Genesis 1), the great I AM (Exodus 3:14-15), and the preeminent Being (Colossians 1:16-18), chose selfish and sinful humans to display His glory. Throughout history God has used creation (primarily people) to display His glory and endless love.
Just as the Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land, Moses shared with them the strategy God had given him for how the people could avoid idol worship and remain faithful to God's promises.
“Ask now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created human beings on the earth; ask from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything so great as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of? Has any other people heard the voice of God speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived? Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides him there is no other. From heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline you. On earth he showed you his great fire, and you heard his words from out of the fire. Because he loved your ancestors and chose their descendants after them, he brought you out of Egypt by his Presence and his great strength, to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you into their land to give it to you for your inheritance, as it is today. Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the LORD your God gives you for all time” - Deuteronomy 4:32-40 NIV
God uses fallen humans (Genesis 3) who are unable to follow His commands perfectly so that His perfect glory is put on display (Isaiah 43:21). God, through His son, Jesus is the very definition of love (John 15:13). God allows us to participate in His ultimate strategy not as subjects or servants who deserve wrath, but as friends (John 15:14) and heirs to His throne. Throughout the Bible, He makes known His plans for glory and our purpose as His chosen instruments.
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” - Ephesians 2:4-7
God’s Strategy In Our Daily Lives
God’s purpose for our lives should impact all of our strategic plans. Our purpose is to glorify God in everything we do (1 Corinthians 10:31). Yes, everything.
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” - Colossians 3:17
Glorifying God is accomplished when we trust God and turn our lives over to Him. This means when we make a clever plan to take a shortcut we consider how doing so might impact our witness to our King. This means when we discipline a child we think about how this helps them know God better. In business and work-life, this means we take the long view (eternal view) of how to deploy our differentiated God-given gifts to serve the needs of our family, coworkers, customers, and neighbors.
Join us this week to develop clever plans for your life and work using God’s redemptive strategy.