"Those changed by Christ, change their environment."

"Want to break in your spirited young horse? Take a 30-cm. long rope, and tie it to a donkey. Within 48 hours it will be as quiet as a lamb." Amazingly that's exactly what happened! This advice came from an old Irish horse trainer who knew that the stubbornness of the donkey would not yield to the antics of a feisty horse much bigger than himself. The donkey went where it wanted to, and the horse just had to learn to follow! You and I, stubborn Christians in business, can also experience this in a positive way by "tying our donkey to the Vine."

Jesus invites us to "Come to me, all who labour and are heavily laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30). He invites us to be tied to him by a 30-cm. piece of rope, or to work with him in a 'yoke,' equally carrying the burden of our work! We will then learn to follow Jesus and experience Him working in close proximity.

"I can't believe how irritable and angry I have become. I used to let my values and faith affect my decision making, but now it all seems to circle around monthly profits, share prices and cash flow." One morning Hans woke up and didn't like the man he saw in the mirror. He had become part of the corporate culture. Research shows how quickly we become socialized in the corporate environment, through pressure to modify attitudes, expectations and behavior in order to fit in. Being 'yoked' to a partner who doesn't share your values can affect your spiritual health!

Marinating in corporate culture can easily lead us to abandoning the very source of our true values. Like the proverbial frog who, when immersed in a pan of water and slowly warmed up, will feel very comfortable until he is cooked, we can so easily become a product of our environment instead of shaping it. The quote above is an expression of our vision at CBMC. We know that remaining closely tied to Jesus, sharing His 'yoke,' we experience His power flowing through us to shape our surroundings, seeing true values practiced and people's lives changed.

The apostle Paul took a line from a popular Greek tragedy and wrote it into scripture for insertion in our mental database. "Bad company corrupts good character" (1 Corinthians 15:33). The wise King Solomon said, "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm" (Proverbs 13:20). "Learn from me," Jesus invites. Being a life-long learner in a learning organization, enjoying the power and wisdom of the Creator Himself, is a real privilege!

Another good piece of Irish advice was given to the man who asked why on earth such a stupid horse was entered in such a prestigious race. "Well, you see, I know he has no chance of winning but the association will do him good." Stay close to Jesus this week, listen to Him, take His assignment on board, learn how to work in tandem with Him and prepare to be surprised at how He works through you (career, business, money, ambitions, skills, etc.).

Peter Briscoe

Peter J. Briscoe, currently serving as European Regional Director for CBMC International and Europartners. He lives in Leiden, The Netherlands.