A Nugget from New Life Network
Scripture for the Day (August 3, 2015)
Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 18:19)
The Greek word used for agree in Matthew 18:19 is “sumphoneo”. It means harmonious, in one accord, by compact or agreement. It is where we get our English word symphony from. Just imagine a great pianist playing solo and then strings (violins) being added to the mix. It brings power and fullness to the music. It multiplies and enhances the sound. It makes it even more beautiful.
The same multiplication principle happens in life and business. You see it in marriages and you see it in business mergers. If you have ever been married you know first hand how important agreement is. When my wife Cheryl and I are in agreement there is nothing that can stand in our way. In fact, we have learned after 48 years of marriage not to make any major decisions if we are not in agreement. That is how important and how powerful we think that principle is.
What do I mean by multiplication? There is a principle in the Bible that one can chase a thousand but two can chase ten thousand. That same principle exists in marriages and mergers. Usually in a marriage one of you is better at certain things than the other one. I like to say it like this. We are made to complement each other and not compete with each other. We both have strengths and we both have weaknesses but together we can really be strong, if we don’t let ego, pride, or tradition get in the way. By tradition I mean such things as the man is suppose to do this and the woman is suppose to do that. Hogwash!! If your wife is a CPA, are you going to insist that you should manage the books? Come on!! You are a team. You are called one flesh in the Bible. Work as a team.
Mergers and partnerships are usually very similar in nature. One business has strengths in one area that the other business is weak in. Together, they can go much further than they could ever go alone. It’s kind of like a marriage.
Looking back on our marriage I can see a couple of places where I put my foot down as the “head of the household” and said the heck with agreement. As the man, I knew what the right thing to do was. Each one of those decisions resulted in going down the wrong road. Most of the time (not all) the woman has more discernment than the man. Most of the time it is the woman that is more relationship oriented and picks up on things that a man misses. That can be a tremendous gift of protection and guidance if it has the freedom to operate.
In 1 Corinthians 11:11 (NASB) it tells us that man is not independent of woman and woman is not independent of man. If we are going to be all that God has called us to be in our marriage then we have to learn to honor each other’s gifts and talents and work together as a team. It’s the same in business. We can touch the world if we just realize we need each other to do it.
They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: (Joel 2:7)
Can two walk together, except they be agreed? (Amos 3:3)_______________________________________________________________________________
