Help!

I received an e-mail from a buddy of mine this weekend. Not long ago I spent several very long, full days mentoring him on how to improve his business. He and his wife stayed at my home while they were visiting, and after a marathon session of cramming as much as we could get in for three days, I dropped them off at the airport and they departed. During this period I also allowed him advice from my son and others at Horizon who worked to assist him in understanding how we undertake the business processes necessary for success. His visit came at a very bad time for me and for the others at Horizon, because we were absolutely inundated with extreme business pressures of our own at that particular time, but nonetheless, we put our own work aside for a few days and concentrated on helping him to the best of our abilities.

I am happy to report that my buddy has taken our advice and has seen his business improve mightily and in his e-mail he was howling about how much he appreciated me taking time to help him and enumerating all of the success he is now beginning to enjoy. Not that my advice or other’s advice were the sole reasons for his success. All the business advice in the world is useless unless someone commits to do the hard work that it takes to implement the advice. Hard work and persistence in the heat of battle are just as important as knowing what to do and how to do it and he has persistently worked very hard to make his dreams come true.

With that said, it is nice to know that I helped out a friend. I was very impressed with this young man’s determination to succeed from the time I first met him. I am very happy for him and his young wife as they begin to enjoy the fruits of their labor. I am enjoying the fruits of my labor in giving back too. It is most gratifying to see him succeed and in knowing that I had a part in it.

This past weekend I had a friend of mine go to a technology show on my behalf. He was searching for some complex media server technology that I wish to implement in my home. I did not go because I would have just been in the way and it is far too geeky for me to understand. He interrupted his busy schedule to get up at 4:00 AM and fly down to Orlando, (in itself this was an excruciating sacrifice for him as he is not a morning person), and then he flew back later that same night after visiting booths all day long. He did not go for himself; he went to help me out. Like my friend that I helped, I am very appreciative of this person’s efforts on my behalf. It means all the more when someone does something for you like this with nothing to personally gain aside from knowing that they helped out a friend.

The Bible is clear that we should share and we should do good works. Not only will we help someone in need, but we will be well pleased in the results of our efforts and in helping others. Most importantly the Lord will be well pleased too, and that is a very good thing. I would encourage you to do something for someone too. Many folks are too tied up in themselves and their own families and personal problems to ever consider helping anyone else. I urge you to break away from that spirit and in spite of your personal situation, find someone to help out and do it “today”. It might take a little sacrifice in order to do it, but the rewards are great. Make plans today to do something for someone and do it for no other reason than you just wish to share and give back to others some of which you have been blessed and to do some good. Like the holy Scripture below declares, God is well-pleased with sacrifices that we make in order to do some good for someone, and for those who share that which God has blessed them. When you think about it, that is exactly the example that Jesus Christ set for us. In fact He exemplified it for all of mankind. Follow Him!

Hebrews 13:16
But do not forget to do good and
to share for with such sacrifices
God is well pleased.