The Maxwell Leadership Bible, page 581: "The Law of Priorities: Nehemiah Wisely Uses His Resources. "Shortly after his arrival in Jerusalem, we see Nehemiah busily at work putting the right men in the right places."
Goal-focused and goal-oriented is what Jesus was. Peter's rebuke seemed to be right on, but Jesus was on a mission which was absolutely contrary to any other man's life purpose - that of going to the cross - so He immediately rebuked His rebuker. Peter hadn't suddenly turned into Satan, but He was clearly out of tune with God's plan which, if he'd been paying better attention, he might have realized.
When Nehemiah realized the great need of His brethren who'd previously escaped to Jerusalem and whose lives and conditions, he'd learned, were in a shambles, he himself rather quickly became goal-focused and goal-oriented. His singleness of purpose was to get the money and the means and get out of Dodge so he could help them. Nonetheless, he used great wisdom and caution, waiting four months after he first heard to approach the king for the capital. In fact, he might not really have approached King Artaxerxes, himself, for the king himself questioned why Nehemiah was so down in the dumps. Right in the middle of their conversation, the Bible says, Nehemiah "prayed to the God of heaven" (Nehemiah 2:4)! Now, it doesn't say that he prayed out loud or long, but he certainly went directly to the King in order to say the right thing to and get the right result from the king.
Nehemiah was so aware of and focused on his mission, as John C. Maxwell explains in The Maxwell Leadership Bible, page 579, that he knew how long the project would take (2:6), and he knew how to get there (2:7). Furthermore, he even had the presence of mind to ask for letters of permission granted for his journey for the governors beyond the River, one to get timber from the keeper of the king's forest in order to make beams for the gates which had been burned, and one for the house for him to live in. The king even sent captains of the army and horsemen with him. Like Jesus, Nehemiah had opposition to His plan, but neither would be waylaid for their missions were paramount and absolutely nothing would dissuade them. Even though both had difficult tasks before them, they kept their sites on God's plan for them because they knew God had a plan for the greater good and they were instruments in it. In Matthew 7, Jesus said to ask for everyone who asks, receives; to seek, for everyone who seeks, finds; and to knock, for to him who knocks the door will be opened. The Amplified Bible elaborates further and explains, in the original Greek text, Jesus more accurately said to "ask and keep on asking, seek and keep on seeking, knock and keep on knocking." Stay goal-focused and goal-oriented. Persist - diligently seek Him - particularly when your prayers of asking, seeking, and knocking have the purpose of hearing from God for He is a Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).
Dear Lord, thank you for showing us how You are God in the details of our lives when we seek You to assist us and ask You into our plans. In Jesus' name, Amen!
Workshop Three Objectives
After completingWorkshop Three, you should be able to:
1. Review the costs related to financing a healthcare organization.
2. Discuss the process of estimating the costs of capital and how it is applied in the capital investment decisions.
3. Explore the effects of debt financing scenarios on business's risk management.
4. Determine the factors to consider when choosing a capital structure for a healthcare business.
5. Summarize the business decisions regarding debt maturities and explain the risk/return trade-off concept.