If you own or run a business or service, there are a couple of things you need that you won’t find at the office or home improvements stores. Truth and Grace. Yeah, those two ingredients are more important than that five handle, lumbar supporting desk chair. And even more important than your iPhone or Android device. (gasp!)

Without Truth and Grace, everything else is just rust and dust.

Do I have your attention? Read on.

Yes, I’m a Christian. But, even if you’re not a Christian, this all still applies. That’s because it’s true. And truth always applies. Doesn’t matter how you feel about it. But maybe you wonder why you need truth and grace for success.

OK, I’ll start with truth.

“Well, if it’s true for you, then it’s true.” Sounds true enough, right? Yeah, until somebody else’s truth crashes into yours like an eighteen wheeler in an action movie.

“There’s no such thing as absolute truth.” The irony in that assertion is that people say it as if it’s absolutely true.

The main point to remember about truth is that it DOES exist. Much about life simply IS true. When you know that, without a single doubt in your mind, it’s liberating. And it gives you a firm foundation for life. Even if you’re not a Christian, I know you’ve heard this phrase: “the truth will make (or set) you free.” Nothing could be truer.

When you know there’s Truth you can depend on, it gives you have a huge advantage over a moral relativist. Because that knowledge helps make you someone others can depend on. They’ll know your word is your bond. You won’t be some fly-by-night scammer who says whatever he has to say to separate “a fool from his money.”

Now, let’s glide from Truth to Grace.

And this ain’t no ballerina grace I’m talking about. Or the graceful flight of an eagle. Sure, those are graceful examples. But the kind of grace you need, to be successful, is what I call “allowance grace.” Allow others their faults or shortcomings. And you even allow them to show you things you didn’t already know. Even if you don’t always agree.

(side note: this allowance is absolutely not the same thing as the so-called “tolerance” mantra you hear every day)

Allowance grace takes stress off you. It allows you to focus on your own shortcomings instead of trying to fix everybody else’s. Sure, everybody else needs fixing, too, and they might even need your help. But deep and abiding grace will help you mind your own business. And you might be amazed at how much that can boost your business AND spirits.

Now, here’s where the “magic” happens.

Combine truth and grace, and you’ve got the one-two punch over your competitors.

As I said, you don’t have to agree with my worldview. But you won’t find anyone else in history who’s a better example of all this than Jesus. And He said if you trust in Him, you’ll live forever. There’s some motivation if you need it.

Of course, He also said if you don’t trust in Him, you’ll just exist forever. And it’ll be in a place that’s, well, let’s just say it’s not a nice place. Where all the stuff you did (and had), here on Earth, will just be rust and dust.

So which one will you get to work on first?

Truth? Or Grace? Don’t be surprised, when you start to work on one, how the other glides into place.

That’s my hope and prayer for you.

Stay tuned,

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