How To Start a New Venture

Where would you be if you had all the money your heart desires? If you had no worries? If you came home and the most delicious meal was waiting for you? If you had perfect children? If your partner was waiting for you with open arms and kisses? So, where would you be? You'd be in the wrong house.

Many people think some things are too good to be true. But every now and then, good things still happen, probably more times than you think. Christmas happened. And Christmases still happen. 

You have heard of The Twelve Days of Christmas. Well, I want to share “The Twelve Principles of Christmas.” The first Christmas was a brand-new venture for God and humankind. Would you like to learn how to start a new venture? Then learn from The Twelve Principles of Christmas and birth something new in your life. Let’s explore what God did to create a new venture.

Principle 1. New ventures are new ventures. Putting a new covering on the old isn’t going to change anything. Likewise, putting Sunday clothes on a fallen Adam or Eve will not change anything. So God closed the chapter on the old and started fresh. God moved from ritual to relationship. Christmas was a new beginning, and this changed everything.  

Principle 2. Your new venture needs to start in heaven. Believe me; the best Christmas presents are wrapped in heaven. God is the most incredible resource you can have. God is more concerned about revealing your new God-created venture to you than you are. God doesn't want something from you. God wants something for you.  

Principle 3. God uses inconvenient journeys to get the right people to the right place and time. Just think of Joseph and Mary, the Magi, and the shepherds. All went through 'journeys of inconvenience of the heaven kind' that was necessary to birth something new. 

Principle 4. God started small to go big. God began with a baby. Don't be afraid to start small. Valuable lessons learned in those "small" days get you ready for what God has ready for you. Baby steps turn into adult steps. For example, when I was 24 years old, I started a business with two people. Six years later, I had 43 employees. My discovery? As I grew, the company grew. Baby steps turned into adult steps. 

Principle 5. God planned and prepared beforehand for Christmas and the birth of Christ. When? From the second chapter of Genesis until Christ was born. Do you realize that most sports games are won Monday through Friday in the game-planning stage?  

Principle 6. God is aware of good timing. Sometimes you can have the right idea, location, or product at the wrong time. So be careful not to miss your opportunity. But, conversely, don't let the tyranny of urgency drive you to the wrong time. 

Principle 7. God’s message of hope was “good news” in those taxing times. Remember what the angel said? “Don’t be afraid…I bring you good news of great joy.” The birth of Christ is good news, even in today's depressing world. People were tired of negative, depressing news. Starting something new should be a solution, not a problem. 

Principle 8. God saw a need and found a solution. God saw that His people in Jesus' day were like sheep without a shepherd. He saw them diseased, troubled, and devoid of any hope. He gave them higher freedom, freedom from sin, not freedom to sin. He got involved. God became flesh and dwelt among them. He engaged humankind from the position of a participant, not a spectator. He came to save the world, not to condemn the world.

Principle 9. If, at first, you don't succeed, try again. Remember how there was no room in the inn? Joseph and Mary had to adjust, learn to accept changes in plans, and even descend to ascend. Like the Magi, sometimes you follow a star and find a stable. U.S. Army General George S. Patton said, “I don’t measure a man’s success by how high he climbs, but by how high he bounces when he hits bottom.”

Principle 10. The customers looking for you will find you. God brings those looking for Christ to Christ. The magi came from afar with finances. The shepherds came with wonder. Even angels and stars from heaven came to the opening of God’s new venture. And remember — not everybody will be glad about your new venture. King Herod was furious. Not everyone will be your customer.

Principle 11. God taught there was no “us against them.” Everyone could be on God’s team if they wanted to be. Jesus was called Immanuel, which means "God with us." It didn't matter if you were a poor shepherd or a wealthy king, a teenage virgin or a carpenter, a barnyard animal or an angel, a man or woman, a prophet or an everyday person. Everyone was welcome on God's team.

Principle 12. God builds for long-term success and sustainability. Christ built for eternity from the cradle to the cross to the crown. There was no skimping or laziness. God uses people with a heart for heaven and people. That’s why He would like you to be on His team. Wise men still seek Him.

So, there’s the story behind the Christmas story about how to start a wonderful new venture. And Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. It's no coincidence that one of Jesus' names is Wonderful. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.