There is a guiding principle teaching car salespeople how to negotiate that to me is a guiding principal to life in general. That I have shortened to – “Don’t do the “Heisman”.

“Don’t tell them what you won’t do tell them what you will do and by telling them what you will do you will be telling them what you won’t do.”

Ancient Horse trading Wisdom

You see the little guy with his little ball sticking his arm out pushing you away so he can get “HIS” ball across “HIS” goal line. Yeah, don’t do that. This is not original by me, Nikita Koloff told it to me and I laughed for hours thinking about it.

Let’s take a look at Jesus and how he told the boys, John and James, what he would do, when asked for the highest seats at the table.

 And James and John, the sons of Zeb′edee, came forward to him, and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”  And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”  But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;  but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”  And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John.  And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.  But it shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant,  and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.  

Mark Chapter 10 verses 31-45

Not only did Jesus show us the principal described above he illustrated it. A heart that wants to serve would not tell someone what thay won’t do, it always tells what it will do. Back when I taught this to young sales people I wish I would have understood this is so deep it completely from the heart.

This week I was feeling sick in my normal time with the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, so when I climbed up into the Father’s lap, rather than try to think deeply, I just said, “Robby Dilmore reporting for duty, sir.” Thinking that I don’t have any requests to go on a journey this morning so how about You, Lord, what can I do for You, and it felt like certainly why don’t I always just want to serve?

Jesus kindly directed me to that word, “DUTY”. In Hebrew, specifically 2:Chronicles 8:14 Solomon was giving orders to the Levites as directed by his father David as to their, “duty” the word duty is the same as the word, word – dabar, spelled in Hebrew – dalet(servant) – bet (House or Kingdom) – resh (Head). Think of the ramifications of that, this word is used no less than 1,439 times in the Bible and when you think the WORD of the Lord came to someone, yes that’s the WORD- WORD. Yes if we love the Lord we do His word. That’s our duty to come to know it – THE TRUTH and share it. After all John 1:1 told us Jesus is the “Word”.

All this goes back to a heart to serve. If you really want to serve a customer you need to help them to see how they can buy the car, its all to easy with a commissioned car salesperson to get wrapped up in their pay -“Their little ball”. The real deal is when we see, its God’s ball and His goal line, it may be that helping that person buy too much car, actually draws them away from the Kingdom or that too little of a car may do that. To really serve, we need to know the situation very well and then be in constant prayer with God. Apart from Him I can do what? -NOTHING – Don’t do the Heisman, life is a team sport.