Christian Business Builder

OK - so now we have looked at Proverbs 3:5-10, one of the most familiar passages in all the scripture. We have looked at it as it applies to the establishment of a biblically successful business. What I would like to do here is to put all that we have learned into a short and very practical approach to business success.

1. God needs to be in control. When we look to ourselves for anything we, as Christians, limit our abilities to succeed.
2. We need to acknowledge God’s involvement in our business. I once read a book about a Christian man who ran a plastics company in Ohio. He created a one page testimony of his salvation and placed that one page testimony in every box shipped from his plant. He didn’t try to “cram” his religion down the throats of those he sold to, but he did acknowledge God and his place in his life to every customer.
3. We need to remember that when God blesses our business with success we need to consider him a worthwhile partner and honor him with our substance. God’s work needs to be funded at rates far in excess of the tithe. If we give to God first, he will be inclined to make our businesses more successful and more prosperous.

God really does want to bless his people. The book of Proverbs is full of passages that speak to this desire. If we would simply pay attention to them all (not just the one’s that speak to our desires), God will bless and we will be successful!

Talk more later ….

Well, we are finally coming to the end of this series. It has taken me longer to get it out than I anticipated, but life has a way of slowing the process. This is a lesson in the success process as well. (But I digress)

Today I want to turn your attention to the seventh step in the Biblical pattern of success. Note Proverbs 3:9-10, “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.”

God’s word is pretty clear here. It reminds us that we need to remember that our business is merely an extension of our relationship with the Lord and as such we should share in the rewards with him. God does not need the money, but the use of that which we gain through our business efforts for the greater good of the kingdom reaps eternal benefits that would not otherwise be accomplished.

Remember that throughout the scriptures the tithe belongs to the Lord. In Malachi 3 we are told that those who rob God are those who forgo both the tithe and offerings (those things not required by command). In the New Testament, Paul tells the church at Corinth that their giving testified of the sincerity of their love for God.

Generosity and a willingness to bless others ought to be the hallmark of every Christian business. As I write that I am reminded of the parable of the rich man who tore down is barns to make bigger barns so that he could store, keep, and use for himself the bountiful crop given him by God’s grace. His unwillingness to share his abundance caused God to call him a “fool” and to bring his life to an abrupt end.

On the other hand, God promises in Proverbs 3:10, that if we learn the lesson of generosity, given through our honouring of the Lord, our barns will be full and our press will overflow with new wine. One caveat I would make: Remember that God knows your heart. You may look like you are honouring God to me, but God knows if you are real or are just show.

In my next article, I will try to pull all this together and bring some concluding thoughts. As always your comments are appreciated.

Talk more later ….

In this article I want to talk about the sixth success tip for a successful business. Here in Proverbs 3:7, Solomon tells us that we need to, ” fear the LORD, and depart from evil.” This admonition is to contrast the warning in the first half of the verse to not be wise in your own eyes.

Throughout the scriptures God directs his children to live and act contrary to the “ways of this world.” Whether it is the command to Moses to confront Pharaoh, or the military strategy used to defeat the city of Jericho, or the new commandment Jesus gave to the disciples to love one another as he had loved them. God’s wisdom is always contrary to the wisdom of man.

So, how does this truth relate to this passage and ultimately to our business and its success? There are three things that catch my eye:

A fear of the Lord provides the believer with both knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge given by God is always going to be the best and most useful knowledge. The wisdom which is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. (James 3:17)

To depart from evil will keep our business honest before all men. We will become trusted and our customers/clients will know that we can be counted on in every situation. This kind of trust produces a loyalty that will create return business as well as a great referral network.

As we build our businesses under the conditions of this success trait, we will be more comfortable and confident. This level of comfort and confidence alone will cause more people to want to work with us and it will take the pressure of success off our shoulders as we trust in the Lord.

Talk more later ….

As we have been looking to scriptures for the step by step plan to business success for the Christian business builder, we have considered four steps to this point.

First, Proverbs 3:5 teaches us to trust in the Lord with all our hearts. No one can better bring success to you and strengthen the value that you bring this world through your business than the Lord. When we who are Christians trust in the Lord, we cannot be stopped.

The second step is to abandon our own understanding. When we focus our business on the things that we can understand, calculate, and decide our tendency is to take our eyes off the Lord and his direction for our life and business.

The third step is to not only trust the Lord but also to acknowledge him in all your ways. In this step we move further down the path of departing from what is traditionally considered as “business sense.” However, if you want real success as a Christian, you have to acknowledge God in all things.

The last article spoke to the fourth step which is to let God direct your paths. He alone knows what’s best for you, so if you want what’s best in your life and business, you need to let God direct your paths.

Tonight the fifth step is found in verse 7, were Solomon warns us to, “Be not wise in thine own eyes, …” What exactly does that mean? Well, the wisdom spoken of here means, “intelligent, skillful, artful.” So, God’s word tells us not to view ourselves as intelligent, skillful, or artful “in thine own eyes.”

In simple words, we need to avoid the prideful view or our skills. We need to see them as a gift of the Lord and honor him in using our skills in the building of our business. We have been trained in the world of business to “brand ourselves” as an expert in our chosen field. We can certainly do that as long as we are quick to acknowledge God’s role in making us and expert. It is when we begin to think that we are “all that and a bag of chips” that God cannot work in our life or business.

Our success in business is always going to be greater when we recognize the source of our intellect, skill, and artfulness. He wants to bless our efforts and will do so when we serve him and our customers in humility rather than prize.

Talk more later ….