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 ….

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 ….

“… and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:6b)

The fourth step to successful business is to allow God to direct your paths. Sounds simple doesn’t it? Yet, if truth be told this is the most difficult step of all.

Remember a guy named Adam? He had it made! He was the unique creation of Holy God who was the first of the entire human race. He was given a pristine world to keep, a wife to love, a garden to tend, a God who walked with him every day, and only one thing he could not do. Pretty sweet set up don’t you think?

I don’t really know how long it lasted, but even in these truly perfect conditions, Adam found a way to mess things up. The reason? He wanted to direct his own path! Eve had taken of the fruit and now Adam was left with a choice. Follow God and see how he would deal with Eve or follow Eve and turn from God’s direct command on his life. We all know which choice Adam made and what his choice cost him, his family, and his God.

Now, in our modern culture, we are constantly bombarded by the voices of the experts who want to be your guiding light in every phase of life and business. These voices tend to uplift man while quietly (and sometimes not so quietly) diminishing God’s role in your day to day choices. Subtly we hear that God wants us to be happy and that real success is always about money and possessions and that for three easy payments of $39.99 plus shipping and handling they are willing to share with us all that we need to be healthy, happy, and RICH! (And before you swamp me with a whole list of the verses about God wanting us to be rich, I will get to that later in this series.) When all is said and done they are rich, we are wandering in the wilderness, and only Satan is really happy.

All this because we didn’t let God direct our paths!

Why should we surrender our life (including our business) to the direction of God?

1. No one knows better what is best for us than God. He is the very giver of our life and he never gives life without purpose. (Psalm 71:6)
2. No one can empower us to succeed better than God. God’s word says that the one who lives in us (the Holy Spirit) is greater than the one who lives in this world (Satan). (1 John 4:4)
3. No one can guarantee success like God. (Psalm 1)

You see, God never works to our detriment. He always works to give us place to worship him and bring glory to his name. It is the same in life and business. That being said, we need to allow him to direct all of our life’s path!

Talk more later ….

Ok, yesterday I told you that I had a seven step plan for business success. I told you that I would deliver that plan to you over the next seven days. I also told you that the creator of this plan can guarantee you success if and only if you are willing to follow the plan completely. If you fail to completely follow this plan your level of success will be effected.

So … without any further adoo, here is step number one in the seven steps to business success:

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; …” (Proverbs 3:5a)

I know, I kown, you’ve heard this before. But wait, give me a chance and I will show you how all of these thought fit together before I am done and, if you believe God’s word, you will see how your success can be guaranteed if you are willing to work this plan.

Now, let’s look at step one.

Trust means to be confident or sure. It means to be bold and to make to trust. So, if we apply this to business success, we could say that if we are going to be successful in business, we need to be confident in the Lord; to be bold in him.

We need to trust in the Lord “with all our hearts.” Our heart is the seat of our intellect, emotion, and will.

So, when we put these definitions together, we need to be confident in the Lord with all of our intellect, our emotion, and our will. This means that the Lord needs to be our confidence when we consider the technical aspects of business and marketing, when we struggle with the emotional ups and downs owning a business can bring, and as we surrender our will for success to that of the Lord. (Remember he doesn’t always define success the same way that we do.)

It is a simple first step, but it is not an easy one. To truly trust in the Lord means that you have to always agree with him and yield yourself to his direction throughout the course of your business career. Add to this the fact that Satan battles, seeks to blind and discourage all those who trust in the Lord and you have to make a real commitment to this first step.

However, if you are willing enough and surrendered enough God will bring you to a place of real success if you trust in him with all your heart.

Tomorrow - “and lean not unto thine own understanding.”

Over the next eight days I want to outline for you a sure fire success formula that will allow you the greatest opportunity to be successful in this life! Now, I cannot guarantee anyone success, mostly because I don’t know what success looks like to you, I don’t know how closely you are walking with God, I don’t know if you are being led by the Holy Spirit, I just don’t have enough information to guarantee you success.

What I can do is lay out a plan that was written by the Creator of all that is. His plan will at least lead you to the greatest opportunity for success (guaranteed if you follow the plan without fail). But, remember as you go along, Adam and Eve were guaranteed success in their lives as well but failed to follow God’s plan. His guarantee was good while their execution left something to be desired.

This plan lays out perfectly with seven clear and distinctive parts. (Remember 7 is the number that represents perfection.) This is a perfect plan, designed by a perfect being, to provide perfect success to those who have the faith and the courage to follow it perfectly. Any deviation from the plan lessens the synergistic effect and lessens the level of success you can expect.

Success is a strange thing, God desires it for everyone, yet so few achieve it! Are you ready to take up the challenge? Come back tomorrow and we will get started!

Wax on, wax off Danielson!

I wanted to take just a minute to say “Hello” to the whole online world. I am writing because I have a passion for business and for my faith in Christ. I want this blog to reflect both passions.

If you become a regular reader you will see that the theme of my writing will be a combination of the biblical understanding of business, finances, and making a difference in the world along with what it takes to be successful in the online business world.

My expertise comes from both failures and successes. I want people whose faith really means something to them to be able to have a place to gather around a proverbial cup of coffee and have a conversation about what it means to be a Christian Business Builder.

Come join me and let’s change the world through our faithful service to God and man in the world of business.

Dave Wellman, Founder
Christian Business Builder

In this post we are going to be looking at the second principle in The Jesus Model.

The second principle is:
Jesus presented himself in service to God the Father.

What this means to our business practices is that we need to build our businesses as a part of our service to God the Father.

When Jesus prayed to God the Father in the garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-45) he said, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”

In that statement Jesus presented himself in the ultimate way in service to God the Father. Remember that God was going to pour out his wrath on Christ while he hung on the cross. He was also going to forsake God the Son while he became sin for us who knew no sin.

Knowing all of what lay before him, Jesus still presented himself for service.

God had not asked the same level of service from anyone before nor has he since. That being so, he still wants us to be living sacrifices for him in this world (Romans 12:1-2).

This level of service is not just about us being “spiritual.” It is about our overall testimony in life. This includes our business model and philosophy.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

Again to the Corinthians Paul says, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:20)

Our business is a part of our relationship with the Lord. Since it is, we need to yield it to him and follow after him as he leads. Just like Jesus was willing to follow God’s lead even if it meant he would suffer greatly for his service, we should be willing to “look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” (Hebrews 12)

When the great God of the universe is in full charge of all our lives (our business included) and we serve him with his glory in mind, he will provide us with the wisdom and understanding necessary to be successful.

Does your business function as a method of your service to the Lord?

Just a thought ….

Dave

Have you ever been busy doing the things in life that you believed to be the things that God has led you to do, but you just couldn’t “get it together?” Then, one day you wake up, believing in God and his place in your life, and yet you start the day tired, on edge, and you don’t want to do it anymore?

When I came back to the Network Marketing industry I did so because God led me to do so. The only problem is that I came back with the same mindset and business model that had caused me to leave the industry discouraged over two years ago.

After several months of trying to learn and understand the current market conditions and praying  a lot, I have come to the conclusion that I need a “hard reset.”

I have always loved the pure, raw, entrepreneurial nature of this industry. I love innovators and thinkers. I love honest and ethical opportunities that provide products/services that people need, want, and enjoy. There is no industry in the world that provides such opportunities.

However, with every opportunity for good people to do right things there are also opportunities for abuse. Dominant personalities taking advantage of people just looking for their own view of success. People convinced to spend “just a little more” money that they cannot spare for a return that very few ever see. (A 95% industry-wide failure rate speaks volumes!)

Industry leaders blame lazy downline and unsuccessful downline blame unresponsive leaders.

Hype outweighs any concept of reality and talking about managing expectations is most often laughed at and scorned.

Everyone seems to want something for nothing and are willing to have other people pay for them to get it. Selling the “sizzle” is more important than helping people realize their own potential by helping them develop their skills, talents, and abilities.

It is time for change! I believe with all my heart that is why God brought me back.

That being said, I need a “hard reset.” You know what I mean. That time when you have been so corrupted by all the “stuff” that the only answer is to wipe everything out and start over. It’s a pretty drastic move but there are times when it is the only way to completely remove the corruption. The scariest part of the “hard reset” is knowing  that when you push the button there is no turning back.

As of today, I have “hard reset” everything about my business model. My hope is that this reset will provide hope for the struggling, comfort to the weary, and an energy for right change that will carve out a niche for people like me in this wonderful industry.

I am looking for 12 leaders to step out of the shadows. 12 people who will join me in my business, my vision, and my life. Only hard working, visionary, servant-leaders need apply!

Wanna play? Click here to get more details!

When Jesus was preparing to assemble the twelve into a unit, he didn’t just take the first twelve who came along.

His choices were very exacting and were the result of time spent with God the Father in prayer. (And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles; Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor. Luke 6:12-16)

When looking at those that he chose, not all of them would have been the pick many would have made.

Some were loud mouthed and impulsive, some had enemies that would brand them as hypocrites, some were people who were to “goodie-goodie” for the sinful crowd, and one was a traitor looking for a chance to gain power for himself.

Yet, these were the ones Jesus chose out of all those who had accepted him as the Messiah.

What is the lesson we can learn from this kind of choosing?

1. We need to be selective in the building of our team. Having the people on board that God wants will far outweigh having everyone in who wants to join up. (I have a friend in Australia who was among the top 5 distributors in his company with only 5 personally sponsored front-line.)

2. We need to sponsor with much prayer and with the goal of serving God in mind. When God gets the glory for all we do in business we will be blessed for our efforts. (Don’t ever confuse “success” with God’s blessing. His blessings come when we are empty of self and are seeking his honor above everything else.)

3. Don’t judge a book by its cover. Remember, the twelve Jesus chose had a whole host of problems that they had to work through all the time they were with Jesus.

4. Accept the role as servant leader. Jesus took the twelve and began the process of training them for the work that they were to accomplish. His focus was their training and their skills and their knowledge. His greatest desire was their success. You should build your team that way!

As Jesus took these men aside and committed his life to train them, they gained an understanding of his vision of life and his world-view. When he left them to continue the work without him, they were ready to do all that Jesus had done and even greater things because Jesus built the right team.

You are not Jesus, nor do you have the insights that he has, but you should take care, as a believer, in the development of your team. When God is pleased with the team you build, you and it will accomplish things that would otherwise not be accomplished on your own.

Just a thought ….