Owning your own business is one of the most difficult yet rewarding experience that anyone can undertake. When you find something that you’re passionate about and realize that you can make a better life for yourself and your loved ones, the level of excitement that you experience is immeasurable. However, it’s even more important to take a Godly approach to owning your own business. After all, as a child of God, everything you do should be done in order to bring glory to Him.
That poses the question that many business owners face: is it possible to be successful in business while still operating under Godly principles? The world teaches us that it’s not possible. Society teaches that if you’re going to achieve real success, you have to be willing to lie, cheat, and manipulate yourself to the top. The principle of “looking out for number one” is at the heart of what our culture teaches us is the key to success. As a Christian, you understand that the world’s path to the top doesn’t actually work. Instead, you know that the ultimate measure of your success is found in living a life that aligns with Scripture.
You can find success in business while still operating on Godly principles. The key is simply by allowing yourself to be guided by the Holy Spirit and the principles laid out in Scripture.
What’s Your “Why?”
Genesis 11:4 (ESV)
Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”
In the 11th chapter of Genesis, we read about the Tower of Babel. The Bible teaches us that at this point, the entire earth only had one language. Society was largely restricted to an area not too far from where the Garden of Eden was. There wasn’t much as far as industry, as most people simply raised gardens and animals that they relied on to feed their own families. The economy was driven by a bartering system, in which a person who had one item could trade it for another. However, a group of people decided that they wanted to “make a name for themselves.”
These men were not looking for an opportunity to make life better for anyone else. Instead, they wanted to do something that had never been done. They wanted to build a tower that reached “into the heavens.” Was there a need for the tower? Not particularly. Would building the tower serve as any kind of financial benefit to the builders and the people around them? No. These builders were motivated by one singular thing: the fame that would come from being the people who built a tower that reached into the sky.
When you’re evaluating your business, what is your motivation? Are you looking for an opportunity to make life better for people? Do you treat your business as a form of ministry, where you meet the practical needs of people while also giving your employees an opportunity to earn an honest living? Or, like the men who wanted to build the Tower of Babel, are you simply looking for something that you can point to and boast about?
If your own ego is the motivation for your business, you will never fully enjoy the things that God has for you as an entrepreneur. There is nothing wrong with having a feeling of accomplishment or being proud of how your business has grown, but the purpose for everything in the Christian’s life is to bring glory to God.
Setting Goals with God in Mind
Philippians 2:3-7 (ESV)
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
Your motivation that we just discussed and your goals are not necessarily the same thing. Your motivation is a long-term concept that is the driving force in why you do the things you do. Goals can be both short-term and long-term, and any good business professional would tell you that you need to set goals for your business on both fronts. While you should certainly have financial goals for your company, it’s important that you set other goals that will serve as your guide in every decision that you make.
For instance, depending on the type of business that you own, you may have a wonderful opportunity to offer jobs to people who need a fresh start in life. Perhaps you own a business that is food-based, and there is an opportunity for you to give food to those who are not food secure.
When you set goals for your business with God in mind, you can truly embrace His purpose for your company. One of the most practical ways to do that is to simply meet the needs of people in your community. That was at the heart of Christ’s public ministry, and this passage of Scripture teaches us that we have the same mind in us that was in Christ Jesus. Look for ways that your business can serve others in addition to your usual client or customer offerings. Doing so allows you to set goals with eternal benefits.
Keeping Your Heart in the Right Place
Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV)
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Finally, the most effective way to be Godly in your business dealings is to make sure that you have your personal priorities in place. Ultimately, your business is not going to last forever. Whether you liquidate the company and sell it for a profit, or you eventually die and leave the business to someone else, your business will not last for eternity. The building (or buildings) that you operate out of will one day be gone, the products that you’ve manufactured or sold will be forgotten, and the money that you make will have been spent. Your business isn’t eternal.
That doesn’t mean that you don’t want your business to succeed, but it’s important to understand that your soul is going to live eternally in one of two places. Even more importantly, the decisions that you make within your business can have a direct impact on your eternity.
You can have a successful business while operating on Godly principles. It won’t always be easy, and there will certainly be people along the way who try to get you to stray from God’s truths in the name of worldly success. However, when you submit all of your plans to Him, He will direct you and you will find the ultimate success.
A Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I know that You have blessed me with the means and the ability to own and operate my business. However, I want to do everything I do in a way that pleases You. Help me to be Godly in my dealings with others and look for opportunities to serve others. In Christ’s name I pray, Amen.