Photocredit: Google Pixels

 ^“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” – 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NKJV).

It is interesting to note that some people actually believe that the business world is an entirely different place from the rest of the world, with its own set of rules. ‘It’s survival of the fittest’ and ‘the end justifies the means’ are things you often hear them say. But is that truly the case? Nothing could be farther from the truth. Doing business is an aspect of life and life as a whole is sustained by a set of principles and laws which must be adhered to if we desire to have what the bible describes as good success. 

Doing business is an aspect of life and life as a whole is sustained by a set of principles and laws which must be adhered to if we desire to have what the bible describes as good success. 

Good Success

What is good success? This is the kind of success that glorifies God and it can only be achieved when we do business God’s way. In our bible text above, we are instructed to ensure that whatever we do, no matter how mundane or important it may appear to be, including how we do our business, must be done to the glory of God. It is instructive to note that a person cannot travel on a wrong path and arrive at the right destination. If you are not doing your business God’s way, do not expect to achieve the kind of result that would be acceptable to God. There is God’s way of doing business and there is also the way of the world. The world has its own wisdom and its own principles for doing business. The world also has its own definition of what it calls success in business but as God’s children, we do not measure ourselves by the standards of the world. To us, success is not about how much profit we make in business, its more about how we make our profit in business. To us as believers, the means matters more than the end. Does the process glorify God? Does it reflect the love of God? How does it impact others? What is our motive for the business?

It is instructive to note that a person cannot travel on a wrong path and arrive at the right destination.

Godly and Profitable

It is also important to know that doing business God’s way does not imply that your business would not or should not be profitable. In fact, that’s the more reason why your business should be profitable because God expects us to be fruitful as seen in the parable of the talents in Mathew 25:14-30, and in John 15:1-2 where Jesus said He cuts off any branch of His that does not bear fruit. Another reason why your business should be profitable is because doing business God’s way gives you access to the wisdom of God which is far superior to both the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of the devil which is also known as diabolical wisdom. God’s ways are indeed far higher than ours, we see this in Isaiah 55:8-9 which says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Without a doubt, doing business God’s way will surely grant you access to God’s kind of results.

God’s Way of Doing Business

Now let’s take a closer look at what we mean by doing business God’s way. 

• Seek First The Kingdom: The first point to note here is the fact that God’s way of doing business gives priority to God’s Kingdom. Mathew 6:33 says, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need”. Doing business God’s way means that we ought to give priority to the advancement of God’s kingdom. So we need to ask ourselves questions such as what will God have me do in this business? What is the benefit of this business to the Kingdom of God? 

• The Way of Righteousness: The second point to note about God’s way of doing business is captured in the same Mathew 6:33 text quoted above and it’s the way of righteousness. This connotes always doing what is right before God and man in your business. It means shunning every form of ungodliness in the conduct of your business. Your processes, product and business principles must align with and showcase the nature and principles of God as revealed in scripture.

• Driven By Love: The third thing to note about doing business God’s way is the need to be driven by love. Love for the people that your business seeks to serve and love for humanity. In fact, God Himself is Love, as revealed in 1 John 4:8 therefore, everything we do must proceed from, and be driven by, a heart of love. The love element in how we do business is so vital that it cannot be overemphasized. Jesus, speaking in Mark 12:31, described the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself as the second greatest commandment, second only to the command to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.

• Marked By Sincerity and Integrity: The fourth and final point about doing business God’s way to be addressed in this article is the way of sincerity and integrity. You cannot be crooked in your business dealings with people and expect to attract God’s blessings on your business. God can never be party to fraud. If you desire to do business God’s way then integrity and sincerity must not just be one of the core values of your business or organization on paper or on your company website, they must truly be your lifestyle. You must not just be doing the right thing in your business to avoid running afoul of the law or to avoid being caught, you must do the right thing in your business because you truly believe that it’s the right thing to do.

it is important to state that contentment is a key requirement for anyone who desires to do business God’s way

In conclusion, it is important to state that contentment is a key requirement for anyone who desires to do business God’s way. Let us allow the bible to have the final say on this matter: 1 Timothy 6:6-10 reads: “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs”.

Remain blessed.