God’s Timeless Prescription for Success in Business

This post has been written to share with you God’s view about how businesses should be managed to ensure they are successful. It is a prescription that works for all seasons, irrespective of the economic conditions. (January 2022)
Texts – please read the Bible passages (below the post) as you read the post.
Key Points
- We are in the period the scriptures call ‘the last days’. The Bible informs us that it will be a perilous time because degenerate moral values will become quite prevalent among people. The implication is that doing clean business and making money will become increasingly difficult. The passage of scripture in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 sums it up well: “Don’t be naive. There are difficult times ahead. As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. They’ll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they’re animals. Stay clear of these people.” (MSG)
- The picture of the global economy and the marketplace in these perilous times is further outlined for us in Isaiah 3:1-7. This passage shows us that the prevalence of degenerate moral values implies that persons in positions of public trust will betray the responsibilities of their offices. Like selfish children, they will make decisions for personal gain. The result will be an ever-increasing economic crisis in the nations of the world. Isaiah 3:1-7 says: See now, the Lord, the Lord Almighty, is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support: all supplies of food and all supplies of water, the hero and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder, the captain of fifty and the man of rank, the counselor, skilled craftsman and clever enchanter. “I will make mere youths their officials; children will rule over them.” People will oppress each other – man against man, neighbor against neighbor. The young will rise up against the old, the nobody against the honored. A man will seize one of his brothers in his father’s house, and say, “You have a cloak, you be our leader; take charge of this heap of ruins!” But in that day he will cry out, “I have no remedy. I have no food or clothing in my house; do not make me the leader of the people.” (NIV)
- The world has been in this state before. As the saying goes: “there is nothing new under the sun”. The increasingly perilous times we are facing was the experience of Noah in the days in which he lived. The Bible summarised the nature of those days with two words: Corruption and Violence. Genesis 6:5-11 says: The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created – and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground – for I regret that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord….Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. (NIV)
- When you are faced with a tough economic environment such as this, the prescription of God for success in business should be your modus operandi. God’s prescription works all the time, irrespective of the economic conditions. It was tried and tested by Noah when he was faced with economic annihilation and not just a crisis. If a prescription works in very bad times, it follows that it will work in good times. It is a prescription for all seasons.
- This prescription are the two major principles behind the instructions of God to Noah. They are as follows:
- Do Business Only as Instructed by God – this first principle is deduced from God’s instruction to Noah to build an ark (boat); as well as the building of the ark under God’s specifications whilst leveraging the carpentry skills of Noah and his family. We can sub-divide this first principle into two philosophies: (i) The strategic direction for business and the initiative to create new products/services, processes, etc. must be obtained from the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 65:17-18). (ii) The execution of business initiatives, processes, and practices should be guided by God whilst being delivered by the skills and knowledge inspired by God in the generations before us, which were passed down to us through formal classroom instruction and work experience (Deuteronomy 29:29; Isaiah 28:23-26). We discuss these two philosophies below in more detail.
(i) It was God’s specific instruction to build the Ark – this is strategic direction and guidance. The Ark was a concept (product/service) that did not previously exist. So, God gave detailed instructions to Noah on the type of wood to be used, how it should be waterproofed, and to what dimensions to build the ark. God is the Creator and not you. He expects that we rejoice in the things which He creates. He must be the one providing instructions to any business on the new strategies to employ in the market, the new products and services to be created, etc. This is God’s exclusive preserve, but unfortunately an area where many businesses step out of line. Businesses have been taught to create and innovate without consulting God. This is not right! We are to maintain intimate relationships with the Holy Spirit so as to be instructed on what to do from time to time. Once this has been revealed to a business, you then proceed to execute. Businesses and individuals can at best be innovators, under the direction of the one and only Creator.
(ii) God did not instruct Noah how to source the wood, treat the wood, cut the wood and fasten them together. Noah leveraged his knowledge of carpentry passed down by his forefathers to do this. This implies that God does not reinvent the wheel. It is for this reason that we go to school and acquire experience in the workplace – to learn the things God had previously taught our forebears which have now been passed to us (Isaiah 28:23-26). Businesses derive a lot of value from hiring managers and employees who are very skilled and very experienced. This is a good practice and should continue. You should also keep up to date through books and journals on new techniques and technologies God is inspiring in others. However, in addition to leveraging the skills and experience of its staff, businesses must also be guided in the day-to-day execution by God. We say this because God kept guiding Noah with specific instructions even during the operationalisation of the Ark.
The two philosophies under this first principle are very important. However, we disregard the first and major partially in the second. The majority of us in the world have learnt from our forebears. So, we do our jobs and businesses only guided by what we have learnt from school and the work experience we have gathered. However, we are often found wanting on the philosophy of letting the Holy Spirit become our guide in all our business, investments, and financial dealings. We are to obey God even when His instructions sound incredible, are contrary to our personal judgments, what others are doing in the market to get by, or the outcome of feasibility studies. To comply with this philosophy, you must have disavowed human ideas/philosophies in favour of God’s wisdom. God is ready to give you detailed instructions as regards what business to venture into, to what size to build it, and what its internal structure, processes and systems should look like. If you are ready to listen, trust and obey God, He is ready to give you detailed instructions like He did to Noah. Please read Genesis 6:13-16.
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- Take Care of the Poor and Vulnerable Around You – this second principle was established when God instructed Noah to receive animals, birds, insects etc. into the Ark. These were living beings that would be unable to fend for themselves in a flooded economy. One of the key purposes of business is to help the poor with their necessities. You must therefore be generous with the profit from your business in this regard.
- Corruption and Violence were the two major trends in Noah’s day. They are gradually becoming dominant in our day as well. The Oxford dictionary defines Corruption as (i) ‘dishonest or illegal behaviour, especially of people in authority’, and (ii) ‘the act or effect of making change from moral to immoral standards of behaviour’. It defines Violence as ‘behaviour that is intended to hurt or kill’.
- The two principles outlined above as the prescription of God for success in business are the exact opposites of corruption and violence. The opposite of corruption is Righteousness. When Isaiah 58:13 is read within context, it defines Righteousness as: “not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words”. This is the first principle in action – being led by God in all your activities in the market. The opposite of violence is Justice (the quality of being fair and reasonable). Within context, Isaiah 58:7 defines it as: “sharing your bread with the hungry, giving shelter to the homeless, and clothing the naked”. This is the second principle.
- The passage of scripture in Psalm 112 promises wealth and riches to all who delight in God’s commandments and give to the poor. In other words, you will experience transgenerational wealth and riches if you abide by these two fundamental principles that represent God’s timeless prescription for financial success.
The mercy and grace of God be with us all. Amen.
Texts – please read the Bible passages (below the post) as you read the post.
Isaiah 65:17-18 – “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, and her people a joy. (NKJV)
Deuteronomy 29:29 – The Lord our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions. (NLT)
Isaiah 28:23-26 – Listen to me; listen, and pay close attention. Does a farmer always plow and never sow? Is he forever cultivating the soil and never planting? Does he not finally plant his seeds—black cumin, cumin, wheat, barley, and emmer wheat— each in its proper way, and each in its proper place? The farmer knows just what to do, for God has given him understanding. (NLT)
Genesis 6:13-16 – So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth! “Build a large boat from cypress wood and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior. Make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. Leave an 18-inch opening below the roof all the way around the boat. Put the door on the side, and build three decks inside the boat—lower, middle, and upper. (NLT)
Isaiah 58:7 – Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help (NLT)
Isaiah 58:13 – “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words (NKJV)
Psalm 112 – Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches will be in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.
Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. A good man deals graciously and lends; he will guide his affairs with discretion. Surely he will never be shaken; the righteous will be in everlasting remembrance.
He will not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is established; he will not be afraid, until he sees his desire upon his enemies. He has dispersed abroad, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be exalted with honor. The wicked will see it and be grieved; he will gnash his teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked shall perish. (NKJV)