“Faith is essential in your success. Faith is needed in almost every area of our lives: work, projects, and small business endeavors,” – Alex Cook
Did you know that the once considered wealthiest persons in this modern time are Christians?
Yes! They were John Rockefeller and Sam Walton. Do they ring a bell?
Rockefeller was a mogul in the petroleum industry. He was the founder of Standard Oil, the largest refiner at its time.
And Sam Walton?
He just pretty much owns the biggest retailer in the world, Walmart. Today, the Walton family continues Sam’s legacy as they own and manage Walmart.
Quick trivia!
What do they have in common with Bible heroes such as Abraham, Solomon, The Apostle Paul, and even the Creator? They are all entrepreneurs driven by faith.
So, in this article, we will discuss 5 characteristics that make faith-driven entrepreneurs stand out.
God’s promises are more than just prosperity and a good life while you run your business.
Running a business is for the primary purpose of making a profit. But for faith-driven entrepreneurs, there is one primary purpose of a Christian’s business: to serve God. (Larry Burkett)
When we talk about serving the Big Man, one of the best people in the Bible is Paul the Apostle.
Before being named Paul, he was Saul, a law-maker. From that, he became a businessman to be flexible enough to carry out his great calling.
During his mission, Paul chose to pay himself primarily from his own business rather than to live off donations from the churches where he preached. He says that “…when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:18).
He made the initiation to gain profit from tent-making and trade to, not only sustain himself, but also for it to be a key element in funding his apostolic ministry.
With the provisions and wisdom that Paul received from God, he was able to provide for the people, too, and establish the biggest institution today, The Church.
With dedication and faith, you can achieve so much more, just like Paul! More than that, to get His “well done.”
“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:11)
Discipline is God’s way of preparing His children.
Discipline is a tricky subject. Some may view discipline as an act of punishment. But, in fact, it’s not. It’s even stated in the book of Hebrews (12:6) that the Lord disciplines the one He loves…
It continues…no discipline seems pleasant at the time but painful. Later on, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those trained by it.
Yes, discipline is not a happy trip to the park.
It will hurt. It will be hard. But, in the end, you will overcome, and you will learn A LOT.
With that being said, He just doesn’t want us going down the wrong path and making terrible mistakes.
Like any parent to a child, you want your kid to grow up well-mannered and well-disciplined.
Why? You don’t want your kid to do bad things and make terrible mistakes in your life.
In the Bible, it teaches that God disciplines us “just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights” (Prov. 3:12). “God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline?” (Heb. 12:7).
With that, just like our fathers here on Earth, the Father of all fathers just wants us to be molded and grow in His goodness.
Discipline is not for punishment but for transformation.
Like metal being forged in fire to be the best steel, we’re also being forged to be our best versions.
To further appreciate his forging, it is taught in Hebrews (12:11) that all discipline will produce a transformation of character…
This means that your character will improve, and you will bring out your best.
And after all you’ve gone through, it will all boil down that God simply wants the best for you.
So when you are at your best, you are ready to take on anything in the business world.
With these reasons, discipline can be more exciting than challenging.
“…just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28)
John Rockefeller once said, “God gave me money,” and he never apologized for it.
Yep, the once dubbed richest man in history by most measures was that humble not to brag about the amount of money he made.
How? Why? His faith and devotion.
Rockefeller was a devoted Christian. He gave recognition that all that he got was not by his work but by the One above. With that, he led his company to the top with Christians principles.
He led his company to the top with Christians principles. A boss commands and controls, but a leader leads and serves. Jesus was the most excellent leader who served this world. A servant who serves the people for God.
Let’s have a heart like Jesus for our and see how amazing things will work out for everybody.
“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)
No one is exempted from trials and hardships but what’s extraordinary about Christians is that we can endure it all.
We mentioned Sam Walton earlier and about Walmart. Did you know that Walton had to face numerous challenges in his life before being able to put up his now billion-dollar enterprise?
Walton started getting into business from milk bottling and delivery but had to stop because he needed to serve the military during WWII. After the war, that was when he had the chance to start a business again (which is Walmart today), and the rest is history.
As you can see, business is not always sunshine and rainbows. There will definitely be storms.
And, there will be days that will bring us to our knees. By that, it becomes the perfect position to pray. With that unshakeable faith, we are firm and sturdy like a rock.
With that, we get to hold on to the One above until the sun rises again.
We hear stories of people in business who started from nothing but now have an enormous amount of money. Even King David, who once had nothing, became a ruler by God’s grace.
David’s journey was not a smooth sail. It was a constant battle between many uncertainties. But he had faith to overcome it all.
Why is faith important in business?
Faith is essential in your success. Faith is needed in almost every area of our lives: work, creative projects, philanthropic efforts, small business endeavors, and relationships we make.
To have faith means to trust in Him. In His plans, in His ways, and His promises. And even if things are a blur, we let our faith do the work.
Like when things seem impossible, faith drives us to push and what things happen.
For this reason, faith makes the impossible possible!
If faith can move mountains, why not let yours move the business world?
What have you learned in this article? Which of the five characters do you have? We’d love to hear from you.
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Whether we own a business or work for one, our role carries significant ethical responsibilities. When we promote our goods or services to the public, we must use clean, clear and honest messages.
The business professionals who know that they are Christians first bring all of their talents, experiences and opportunities to the altar as a meaningful form of worship.
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