Business and the Bible (part 4)

Copyrighted, written and edited by
Lara Velez of Moms of Faith (momsoffaith.com),
Rachel Lower of Christian Mommies (christian-mommies.com)
By the grace of God


“A Master of Intrigues”

Proverbs 4:14-16
Enter not into the path of the wicked,
and go not in the way of evil men:
avoid it, pass not by it; turn from it, and pass away.
For they sleep not except they have done mischief,
and their sleep is taken away unless they have caused some to fall.

R: Whether done in an obvious campaign to ruin someone's reputation, or done behind closed doors with snide remarks meant to discourage someone until they give up, God hates (6:16-19) this kind of behavior.

Fortunately I have only seen a few minor examples when it comes to online businesses. The occasional talebearer, harassment, or technical attack.

Proverbs 17:20
He that hath a perverse heart findeth no good;
and he that shifteth about with his tongue falleth into evil.

If a Christian has the temptation to hurt someone in any way, obviously some serious self examination needs to take place. Destroying a lamb is to serving the devil as loving each other is to serving Christ. Seeking to do harm, or wishing for someone's ruin is a symptom of a “perverse heart.”

For anyone struggling with very negative emotions, such as rage or jealousy, that take you down the path to committing violent acts that hurt others (whether physical, verbal, or typed!), you must repent and seek God and any help He'll lead you to.

For those experiencing the abuse, remember that God will defend you and He is there for you. You will be blessed. You are always safe in His arms.

L: We will begin with a couple of the original Hebrew words and meanings:

Except - bad (bad): separation, apart, alone.

Taken - gazal (gaw-zal'): pluck off, strip, rob, consume, spoil, take away by force, tear.

Our business should bring glory to the Father. When we choose to take our business down a road that is filled with wickedness; i.e., cutting corners, not reporting all of our taxes, lying, cheating, taking business lunches in inappropriate places, etc.; when we do this we have stepped out of the Will of God [the narrow path] and into the wide “path of the wicked.”

This only brings separation from God. We drift away from what God has planned for our lives and business. We will lose our peace and even sleep. It will be taken away! That is a scary thought. I don't ever want to build a business that is not grounded on the Rock. The Rock of our Savior Jesus Christ! The peace that comes with that!

The next time you are tempted to do wrong in business, remember Who it is that has blessed you with talent and success in the first place. Do not turn from His righteous path. For if you walk strong in faith and do not grow weary, He WILL bless you more than you could ever imagine. You won't get far on your own.


More References
Pr 3:29, 4:14-19, 6:16-19, 11:9,
12:21, 12:26, 16:27, 16:27-30,
17:5, 17:13, 17:26, 19:5, 20:17,
21:10, 22:8, 25:9-10, 25:18, 26:18-29