Business and the Bible (part 9)

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

Continually LEARN From Wise Mentors

Proverbs 13:18
Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction;
but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured.

R: Only a fool thinks he knows everything. Believe me, I know- being a “know it all” runs in my family.

Even the wisest know that they simply don't know it all. The only exception to this rule is God Himself.

Those who continue to receive instruction throughout their lives will grow in ways that make them look back every year and say, “oh my, how far I've come! I can't wait to see where God takes me this year!”

Continual growth in all ways, including your work, is only possible with the help of others. We need others knowledge, advice, counsel, and encouragement.

Proverbs 15:22
Without counsel purposes are disappointed;
but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.

A variety of learning actions exist: reading articles, reading professional publications, growing in Christ, staying in the Word, listening to interviews, observing others, learning prudence, finding help, going back to school, asking questions, and finding a mentor are some examples.

Proverbs 12:15
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes;
but he that is wise hearkeneth unto counsel.

Some people resist “being told what to do,” or considering that someone else may have a better, even workable, idea. That doesn't mean you have to take every suggestion ever given to you- not at all. It does mean you should kindly consider them.

If someone goes out of their way to correct a mistake, pride can construe it into a personal attack. It is often pride [and the resulting ignorance] that prevents some from even getting their businesses a hay pennies width off the ground.

Have you noticed? Most if not all of these devotions have mentioned pride as an underlying problem. Pride from within is what coaxed Satan to fall. I guess it should be no surprise that pride makes man fall to pieces as well.

L: We must always be willing to learn. If you are blessed enough to have found even one Christ loving business mentor, become a walking sponge.

While we are on this earth we will never “know it all.” We need to continually set our minds to learn all that there is about our craft. We need to ask questions and receive constructive criticism with a willing heart.

If we ever get to a place where we feel that we do not need advice, that is when we really need to do a self checkup. We may be running into pride. And only failure can result.

There is also a benefit to a humble heart and willingness to learn. We will be honoured. The original Hebrew word for honoured is kabad (kaw-bad') or kabed (kaw-bade') and it means abounding with, glorify, make glorious, very great, prevail, and be rich.

That sounds like a no-brainer to me.

God is such a wonderful Parent. He is always finding ways to reward us for obedient behavior. If we would just humble ourselves and be willing to learn and receive instruction in ALL areas of our lives, we would have not only a lot more peace, we would also have all that we are promised. We would prevail and God would bless us with His riches.

More References
Pr 6:23, 9:7-10, 10:8,
10:14, 10:17, 11:2, 11:14, 12:1,
13:1, 13:10, 13:20, 14:3, 14:6,
15:5, 15:10, 15:12, 15:25,
16:20-23, 17:10, 18:1, 19:8, 22:17-18, 23:12, 27:17, 29:1