Seeing God in Your Business
I recently participated in the 2024 Women’s Symposium. It’s an event in Monroe that celebrates women and their personal and professional stories. The topic I was able to discuss was Sisterhood and Solidarity: Mentorship in the Workplace. It was truly so fun (thanks Melissa Baldwin!!!) But when I was first approached about this topic, I was a little nervous. Not that I don’t have anything to say - I do! But I’ve become so accustom to using scripture as my guide when speaking. How do I come up with good content in this non-church setting? This audience would be different. I didn’t know if they would be believers and if talking about my faith would be polarizing. I just had a ton of questions about how I do this well. Not everyone in our realm of business wants to hear what the Bible says.
Maybe you find yourself in a business setting and you wonder where your faith fits in. Or how you live in a business environment and point people to Christ without beating them over the head with a Bible (most work places don’t allow that by the way ha!)? Don’t get me wrong, I still use scripture in my job to guide me, but it’s a delicate balance. There are HR rules in place to maintain that balance. How do we point people to Christ through the way we conduct business? I’ll share a little bit about what I’ve learned and what God is still teaching me:
God is in the business of people. Luke 9:16 says, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” It’s the golden rule. Love your neighbor. Love the cubical next to you and pause before reacting. I like to remind myself that people come first and profit is always second. God has always blessed that mindset.
God is in the business of encouragement. What you say and how you say it matters. We are either building people up or knocking them down. There is no in-between. James 3:6 says, “The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell”. EEEK! This scripture always gives me a reality check. We are in charge or developing the people around us, challenging them in a way that produces growth. Challenge doesn’t mean discourage. You can challenge and encourage at the same time.
God is in the business of order. Have you ever been faced with tough business decisions? Which option is the most peaceable? Which decision is more Christ-like? I think the most challenging and telling thing is how Christians react when things are out of order. Our reactions to chaos can point people to Christ.
So can business and faith come together? Absolutely, they can! Did you know that some of the first business practices are listed in Leviticus? The Bible can be your guide in how you conduct business. Sometimes it’s easy for us to separate business and religion, especially when there are company laws that keep them separate. But we can include God’s Word into business and gently guide people in biblical principles while maintaining acceptable relationships.
God gave me so much to hold on to this past week! I’ll let you in on a secret… I did use the Bible as my guide for the Women’s Symposium. But God gave me guidance to share it in a strategic way. I was blessed in the most incredible way after my segment was done. A sweet lady walked up to me and she said, “I see Jesus.” That was it. That’s all she said, but God knew I needed to hear that because that was the mission - to show people what Jesus looks like without even saying His name.
God is in the business of using our faith in every setting….maybe ESPECIALLY the non-church settings. I want to challenge you: Let people see Jesus in you without saying His name. Walk into the non-church setting with beaming faith and joy that is unmatched with anything the world can provide. I dare you!
