To become a Christian, all a person has to do is believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He died for our sins, that He rose from the dead, and that He offers us eternal life. But receiving salvation does not guarantee that anyone will have a close, growing, personal relationship with God-and neither does going to church. Really loving God, having Jesus as the Lord of our lives, and following Him wholeheartedly requires more than praying what is commonly called the “Sinner’s Prayer,” attending church on Sundays, or even surrounding ourselves with Christian friends.
God loves you. He loves everything about you, and He cares about everything that pertains to you. He wants to be involved in every aspect of your life. Think about this: A man is highly educated and trained as the CEO of a thriving company. He’s a Christian; he prays before meals at home with his family; and he serves on the finance committee at his church. He rarely misses a service, plays golf with men from his Sunday school class, and gives generously to the benevolence fund. But in business, this man is known to lack integrity and total honesty. Somehow in his mind he has separated the business part of his life from his relationship with God. When he senses conviction from God about a compromising business decision, he quickly tells himself, “it is just business.”
The problem is, he never prays about business endeavors. He has never read the Bible to see what it says about work, finances, managing people, making decisions, or anything else relative to business. He respects God’s Word in some areas of his life, but doesn’t look to it for guidance in his career. He keeps God in his “god box” neatly separated from his ordinary everyday life. When we divide life into sacred and secular, we are embarking on trouble. God must not be separated from any aspect of life, but instead He must be at the center of all that we do. When the man we are talking about walks into his office each morning, he puts all his trust in his training, experience, and instincts rather than in God. After all, he spent years learning to run a profitable corporation, so why not make decisions based on proven theories and sound knowledge of the industry in which he works? As far as the “little lies” he tells to close a deal, he reasons that everyone does it and it is no big deal.
Now, let’s say this man suddenly suffers from a dramatic and unexpected downturn in the market his company serves. This economic slump results in layoffs for many of his loyal employees and even affects his own income. Everyone affected has to deal with difficulties and pressure they have not faced before.
It’s a terrible situation, and the desperate CEO asks himself every day, How on Earth did this happen?
He is nervous, anxious, and worried. He becomes discouraged and depressed. He asks God to help him with his problem. He wants God to fix it so he can be happy again and just live his life.
While there are all sorts of reasons for changes in business climates, we know from this man’s story that he is a Christian, but he did not invite God into his work. Maybe, had he understood the wisdom of the Scriptures where business and finances are concerned, he could have made decisions to avert disaster. If God had been first in his entire life, perhaps he would have sensed the market change coming and could have made decisions to avoid it. Maybe, had he prayed and asked for God’s help in his business, the people and families affected by layoffs could have remained prosperous. Maybe the man could have avoided the stress of trying to rescue a sinking corporate ship, had he simply allowed God’s truth and teachings to guide him, instead of relying on market information and theories. And most certainly, had the man kept Jesus as the center of his life at all times, he could have avoided the negative emotions he experienced when his circumstances changed. His trust in God would have given him assurance of being taken care of no matter what happened in the market or business world.
I am not saying that we should ignore all the information that comes by natural means but we cannot rely on it entirely; I am saying that to ignore God, or limit your time with Him to a quick Sunday morning visit in church is very foolish.
Let me be quick to say that I applaud everyone who works and studies to prepare for careers. I am in favor of gaining all the knowledge, education, and training available. But I am not for trusting in these things. I am for trusting God. Theories and textbooks can fail, but God can give a person who seeks His help one creative idea that will cause a business to succeed. While we need to be equipped with natural knowledge, our greater need is to know how to seek and apply God’s wisdom. When we put God first, He trumps everything else.
God not only wants to be involved in our businesses and careers, but He also wants to be involved in every other aspect of our lives-our thoughts, our conversations, the way we choose to raise our children, the way we manage our time, the way we spend our money, how we dress, what we eat and drink, how we entertain ourselves, what we watch and listen to, and who our friends are. If we truly put Him first, we will welcome Him into all these areas of our lives. We will study His Word to learn His truth about these things, and we will be diligent to obey the promptings of His Spirit.
