As Christians, we have a secret weapon. It is not our education or history, nor our prowess or personality, although at times all of these may come into play. The real differentiator is the presence of One greater than ourselves, one who is rooting for our breakthrough, and planning for our prosperity.
Proverbs teaches, don’t lean on your own understanding and…
“Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.” (Proverbs 16:3 KJV)
I like the Passion Translation of this verse:
“Before you do anything put your trust totally in God and not in yourself, and every plan you make will succeed.”
Another way to say it would be, commit your business to the Lord.
Instead of hustling, start hearing. Jesus was able to say that He did nothing that He did not first see the Father doing. Through that vital connection not one step was taken apart from the blessing of God. Because of that, His steps were established, confident and unfaltering.
I wish I could say the same of myself, but to some degree I’m still prizing myself away from stubborn self reliance. It is a nasty, clinging habit to break. The addiction I have to “do it myself” deserves its own 12 step program!
I have been learning to lean more fully on God however, and the results are evident.
In partnership with Jesus may wife Larna and I have built a lifestyle business from the ground up, netting a tidy six figure annual income doing the work we love.
Anyone who knew me previously, and my aversion to business and money making, knows full well that this is a miracle of God’s grace.
Committing your business to the Lord means two things:
- You recognise that your business ultimately belongs to Him.
- Accept that He is the senior partner and passionately committed to your success.
From this place of confidence in God’s commitment to you, it becomes easy to commit to Him.
Reading on in Proverbs 16, again from the Passion Translation, verse 20 says:
“One skilled in business discovers prosperity…”
That sounds great, but wait, the verse is not complete…
“But the one who trusts in God is blessed beyond belief!”
God’s plans to give you a future and a hope, to prosper all that you do, is intimately tied to your intimacy with Him.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11–13 NIV)
Seeking God is not a diversion from your business activities, it is a business activity. Spending time in consultation with Him is not slicing precious hours from your production, it is the source and fount of your future success.
Spiritual commitment forms the foundation upon which your business will be built and stand for many years to come.
Thankfully our father’s activity is not confined behind the church walls. His faithful presence and wise counsel has been woven into the fabric of our lives. Without Him it all unravels.
Wallow and Roll in God’s Goodness
I love that one of the Hebrew meanings of the word “commit” is to wallow. Wallowing in the the wisdom of God sounds like a great way to start the day.
Another is to “roll together”.
Rolling through your days connected and committed to the One who holds the universe in His hands, makes for quite an adventure.
What are your plans today? What hopes do you hold for your growth and prosperity? Make sure your addictions to “do it myself” don’t rob you of the “beyond belief” blessings that result from wholehearted commitment to building your Kingdom business in conjunction with the King!
