If you are in business you must have the will to succeed. We are in a competition, not against others but against sin, the flesh and the devil. “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
Many people would prefer this verse to end after the words “we wrestle not.” I sometimes tell the story of a believer who wanted to play compassionate, caring tennis. He did not want to make his opponent run or stretch or get tired, so he deliberately lost every game and wound up losing every playing partner too. His partners lost respect for him and no longer wanted to play.
If you are called by god into business, you have been called to compete in the marketplace fairly, with courage and endurance. We must demonstrate our faith through good work and not be like the fearing and mistrustful slave with one talent. It is God’s will that we be like the slave with ten talents who had an abundance. When your customer or your employer makes money with you on the team, they win and you win. Business is like a game and it is competitive by nature. Play fair, but strive for excellence and play to win. When you have won and helped a few others win, tell them about Jesus. They will listen to you because what you have won is their respect.
Working hard and knowing when to rest is an important part of God’s wisdom. There is a special joy that can only be found through the discipline of hard work. As the word says, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”
