CAN YOU MIX GOD WITH BUSINESS?

This is a frequently asked question. But is it mixing God with business, or is it operating under God's guidance and principles? Most people believe that God is purely spiritual, and that He is not a businessman. That is erroneous thinking. God invented business for man. He appointed Adam as a manager with specific tasks in the Garden of Eden.

God did not create Adam to sit around and rest in the garden. He assigned him certain tasks to complete. God endowed man with speech and gave him the ability to work from the moment He created him. Idleness is contrary to God's commandment for humanity. Man was meant to work in partnership with God. That is why God created the garden and handed it over to Adam to maintain.

Adam's tasks (jobs) in the garden were (Genesis 1:28-29),

• To increase in number, populating the earth with others who had the image of God.

• To subjugate the earth and rule over all living things in the sea, air, and on land. To subdue the world implies to have dominion over it. However, the dominion that God gave Adam was one that did not entail dictatorship, but a rulership in which man had a connection with his subjects (the animals). It's the same relationship God has with humanity.

• To name all the animals (Genesis 2:19-20). Naming the animals proves Adam's authority that God gave him.

We were created to rule and manage. In fact, all the men that were used by God in the Bible were blessed with wealth and servants to manage. Their wealth exponentially grew once God chose them as His vessels.

God gave Solomon wisdom and wealth. Solomon did not suddenly become wealthy. God gave him the ability to make wealth, to produce, to multiply what he had.

King Solomon had numerous commercial pursuits. I Kings 9:26 mentions Solomon's fleet of ships. He was in the transportation industry, working with King Hiram's mariners. Because the Israelites were not nautical people, Hiram's men trained Solomon's employees.

Their business cooperation benefited both rulers. According to the Bridgeway Bible Commentary, "Goods from the Mediterranean were received at Hiram's port of Tyre, taken overland to the Israelite port of Ezion-geber at the northern tip of the Red Sea, and then shipped east, possibly as far as India."

Solomon's fleet of ships delivered the gold that built the majestic temple of God, 2 Chronicles 8:18. It's worth noting that Solomon built and finished the house of God before his own. He prioritised God, and God lavishly blessed him. This is a business lesson on putting God first because He is the one who bestows prosperity on humanity.

"The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it," Proverbs 10:22.

God gives His children business ideas and gives them the ability to execute them. Solomon had extra ordinary business prowess.

Because God had blessed him, Solomon thrived in the majority of his commercial undertakings. He established a horse trading empire. The Egyptian breed was extremely valuable. It was bigger and more powerful, a prized possession for battle. Solomon realised the demand for Egyptian horses and entered the market. He purchased horses from Egypt and Kue and resold them to the Hittite and Syrian kings (1 Kings 10:28-29).

King Solomon understood market demand, and he had traders and merchants bidding for his horse empire.

Economically, he was equipped to build any business. He was such a good economist that during his reign, silver and gold were common. "The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills," (2 Chronicles 1:15).

Did Solomon attend a prestigious business school? No, God bestowed wisdom on him. I am not opposed to going to school. School provides you with one-of-a-kind business tools. However, you must first seek God's counsel. Putting God first in your business provides you with a competitive advantage.

Aquila, a Jewish man from Turkey, and Priscilla, a gentile from Rome, are a unique couple in the New Testament. They were business partners in addition to being married. They, like the apostle Paul, were tent makers. In Corinth, Paul lived with Aquila and Priscilla and built tents with them (Acts 18:1-2). We definitely have Christian entrepreneurs working together in the same trade.

They made leather tents for the Roman army. This was a very profitable business because the army was always in need of tents when they travelled. Leather was both durable and expensive. This would explain how Priscilla and Aquila had a house in Rome. Around 51-52AD, the Roman emperor ordered all Jews to be expelled. They moved to Corinth as refugees and had a house. After some time, they moved to Ephesus with Paul, and also had a house there. They could afford a decent living through their business.

Not only were Priscilla and Aquila business people, they were also evangelists. In Rome, they had worked with the apostle Peter. When they relocated to Corinth, they worked with Paul, teaching the word of God. They had significant influence on the young man Apollos who later became a great preacher and Paul's companion (Acts 18:24-26). They gave Apollos a greater understanding of the gospel.

It is clear to see that those who believe in God are blessed with a double portion. One portion is in making wealth for their upkeep and the other portion is in labouring for God. Solomon built the most magnificent temple for God. God blessed him with business exploits and beautiful houses. During the early years of the gospel, Priscilla and Aquila taught the word of God. They assisted in the planting and establishment of new churches and God blessed them with a home in every city they lived.

Pray for God's wisdom as you grow your economic empire. Study whatever needs to be studied, putting God's wisdom above all else. Nothing can shake the foundation of your business once He becomes its foundation.

God is the inventor of business and He gives new ideas and inventions to those who are willing to seek His counsel.