Kingdom Business

It's another Wednesday and thus another opportunity for us to gather and discuss business and career issues from a scriptural perspective.

Today, we are looking at Proverbs 26:10. Here it is in a few different Bible versions:

1. NIV - Like an archer who wounds at random is one who hires a fool or any passer-by.

2. NLT - An employer who hires a fool or a bystander is like an archer who shoots at random.

3. CEV - It's no smarter to shoot arrows at every passerby than it is to hire a bunch of worthless nobodies.

4. GNT - An employer who hires any fool that comes along is only hurting everybody concerned.

Do you see the theme we're going to consider today?

The scripture focuses on the consequence of hiring the wrong person. However, we can consider the consequence of dealing with the wrong person outside of hiring. How about who we, as believers, choose to work with in some capacity or another. What consequences can you imagine would result from disobeying God's wisdom as contained in this verse?

If you can't imagine such an outcome, then let's consider the opposite situation. Think of Joseph (the one with the coat of many colors). What would have happened if Pharaoh hadn't made him Prime Minister of Egypt? Genesis 41:41 - So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” The result was that in the seven years of plenty, Joseph made sure to store reserves of grain and Egypt had enough to feed itself as well as sell in the seven years of famine that came. Just as God had warned Pharaoh in his dream.

As children of God, we must understand and submit to the fact that God needs to determine who we work with. If not, we will end up working with 'fools'. Here's a quick look at how the Bible describes fools:

1. Psalm 53:1 - Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good! (NLT)

2. Proverbs 18:2 - Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions.

3. Proverbs 27:22 - Though you grind a fool in a mortar, grinding them like grain with a pestle, you will not remove their folly from them.

Working with a 'fool' could be very costly. So, let's talk about the importance of who we work with as children of God in business. What experiences have you had that address the concerns shared in our foundational scripture for today? And if you are in the corporate world, d o you have examples of working with the right or the wrong person? Or, were you once the wrong person that was employed by a business? Have you noticed a difference between working with a Believer vs a Non-believer? What thoughts do you have related to this topic?

Share 'em!

Before we start our discussion, let us pray: Amazing God, I Thank You for this opportunity to gather. We are here under Your authority and call on You to be present in our atmosphere so that we may learn from You and walk away from this gathering much differently than we were when we arrived. Take all the glory and the praise in our lives as individuals and as a corporate body, IJMN, Amen.

To learn more, please read:

1. Unequally Yoked

2. Holy Spirit Makes The Difference