What Is Our Top Priority?

top priorityThis post on our top priority is the third in a series of posts that come from the material I recently used in a presentation I made to a small group of Christian business owners and leaders in Chandigarh, India.

The focus of this material is also the focus of this blog – God’s call for us to run our businesses as a platform for Christian ministry.

Hopefully, after reading this series of posts, you will agree that it is God’s will that we run His businesses as stewards with an eternal perspective. You should also have a better understanding of what this looks like in today’s marketplace.

What We Must Agree On

In the past two posts on eternal perspective and God’s ownership, I have given you two foundational truths from Scripture. If we are truly going to succeed in running His businesses as platforms for ministry, we must believe these truths.

Along with these, I believe there are two more truths that we must agree on and believe in our core. The first of these remaining two truths should become our absolute top priority! I will describe the second of these remaining truths in my next post.

Our Top Priority

As Christian business owners and leaders, our top priority should living out the Greatest Commandment as we run our business. Don’t just take my word for it. Let’s take a look at what Jesus said. When Jesus was asked which command in the law was the greatest, He responded:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: love your neighbor as yourself.  All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands. – Matthew 22:37-40

ALL of Our Heart…

We are commanded to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.  The key word here is ALL.  We cannot obey this command by loving Him with most of our heart or mind.  We cannot obey by loving him on Sundays, but not on Mondays.  Nor can we be obedient by loving him at church and home, but not at work.

Read it again…do you see any way to obey this commandment other than loving Him ALL of the time, with ALL of ourselves, in ALL areas of our lives?

What About Work?

How can we do this if we are spending 60, 70, or even 80 percent of our week focused only on work? There is absolutely nothing wrong with work.  We are designed for it.

But for us to work for purposes other than acting out our love for God as commanded above – this goes against God’s word! We must find a way to live out these two commandments through our work.

Let’s look at one more verse that is closely related to the idea we are discussing.

And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. – Colossians 3:17

I submit that our work is included in “whatever you do”.  If this is true, then I only see one decision confronting each of us –

    Will I align my life, which includes my work, with this Scripture?  

    Regardless of where this path will lead, am I willing to commit to it?

Where are you in this decision process?

Have you prayed for God to guide you in this decision?

What are you hearing?

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