Proverbs 22.29
Do you see someone skilled[1] in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank.[2]
I happen to be writing this devotional during the week of the The Master’s[3] golf tournament. Every year, I marvel at their ability to hit a little white ball hundreds of yards and land it within a defined space. I’ve tried numerous times to do this. The truth is that I cannot do physically what they are able to do. And truth be told, I’m confident I don’t have the mental or emotional maturity required to do what they do.
Professional athletes and musicians have considerable raw talents. But they have also devoted their lives to developing their talents into skills which we’re willing to pay to watch. Their abilities on the field, the court or the stage took years to develop. While some of what they do might have come naturally, much of what we see is the result of considerable work and dedication, improving their skills, their mental toughness and emotional capacities. These people serve before kings. They don’t serve before those of “low rank”.
The truth of our situation as Christian business owners is that we already serve before the King of kings. We serve Him by stewarding a business which He has entrusted to us. You see, when we view what we own as an entrustment[4] from the Lord, we begin to see our role as a steward as our defining role.[5] For example, you might be a lawyer, but you’re a steward first. You might own a construction company. But you’re a steward before your a general contractor. You might own a restaurant, but you’re a steward before you’re a host of hungry people wanting a meal.
This is why we invest in ourselves—developing our leadership, interpersonal and business skills. We learn about ourselves. We become self-aware. We become honest with ourselves as we seek the Holy Spirit’s conviction for sin in our lives. We face into the difficult, painful parts of our personalities with a view to hearing from God how we can heal those parts and become more like Christ.
So, we study the Bible. We pray. We learn that business has purposes which we can strive to fulfill.[6] We join peer groups. We read. We realize that our ownership role is, by itself, an entrustment which is at the core of our marketplace witness. I estimate that Christian business owners employ over 1/3 of the American workforce,[7] so as a group, our reach is significant.
Becoming competent in order to be successful is an obvious connection. Competence in stewardship means working on yourself—improving your strengths and shoring up your dysfunctions. Many of the problems you have in your business ultimately comes from the deficits you have in your personality.
Becoming a better person could mean hiring a coach to help you learn how to face into conflict. It could mean attending counseling to take a deeper dive into areas like anger, greed or lust with a view to resolving those issues in your life. Personal improvement doesn’t have an immediate impact on your profits or your balance sheet. But over time, you’ll have a stronger business. You’ll learn that better operational efficiencies and positive interpersonal dynamics which naturally result from less ownership and leadership dysfunction can be a real competitive advantage for you.[8]
While this type of personal improvement may not be the most enthralling development areas for you, but such development is necessary for us Christians who have been entrusted with a business by God.
We will need to trust the Lord if we’re going to be highly competent at stewardship. In order to steward well what God has entrusted to us, we must trust in God’s decisions, the timing of those decisions and His provision for us today and every day.
America says “develop yourself so you can achieve more and be more wealthy.” God says “let me transform you from the inside out and I’ll make you more competent at stewarding my entrustments than you ever thought possible.”
Now, one last thought. If becoming more competent at stewarding what God has entrusted to you doesn’t excite you, then I’ll submit that one or more of the following is true: A) you have sin your harboring in your life, B) you don’ have a good understanding of ownership, entrustments and covenants and/or C) this is such new information to you that it will take a bit of time to release ownership to God and re-define your role as a steward.
I encourage you to look at yourself honestly and let God speak into your heart as He transforms you from the inside out.
[1] “skilled”: מָהִיר, having or showing or requiring a special skill. This is a rare word used only four times in the Old Testament. Psalm 45.2: “My tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.” Ezra 6.7: “He was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses…” It is also used in the sense of being expeditious in Isaiah 16.5: “…one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness.”
[2] NIV Proverbs 22.29
[3] www.masters.com
[4] English, 134-139.
[5] English, 24-38.
[6] English, 277-339.
[7] English, 6-8.
[8] The truth is that many of your competitors are not managed well.
