What Service Does Your Business Provide to God?
In 2010, I prayed for God to help me find an office space for my company to move into. I was running the business out of my living room and I felt it was time to take a bold step of faith and move into an official location for my agency.
I specifically remember praying for and circling around a certain warehouse district that was close to my house. As you might guess, the Lord heard my prayers and brought me into a new season with a beautiful new office.
I was so grateful to God that I decided to dedicate my office to God and his work. I made a covenant with God to use my office for whatever he needed.
Since 2010, my office has hosted worship nights, volunteer outreach meetups, Bible studies, counseling sessions, worship band practices, and more! My office has even served as my church's official administrative office because we didn't have a building.
All of us Godpreneurs have an opportunity to make a covenant between our businesses and the work God is doing here. We're part of his plan, and committing our resources to his purpose is what he's looking to do along our entrepreneurial journey.
Why is this important? When we make a covenant with God, it makes us accountable to him as our CEO. We essentially surrender our (sometimes sinful) hearts to God.
I’m not saying we all need to open up our offices to the church. I'm not saying you need to stop everything you're doing to serve God's people only. For many entrepreneurs, the business doesn't have an exact correlation between what the church is doing and the services we provide. However, if it is not our services, we can make a covenant in other ways. We can tithe, we can serve, we can volunteer resources. There are a lot of ways to commit our businesses to God.
The important part is to make some kind of commitment that makes your heart feel good.
The book of Nehemiah shows us how to restart our businesses by showing us what it is to make a covenant with God.
Nehemiah 10:39 says
"The people of Israel, including the Levites, are to bring their contributions of grain, new wine and olive oil to the storerooms, where the articles for the sanctuary and for the ministering priests, the gatekeepers and the musicians are also kept. “We will not neglect the house of our God.”
After living in exile from Jerusalem, the people of Israel were able to rebuild the walls and move back into their city. Once they resettled in the city, they needed to get back to the basics so that they wouldn't fall back into sin and end up right back in exile. One way was declaring and engaging themselves in the work of God. They made a covenant that they would take care of the house of God and not neglect or forsake it, and instead contribute the necessary provisions to support it.
Although the Israelites had paid great taxes to the kings of Persia and had much hardship put upon them, they would not make that an excuse for not paying their tithes; but would render to God the things that were his, as well as to Cesar the things that were his.
Making a covenant is a big deal. Making one with God is the biggest deal you’ll make for your business.
Pray for where God wants you to make a covenant. Is it a promise to only hire believers in your business? Is it a commitment to provide your trucks to be used by the church? Are you going to separate 10% of your company profits to help your church with its new building project?
All of us Kingdom-driven business owners must do what we can in works of piety and charity, notwithstanding the taxes we pay to the government; and cheerfully perform our duty to God amidst our business burdens, which will be the surest way to ease and liberty in God’s due time.
My covenant is to always make my office a satellite location for my church to do its work.
Imagine if Christian entrepreneurs worldwide could find a way to make a covenant with God.
Pray for yours.
P.S. I did a Business bible study called 40 Days to Restarting Your Business, God's Way. Check it out:
A business Bible study to help you rethink, reinvent, and restart your business, but this time, God's Way!
We parallel Nehemiah's rebuilding of the wall to your journey in rebuilding your business.
Also, coaches and Christian business leaders, you can use, edit, and repurpose the teachings for your own tribe! Check it out.