The Christian Entrepreneur » stewardship

Why God Makes a Lousy Business Partner

Brad Harmon — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 23:17:00 +0000

Ask just about any seasoned entrepreneur about partnerships and they will tell you to avoid them like the plague. It’s extremely rare to find partnerships that are successful and all of the partners are happy.

In Christian circles you hear a lot about partnering with God in your family, in your relationships, in your finances, and in your business. Take the name of this blog for example, The Christian Entrepreneur. Doesn’t that suggest an implicit partnership with God? Surely we are able to avoid the problems inherent in a business partnership if God is our partner, right? Sadly, no.

In fact, it will probably end up being worse. You see, God just doesn’t make a very good business partner. He’s actually a pretty lousy one.

The Traditional Problems with a Business Partnership

What is it about partnerships that make them such bad business models? After all, in concept they seem like win-win situations. Two or more people pool their resources, time, knowledge, and skills in pursuit of a shared vision.

In reality, what I have found true about partnerships is that they are full of inequities that lie beneath the surface causing an almost constant tension amongst the partners.

The inequities take on various forms, but can be narrowed down to the following:

The amount of capital put into the partnership
The degree of sweat equity put into the partnership
The distribution, use, and allocation of resources
The liabilities and exposure brought to the partnership

Certainly, there are many more factors that could be listed; however, let’s just focus on these. Are you starting to see why God may not make such a good business partner?

Forming a Business Partnership with God

The first issue you run into is figuring out what exactly you bring to kitty. There always seems to be some sort of inequity involved in formation capital for a partnership, but how much greater is that inequity when your partner is God?

¹⁶For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: ¹⁷And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. (Colossians 1:16-17, King James Version)

There aren’t many entrepreneurs that are going to let you become their partners by putting up their resources as your stake in the partnership. If you have no capital of your own to bring to the table, can you form a partnership?

He’s the Money and I’m the Brains

Okay, so God owns everything, but I can still bring the ideas and the sweat equity to the table. Most of the partnerships I come across are this type. One partner has the idea, or does all of the work, while the other puts up the funding.

These partnerships usually end up either bankrupt or the partner with the idea and sweat equity is bought/forced/squeezed out.

³³O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! ³⁴For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? ³⁵Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? (Romans 11:33-35, King James Version)

I’m afraid that when you try to make God your partner He trumps you here too. There’s just nothing we can bring to the table to justify a partnership.

Here’s Your Sign

There’s a comedian named Bill Engvall who performs his act with the signature phrase, “Here’s your sign.” He pokes fun at stupid questions we ask in light of an obvious situation. Such as, pulling up to someone who’s car is on the side of the road with the hood up and smoke pouring out then asking, “You having car trouble?” Here’s your sign.

Isn’t trying to make God our partner a little bit like that? It’s like those bumper stickers that read “God is my Co-Pilot.” Really? If God is in the cockpit shouldn’t we just let Him have the controls?

I really wonder sometimes if God isn’t sitting back laughing at us while wearing one of those “I’m with stupid” t-shirts. Why do we, as Christians, keep talking about God as if He were our equal? We’re not even in His league.

The Christian Entrepreneur

Being a Christian entrepreneur does not mean that we are in partnership with God. It means that we acknowledge that God is the source and owner of “our” business ventures. We have simply formed an alliance with Him – a joint venture.

We recognize that we are His stewards. We humbly accept that we can never be God’s equal while expressing our gratitude to Him for allowing us to become partakers.

God makes such a lousy business partner because He brings everything to the table making it impossible to form a partnership. Until Christian entrepreneurs as a whole start embracing the enormity, majesty, holiness, and sovereignty of God we can never share in His vision for the business enterprises with which He has entrusted us.

Jesus Says Use Your Boss’s Money to Make Friends?

Brad Harmon — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:08:03 +0000

The parable of the unjust steward in Luke 16:1-13 may be one of the most difficult parables told by Jesus Christ. I doubt that many Christians have ever heard a sermon preached on this passage.

Why? Because it appears that Christ is giving tacit approval for the unjust servant to defraud his master after being given his pink slip. Let’s just jump into the parable and you’ll see what I mean. I’ll be using the King James Version (KJV) today because there are some translation issues with the New International Version (NIV) on this passage. Click here to see the parable in the NIV.

The Unjust Steward Gets the Pink Slip

The parable starts out with the unjust steward being fired by his master after being accused of being wasteful with the master’s money.

¹And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. ²And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.

The steward does not defend himself because he either has no defense or isn’t really given an opportunity to defend himself.

³Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.

Given the number of pink slips handed out over the past two years it is easy to relate to his thoughts. It’s a rough time to be out of work – especially if you have no skills for the jobs that are in demand. It’s natural to start to worry in this situation.

The Unjust Steward Decides to Create His Own Parachute

The unjust steward decides that he is going to create his own social welfare safety net as part of his final duties. Be honest, this is tempting – isn’t it?

⁴I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. ⁵So he called every one of his lord’s debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? ⁶And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. ⁷Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.

Did he just do what it looks like he did? Did he just give some unauthorized discounts to make some friends that may want to help him out later?

The Lord Commends the Unjust Steward AND so Did Christ

Surely his master is not going to look kindly on this matter. You’d think, but he actually commends the steward for it. What is going on here?

⁸And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. ⁹And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

Say what? Did I just miss something, or did Jesus just tell His disciples to do the same thing? It looks like Jesus is saying it’s okay to use your boss’s money to buy friends.

Jesus Warns Us to Be Faithful With Little

Jesus then appears to take an about face and warns us about being faithful with little.

¹⁰He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. ¹¹If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? ¹²And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?

Confused? This doesn’t seem to jive very well with what He said above, does it? There has to be some other interpretation.

Let’s Take Another Look

There seems to be three plausible ways to look at what the unjust steward did.

First, he did what it appears that he did and the master was impressed at how shrewdly the steward provided for himself on the way out. I have a hard time buying this one.

Second, the steward had overcharged these people and was just setting the records straight for his master as an attempt to gain both his and the other’s good will.

Third, the amount slashed was the steward’s commission. By giving up his commission now he earned the good will of his master and the others.

What Was the Point of This Parable?

It seems to me that the third explanation is the most plausible as it accounts for both the master’s commendation and for Jesus telling his disciples to follow the steward’s example.

The wisdom comes in the signing over of your worldly possessions now for the hope of the eternal rewards later. It is a call for us to be generous with our worldly possessions using them to make eternal friendships. Many Christians miss the smart play here.

¹³No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

The unjust steward was wise enough to know that giving away what he had was the only real move to make. If he had kept it, he would have had nothing when it was gone.

Who Owns Your Christian Small Business?

Brad Harmon — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:55:36 +0000

Being a Christian entrepreneur is not always an easy job to handle. Sometimes, we are asked by God to do something with “our” small business that we would rather not do.

Have you ever been reminded by God that it isn’t “your” small business, but it’s His? As Christian entrepreneurs, we are mere stewards with what God has entrusted us. I’ve needed to be reminded of this over and over again throughout my life. I’ve found myself treating God as more of a silent partner in my business ventures rather than the owner.

It’s scary to make dramatic changes when we know why we are doing it and where we are going. It can be terrifying when we’re asked to do this given neither.

Are You Willing to Leave Your Boats Behind?

I often wonder what Peter and Andrew thought as Jesus approached them on the shore. They were fishing away enjoying their business, and then drop everything to follow Christ.

Matthew 4:18-20 gives us this account:

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.

Wow, what would you do? We often think that this was the first meeting between Christ and Peter. It may well have been, but since Christ had been living and preaching around the Sea of Galilee before this, it is probably a safe guess that they had heard of Him and His message before this moment.

Do You Really Trust God to Be in Control?

Even if they had heard Him preach, it took an incredible amount of trust to drop their nets and follow Him. They didn’t need to discuss it, to arrange their affairs first, or ask any questions. The Bible simply says they did it “at once.”

Too many Christians today have such a small view of God. We’ve tried to make Him small enough to fit inside a box that we have created. The problem is that what we created and put in the box is not God, and it is not worth trusting.

A.W. Tozer puts it this way in The Knowledge of the Holy:

Left to ourselves we tend immediately to reduce God to manageable terms. We want to get Him where we can use Him, or at least know where He is when we need Him. We want a God we can in some measure control.

A god that needs to be, or can be, controlled is not a god worthy of our worship or trust. When we fail to trust God and let Him be the master of our business, then we create a false god – an idol no better than one made of wood or stone.

Our failure to trust God is our failure to really know Him at all. I highly recommend The Knowledge of the Holy if you have never read it.

It’s Hard to Be a Living Sacrifice!

Someone once said that the problem with living sacrifices is that they are constantly crawling off the altar. This is exactly what Paul urges us to do in Romans 12:1. I’ve had such an issue with this in my own life that Romans 12:1 is now my life verse.

Even Peter though, who had instantly dropped his nets to follow Christ, quickly fell back into his old profession after the crucifixion. In John 21 we find that a dejected Peter decided, “I’m going out to fish.” This might have been the first example of when the going gets tough, the tough go fishing.

When all hopes seems lost, the economy too bad, a major client leaves you over being too Christian to cut a backroom deal, or a key employee leaves taking several important clients what do you do? Do you continue the course God set? Or do you pick up your nets again and go fishing?

To his credit, Peter jumped out of the boat and ran to Christ when he knew who it was. You see, God was never surprised how the whole narrative of the Bible played out. He is in control – even when it appears from our point of view He isn’t.

So Who Really Owns Your Christian Small Business?

Is your business just another business with a Jesus fish slapped on it? Being a Christian entrepreneur means more than a logo, more than just doing things the “right” way, more than being good, kind, and generous.

It’s first, and foremost, recognizing that whatever you create is really just something God is allowing you to use, and you are the mere steward of it. Second, that God is not put into a box. If you can put Him in your box then it isn’t Him.

Finally, understanding that there is only one rule book that applies to all of your life – business and personal. One set of standards that applies to all, and you do not get to draft them. Is it time for you to put down the pen, hand over the deed, and just learn to trust Him?

What the Christian Entrepreneur Owes the Poor

Brad Harmon — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:17:57 +0000

Does the Christian Entrepreneur have an obligation to the poor? If so, does giving to the church cover our obligation?

Thanksgiving is next week, and Christmas is right around the corner. It is a time of the year that always makes me stop to think of all the blessings for which I have to be thankful.

My favorite Dickens story, Scrooge, will be playing in all its versions soon (there is yet another version due to hit the theaters). I can’t help but think about poor Tiny Tim and the heartless Ebenezer.

Thankfully, there’s another person that comes to mind when I start thinking about the poor. His name is Boaz, and there is a lot that we can learn from him.

Boaz – A Man of Standing

Boaz first appears in Ruth chapter 2, and is described as a “man of standing.” The term literally means a man of valor, but it can be expanded to mean a man who is capable in his community and lives an exemplary lifestyle.

Boaz has returned from Jerusalem and bids his harvesters with a hearty, “The LORD be with you!” The harvesters promptly replied back with an equally hearty, “The LORD bless you!” I wonder how many employers could say that they have that type of relationship with their employees? Does charity begin at home?

As Christian entrepreneurs, we should treat our employees so well that they will never want to leave us. We should go above and beyond the norm and provide as much as possible to them. We should be known by our generosity.

Boaz – Friend to the Needy

The next thing Boaz does is ask his foreman about a new woman that he saw in the fields going behind his servants gathering the spilled barley.

In Jewish law, it was commanded that the poor be allowed to pick up the spillage from the harvest. In fact, it legally belonged to the poor. This was only one provision for the poor in the law, and it was over and above the tithe.

When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God. – Leviticus 19:9-10

It was not uncommon for the poor to be in his fields, but he still noticed the new person. His foreman told him how Ruth had been working diligently all day long, and about what she had done for her mother-in-law.

Boaz went to Ruth and told her he wanted her to stay in his fields where his men were harvesting, and to follow the female servants behind them so she would be protected. He also told her she could drink from the water jugs prepared for his harvesters whenever she was thirsty.

All of this was above and beyond what the law required him to do. It doesn’t sound much like the way most entrepreneurs think about the poor outside their buildings, does it?

Boaz – The Humanitarian

Boaz didn’t stop there. At mealtime, he beckoned her over and fed her till she was full and had leftovers. When she left to start gathering again, he told his harvesters to let her wander into the sheaves (which were his) and for them to even pull some out and leave them on the ground for her. My new friend, Brandon Cox, has a post called God Gives Handfuls on Purpose (what a great title) looking at this from a different view.

Boaz also told his harvesters not to rebuke Ruth. He understood the disgrace that she must have felt having to pick up the leftovers of the poor. He wanted to give her back some of her humanity.

It’s sad that with all the things that have already been stripped from the poor, so many are willing to take their humanity too. Did you notice that the portion of the crop that was left for the poor was in the corners? I think it was so they could easily access it and stay out of sight retaining some of their dignity.

Ruth stayed in the field until evening gathering as much as she could, then she spent most of the night threshing the barley. She was not looking for a handout. She wanted to work, and she worked hard for what she gleaned.

Boaz – A Lineage of Kings

Before the story is done, Boaz continues to give more to Ruth. He ends up marrying Ruth to fulfill the obligation of the Kinsmen Redeemer under Jewish law after the first in line refused to do so. It is from this marriage that Obed was born, father of Jesse, who was father of King David. It’s also the lineage of Christ’s birth .

You just never know where a little kindness will lead, do you? As Christian entrepreneurs, we are no longer under the Old Testament law. As stewards though, I think it would be unwise to ignore the examples set forth by both the law and Boaz.

James tells us in the New Testament that true religion involves looking after orphans and widows in their distress. Christ continually showed compassion on the poor. As joint heirs with Him, we should follow His example.

A Holiday Request

As the holiday season approaches, stop and count your blessings. Ask God what He would have you do about the poor in your life. It’s a great season to do this, but since it is also budget season for some, maybe now is a great time to add the poor to your budgets for next year.

With the way the economy looks for the near term, there will be plenty of poor from which to choose.