Having Kingdom Motivation for Your Business

Posted: October 21st, 2008

What is the core thing that motivates you in your home business?  What is it that you strive for, that you work hard for?   Why are you building your business?  Ideally you should have a number of answers to these questions.  You should have motivation based on what you will do with your business income – how you will use it, and what you will change in your life.  You should also have motivation based on the people you will help and the difference you can make in their lives.  But most importantly you should build your core motivation around the Kingdom of God.

In the Sermon on the Mount, one of the most famous speeches ever given, Christ calls us to seek his kingdom.  He says,

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)

You will note from this verse that the kingdom motive must come first.  Jesus says, “Seek FIRST his kingdom.”  It is not a secondary goal after your personal goals on how you will spend your income, rather it must come first.  The goal of seeking the kingdom must come before your concerns about what you will do with the money you make, or why you might financial need to build your business.

Seeking First The Kingdom in Your Business

So what does your business look like when you “seek first the kingdom”?  For some of you, the changes may be significant, for others, it will just be a motivation change for the things you are all ready doing.

1. Care for other first.

If we want to live out the reign of God in the business world, we must seek to care about the things that Jesus cared about.  Jesus showed a concern throughout his ministry for both the physical and spiritual needs of people. In the business world people have an opportunity to do both.  As we get to know people we can look for ways to help improve their lives.  This might be through helping them achieve an important goal with their own business, or helping them to improve their health with our products.

We must take a particular care for looking after those less fortunate than ourselves.  Scriptures are filled with the calling to look after the poor, the widow and the orphan.  These are the representative sample of those less fortunate.  In your business, you can care for those people by spending time with people who might not naturally succeed in your business, listening to those who are hurting and suffering, and looking for ways to give to people outside of your business activities.

2. Take the focus off of money.

One of the areas of temptation where business people may be especially susceptible has to do with money.  Paul writes in his first letter to Timothy that, “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10)”  It is important to note here that he does not save that money is the root of evil, but rather “the love of money”.  Money itself facilities trade, allows for employment, and allows for goods and services to be spread through commerce.  However, people can easily become caught by the love of money.  The love of money can lead to “all kinds of evil”, as it is easy to move from the love of money into deceit, malice and harming others.

Another one of the dangers that can come because of the love of money is when building up earthy treasures becomes more important than building heavenly treasures. Jesus says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:19-21).”  It is not that earning an income, and caring about financial matters is condemned, rather it is treating money as a treasure that will last that is of concern.  True treasures are those in heaven, and that should be our primary pursuit.

3. Being a steward.

Stewardship means remembering two things:  First of all that all of the money, people and other resources under our control comes from God, belongs to God, and always is God’s, and secondly that we are commissioned to make decisions in using the resources He has entrusted us with in ways that live out his kingdom.

We also need to be good stewards of our businesses growth and success.  The business opportunity we are working with is one of the resources we need to steward.  We need to work hard to grow our business and make the most of the opportunity that God has entrusted us with.

4. Work for God, not for man.

We need to remember is that work, for its own sake, is good.  In Colossians 3:23, we are told, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men…”  Certainly this speaks to the motivation of work.  Work, in many different forms, can be done as an act of service and worship to God.  Romans 12:1 tells us that people should “offer your body as living sacrifices holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.”  Work is one way of offering this sacrifice of worship.  God is glorified through work – by working at something for the Lord, and by offering it up as a sacrifice of worship.

This focus on working for God instead of for man, teaches us that we don’t need to be worried about impressing other people.  The work you do in your business may bring you significant recognition from other people.  You can not let this get to your head or become your primary motivator.  On the flip side, by seeking the kingdom in your business you may do things that will slow your business growth down.  Here you do not need to worry about the negative comments that others might bring you.

5. Share the Good News.

Christians also need to be willing and ready to share God’s love through words.  We are told “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander (1 Peter 3:15-17).”  Acting with love, living as an example, and being a servant to others are all an important part in setting the stage for when we have an opportunity to share our faith.  We need to be bold in verbally sharing the reason for our hope and the message of salvation that we have in Jesus Christ.

Changing your motivation to be a kingdom-first motivation is not easy.  In my own business I find it very easy to be primarily driven by the bonuses I want to achieve and the advancements I want to attain.  Striving for these bonuses is not wrong, if it is a secondary motivation, perhaps part of a larger stewardship motivation that fits with your kingdom purposes.  It is vital to continually reorient yourself, confess where you have moved away from true motivation, and return to a focus on being kingdom motivated. When you do so, you will get everything you need.  We are not promised everything we want, but our needs will be taken care of.  Because of this we don’t need to worry.  Here is where the rest of the passage becomes important:

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble on its own.” (Matthew 6;33-34).

Written by:
Danny Gamache – http://dannyg.makemoreathome.com

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