This week I published the fifth in a long series of articles on “The A,B,C,D’s of Glorifying God with Your Business.” The first five articles have been on five attitudes (the A’s) required if you’re going to glorify God with your business. The next seven will be on behaviors (the B’s) that prepare us to consistently glorify God. After that will come nine characteristics (the C’s) and finally twelve decisions (the D’s) that tangibly bring honor and glory to God.
You might be wondering why I don’t just jump to the end. You might be thinking — just tell us what decisions we can make in our businesses that will be glorifying to God!
Jesus often used farming analogies in His teaching. I’m going to follow His lead in explaining the A,B,C,D framework:
– The five attitudes represent a mindset that puts God and neighbor first. Think of developing these attitudes within ourselves as preparing the soil for planting. We need a mindset that is “good ground” into which God’s wisdom can take root and grow.
– The seven behaviors are spiritual disciplines we must develop and exercise in order to work the seed of God’s Word into that good soil and nurture the growth of that Biblical wisdom in our lives.
– The nine character traits are the spiritual fruit that will spring forth in our lives as Godliness grows within us.
– The twelve types of decisions are when and how we harvest that fruit.
Any farmer will tell you that there’s no shortcut to the harvest. You must prepare the soil, work it, and patiently wait for the crop to mature before you can harvest it. So stick with me as we transition from Attitudes to Behaviors. In just a few months we should be ready to reap the harvest.