Ten qualities of a kingdom business owner, part 1

As a corporate chaplain, I’ve walked through numerous businesses over the past 35 years. The foundation I’m coming from is the experience of interacting with business owners, observing how these owners operated their businesses, and involving their employees.

There are many overlapping qualities that I have observed during this season. During the COVID-19 shutdown in America, I reflected backward and looked at all kingdom business owners’ qualities. For a few years now, I have wanted to put together a blueprint for business owners to follow and become Kingdom business owners.

Do Christian business owners do anything different than any other business owner? Does the Bible address business ownership and doing business in a manner that has different principles than non-believers? Many great business leaders have worked hard all their lives, only to discover there has to be more to life than this. Once you have achieved all of your goals and dreams, what else is necessary to add redeeming value to your business?

There are some commonalities with owners who have discovered redeeming value in their business calling. In this article, I will offer a blueprint to inspire, encourage and equip you to become a Kingdom Business Owner. Are you ready to begin this journey and add a new dimension to your life and business? Let’s follow the blueprint!

Quality #1 – Knowledge of God’s Word

As a brand new believer in Jesus, one of the best pieces of advice I received from a friend’s father was to read the Word of God every day! Read as much as you can and be sure and circle, star, highlight, dog-ear corners, write notes in margins, and do whatever is necessary to remember it. I knew nothing about God or the Bible at all, and the more I read, the more I wanted to read. He shared that it was a book of promises for God’s people, over seven thousand promises.

If God promised me something, I wanted to be sure and find out what he promised. I read entirely through the Bible three times that first year and have never stopped reading it. Over time I began to gain little bits of truth and knowledge. It was like I stumbled into a massive room full of treasure. I would get excited every time I found another promise! The Lord was so patient with my boundless zeal and tempered me with his Word through the Holy Spirit.

There was one season of sixty months when I only read the book of Proverbs because he wanted me to learn all about business principles from the writer of Proverbs, Solomon. I didn’t even know there were business principles in the Bible. As I said, I had a long way to go. I’ve been reading and learning for over forty-nine years now, and sometimes I still feel so inadequate as there is still so much I don’t know, but here is what I do know, the Holy Spirit is my teacher and teaches me all truth at precisely the right moments I need truth. I no longer worry about not knowing it all; I have the Holy Spirit, who always has my back. In life and business, we must lean on God’s never-changing Word.

“Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart—”

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

There is no substitute for the knowledge of God’s Word. “seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His glory and excellence.”

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and correctly handles the word of truth.”

Are you reading God’s Word on a regular basis? Are you able to apply His Word in your daily life? Do you need someone to help you and mentor or disciple you

Quality #2 – Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit’s moment-by-moment moving throughout the day

Most believers need to come closer to understanding what they got when they got what they got in the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit. Do you realize that to pray without ceasing (like he commanded), we must be in constant dialog with the Holy Spirit, moment by moment and breath by breath? He earnestly desires to relate with us throughout our day at every level. He directs every step; he lovingly corrects; he passionately protects and divinely selects us for specific sovereign acts that impact the world around us. He teaches us all things. 

“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of everything I have said to you.”

The Holy Spirit enables us to step out of our comfort zone and empowers us with supernatural abilities to be his witness. But most have yet to learn how this occurs and will not give the Holy Spirit’s whispers any place in our hearts or lives. 

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Kingdom business owners must learn to train their ears to receive and respond to the Holy Spirit’s movements. By the way, most of the time, his desires for us take us out of our comfort zone, but he has given us his Comforter to help bring us comfort through our discomfort supernaturally.

Serving God and his Kingdom is never easy and rarely convenient. It always requires us to die to our flesh and awaken His Spirit. Hearing his voice, following his direction, and always intentionally listening to him offers us all amazing adventures throughout our days.

When was the last time you sat silently listening for the answer to your last business issue? What was his reply?