In class today we heard from Mitch Young, who is currently working for Gift-Ya, a Venmo-esque service that enables people to give other people online “gift cards” that can only be spent at a designated business. Mitch also talked about his time working for No Wait and the atmosphere of the business itself. There were several Christians like Mitch working at the company, but the corporation was not in any way intended to be a “Christian values company”. Yet through the way in which Mitch and his fellow Christians worked in the business with excellence and love for others, even the CEO, although not a believer himself, was able to see something different about them. He even told them that he needed to hire more “church boys” because he was so impressed with the way they did business. This difference in the workplace is what we, as Christian businessmen and businesswomen, should be emulating and seeking out for ourselves. We should be living and interacting with others in manner that is God-honoring. The neat thing about this is that running a business according to Christian businesses is not only following God’s will, but just exercising good business sense. The Bible encourages man to act in ways that reflect and honor him. We are to pursue excellence, love our neighbor before ourself, seek to serve and glorify a heavenly “Boss” who expects our best from us. We are to act ethically and honestly, to use our gifts to help others. All of these things not only honor God, but also make businesses flourish.

Genesis 1 tells us:

“And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

And Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”

In listening to Mitch Young’s talk today, I was reminded again how being a Christian doesn’t mean that we can’t also be good business people. Businesses are the mission field for Christians who are called into that area. And if Christians are seeking to act according to God’s will in their business operations, their businesses will truly thrive.