Christian Business Concepts
Christian Business Concepts
Staying Grounded in Faith Through Business Success and Failure
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The modern marketplace offers Christian business owners a unique ministry opportunity that extends far beyond profit margins. Through our daily interactions with employees, customers, vendors, and communities, we carry the light of Christ into places traditional ministry might never reach.
What happens, though, when success tempts us toward pride or failure pushes us toward despair? This episode explores the critical spiritual practices that keep Christian entrepreneurs and business leaders grounded regardless of circumstances.
Drawing inspiration from Truett Cathy's profound insight that "my business grows as my faith grows," we unpack practical, biblical principles for maintaining your spiritual foundation through every business season. From the power of daily prayer that connects you to divine guidance, to strategic Bible study that provides timeless wisdom for modern challenges, to the protection found in godly counsel when facing difficult decisions – each practice creates stability in an unpredictable business world.
We spotlight Trijicon, an American optics manufacturer whose founder integrated faith directly into their products by inscribing biblical references on military-grade equipment. This compelling example demonstrates how faith can become central to company identity rather than separate from it.
Whether you're navigating the temptations of success, the discouragement of setbacks, or the constant ethical challenges of leadership, these spiritual disciplines create the unshakable foundation needed for true, lasting success. As Colossians 1:23 reminds us, we must stay "grounded and settled" rather than being "moved away" from our core beliefs.
Your business journey will inevitably include both mountain peaks and valleys. By implementing these spiritual practices, you'll maintain perspective through it all, recognizing that your ultimate success isn't measured by profits or titles, but by faithfulness to God's calling on your life and business.
Welcome to the Christian Business Concepts with your host, harold Milby. Christian Business Concepts is dedicated to guiding companies and business owners in becoming effective, efficient and successful through God's Word and godly principles. Now, here's your host, harold Milby.
Speaker 2:Welcome everyone to this week's Christian Business Concepts podcast. I'm your host, harold Milby, and each week we try to discuss business topics and just how to apply business principles that will help you find true godly success. You know Christian businesses are so important in our world today and in our communities and you know we have the opportunity as business leaders and you know we have the opportunity as business leaders to minister to so many different people that may not be ministered to if it wasn't for us. So, from employees to customers, to vendors, to other people. I mean, you know Christian businesses gives us an opportunity that we could never have and that opportunity is there to let our light shine in this world that we're in today because we influence so many people as a business owner or a Christian business leader. And I hope that you see that vision, that you agree with us about that vision, and that you'll help us to grow the CBC community by sharing this podcast with four or five other people. I always say this, but again, I'm asking you to put that link out there on your Facebook page, your LinkedIn page, and just thanks for all that you do on a weekly basis to help us grow the CBC ministry and podcast. We don't take any money. This is all funded from just people who want to be a part of it and are helping us do that, and we're not doing it for any other reason, but because we want to grow the kingdom of God and we know that God has a desire to really utilize businesses in our world. So I hope that you'll do that with us and be a part of it. Now, before we get started today, I just want to give a big shout out to Minneapolis, minnesota, here in the US, for having so many downloads this week. We hope that this podcast and ministry is a blessing to you. Thank you so much for being a part and we hope that you'll also help us to grow and come back again Now.
Speaker 2:I've been trying to highlight businesses in the last few weeks that are Christian business and I'd like to share with you about a company called Trijicon, and Trijicon is an American optics manufacturer. They're based in Wixom, michigan, and they're world-renowned I mean they really are for their high quality, their self-luminous sights, you know, and scopes. It's used by the US military, it's used by law enforcement and even civilians, and it was founded in 1981 by a man by the name of Glenn Benden and he's a devout Christian. The company itself has really gained a lot of attention, not only because it's really innovative but also because its unique practice of inscribing these little biblical references on their optics and that tradition for that company. It just really reflects Trijicon's deep commitment to integrating their Christian faith into their business operations.
Speaker 2:Glenn was born in Pretoria, south Africa, in 1937. He immigrated here to the United States in the 50s and then he earned a degree in aeronautical engineering, founding Trajicon. He worked on a lot of pretty important projects, including a shock absorber for the Navy's F-8U Crusader. He also helped to design a special valve for the Apollo 13 mission. In 1981, while he was at Ford Motor Company, he launched a company called Armson USA where he was really importing and developing these self-illuminated gun sights, and he later renamed that company Trijicon in 1985 because he was blending the tritium, which is a radioactive isotope that's what's used in this illumination with the sights and icon meaning image, that's what icon means. And so he highlighted those two things and it became Tragicon. And as a devout Christian, benden saw his work really as just an extension of his faith and he believed that Tragicon's tritium illuminated products which provide light in really low visibility conditions, that it resonated with biblical themes, primarily light overcoming darkness, and that conviction really inspired him to engrave these subtle Bible verses and these Bible references on their products. And it's a practice that really became a hallmark for Trijicon's identity, and so I just wanted to share that with you.
Speaker 2:Another great company, godly company, founded on godly principles, and just kind of wanted to share that with you about them. You know, truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A, said one time my business grows as my faith grows, and he truly believed that. And as a Christian business leader you're going to face a lot of challenges and a lot of opportunities. You're going to have a lot of success and you're going to have some failures. But you know, success can tempt you towards pride I mean, let's be honest and then failure can lead you to despair. Yet through all of that, your faith can serve as that unshakable foundation which will give you a lot of stability. It gives you a great perspective, no matter what the circumstances are. So today we're going to offer some practical, biblically-based principles to help you really stay grounded in your faith through the highs and the lows and everything in between of your business journey.
Speaker 2:So first let's look at Colossians 1 1, verse 23. It says if you continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you have heard and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven, whereof I, paul, am made a minister. So we have this statement that's kind of a warning to us to stay grounded, to stay settled in our faith and don't be moved away. The word grounded just means to lay a foundation, to make it stable, and the word settled here in this verse comes from a Greek word that means firm, it means immovable, and then it says not to be soon moved away. It means to stir to a different place, to stir yourself and go to another place.
Speaker 2:So what he's saying here is we ought to have a great foundation, a strong foundation, and then we have to make that conscious choice to be immovable, to stand firm and not to go anyplace else. Right, and in the Living Translation, the Living Bible, it says it this way. It says the only condition that you fully believe or is that you fully believe the truth, standing in it steadfast and firm, strong in the Lord, convinced of the good news that Jesus died for you, and never shifting from trusting him to save you. This is the wonderful news that came to each of you and is now spreading all over the world, and I, paul, have the joy of telling it to others. So, again, it's so important that we stay rooted and grounded. So we're going to talk a little bit about some very key principles for staying grounded in your faith Because, again, as I said earlier, when you have success, it's easy for you to look at that success and say look what I did, without giving God any credit for it whatsoever.
Speaker 2:It doesn't matter what your position is, it doesn't matter if you own the company. It was God that helped you to get there, regardless. Maybe you didn't get saved or born again until after you started your business, but, regardless, god had that plan already set up for you. And so it's easy for us to find success and forget God. And the opposite is true too. A lot of times we have failures and then we want to blame God. So we want to stay rooted and grounded, and the first thing, the first principle, is daily prayer. Daily, I said daily prayer. And now, why does that matter? Well, prayer keeps you connected to God. First, it's reminding you that he not market trends or profit margins is in control. It's him he's in control.
Speaker 2:James 5 and 16 in the Amplified Bible says Therefore, confess your sins to one another, your false steps, your offenses, and pray for one another that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man believer can accomplish much when put into action and made effective by God. It is dynamic and can have tremendous power. And that's what he said about prayer. You know Soren Kierkegaard said one time. He said "'Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays'". And I believe that you know.
Speaker 2:Dl Moody said one time I'd rather be able to pray than to be a great preacher. Jesus Christ never taught his disciples how to preach, but how to pray, and so I think it's important that we pray daily. What are some steps that we can take? Well, you need to set aside some specific times each day for prayer. It can be your morning before work, midday during a break, or your evening time when you're having some downtime for reflection over the day. But set some specific time to pray and then keep a prayer journal, record things that you put down that you're believing God for, put down issues, problems, whatever they may be that you're believing God to answer. Write them down and then pray specifically for wisdom in your business decisions and really in all of your decisions, especially those very important decisions you know James talks about. You know, if any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth liberally and upbraideth not, and I believe that we ask wisdom from God and God answers that. So you can imagine, maybe there's a CEO who he begins each morning with this quiet time of prayer and seeking God's guidance for today's challenges, and that practice not only centers him spiritually but also provides a lot of clarity and peace and it enables him to lead with a lot of wisdom and compassion.
Speaker 2:1 Thessalonians 5.17 says pray without ceasing. Now you say how do you do that? Am I supposed to be opening my mouth and having a prayer on my lips all day, continuously? It really talks about having an attitude of prayer where it's the first thing on your mind. So the first thing that happens to you through the day, instead of getting yourself all bothered, all upset about something, your first thought is to pray, and so you pray without ceasing. You keep that mind of prayer all day long. So the question I have for you today, and I'm going to ask you a question for each of these is how does prayer impact your decision-making? How do you allow it? My suggestion would be start every day, every morning, with five minutes of prayer for guidance, at least that. But you need to set time. Set time for it because God's worth it. He's worth that.
Speaker 2:Next is a regular Bible study. It's important because God's Word really provides timeless wisdom. I mean it does to guide you, to strengthen you, strengthen your faith, help you make those decisions. God's Word is full of principles and ideas and ways that you can be helped, and so you want to be able to read your Bible on a regular basis. You know, in 1868, charles Dickens wrote to his youngest child and he was getting ready to leave. His youngest child was leaving for Australia and he wrote this to him. He said I put a New Testament among your books for the very same reasons, with the very same hopes that made me write an easy account of it for you when you were a little child, because it is the best book that ever was or will be known in the world and because it teaches you the best lessons by which any human creature who tries to be truthful and faithful to duty can possibly be guided. So even Charles Dickens recognized the importance of God's Word. So I would encourage you, as practical steps, to read a chapter. Read a chapter every day, even if it's just 10 minutes a day.
Speaker 2:Start there. You might want to join a Bible study group or get around some other business leaders for Bible discussions and accountability and be a part of that group. But apply the biblical principles that we talk about here on this podcast and what you learn, and apply those principles directly to those business challenges that maybe you face. And I think, with regard to your integrity and stewardship and honesty, compassion, apply the biblical principles that apply to those things you know. Consider a manager who regularly studies Proverbs for wisdom on his leadership and you know he applies those biblical principles to even his management style. Just think about that, because it would foster this workplace culture of respect and integrity.
Speaker 2:Or maybe there's a marketing director and maybe he's preparing for a big, important campaign and he looks at Philippians 4.13, and it says I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me, and he gets this renewed confidence and puts together a great marketing campaign and it's very successful. So the Word of God says in Psalms 119, 105,. It says your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path, and I believe that. I truly, truly believe that. So I'll ask you a question and you answer this. You know what biblical account really resonates with you in your current business situation? What really resonates with you? Think about that, but read one chapter and if that's all, you can start with, read a chapter of Proverbs every day. There's 31 books in the book of Proverbs. So on a certain day of the month, read that particular chapter of Proverbs and you'll read through the whole book in a month and really, really pay attention to it. Don't just read it, but really think about it.
Speaker 2:And then the next thing that you can do to stay rooted and grounded is to seek godly counsel. Now, why does that matter? Well, you know, when you have wise and faith-filled people around you that can help you navigate we'll say it that way navigate tough decisions and even help you avoid a lot of mistakes. Let me tell you something. It's worth a lot. It's worth a lot. You know. Socrates even said the only true wisdom is in knowing. You know nothing. So all I'm saying is that you're not the smartest guy in the world or lady in the world, and none of us should think that we should always be willing to learn from others, especially other godly people. So I think that's important. So I think that's important.
Speaker 2:Maybe some good steps would be to find, maybe, a mentor who really is good at giving good godly advice. Maybe join a Christian business network or a group for good support. Maybe you want to consult with your pastor or some kind of a spiritual advisor on major decisions. So I think those things are very, very, very important. You know, the Word of God says in Proverbs 11 and 14,. It says when there is no guidance, a people fails, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.
Speaker 2:So let me ask you a question who in your network of people that you know can provide you good godly wisdom? Do you have somebody? Because, if not, you need to go find somebody, because it's that important. So you need to today schedule a meeting with that person, with that mentor, with that person you trust, or join a Christian business group. Do it today, don't put it off. And then the next thing you could do to stay rooted and grounded is to be a part of a faith community. Now, why does that matter. Well, a faith community really offers encouragement. It also offers a lot of accountability and just a reminder that you're just a small part of a larger purpose. It doesn't matter how big you are, how big your company is. You know Howard Schultz, the former CEO of Starbucks. He said this. He said, though not always public about it my faith community has been a source of strength and clarity. It's where I learned the importance of servant leadership, which has guided my approach to business. So, you know, even Howard Schultz was a part of a faith community and he had people that he met with, that he learned from and that encouraged him.
Speaker 2:So, you know, either attend some church services on a regular basis I encourage you you should be involved in a local church, even when you're busy sometimes that's the most important time and then maybe you can participate in some small group or something, or serve in ministry within the church and build some relationships. You know, you can just imagine. I'll give you this illustration, you know, maybe imagine a retail owner, retail business owner, and he's just overwhelmed by, maybe, supply chain disruptions. You know, that's his life's blood, right. If he doesn't have the product, he can't sell it. And so their church group organizes this brainstorming session with him and offers him some really practical ideas and a lot of great support emotionally, spiritually and it really inspires him to figure out how to create a workaround through these problems and it really helps him keep his business afloat. That's something that can happen.
Speaker 2:In Hebrews 10, 24 and 25, it says "'And let us consider how to stir up one another "'to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together'". It's important. It's important. So let me ask you this question how does your church support you professionally in life? Does it? Maybe? If it doesn't, maybe God's calling you to do that. Maybe he's wanting you to help start something within your church. So what I would ask you to do is an action, step, commit, make a commitment to attending a small group or serving in a ministry this month. So we got to figure out how to handle the successes and failures.
Speaker 2:As I said, success could be really dangerous, and I know failure can too. But success can really blind you and I think it's important that we understand Ken Blanchard. He's an author, he's a management expert. He said that success can be a catalyst for failure if it leads to complacency and a lack of humility. Keep your eyes on God, not on your accomplishments. Let me say it again, I think this is a great quote Keep your eyes on God and not on your accomplishments.
Speaker 2:So the challenge that you have, it's just pride, it's self-reliance, and that doesn't just hit you all of a sudden, it just kind of creeps in. It just kind of slowly creeps in and before you know it, you start distancing yourself from God because of it. So make sure that you give credit to God for your achievements and you do that with gratitude and humility, and use your success to bless other people. Maybe some charitable giving, mentoring other leaders, but use your success to bless others. That'll help you stay grounded, trust me. And then I would ask you how do you acknowledge God's role in your achievements? How do you do that? What are you doing now? Nothing. I would encourage you to write this list. Write a list for things that you're grateful for, for a lot of your recent successes, whatever. Share it with your team members, share it with your leadership team, but write this list Now.
Speaker 2:The other challenge that you have is failure. We talked about that. It really kind of creates despair. It can create doubt in your mind. It can really shake your confidence in God and even in his plan for you. So what you have to do is you have to reframe that failure as a chance to learn and grow. That's what you've got to do and you've got to lean on God's promises. You just got to trust his timing, trust his purpose.
Speaker 2:I'm not saying I've never failed. I failed many times. I have failed many, many times. I have failed at starting businesses in the past, which is what led me to understand that one of my key roles in my life and purpose in my life was to be a great number two person, and that's where I excelled. That's what I was good at, a good number two person, and that was my ministry, even though I was in the business world. That's how I saw it as a ministry, and so it's important. It's so very, very important that you trust God's timing and his purposes.
Speaker 2:You know, picture a restaurant owner, right, and he's got a new location that he opens and it just becomes a complete failure. It's just a complete flop, and some of it maybe is because of zoning issues he didn't see. But then what they do? They get discouraged. But then he turns to the book of Romans, and after chapter 8 and verse 28, and then he just kind of gets together with his team and they pivot their business model. Maybe the Lord leads him to maybe go to a delivery type model and yet that unexpectedly doubles his revenue. You know those are the kind of things that can happen. You know I mentioned Romans 8 and 28, what it says? And we know that all things work together for good to them who are called according to his purpose and love God. So all things work together for good. You just don't know. You have to look at your failures and reframe them. So I would encourage you that after your next failure, after the next time you have maybe a setback or something, get your team together for prayerful debrief. Again, you can't force people to pray, but you can pray as a business owner. That is protected under the Constitution of the United States here in our country.
Speaker 2:So what do you need to do? We got to really be careful about some temptations and you've got to overcome. Let me just give you a few common temptations Right now compromising your ethics for just profit that's a big, big temptation. But you need to make sure you have good, clear ethical guidelines and these guidelines are rooted in biblical values like honesty and fairness. Make sure that when you're making decisions, you check them. You check those decisions against these standards that you have. Even when it costs you, it's worth it. Trust me.
Speaker 2:You can envision a real estate developer who's offered a bribe to expedite permits bad decision, you know. Or maybe it's on the other foot. Maybe it is the person who's doing the permits, he's offered a bribe, and so you know. You just have to be careful because those things can happen and you've got to watch yourself. You know. The Bible says in Proverbs 16 and 8, better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice. It's a warning to us. It's important for us to be righteous, godly people.
Speaker 2:So let me ask you this what ethical challenges do you face on a regular basis? What is it that really causes you to be challenged, to be tempted? And you answer that question, but I would encourage you to create a personal code of ethics based on biblical principles that you live by. I would encourage you to write those down. And then another temptation that you may have is to really to prioritize your work and your job, your company, over your family, or company over your family, or even over your spiritual life.
Speaker 2:I got to tell you you've got to set some boundaries. We've talked about that in one of our other podcasts. But you've got to set boundaries. You've got to end work at a specific time each day. Now, sometimes I know that can't work, it's not exact, but set it anyway. Make it a rule. If you have to break the rule from time to time, it's okay, but set the rule and make sure that you make intentional time. Set and schedule intentional time for your family, for spiritual growth, and make that one of these things in your life. That's non-negotiable right. Very, very important. You know, matthew 6.33 says but seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and then all these other things will be added to you.
Speaker 2:So how can you get better? How can you get better to have a better balance with your work and your personal life? How can you do that? Answer that question and I would encourage you to set up a specific time each week to do that. Well, let me give you some resources to help you, to stay grounded, to support you on this journey. I'll call it.
Speaker 2:I think life is a journey, but consider these tools, because I think these are modern tools. They're good resources, but there's a lot of great apps out there. There's one called YouVersion Bible app. It's great for daily devotions. It's got great reading plans. It's one called YouVersion Bible App. It's great for daily devotions, got great reading plans. It's right on your phone. There's podcasts. Of course you're listening to this podcast, so that's great. But there's other great podcasts out there and I encourage you to look for those.
Speaker 2:Then there's some great books. There's God Owns my Business by Stanley Tam Great book. My Business by Stanley Tam Great book. It's the story of this guy who surrendered his company to God to let God be the owner.
Speaker 2:So let me just say you know, staying grounded in faith as a Christian business leader requires us to intentionally, intentionally, be disciplined to practice daily prayer, to practice reading the scriptures daily, to seek God's counsel and other counsel of godly people and engaging with your community, your faith community, and I believe that when you do that, I believe you can get through all these unpredictable things that happen in business and yet keep Christ in the very center of it. Remember, your ultimate success isn't defined by your prophets, it's not defined by your titles. It's defined by your faithfulness to God's calling. You know, proverbs 3, 5 through 6 says Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways, submit to him and he will make your path straight. All your ways, submit to him and he will make your path straight.
Speaker 2:This week, I want to encourage you to commit one new principle that we talked about here today.
Speaker 2:Whether it's starting a prayer routine, or maybe reaching out to somebody that can be a mentor to you, or maybe seeking guidance in every business decision for this week, just trusting him to lead you through every success, every failure and every moment in between.
Speaker 2:Father, I thank you for those who have listened to this podcast. Lord, I ask that you bring them your success, lord, success in every area of their lives. Lord, I ask you to help them to guard their lives so that, whether they have great successes or great failures in their business, their career or their personal lives, that they will stay rooted and grounded, lord, in their life, with you and Lord. I ask it in the name of Jesus, amen. Well, thanks again for being a part of Christian Business Concepts. I appreciate that I am so thankful for you, business Concepts. I appreciate that I am so thankful for you. Help us to grow the CBC community by sharing this podcast with four or five other people this week. Well, that's all the time we have for today, so until next time, remember Jesus is Lord and he wants you blessed.
Speaker 1:Thank you for tuning into this week's Christian Business Concepts podcast. Go to christianbusinessconceptscom for more information and resources. Be sure to check out other podcasts that will help you take your business and your personal life to a whole new level of success.