Joshua 1:8 “’Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.’”
The Israelites had God’s instruction manual in writing, though only Moses and the Levites had access to it. Of course, there had not been that much else to do in the desert except talk about God’s presence and what God had said in his Book of the Law, which is different from these days.
Principle: The Bible is the source of all you need for business and for life.
Rabbi Burton Visotzky wrote a magazine article called “Management Lessons from the Bible.” Positive and negative response letters poured in.
One of the readers thanked the rabbi for writing the article and referred to the Rabbi’s book (The Ten Books to Read before You Start Your Business).
This reader was unhappy that the Bible had not been included in the Rabbi’s list of ten books to read. He mentioned that he owned his own business and that reading the Bible every night strengthened his character, improved his demeanor, and enhanced his management abilities. Living by faith and walking closely with God had a dramatic effect on his business. Many of us have found this to be true.
There are great work passage principles in every book of the Bible. There are more than a hundred principles in the first five books of the Bible, and there are business, leadership and life principles in every book of the Bible.
There are seventy names and descriptions of God in human vocational terms. There are more than eighty specific work occupations and professions mentioned in scripture.
God knows that business is important to us. He knew we would be spending more than a third of our waking hours at work. The average American worker spends between 100,000 and 140,000 hours of his/her lifetime at work. He blessed us with an instruction manual for success and prosperity. It is all in the Book.
Discussion:
1. Share any success principle recently uncovered from your Bible reading or from Bible teachers.
2. Is it a stretch to match biblical principles with modern business practices? Give a work example that is not covered in the Bible.
3. Describe a business change you made as a direct result of God’s leading through the Bible. What was the result?
