Proverbs 12:11 “Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense.”
Crop farming has daily and seasonal demands. Land must be cleared, plowed, planted, irrigated, and tended. Crops need to be harvested and processed at certain times. Cows need to be milked twice a day, every day. Animals need to be fed and cared for daily.
Principle: The agriculture business teaches us about planning and priorities.
Good farming and good business require doing the right things at the right time and in the right season. Doing routine things well is the rule for productivity. The agriculture business sustains the farmer who works the land. Betting on crop futures is high-risk fantasy. Planting the land with predictable crops is primary.
Planning and prioritizing a business is the same. No fantasy in business means good planning, defining a purpose, analyzing the market, evaluating strengths, weaknesses, and problems. It includes realistic financial expectations of cash flow, expenses, profits, and logs. It means sales and marketing forecasts, having an exit strategy and other assumptions that will come into play. In addition, the Christian business owner needs to define his personal ministry plan connected to the business.
In agriculture and in all business, doing the hard things first is a good general principle. Make it a routine to do whatever you find difficult or annoying first thing in the day. Don’t drift into business vaguely hoping for the best. Don’t treat your business like winning the lottery. Lotteries are a tax on stupidity. A billion dollars a year is spent on artfully designed advertising to cajole the most gullible of society into parting with their money. Lotteries stimulate fantasies of instant wealth that make a mockery of the idea of labor and productivity.
Successful crop farming requires doing realistic, practical tasks like straight plowing. One farmer gave this advice, “Keep your eye fixed on a fence post at the far end of the field. Don’t look right or left – just straight ahead your furrow will be straight and harvesting will be easy.” That is good spiritual advice for business. “Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and protector of our faith … so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Heb 12:2, 3b)
Discussion:
1. When did you last review your business plan and what did you discover?
2. Do you have a daily work routine and how is it working out for you?
3. What fruit are your seeing in your business from your planning?
