By Muriithi Wanjau
In the fourth and final episode of this series, we explore Profit as one of the defining features of a Kingdom business.
A Kingdom Business, has four distinctive features namely Purpose which is that a business must represent God’s agenda. Your business must be intent to make People’s lives better and Planet refers to impacting your environment positively. In this article, we explore the third distinctive feature of Kingdom businesses which is Profit.
Profit simply refers to the measure of your financial returns after repaying your costs. And just like in all other businesses, it is extremely important in a Kingdom business. Read below as I share three key points about profit and its place in a Kingdom business.
- God is interested in profit
Sometimes Christians feel shy about profit. It’s as if we get ashamed of the success and blessings of our businesses. We need not do this, as God is very keen on our businesses being profitable. He gives us the divine ideas and then helps us apply our thinking, skills and due diligence to make these ideas profitable. Perhaps the Bible will bring this point out more clearly.
In the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30, the master gave different amounts of money to three servants. The ones he was pleased with were the ones who had multiplied the money they were given. They were each famously referred to as the “…good and faithful servant.”
Matthew 25:23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”
Therefore, being profitable with what God has given you is being faithful. It is, as such, not something to be taken lightly. God is very interested in how profitable your business is. So exercise the principle of multiplication that pleased God in the parable. Invest! Don’t live a life of consumption where you spend all your money on the flashy things of life. Choose instead to think long-term and make a profit with what you have. Then you will be well on your way to your divine purpose.
2. Profit is the result, not the driver!
Many businesses are driven by the coin to the extent that they will do whatever it takes to get money. They will not shy away from bribing, harassing, cheating, stealing or even killing! We cannot do this as God’s people. God’s intends for our businesses to honour Him and fulfil the divine role He designed for them. Your priority as a Kingdom business person must then be to pursue the Lord’s agenda for your business. After that the profits will follow.
Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
3. God is a God of abundance.
A common assumption held today is that there is a scarcity of resources. That is, there isn’t enough to go around for everyone so we have to fight for a piece. This does not fly in God’s system. We see time and time again in the Bible how God blessed people in seasons of lack. There was Isaac for instance, who reaped a hundredfold of his seed during a drought. God also provided for the Israelites during their forty-year journey in the wilderness.
We most often fall into a scarcity mentality when the environment around us is not favourable. Even in this COVID pandemic season, we must understand that our God is a God of abundance! He has the power and ability to increase us even in seasons of drought. Therefore we do not need to hoard resources, under cut people or operate in fear. We simply lean into our powerful Lord and His wisdom, and then freely use the profits we receive to bless others.
As we close this series, I urge you to embrace God and invite Him into your business. Let Him take over and transform the world through it.
REMINDERS:
- God has the power and ability to increase your business even in seasons of lack.
- Your priority as a Kingdom business person should be to pursue God’s agenda for your business.
- God will give you divine business ideas along with the wisdom to implement them.
- Being profitable in business is being faithful with the resources God has given you.
- Chase God’s purpose for your business and profit will follow.
- A lifestyle of investment trumps a lifestyle of consumption.
- Pray for ideas that will bring profitability to your business.
- Profit should not be the motivation of your business.
- God is interested in how profitable your business is.