Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own. Luke 12:15 NLT

If we are not careful, owning a business can put us into a diabolical state of pride. God will bring an assortment of tests to discern if our motives are prideful. Beware if you are a person who thinks you are humble, and pride could never be a motive for you to do business, you are in a vulnerable position for Satan to use you as an example of pride going before the fall.

Ownership of anything, but especially a business, can bring with it feelings of success. To get an image of how this might look, think of the person who is driving a BMW as you go to work. Look over at them when you drive past them, and then look at someone driving an old car. The BMW owner appears, and I say appears, because it is an illusion that owning something expensive brings an air of pride, it appears that the person driving the BMW will sit higher in their seat, will hold their head higher. Whereas the owner of the older car will sit down in their seat, not looking like they have just arrived.  It is an illusion to think success makes you better than someone else. When you drive a BMW, or expensive new car, you’re God’s creation just like everyone else. What we have or own does not make who we are.

Pride has been the ruin of many a godly businessperson. I like to look at weights and measurements. I do believe that taking a certain measure of pride in what you are doing will ensure your service and product is the best it can be; it will also help you to treat your staff fairly. Let’s envision a scale; on one side you have pride that is pleasing to God, where you have done your best and God says well done good and faithful servant. And on the other side, there is pride that is self-centered, egotistical, and all about how things make you feel.

Let’s look how you can tell which side of the scale you may be weighing in on, and perhaps, where you may want to move some stones from one side of the scale to the other. If you are Christian in business, there is no balance scale to be had the weight on your scale should all be heavy end and toppling over on Pride centered in God:

Pride which is self-centered:

• Doesn’t allow for other people to make mistakes.
• Doesn’t allow for you to make mistakes
• Pride makes excuses for mistakes you make
• Doesn’t show gratitude
• Pride produces anger
• Pride buys you all the toys when others around you are suffering and you don’t see it

Pride centered in God

• You allow people to make mistakes and help them learn from them – so they can become better at what they do
• You can make and admit mistakes – allowing others to speak into your life
• You no longer make excuses for you own your mistakes, but learn from them and then teach others
• You are grateful for all God has provided for you
• You anger is minimized and redirected toward changing those things that are not of God
• Most of all, you take yourself out of the owner’s seat of your business and put the rightful owner back in charge – Jesus, then pray and search out his will for your business.