Every so often, I take stock of the blog posts I write and wonder if I’m making a difference in the lives of small business owners. Do people read them? Do they find knowledge or encouragement? Are business owners better off after applying the advice I give and sharing my experiences? Or Am I just rambling?
Today, I’ll write something that will make a difference in your life.
The title of today’s blog post comes from an excerpt from John 15 .
John 15:1-8 goes like this:
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
If you’re unfamiliar with this passage, Jesus is the person saying this, and it means that we are not making any progress in business or life without it being part of His vine.
How does this Bible verse relate to my business?
Business is the act of giving someone a service or product in exchange for monetary compensation. At first, you may think of this as a benign action in the broader spiritual realm. Far from it, a business transaction has all sorts of spiritual implications:
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You can sell someone an inferior product for a high price.
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You can sell someone a superior product for a low price.
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You can sell a product for a low price and then reduce the wage you give your workers.
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You can lie to beat a competitor on an important deal.
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You can give your client less than what they purchased.
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You can give your client more than what they purchased at the cost of having your employees work longer for lower wages.
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You can take wild vacations and buy elaborate possessions for yourself while your employees struggle to pay next month’s rent.
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You can fail to bring in new customers, leaving your employees jobless.
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You can pay low performers a high wage and high performers a low wage.
The list is endless. I think you get the point.
After reading this shortened list, you may say, “I don’t do any of those things.”
When coaching business owners, I notice they unconsciously act in ways that are contrary to a Godly business. They have great intentions but act contrary to truly “living in Jesus.” Truth be told, I get off-track as well.
While Jesus’s words in this passage are “loaded” with meaning, I want to extract two principles from the passage that I believe specifically apply to small business owners: 1) Fruitfulness and 2) being “In Him.”
Fruitfulness
The free market has always impressed me. We can create something of value, customers pay for that value, and the wealth associated with that payment supports a group of employees and business owners. The higher the value of our creation, the greater the wealth and growth potential it can provide your business.
What is fruit?
Many religious pastors view this fruit as converts to Christianity. I’m not saying that this isn’t part of the meaning of this passage. However, I’ve found Jesus’s words have broader implications. As a businessperson, I view fruit as how you’re making people’s lives better.
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The restaurant owner who creates a great meal is creating “fruit.”
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A plumber who repairs a leak to prevent water damage in a home creates “fruit.”
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The daycare provider who cares for children while their parents earn a living for their family is creating “fruit.”
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The manufacturer who makes a product that saves hours off household tasks creates “fruit.”
In a free market, this fruit produces financial wealth to the people providing that “fruit”. In turn, it also produces wealth to those receiving the “fruit”.
Is money fruit?
By reading this, you may believe that wealth and finances are the by-product of fruitfulness. While that can be true, it’s not always true. In our world, many business people produce nothing and get paid large sums of money. Here are the unfruitful efforts of a greedy businessperson:
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Use deception to gain cash from customers and provide no value.
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Paying unfair low wages to staff while the business owner becomes wealthy
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Telling lies about competitors so that you win business opportunities unfairly
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Creating corrupt relationships that create undue favor devoid of adding value
These practices are the ones that have given the word “business” a bad name. When these practices seem ordinary, they will destroy the free market.
Is lack of money fruit?
You now understand that your products and services are “fruit” and that it’s possible to earn money and not provide “fruit.” I want to outline one of the biggest problems I see “well-meaning” business owners make. They think that if they charge low prices and pay their employees high wages, they are somehow “ethical” or “Godly.”
If you:
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fail to charge what your products or services are worth;
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force financial stress on your family as a result of your work;
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overpay your employees and suppliers;
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at the eventual expense of going out of business,
you will provide as much “fruit” as an under-watered apple tree starving for nutrients. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that “scarcity” equals Godliness.
Being in Him
I’ve hinted at what this means throughout this blog post, but I think it’s important to expand on what being ” in Him” means. First, the Him is Jesus. Jesus describes himself as the “Vine,” and we are the branches.
In this passage, Jesus says, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you…” The red-lettered words above are Jesus’s words… and he has spoken many more.
Jesus’s words say, “No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” He says, “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Further down the passage, He says, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
What does this mean for you and your business?
Based on the definition of “fruit,” you can’t create an ethical business that creates wealth without being “in Jesus.” So, I suppose “being in Jesus” will be essential for you to as an ethically successful businessperson.
Here’s a list that is undoubtedly not complete but should point you in the right direction:
Reading your Bible
The Bible is an amazing story of God’s work with a group of people who eventually became known as the Israelites, Gentiles, and Arabic people. By reading the Bible, you will start to understand the nature of God and, therefore, the nature of Jesus. My advice is to read the Bible from start to finish. The Bible, in context, will help you better understand what “being in Him” really means.
Applying Biblical Teachings
If you follow the first piece of advice, you may be left a little confused with creation, the law, grace and forgiveness, and many other Christian and Jewish doctrines. You need to go beyond this theology into the “balance” God advocates. As a business owner, you may want to glean wisdom from Proverbs. You’ll understand that applying these principles will lead you to much of the ethical business ownership that I described in the “fruit” section above.
Belief
We tend to get pulled into a secular idea of our business as some mechanical machine we are compelled to build. We work hard, earn enough money to live on, and buy a few extra material possessions. We might also go on a few memorable vacations here and there. We retire with a small or large nest egg and die.
If this is your life, you’re missing so much. The secular idea of life is a lie. Yes, there are elements of life’s success that intersect with a successful business. Your business and your work have so much more meaning. This meaning is wholly related to WHY you’re in business. This WHY is entirely dependent on your worldview.
Let me give you an example.
Let’s say a plumber goes on a call to fix a leak at a home. When he gets to the house, he finds that a valve needs to be repaired. He makes the repairs, gives the homeowner a bill, and then returns to the shop.
This action is common. Most people don’t give it a second thought. I want to discuss the different belief systems of two plumbers who do this work.
The “believer” will view this very differently than the “nonbeliever.” He will see the homeowner as a spiritual being. The way he acts and talks with the homeowner represents how God wants him to act and talk to another member of His flock. The language he uses will be respectful and empathetic. He will diligently work and charge a fair price for the service.
The “unbeliever” will do the work out of obligation. He knows that he may lose his job if he doesn’t complete the work. He will act kind to the owner because if he doesn’t, the owner will report him to his boss. If the homeowner gets belligerent or acts unfairly, he will feel justified in repaying their belligerence. While he will be diligent in his work, he may take a little longer to bill more time and decrease the remaining work that day.
You may say, “I can act kind without being a “believer.” My response is that you may be more of a “believer” than you know. After all, why act ethically if you don’t believe it matters? Right?
Making things right
If you’re like me, you mess up a lot. While messing up is part of being human, asking for forgiveness and trying to make a situation right is part of “Being in Him.”
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If you lose your temper with a customer, even when they deserve rebuke, it’s your job to make things right. This means asking for forgiveness for your behavior, not that the customer will admit any wrongdoing on their part.
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If you paid your employees less than they earned after a good year, pay them a bonus instead of enjoying a personal windfall
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If you consulted a business owner who followed your advice and ended up worse off, refund their payment or try to help them for no added cost.
This list could go on forever. I think you get the point.
Can non-believers be “fruitful?”
Jesus said, “apart from me, you can do nothing.”
Does this mean that only Christian business people can be “fruitful”?
I first want to navigate the difference between the religion of Christianity and “being in Him.” I’ve paid special attention to giving examples of what “being in Him” means in this blog post. Some people who call themselves Christians are not living “in Him,” and many people who don’t call themselves Christians are living “in Him.” I’m not a judge of anyone’s true heart and belief.
If you’re providing a valuable service that’s improving the lives of your customers and charging a fair price while paying your employees a fair wage… chances are that you’re doing your business in a way that is “in Him.”
You can point to the failings of any business leader or employee who professes to love and follow Jesus. That doesn’t mean that they’re hypocrites. All of us have fallen short.
