As an entrepreneur, which of the following things have you done to grow your business since you started it?
- Spent time thinking of ways to improve your business
- Got involved in professional development to improve your business IQ
- Invested a great deal of time, effort, and energy into your business
If a person did not do any of these things, would you expect their business to be successful? Of course, not!
Now let me ask you another question. Which of the following things have you done to store up treasure in heaven and to live for those things that are eternal?
- Spent time thinking of ways to store up eternal treasure
- Got involved in personal development to improve your eternal IQ
- Invested a great deal of time, effort, and energy into that which is eternal
If a person did not do any of these things, would you expect them to be successful storing up eternal treasure? Of course, not! The reality, however, is that most entrepreneurs have devoted a great deal of time and energy to the financial growth of their companies, while giving little or no thought to the eternal growth of their companies.
If we really believe that we are eternal beings and that our time on earth is extremely short compared to eternity, why don't we spend more of our time focusing on those things which have eternal, lasting value?
There are four primary reasons I believe this happens.
1. We have been deceived.
Consider the following passages of Scripture…
- “But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent.” (2 Corinthians 11:3 NLT)
- “…He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44b NLT)
- “…Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14b NLT)
As an entrepreneur, there is a very good chance your income is the primary source of income for your family. If this is the case, do you see yourself as the provider for your family? I am willing to bet that most of you will answer yes to this question. In large part, I believe this is because the world has told us that we are the provider for our families.
Would you live your life differently if you believed God was truly the provider for your family and that your only responsibility was to wake up and be faithful to do what God has called you to do each day? Consider the following verses…
- “But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere. (Ecclesiastes 2:11 NLT)
- Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 2:23 NLT)
I believe we have been deceived by the world. The end result leads us to invest significant parts of our lives storing up temporary treasure here on earth instead of spending our time and energy in storing up eternal treasure.
2. We have not developed the skills to be successful.
In Ephesians, we are told to “Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.” (Ephesians 6:11-13 NLT)
First, I would like to point out that we are told the enemies we are fighting against are not from this world. For most of us, we get so focused on our day-to-day struggles here on earth that we forget our real enemies are in a world we cannot see. How can we expect to win a battle against enemies who are not of this world if we are so focused on our earthly struggles that we are not even on the same playing field with them?
Next, I would like to point out that we are told if we put on every piece of God's armor that we will be standing firm once the battle ends. I have found most of us don't even know what all the pieces of the armor of God are, yet alone, how to put them on. How can we expect to win the daily battles we face unless we become skilled in putting on the full amor of God each day?
In addition, we are told in Hebrews that “Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.” (Hebrews 5:14 NLT) This makes it clear that if we are going to become mature in Christ, then we must train ourselves to develop skills. Once we have developed these skills, we will be able to make the right choices in our lives. What skills have you developed in your life that have allowed you to become mature in Christ?
3. We don't meet with other believers regularly.
In Hebrews, we are told to “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25 NLT)
As an entrepreneur, it is easy to meet with other entrepreneurs to discuss business and to talk about different strategies to improve our businesses. However, I believe this verse makes it clear that if we are going to motivate each other to live for the eternal, then we must meet regularly, be intentional in our time together, and encourage one another to live for those things that are eternal. When was the last time you got together with other entrepreneurs to encourage one another to live for things that eternal?
In addition, we need to make meeting together a regular part of our lives. Through the years, I have been involved with various groups who gathered together to encourage each other in their faith. Inevitably, it is just a matter of time before many of the members’ daily work lives seem to take priority and they start missing the meetings. Many of the groups end up breaking up. I believe if we are going to find lasting success in living for the eternal, we must make it a top priority to meet with others who share the same desire.
4. We are too busy.
One of the people who has significantly influenced my thinking is Dawson Trotman, founder of The Navigators. Even though Dawson died many years before I was born, God has significantly used him to impact my life. In his talk “Born to Reproduce”, he starts with a story about how he used to write down one-sentence sermons in his bible.
One of these one-sentence sermons was “Emotion is no substitute for action.” He heard this, thought it sounded good, and wrote it down. As time went on, however, he found that although many Christians were involved in a great deal of activity, there was very little productivity. He decided to complete the first sermon and wrote, “Emotion is no substitute for action. Action is no substitute for production.” I believe this is true today more than ever. We are all involved in a great deal of daily activity with a severe lack of eternal productivity.
Busyness is a badge of honor in our culture. As an entrepreneur, how many times have you been asked, “Are you busy?” I find it extremely telling just by looking at the words we use. We spell happy (h-a-p-p-y). We spell happiness (h-a-p-p-i-n-e-s-s). We spell busy (b-u-s-y). So why is busyness spelled b-u-s-y-n-e-s-s instead of b-u-s-i-n-e-s-s? I believe it is no coincidence the two words are so closely related. As an entrepreneur, we will always struggle to keep our lives from becoming too busy.
There is a story In Luke which illustrates this point quite nicely. “As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42 NLT)
We have all heard the saying “a blessing in disguise”. I created the saying “a distraction disguised as a blessing”? I believe this is one of Satan's most powerful tactics to keep us from fully living out the plan God has for each of us. If Satan can keep us so busy in our work that we have no time to focus on things that are eternal, he has taken a person of influence in the kingdom of God, and rendered them all but useless for having an eternal impact.
Conclusion
As an entrepreneur, God has put us into a position of influence. We are told that “to much is given, much is expected.” The fact we are entrepreneur’s points to the reality God has given us more than many others have received. There will be a day when we will stand accountable before God for what we did with what he gave us here on earth. I do not believe God would be pleased with us if all we did was grow the monetary or what I would consider the temporary parts of our businesses. I believe it is also our responsibility to find ways to grow the eternal parts of our businesses.
It is so easy to compartmentalize our lives. We spend so much of our lives at work and it is easy to think we should put eternal things on hold while we take care of business. But, what if we could be more intentional in incorporating eternal practices into our businesses? Not only could we have a greater eternal impact in the lives of our employees, customers, etc., but we could go to work each day, give all our energy, and not have to wait to focus on those things that are eternal. It could be integrated into our daily work lives. This would allow us to take the influence God has given us in the world and use it for more than temporary things. We could start to focus on finding ways to store up treasure for ourselves in heaven each day.
I believe the only way this can happen is if we are intentional about making it happen. We need to find others who also have this same desire, get together, and mastermind ways to incorporate eternal practices into our businesses. Any time I have ever tried to improve my leadership abilities or business acumen, it always seems to come back to some type of earthly gain. What if the measure of our success directly relates to eternal gain and storing up treasure in heaven?
This is the essence of what The Eternal Entrepreneur is all about. My goal is to change the measuring stick by what Christian entrepreneurs measure their success by. It is my hope to build a network of like-minded entrepreneurs to provide encouragement, support, and accountability to each other so we may all find success in storing up treasure in heaven.
If this sounds like something you would like to be a part of, sign up below to become a part of this community. I am not exactly sure where God is going to take this, but would love for you to come along for the journey.