When it comes to great business tips, I am more confident of those timeless tips that come from eternal sources – the verses from the Bible. Years will pass and generations will change, but the wisdom and insights that are in the Holy Scriptures will not fade. I’ve been reading and studying the Bible for a lot of years now, and I can tell that God don’t want us to be poor… materially and spiritually. He wants us to prosper both on Earth and in Heaven.
God never taught us to become lazy, greedy, deceitful, and to become any of the characters that can make us poor and unsuccessful in our business or entrepreneurship. He always teaches us wisdom, discipline, diligence, integrity, patience and every virtue we need to become successful business persons, entrepreneurs, managers and leaders. If you want to achieve lasting success in doing business, the following verses from the Bible will surely help you reach that goal.
1. Be prudent and don’t be hasty
Proverbs 27:12
“A prudent man sees evil and hides himself, the naive proceed and pay the penalty.”
Proverbs 27:23
“Know well the face of your flocks; and pay attention to your herds.”
2. Do business with honesty and integrity
Proverbs 13:11
“Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.”
Proverbs 13:11
“Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles, but the one who gathers by labor increases it.”
Proverbs 16:8
‘Better is a little with righteousness than great income with injustice.”
3. Be a man of action
Proverbs 28:19
“He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty”
Proverbs 12:14
“From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things as surely as the work of his hands rewards him.”
James 2:26
“Faith without works is dead.”
4. Don’t love money and the earthly things
1 Timothy 6: 7-10
“For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
Ecclesiastes 5:10
“Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.”
Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
5. Honor the Government and pay your taxes
Mark 12:14-17
“They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?” But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” And they were amazed at him.”
Romans 13:7
“Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.”
6. Be sincere
Colossians 3:23
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,”
7. Treat your employees or workers well
1 Timothy 5:18
“For the Scripture says, “Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.””
James 5:4
“Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.”
Leviticus 19:13
“You shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of a hired man are not to remain with you all night until morning.”
Colossians 4:1
“Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.”
8. Be peaceful and respectful
1 Thessalonians 4:11
“Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you,”
9. Be helpful
Hebrews 6:10
“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”
10. Be diligent
Proverbs 21:5
“The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenty; but the thoughts of everyone who is hasty only to poverty.”
Proverbs 6:6-8
“Go to the ant, sluggard; consider her ways and be wise; who having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provides her food in the summer and gathers her food in the harvest.”
Proverbs 10:4
“Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.”
Proverbs 13:4
The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the soul of the diligent is made fat.
11. Continue learning
Proverbs 24:3-4
“Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; and by knowledge the rooms shall be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.”
12. Do strategic planning
Luke 14:28-30
“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he may have enough to finish it; lest perhaps, after he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish, all those seeing begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build and was not able to finish.”
Proverbs 15:22
“Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed.”
Proverbs 13:16
“A wise man thinks ahead; a fool doesn’t, and even brags about it!”
13. Don’t squander
1 Corinthians 16:2
“On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come.”
14. Be kind to the poor
Proverbs 22:16
“He who oppresses the poor to make more for himself or who gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.”
15. Be faithful
Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your path.”
Victorino Q. Abrugar is a marketing strategist and business consultant from Tacloban City, Philippines. Vic has been in the online marketing industry for more than 7 years, practicing problogging, web development, content marketing, SEO, social media marketing, and consulting.
Very inspiring tips from the Bible. Indeed, the bible is always be our guide in whatever undertakings we have.
The words written there are somehow connected to most of our actions.
Thanks Joel, it’s my source of not only wisdom, but also understanding.