The Role of Profit in the Christian Life

“I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go. Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea." Isaiah 48:17 & 18

This is a difficult verse for me. I have always seen profit as undesirable - anything more than you need is excess. That’s not biblical. Now I’m stuck investigating profit’s role in the Christian life.

I hated money. That’s why I wanted to go into ministry, counseling, mission work, etc. If you think about it, non-profits survive on someone else’s earned money. If you don’t understand godly business, it’s easy to judge our donors as less-than’s because they’re not in ministry. Actually, it’s sometimes the opposite. People who are faithful to God in their business face greater character challenges and hotter fires of temptation.  I thought I flunked out of the kingdom when God kept me in business. Having to deal with money and profit forces you to wrestle even harder with keeping God first. In the end, you develop even greater Christlike character.

In my study a couple things are very clear to me - one is that this you can’t make profit a hard and fast rule; as a general rule will you be poorer or richer for following Christ? It’s impossible to say - Christ raises up from dust and poverty kings and princes, and humbles the wealthy and powerful. He leads business owners to become monks and the homeless to create empires. The same God that called Jeremiah to live in the bottom of the well called Daniel to run a kingdom! When looking from our own human eyes it seems unjust but I have to trust God’s plan more than my own poor eyesight. The only thing you can say for certain is that following God will change your world.

The Bible seems to focus much more on the internals, which makes sense. Money is a proxy for so many things in life. Some people crave wealth because it brings security, others because it brings fame or respect. But God can give all of those things without you owning a penny. But on the other hand He loves giving His children good gifts.

All I can say is Come Lord Jesus. Yes - whatever your plan is for me, I say Yes Lord. In either abasing or abounding, I will praise your name.