Christians believe that the Bible is a roadmap or tool inspired by God, which can be used to help people live the way God wants us to live. The Bible teaches us how to treat others, how to manage our lives, and how to live a Godly life and be happy. Within the words is knowledge and with the knowledge is the power to live a happy, successful, and productive life.
In both Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:1-21, God lays the foundation of rules or commandments for His people to follow, so they can be successful in life the way God intended. These rules, called The Ten Commandments, contain a powerful set of standards, that if followed, can help a person succeed in both his personal and professional life. God’s intention is to help His people understand how to be moral and make good ethical decisions, not to stray into an unmoral lifestyle of the world.
The Ten Commandments, as stated in Exodus 20:2-17, are as follows:
The First Commandment
2 I am the LORD your God, which have brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 You shall have no other gods before me.
The Second Commandment
4 You shall not make unto you any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 You shall not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my Commandments.
The Third Commandment
7 You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
The Forth Commandment
8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shall you labor, and do all your work: 10 But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God: in it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates: 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.
The Fifth Commandment
12 Honor your father and your mother: that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God giveth you.
The Sixth Commandment
13 You shall not kill.
The Seventh Commandment
14 You shall not commit adultery.
The Eighth Commandment
15 You shall not steal.
The Ninth Commandment
16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
The Tenth Commandment
17 You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is your neighbor’s.
In today’s business environment, there are many distractions that invite unethical and unmoral situations. For a person without a moral and ethical background, there may be situations in which they are left in or not want to be in. As a result, lives can be turned upside down in a matter of seconds. Families can be torn apart, businesses can fail, or personal issues can arise from the decisions that are made.
The Ten Commandments can be used in the modern business world, like it was in Moses’ time, to create a firm foundation for people to live and it can help a person make a moral or ethical decision that will help the person succeed and live a healthy productive life. Happiness comes to a person who is living a balanced life, both spiritually and in the place of business.
The First Commandment is the most important commandment of all the Ten Commandments, especially in business. God’s intention is that we serve him above everything else. Many people have tendencies to get so involved in their business lives that they lose sight of what is important, God. As a result, their business lives becomes number one and God is pushed to the side. God does not want to be pushed aside; He wants action not just words.
Today many people sacrifice their time to their jobs, so they can get ahead and be successful. These same people end up sacrificing for their business, not God or their families. This is not what God intended for us to do. He wants us to be a productive source in our society, but not to bow down before the business to serve only the business. In the Second Commandment, God tells his people that they should not have any idols and bow down before these idols. By sacrificing too much for a job or business, the business is essentially an idol to that being worshipped by a person.
In business, it is very important how you speak in front of others. When meeting with external or internal clients, one must be conscious of how they speak in the presence of the client and also how they conduct themselves in front of the client. In the office, many people become too comfortable with their surroundings, especially co-workers. The amount of time that is spent at a job is a large amount of a person’s life and many interact with a vast number of people in some capacity.
The Third Commandment teaches us that God wants us to not use the Lords name in vain. Since a person spends so much time on the job, people sometimes become too comfortable with the people they work. As a result, tongues become loose and God’s name is thrown around without any thought behind the words being thrown. He doesn’t want us to use His name like this. It should be a person’s responsibility to hold their tongue and be respectful to those they work around, even those that a person does not get along with.
Many times people get caught up in trying to make a business successful, which means they may work long hours and not think about resting. The Fourth Commandment teaches us that God wants us to rest at least one day a week. When people work long hours and do not take the time to thank God for the blessings they have received from Him, it can affect their ability to enjoy life to the fullest. He wants people to rest and be thankful.
The Fifth Commandment speaks of honoring your Father and your Mother. This is an important commandment from God, because He is telling us that in order to honor our Father and Mother we must conduct business in an honorable way. Being honest while conducting business means to show respect to everyone you are in contact with, including those that you do not like. By showing respect to your client, to other employees, and even your employer, you are honoring your Father and Mother. Also, by being respectful to those that are around you, many of your customers will return to you for business, because they know you are honest and respectful to their business.
In business, we don’t normally think of people killing other people in the literal since of the word. In the Sixth commandment, we see that God says “You shall not kill.” What does this mean to us when we think about business? The answer to this question is that people have the tendency to be ruthless in how they conduct business or how they interact with other people. Whether you work with the person, customers, or team members, being ruthless in business can lead to killing the spirit of a person. Respecting the people you work with and creating an atmosphere where people know they are respected is an important lesson to learn from this commandment.
In most instances, people tend to work closely with others in the business environment. They may work closely with team members or individuals while working on projects or other business related tasks. Working close with someone can lead to developing feelings for that other person, especially physical feelings. The Seventh Commandment teaches us that you will not commit adultery. Working relationships tend to be just that, physical relationships that are not based on what God intended on a relationship to be build on. Lust and marriage issues tend to be the top reason why people have office affairs. Thus, being adulterous is not worth it, because in the end you may lose everything over a one night stand.
Stealing is an issue in many businesses and could be anything from taking a pen home from work to taking money from the employer or customer. In the Eighth Commandment, God lays it out for us not to steal at all. Whether a person is taking tax short-cuts or not telling their customers they have overpaid an invoice is considered stealing. Cheating others out of money for your own gain is not honest, but by keeping your daily business life honest you will earn the respect of the people you work with in your business.
In the Ninth Commandment, God says that you will not bear false witness against your neighbors. In many businesses today, especially sales, competition can be cut-throat and people tend to say false things towards their competitors to boost productivity or to make their company look bigger than what it really is. Is it Godly to speak false statements about your competitors? No, God does not intend for people to lie about even competitors. Being honest in the business is God’s way of being successful.
We have all heard the statement, “What does it profit you to gain the world…” in which God is telling us that worldly things are not important. He wants us to focus on Heaven, so that he can build us a wonderful place for us to one day live. The Tenth Commandment gives us just this, in that it tells us that we should not covet. It is hard at times not to do this, because people tend to try and keep up with the Jones’. They want anything and everything, by doing anything they can to move up in a company or have a successful business. How can one be happy with everything? You can’t.
Business can be fun and rewarding to those who follow the rules that God has set out for us in the Bible, especially the Ten Commandments. His plan is for us to be able to take care of ourselves by working hard, so we can provide for our families. Happiness comes from allowing God to be the driver of our lives both personally and professionally and if you allow him to drive your life.
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