THE GOLDEN RULE IN BUSINESS
“Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Mt. 22:37 NKJV).
Imagine what a different world this would be if all the businesses of the world would embrace and practice this commandment: love your neighbor—employees, associates, customers, suppliers, vendors, competitors, every human being—as yourself. Idealistic? Yes! But just because it is idealistic behavior does not mean we should not try. On the contrary, we should. As seen recently from the release of the incredibly popular Mr. Rogers Documentary, Fred Rogers was a wonderful example of loving your neighbor and the power in doing so. Indeed, Christ’s point is clear: we demonstrate our love for God by loving our neighbor as ourselves just as Mr. Rogers did. This commandment, commonly called the Great Commandment, should be the foundation on which you build and operate your business. Paul referred to it as the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2), and James called it the royal law (Jas. 2:8).
How do we obey this commandment? How do we love our neighbors as we love ourselves? Jesus answered this question with what we refer to as the Golden Rule:
“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets” (Mt. 7:12, NLT).
Obeying Christ’s commandment should be the underlying principle upon which you operate or manage your business. It should permeate all your policies, practices, and interactions, and it should extend to everyone with whom you are involved.
When you build your business on Christ’s Great Commandment, He will bless you. He has said that the greatest among us are those who serve others, and that those who humble themselves and serve will be exalted (Mt. 23:11-12). When you serve others sincerely, Christ will exalt you, just as the Heavenly Father has exalted Him (Ph. 2:5-11).
When you conduct business according to God’s principles, you and your business will be a strong testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ. You will be demonstrating how we ought to live with one another in this life and how we can build far stronger communities and societies throughout the world.
Excerpt from “What the Bible Says to the Business Leader.” To purchase What the Bible Says to the Business Leader, please visit lmw.org or call 800-987-8790. The book can also be found at amazon.com
