BUSINESS by W. N. Glenn

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jun 15, 1904

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 30, No. 24.

BUSINESS

By W. N. Glenn

THE boast of the present generation is of its business—its business acumen, business enterprises, and imaginary business prosperity. Laxity in religious scruples, laxity in commonly-recognized morals, even a disregard of common honesty, finds palliation in the plea of business necessity. Business is the most prominent idol in the world to-day. Oppression of all kinds—of the poor, of employees, of business rivals as occasion offers, and of weaker nations—is found in the trail of business aggrandizement, on the pretext of the necessity of business expansion.

View of the City of Darjeeling, India, and the Himalaya Mountains. (See Page 12.)

This condition was foretold by Christ as pertaining to the last days; it would obtain by the time of His coming again. The condition at that time will be “as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded.” Business, so far as the great city of Sodom and the cities of the surrounding plain were concerned, was the leading spirit of the time. The consequence was the complete overthrow and destruction of those cities. The general corruption became so great that God could no longer endure it.

THAT business spirit corrupted the mind of even “righteous” Lot, the nephew and willing companion of Abraham. Lot was naturally covetous, and when it became impatient for the two men to remain together on account of their increasing herds, Lot chose the plain of Jordan in which to reside, because of the abundance of pasture and water. He apparently had also an eye to a good market for stock, for he “pitched his tent toward Sodom”—evidently on that side of his cattle range. But business interests and other attractions, perhaps of a social nature, allured Lot and his family into the city itself; and this was their undoing spiritually. Herein is a solemn admonition to the children of God. No such disasters ever befell Abraham as those which came upon Lot after he made secular business the prime factor in his choice of a home.

BUSINESS, however, is not a thing to be ignored. It is legitimately a life occupation. It is the perversion of business, through the influence of the adversary, that has brought so much want and oppression upon the people of the world. As in everything else, we find the true idea illustrated in the life of Christ, and in the principles inculcated in His Word. Very early in life He understood what was the most important business in the world, and set about doing it with His might. When twelve years of age He accompanied His parents to Jerusalem to attend the feast of the Passover. When the days of the feast were fulfilled, His parents started home with their company, and, supposing Jesus to be with some companions, did not miss Him until they stopped for the night. When they found Him not among their kinsfolk and acquaintance, they returned to the city to seek Him. After three days of anxious search, the parents found the Boy in the temple .

There He was in the midst of the “doctors,” who took such occasions to instruct the people. He was apparently very much interested, for He not only listened to them, but asked them questions. And all that heard Him were astonished at His understanding.

“AND His mother said unto Him, Son, why hast Thou thus dealt with us? behold, Thy father and I have sought Thee sorrowing. And He said unto them, How is it that ye sought Me? wist ye not that I must be about My Father's business? And they understood not the saying which He spake unto them.” They did not understand because they entertained only the common perverted idea of business. It did not occur to them that God has a business in the earth which pertains not only to the every-day needs of men, but to their eternal welfare. The Scriptures, however, and the example of Jesus during His earthly life, teach us that, if the Father's business were diligently attended to by all His subjects, there would be no occasion for business worry or business rivalry among men.

JESUS lived over twenty-one years after demonstrating that He knew the character of His heavenly Father's business, and His own relation to it. And, after declaring that He must be about that business, He went with His earthly parents to Nazareth, and “was subject to them.” Then in obeying His earthly parents He was attending to His heavenly Father's business; for that was in harmony with the commandment of His heavenly Father, “Honor thy father and thy mother.” The impression is far too prevalent that the Lord's business consists in strictly religious work, and that it does not take cognizance of what is called

secular business. But our great Exemplar, in going about His heavenly Father's business, spent eighteen of His twenty-one and a half years in the ordinary walks of life. During this time He attended school, labored with His father, and assisted in the support of the family.

THAT Jesus was a dutiful Son, an honest workman, an upright citizen, and faithful in all religious obligations, is shown by the testimony of the Spirit that He “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” He had wisdom to make money if He had so desired, and that He did not do so is evidence of His benevolence. His favor with man would get Him plenty of business, and He was not given to wastefulness, as was shown by a familiar lesson during His ministry. John 6:12.

IN contemplating the character of Jesus in order to follow in His footsteps, we must not overlook His career as a man engaged in the common business affairs of life. This was by far the greater part of His life. The record attests that He “was in all points tempted like as we are;” therefore He had the peculiar temptations that come to men in business deals. But He passed through them all “without sin;” there was not a flaw in any business transaction as far as His part in it was concerned. So all of His business life, every job of work that He did, may fairly be reckoned as part of His heavenly Father's business, a part of His earthly mission. He was the Creator of all things; “the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof;” yet He faithfully earned the necessities of life for Himself, as well as providing for the needs of others. This example emphasizes the counsel of the apostle that “if any would not work, neither should he eat.” Such an one is not deemed worthy of anything.

THE earthly career of Jesus demonstrates that the cause of God on earth is a business cause; that the service of God here includes what we call “temporal” affairs as well as spiritual interests; that we need the guidance of the Spirit and personal consecration in our business pursuits just as much as in the preaching of the Gospel, and that business dishonesty is just as displeasing to God as dereliction in religious matters. God has promised to those who consecrate their lives to Him that He will never leave nor forsake them. He knows their every need, and says they shall not lack any good thing. He will provide for them, but He does it through their own labor. Therefore to provide for one's own, to “provide things honest,” and to “owe no man anything, but to love one another,” is doing the Lord's business. And no man can do secular business properly, any more than he can minister in spiritual things properly, without the aid of the Spirit. So we are enjoined to “be diligent in business” because we are engaged in our heavenly Father's business.

EVEN the hired or bondservant is to recognize this principle. To them the Spirit says: “Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; not with eye-service, as men-pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; with good-will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men.” The servant's work for his master is that servant's business, just as the contractor's work is the contractor's business, and the merchant's occupation is the merchant's business; and every man's business should be regarded as the Lord's business. No business that can not be so regarded has any legitimate place in the world. Then every service, every job of work, and every business transaction, should be performed with a view to its passing the judgment and meeting the approval of God. The man who desires to please God will ignore any service, any enterprise or business transaction, that can not be performed or conducted on the principle of the Golden Rule, to the glory of God. W. N. GLENN.