Think Business Until I Come

This topic is extracted from the parable of the pound combined with the power of thoughts. Jesus illustrated the parable of the pounds in the book of Luke. He spoke a parable about a certain nobleman who was about to travel to a faraway country but wanted his money to keep working for him while away. He entrusted a hundred pounds to his ten servants, giving them each 10 ponds and giving instructions to start businesses using their allocated ten pounds as capital. And he called ten servants of his, and gave them ten pounds, and said unto them, Trade ye herewith till I come (Luke 19:13, ASV).

Thereafter, the decision to engage in business and how, was left in the hands of the servants. This is where I bring mindset into the picture. The mind plays an important role, from planning to the implementation of trade strategies. The success of the servants depended on continuous thinking about important decisions on how to operate their business, strategies, and policies. They were given capital; the only asset they needed to succeed was their mind. When the nobleman came back from the far country, one of his servants had decided to keep the money out of fear of failure. “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’ (Luke 19:20–21, NIV)

Funding

I call the parable of the pound divine funding, where someone entrusts a person with money, commands them to trade, and expects profits in return. Though I would not be discussing divine funding in this article, the parable of the pound should be seen as God’s ability to fund his children. Let’s look at the funding topic later.

The same can be referred to as exceptional instruction because they were expected to grow the ten ponds and keep trading until their master came back. He did not indicate the time frame; it could be a lifetime. He also did not indicate how much profit he is expecting from them when he comes back. Looking at a few other Bible versions, the instruction he gave then was: Engage in business until I come (ESV). Occupy till I come (NKJV); operate with this until I return (MSG). Trade ye herewith till I come (ASV). One needed wisdom to figure out that the nobleman expected his capital contribution with profits, not his capital contribution only to be returned to him when he came back from the far country.

Profitability

It’s always been the will of God for His children to profit and prosper. In Genesis, the Lord commands man to be fruitful and multiply. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: (Genesis 1:28, KJV). What is the best way to do this besides engaging in business? People do business mainly to generate profits. However, I believe the reason why Jesus illustrated the parable of the pound in this manner was to teach His disciples the importance of profits. More so, I strongly believe it was to advise them to engage in business, because in business, owners get to set their own policies and strategies. Jesus desires to see Godly policies set by Christians in their business and to follow God-inspired strategies.

Profit is an indication that the business is efficient and performing at its maximum productivity without a waste of time and money. The best part about profit is that it is used as the owner pleases. Here again, God is expecting his children to use their profits to advance his kingdom and to spend their profits glorifying the name of the Lord.

The Mindset

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7).

The mind has moving parts that convert power into motion. The life of a human being is transformed by the mind, which fuels thoughts into energy. The thoughts of our hearts shape the outcome of our lives. The book of Proverbs is attributed to King Solomon, son of King David. In his abundant wisdom and great insight, King Solomon understood the thoughts of a man. God gave him the gift of wisdom to be able to judge and govern His people. How could he fairly judge and govern his people without the ability to understand their minds? Impossible. Hence, when God asked King Solomon what he wanted, the king asked for an understanding mind and a hearing heart, and God gave him a wise and understanding heart.

King Solomon’s Prayer: “So give Your servant an understanding mind and a hearing heart [with which] to judge Your people, so that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge and rule this great people of Yours?” (1 Kings 3:9, AMP). The King James Version translation states, “an understanding heart to judge thy people.” God’s answer: Behold, I have done according to thy words; lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart” (Verse 12, KJV).

This shows that our thoughts are very important. The first case King Solomon had to judge was two women fighting over a baby. He had to use his wisdom to determine the biological mother of the baby because both women were claiming the baby as their biological child. He used mind reading based on their reaction to determine the woman’s thoughts of the heart, for their ways of thinking and reaction exposed the culprit. The mind is power; whatever is hidden in the depths of the mind gets manifested in the physical through the actions of a person, and it brings forth circumstantial results.

“Circumstances do not make a man; they reveal him for who he is.” (James Allen). In his book, As a Man Thinketh, he emphasizes that people have a choice about instances in the mind. Man has the ability to choose what they want to think about, though they cannot choose their circumstances. In directing their thoughts toward what they want to be, circumstances get shaped towards what they want to be. James Allen and King Solomon agree that the mind shapes the outcome of a person’s life, and so do I. James Allen said, “You will be what you Will to be.” King Solomon says, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7, KJV), and I say that the mind has moving parts that convert power into motion.

Think business until I come.

Commit your work to the Lord, and your thoughts shall be established. Prob 16:3 (NKJV).

As the scripture says, engage in business; my concept of engagement is thinking; hence, I say think about business until I come. In other words, always be business-minded. Think about opportunities to bring value to others through your products, services, and profits. Train your brain to focus on profit-making, for there is no business without profit. The goal of every businessperson is to maximize their profits.

Whatever occupies your mind will eventually become your life. Should you channel your thoughts toward your business purpose, there is no limit to what you can accomplish. Mostly importantly, commit to the Lord all your works, and your thoughts shall be established. Form a mental picture of what you want your business to be, dwell on it, and keep moulding it in your mind until it produces results. Always commit your work to the Lord through prayer and supplication.

Let not fear of failure rule you. Do not procrastinate in taking action. A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent enriches. Proverbs 10:4 LEB.

Shalom.