The Balance of Being a Christian Entrepreneur

Matthew 10:16

I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.  Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

As Christian entrepreneurs we are being completely thrown to the wolves.  The business world is full of selfish, conniving, deceitful people looking to take advantage of someone.  We probably have in our own business mentors who preach about greed, lust of the flesh, and pride.

As Christian entrepreneurs we are to dance to the beat of a different drum.  It’s not money, fame or possessions that are to drive us.  No, it’s serving Christ that should be our focus.

A Godly life is a life of balance, a life in control.  So many of us are out-of-control and completely unbalanced.  This passage is all about the balance we should possess.  We must find the balance between wisdom and vulnerability to accomplish God’s work in our lives.

How many of us know (or is) someone who is very shrewd but lacks vulnerability.  This person may lack trust and would much rather work alone.  They tend to push people away and do not let anyone get to close.  They want to prevent people from taking advantage of them.

When we live in this state we lose out on the great blessings of community.  Having close fellowship with people and being able to share in the victories of life or to share the burden of hurts with people who love you is one of the greatest gifts from God.  Being in real community with one another requires vulnerability.  I give the credit to my accelerated growth in the Lord to the community of brothers He surrounded me with.

In our business we must be willing to delegate some of the responsibility.  This is how we create leaders in our organizations.  The other benefit from being vulnerable in our business comes from allowing others to hold us accountable for things we’re suppose to do.  So often we create false excuses for why we can’t do something or why it’s okay to do this in a certain area.  My wife is awesome at this.  She is always checking me when I’m not doing the right things in my life and business.  I don’t want to hear it when she says it and I usually snap back with some comment, but the Holy Spirit reminds me that she is right.

Contrary to this we all know many people who are only innocent as doves and allow themselves to be taken advantage of.  These people will go along with anything.  Discernment is lacking in these individuals and they tend to have a blind trust and lack wisdom.

Wisdom is the application of knowledge.  Being shrewd as snakes is the about being sensible and prudent.  Being innocent as doves is about having the vulnerability to share your life and experiences with people in order to benefit their lives and yours.

Just like life our business is all about relationships.  The balance of this passage for me is that we are to be shrewd in our decision of who to associate with and innocent enough to do life with them.  This is true with our friends as well as our business partners.

One of the greatest blessings of having a network marketing business is that we get to literally choose who we work with.  Once we have made that decision let us become humble, innocent, and vulnerable enough to engage sincerely with our team.

About the Author: William Robbins is the founder of MLMFellowship, and the owner of iWantMoreWealth.com with his wife Bethany. Learn more about William and Bethany.