Many people consider business and finance to be separate environments in which it is expected that people are aggressive or deceptive with one another in order to “get ahead”.
Is it ok to take advantage of people in business and finance? Is it ok to deceive someone to get them to buy your product? Is it ok to give poor advice as a financial consultant to sell the products your company wants you to sell?
Simply put, and hopefully obvious to you by now… the answer is “No. It is not right to take advantage of others.”
Jesus has a way of simplifying key concepts to help us remember and apply them to our lives. Many of us have heard of the “Golden Rule”, though it may surprise quite a few that it originates from Jesus Christ in Matthew 7:12.
12“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
This scripture matches closely with Matthew 22:37-40.
37And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ 38“This is the great and foremost commandment. 39“The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ 40“On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
In the context of Matthew 7:12, Jesus is addressing how His disciples should treat one another. He is not referring to our relationship with God. In Matthew 22:37-40, He addresses both our relationships with God and with one another.
Jesus calls us to help one another and to deal respectfully and honestly with one another whether we are at church, in our family or at work. If we know more about a certain area than someone else (e.g. financial investing, selling phones or computers, etc.), it is an opportunity to help them. We each have different gifts and abilities. Jesus wants us to use them to help one another, not to convince them to buy the wrong product for them so we get a higher commission.
Is it ok to take advantage of non Christians? Again… a decisive “No.” What a great opportunity to show non Christians what we, as followers of Christ, are all about. Help them in matters of business and finance rather than trying to take advantage of them to make more money for yourself.
Jesus really has a way of simplifying things so we can remember. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. So simple, we can teach it to children, but the challenge is for us as adults to consistently apply it to all aspects of our lives.
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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .