There was once a man who has achieved some success; he was not a businessman, but a captain in the military services. Not a pastor, not a priest, not a worship leader, or elder. Yet, he will be recognised endlessly. A man who was seen by God and whose efforts were marked in the books of history.
Acts 10 AMP
1NOW [living] at Caesarea there was a man whose name was Cornelius, a centurion (captain) of what was known as the Italian Regiment,
2A devout man who venerated God and treated Him with reverential obedience, as did all his household; and he gave much alms to the people and prayed continually to God.
3About the ninth hour (about 3:00 p.m.) of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God entering and saying to him, Cornelius!
4And he, gazing intently at him, became frightened and said, What is it, Lord? And the angel said to him, Your prayers and your [generous] gifts to the poor have come up [as a sacrifice] to God and have been remembered by Him.‚Δω
He gained Gods attention by his prayers and generous gifts to the poor. You can do the same.
We need to step up as christian business owners?
- Did you know that 1.39 million women and children that are sold as slaves are sold for sexual servitude? (A21.org)
- Did you know that for many years, up until until recently, a war devastated Uganda. A war that led a rebel army to go into African villages take away children from 5-15, pushing them to murder and batter people for their own agenda? Now that the war is over there are thousands of children who have been infected and displaced; kids with no family and nowhere to go.
- Do you realize that as you read this 21 children have just died from preventable deceases like measles, diarrhea etc.
- Can you believe that families somewhere right now are fetching water from a dirty (tainted with animal feces) water hole in which they know will make them sick, but if they do not drink from it they will die from dehydration.
- Is it hard for you to imagine that most of the chocolate we buy is farmed by forced child laborers, kids earning nothing working while they should be in school.
This list could go on and on. We must do something
It is sad. It can seem hopeless. Overwhelming. Unconquerable. We need to step up. This CANNOT happen on our watch. I want to share my favorite bible verse.
Isaiah 58
"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am, "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame."
As christian entrepreneurs we need to fully grasp Gods heart for the poor. We need to figure out that what we have isn't just for our own comfort; it is to make a difference. Blessed to be a blessing. Not only that, but making a difference in the most effective and strategic way possible; getting the highest return on social impact from our labors. See article on ROI2 about return on investment x return on social impact.
Every christian reading this must become a social entrepreneur and get started looking at the best ways to leverage resources to make strategic social impact.
"We cannot do everything but we must do something." Brian Houston
Challenge:
Spend 30 minutes thinking about how you can create social impact through your organization.
Follow Up:
I would love to hear some of the ideas you came up with
For information on how adding a social impact to your business can actually grow your business and add immense value check out our article:
