Where is your treasure?

God spoke pretty clearly when He said “where our treasures lie, our hearts lie also”.  We read it, but do we live it?  I mean how can he expect us to follow Him completely, right?  Yet tht is exactly what He is asking.  We, instead, put our trust in things that have no eternal value…  (money, material possessions, fame, etc.).  God wants our minds, hearts, and wallets to pursue His righteousness, yet too many of us pursue the wrong things.  We care too much about the amount of the profits we make rather than the source of those profits. 

Where Values and Profits Collide

Many corporate leaders are faced with decisions in which values and profit collide. This is why it is valuable for you, the investor, to set your priorities. Let your principles and values guide you in accomplishing this task. To start, think long and hard about your answer to this important question:   Would I abandon my principles in favor of choosing a path of profit?

Biblical values are many times pitted against bottom line demands. Larry Julian wrote about this in God Is My CEO. Larry is a successful consultant and speaker who specializes in biblically based leadership development and strategic planning. His mission is to help businesspeople integrate their work and faith, transform their adversities into their destinies, and revolutionize their lives into their legacies. There is a great moment in God Is My CEO where he shares,

“We usually want to do the right thing but often succumb to the short-term, bottom-line demands of daily business life. While we are encouraged to follow God on Sunday, we are not supposed to make the right ethical decisions in the trenches on Monday through Friday. 

This paradigm has demanded that we operate in two separate worlds: a deeply personal, private, spiritual world and a very public, demanding, competitive business world. For the most part, these two worlds clash in their values, beliefs, and principles and we are caught in the middle.”

 Dishonesty Has a Way of Catching Up With You

Taking part in an activity that is unethical, immoral, or dishonest to make a financial gain is wrong no matter how you try to justify it. Throughout history great men have fallen because they neglected to maintain moral integrity.  From those who participated in the slave trade to those involved in Nazi concentration camps to the Wall Street meltdown of 2008, in which we watched companies that had been around for more than one hundred years collapse. One common theme recurs: greed, deceit, and a “culture of corporate corruption.”

 Integrity is critical not only in our personal lives, but in daily business activities. If you are like many, when you hear words like integrity and character, you may think about morals and ethics, but do you think of profit potential? If a corporation and its leaders lack integrity or offer products and services that harm people physically, mentally, financially, or spiritually, who pays the price?

 The character of God is based on love, faithfulness, and trust among many other traits. But when we allow our character flaws to interfere with our relationship with God, we ultimately pay the price. Look at anyone who has fallen in Hollywood; look at the number of sports stars whose careers have come crashing down. Look at church leaders who have been plagued by scandal. Look at top business and governmental figures who have gone to jail over fraudulent activities. All these stories typically begin with a breakdown in character.

 We Need to Rebuild America!

When we allow huge moral and ethical lapses to occur, over time they eventually cause some major losses of not only individual careers, but entire companies and even confidence in the markets themselves. But the biggest price of all is the separation from God. Though God never leaves His own, many choose to run from Him. God is the cornerstone of our laws, liberty, and government in America. Now more than ever we need to strengthen America.  Are you doing your part?  Are you investing in corporations that support your values and promote faith, hope, and love?  Are you screening out companies that are destroying our culture?   One investor at a time, we can unite to rebuild America and make attractive profits in the process.