you feel that sometimes your sincerity makes you vulnerable, a prey to the unscrupulous – that in our world being a Christian in business is impossible without compromise?

Are Christian ethics idealistic and unsuited to getting-ahead, or even survival, in this world?

Then read this four-part encouragement. Read the Scriptures referred to, and discover how God's wisdom has a balanced way for you to thrive rather than just survive.

But first, note how a dishonest manager's exploitive manoeuvring is used by Jesus as an example to us. Jesus said –

Being shrewd can seem dishonest and we know that the basis of all God-pleasing behaviour must always be love.

Love is always the character of Christian behaviour! Every aspect of our conduct is only right or wrong as it is true to the character of love – love, as it is real in God and is made known in Jesus. Yes! But often human sentiment is mistaken for love. We need God's help in separating love from sentiment and other feeling-based behaviour. The latent hostility of our environment and the unreliability of human nature, both in the fellowship of the church and in the world, make obedience to the Lord's command to be 'shrewd' very necessary to a blessed life in this present world.

this regard then, there are 4 valuable principles to practice – for our own sake and for the blessing of those around us. These 4 principles call us to be –

These 4 special dimensions of godly behaviour belong together, even though they may seem to contradict one another. They counter-balance each other, boldness-to-caution, innocence-to-alertness, and so develop a well-rounded character in our practical relationships to the human family.

let it be true  –  for you!

This will not happen, however, unless each of these four dynamic aspects of wisdom are properly understood/implemented as Jesus intended –

CLICK THEN ON THESE CHAPTER HEADINGS FOR MUCH MORE

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1. -- BE BOLD

2. -- BE ON YOUR GUARD

3. -- DO NOT TRUST

4. -- LIVE TRANSPARENTLY

* -- CONCLUSION