Listening to the Holy Spirit:
A true companion wants to be by your side. There is a great honor for he that has another seeking to be his companion. A partner in business needs to have the same deep desire for the other person’s well-being. The partner that has his own interests first, will not give as he has been called to give. In marriage, in friendship, in all relationships, there must be a greater desire for the other. If this cannot be so, there will be no true joining, and trial will quickly fracture. Strength is found with many hands, but seek discernment that you would not shake the hand of he that will not protect yours. Common pursuit of even a Godly profit is not enough for a true partnership; deep care for the other is the foundation that will last.
Ecclesiastes 4:9 (ESV) – Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.
Proverbs 27:17 (ESV) – Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.
Phil 2:3-4 (ESV) –
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Taking It to Work:
Ecclesiastes says that two are better than one. Proverbs says one man sharpens another. So why is it that partnerships, Christian partnerships, including marriages, seem to be so hard now-a-days? The answer is in Phil 2:3-4. It is the fact we don’t regard others interest above our own. The Bible says that partnerships are a great things, but it also says the partners have to be truly concerned for each other if it is to succeed.
We read this, but do we really buy it? How rare is it really, even in marriage, where each partner is truly self-sacrificing for the other, and then how much rarer in business? Failed partnerships, including failed marriages are very common these days, because self-centeredness has become the norm, even for true Christ followers.
So, if your considering a business proposal, or a marriage proposal, heed His Word on what truly will make it work. Make sure you go into it holding the other higher than yourself, as His Word works in partnership with you, today.
