Abraham Lincoln reputedly said, “Your actions, sir, speak so loudly that I can’t hear a word that you are saying.”

This statement rings especially true for business owners and CEOs. In our roles as Christian business leaders, nothing speaks more loudly to stakeholders than what we actually do. It's easy to abuse our positional authority, even unintentionally. Paul exhorts us to distinguish between what's permissible and what's most beneficial. Others are watching — reading into your character, interpreting what they see, and often following your example. Trust and credibility, our most valuable leadership assets, are also vital to our Christian witness.

As Christian leaders, we have great latitude within the law to build businesses that honor God. However, there are many situations in which we can send conflicting messages by doing self-serving things that are legal, but not right, especially when we view our roles from an eternal perspective. Consider what these activities say about a Christian business leader’s character:

• Taking advantage of personal corporate “perks” such as country club memberships, private parking, and lavish personal fringe benefit programs
• Treating personal travel, entertainment, supplies, and services as business expenses
• Giving disproportionate personal compensation or profit distributions, or overpaying family employees

Honoring God in Our Business⤒🔗

Many try to justify such harmful practices under the banner of “minimizing taxes.” While such actions may technically be considered legal, they can clearly be unprofitable in terms of our witness and influence on those around us. These personal fiefdoms can damage teams, employee trust, and the internal ability to grow. 

As chief stewards and servant leaders in our companies, we should promote responsible, ethical thinking in alignment with our company’s core principles. What are you doing to create an exemplary, God-honoring, trust-building business? How can we operate according to clear win/win standards and processes, and produce loyal, long-term stakeholders?

Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:4