When I was a freshman in college, a close friend came to me late one Saturday night and asked if I had ever made Jesus Christ the Lord of my life. I smiled and said, “Sure. I’ve been a Catholic all my life.” He said he wasn’t asking if I was a Christian. He wanted to know if there were any parts of my life that Jesus was not the Lord of. I told my friend that Jesus was the Lord of my entire life, and I forgot about my friend’s question for the next 15 years or so.

In my mid-thirties, I was running my insurance agency with a lot of prayer, but my decisions were usually based on the business knowledge I had gained working in the world. In other words, I was the Master of my business and thus, I made decisions with a sense of pride and arrogance because I had gained a lot of knowledge and skills.

Fortunately, on an evening when we didn’t have enough money to pay all of our monthly bills, I remembered my college friend’s question: Is there any part of my life that Jesus is not Lord of? It was at that moment that I turned my business over to Jesus. And it changed my work life forever.

One of the first truths my new Master of my business showed me was Psalm 24:1:

“The earth is the Lord’s and all it holds, the world and those who dwell in it.”

I quickly understood, this business was not mine — it was the Lord’s all along. With that insight he became my mentor and advisor. Were there times he sent me to other business people for advice or coaching? Absolutely. But as you might imagine, these wisdom figures gave counsel and new ideas always from a spiritual viewpoint.

Is Jesus the Lord of your business?

Here’s a suggested examination to help you discern how much of His business you’ve turned over to him. Remember, everything on the earth is his anyway. So, ask yourself:

• Do I always call it “my” business or do I have the courage to call it “His”?
• In developing strategic plans, do I begin by asking Jesus for his input?
• When facing urgent issues throughout the day, do I consult him about his preferences before I make a decision?
• Do I always ask him whom he wants me to hire or use as a vendor or supplier?
• Have I turned all financial decisions over to him?
• And finally, do I declare to Jesus every day that he is the Lord of my entire life, including my business?

Please share your thoughts with us below. If you have specifically made Jesus the Lord of your business, tell us how it’s going. If not, would you consider making him Lord of your company? This conversation can be fun and enlightening. Let us hear from you.

About Mike Van Vranken

Mike Van Vranken is a writer, speaker, retreat leader, and teacher. Following forty years of leading, coaching and developing business owners, Mike founded Mike Van Vranken Ministries to fulfill his passion to bring Jesus to the world around him. He brings his experiences as a mentor, leader, speaker, coach and entrepreneur to provide teaching and spiritual leadership to all who are interested. His dream is to deliver the teachings of Jesus to women and men, old and young, poor and rich, people of every background and diversity – to the entire body of Christ.

He holds a Masters Degree in Theological Studies from the University of Dallas and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas.

He and Barbara, his wife of 42 years, live in Shreveport, LA.

Discover more about Mike at: www.mikevanvrankenministries.org as well as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, Instagram, and Google.