Strengthen and Protect Your Company: A Biblical Basis for Choosing Accountability to Wise Christian Advisors
Principle 22 of the Christ-Centered Company Assessment: “As a leader of my company, I choose to be accountable to a peer advisory group of other Christian business leaders concerning major decisions affecting our company.”
“Where there is no guidance the people fall, but in abundance of counselors there is victory.” -Proverbs 11:14
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” -Proverbs 9:10
As the new king of Israel, Rehoboam had a critical choice to make regarding whose counsel he would follow during his reign. He would either heed the counsel of the elders who served his father, Solomon, or he would follow the guidance of the younger, less-experienced generation. The elders advised Rehoboam to lighten the workload and taxation Solomon had placed upon the children of Israel, but the younger men encouraged him to add to the people’s burden in order to strengthen his reign (1 Kgs. 12:7-10).
Tragically, Rehoboam spent too much time around the wrong people, so he heeded foolish counsel. He told the children of Israel, “Whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions” (1 Kgs. 12:10). As a result of refusing to heed the counsel of the right people, Rehoboam’s tyrannical leadership caused the kingdom to become divided, “so Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day” (1 Kgs. 12:19).
There are many thought leaders in and around our industries who we respect for the advice they share. The problem is that many of them do not know God, nor do they share our desires to lead Christ-centered companies. As Larry Burkett said, “The difficulty isn’t the advice they give; it’s the advice they don’t give, specifically, the lack of spiritual insight.” A diet of business advice and guidance fed primarily by thinkers for whom God is mostly irrelevant will condition a person to believe that God has nothing to do with his/her company.
One of the primary means by which the Holy Spirit leads and protects business leaders and their organizations are through godly advisors to whom the leader chooses to be accountable. Here are five benefits you ought to experience as a result of choosing to make yourself accountable to a group of like-minded Christian business leaders:
- Bible-based business education through cooperative dialogue
- Christ-centered fellowship with other Christian business leaders
- Action-oriented accountability
- Clarified decision-making
- A facilitator focused on your growth
Leaders of Christ-centered businesses give priority to the voice of counsel from those who share their Christ-centered values and mission. God can speak to us through anybody; however, He strategically gives us access to wise advisors in our professional lives to keep us sharp, balanced, and protected from the high costs of foolishness. We will only be prepared for the next level of responsibility as a result of having heeded the counsel of the right people.
The Bible says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Prov. 9:10). If you want wisdom and understanding for your business, make sure your business advisors know God intimately.
Discussion: Do you currently receive ongoing wise counsel and accountability from wise Christian business leaders? Which of the “five benefits” of joining an advisory group for Christian business leaders would be the most beneficial to you and your company right now? (Comment below)
