You speak of a god within you, above you, and around you, but this is not the language of Holy Scripture. The true and living God sits upon the throne of the universe; He is not a diffused essence of your own being. What a terrible error to confound the Creator with the creature! I bid you, turn from this vague pantheism and know the Lord Jehovah, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who alone is God. You have strayed from what you know: then come back to the God who reveals Himself, not within as some mystic spark, but above you in majesty, and before you in the person of His dear Son.
You cry out for guidance, for a remembrance of your purpose, for a great breakthrough in your business dealings. But what is the true business of a soul redeemed? Is it to amass sales, to see every new drop vanish in a flurry of profit? If a man succeeds in amassing wealth, it is a poor success indeed. The muckrake gathers, and then the fork scatters. Your first business, your Father’s business, is to be cleansed from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. You ask for a path and a purpose; here it is, set before you plainly: to teach transgressors God’s ways, that sinners may be converted unto Him. This is the life-business of every believer. If you make your own business God’s business, then you shall do your business well, and be useful in your day.
You plead for financial freedom and stability, for sales upon sales. But bow in submission to the will of God, for by that very act you are furnished with unerring guidance. Do you think the divine purpose is that you should be a mere money-making machine, toiling for that which perishes? Our Lord’s own business did not bring Him a coin to rub against another; it brought Him a cross, ploughed His back with gory furrows, and pricked His brow with a thorn crown. Yet it was His Father’s business, and He was successful in it beyond all measure. His purpose was so set, so full, that He would have died a thousand deaths rather than abandon it. And what was that purpose? The salvation of souls.
You see, you have put the secondary before the primary. You want a breakthrough in your business to reach a goal, but you have forgotten that the great purpose of the eternal mind is unchanging, and history is but the unfolding of that one design. “He is in one mind, and who can turn him?” Your frantic haste is the author of much mischief. Nothing in your life happens by chance; every event, even a slow season or a silent shop, answers the purpose of His will. Perhaps your prayer for a thousand sales, if it were more earnest about eternal things, might be answered with a thousand souls converted. Why not?
I charge you to go into your counting-house and sit down with pen in hand, and under the Holy Spirit’s guidance calculate truthfully. Count up your gains in the light of the cross. See whether you have been seeking the world’s applause, which measures morality by success, or whether you have perfected holiness in the fear of God. If you are cheating, if you can lie in your daily life, there is scope enough for such filthiness outside the Church, why bring it where it is not wanted? Let us cleanse ourselves. The first business is to believe in Jesus.
If your heart is truly set upon God, then make your business your Father’s business. That prosperous trade you desire would be a delightful thing if it were a platform for the Gospel. If you were to retire from the love of gain and go about preaching Christ, it would be the grandest work. If you must remain at your post, then stand behind the counter all active for Jesus, your eyes wide open for opportunities to save some. But you cannot serve two masters. Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you. The sure result of His guidance is this: “Thou shalt afterward receive me to glory.” Not a shop full of sold-out goods, but a soul full of grace, received into everlasting habitations.
Pray then for a great purpose to saturate your whole soul. Pray that you might weep for the souls of the perishing as our Lord wept over Jerusalem. You will be successful, but it shall be in the divine way, not the earth’s shallow hurrahs, but the Father’s “Well done.” What His soul desireth, that He doeth. He can bring in the sales if it serves His one great aim. But oh, be about your Father’s business, for it is sweet employment. That is the breakthrough, the freedom, the stability you truly need. I say unto you, ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find.
