How do you make your toughest decisions? Mark Dillon, president of Tampa Bay Steel Corporation, turns to the Bible. According to this morning's Wall Street Journal, Mr. Dillon recently changed how his company paid its bills after consulting the Book of Proverbs. He turned to Matthew's gospel when dealing with a delinquent customer. He dealt with a recent layoff by applying the Golden Rule to help his employees adjust.

The Journal article profiles the growing number of top executives who follow evangelical Christian principles in guiding their companies. Christian publisher Thomas Nelson started a unit devoted to business books some three years ago; sales are up 73 percent from the year before. The C12 Group is a network of executives who meet monthly to discuss management trends and the intersection of religion and commerce; they have grown from three sets of 12 executives in 1992 to nearly 550 members today.

Is it legal to lead a company in an explicitly Christian way? According to the legal experts cited in the Journal story, it is. So long as an executive does not discriminate against those of different religious beliefs, or coerce a particular faith commitment from employees, he or she is free to apply relevant and legal religious perspectives to business decisions. In other words, Christians can use the Bible to lead their companies. Such is precisely the intent of the Author of the book in question.

It is said that Billy Graham's first sermon took eight minutes. Jesus' first public address in Matthew's Gospel took less than eight seconds: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17). The Kingdom of God is the central theme of the word of God. In Genesis we watch the King create his kingdom. In Revelation, he returns to rule it. In between, he invites us to partner with him, to be his subjects and his children. We are to pray each day, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). Then we are to mean that prayer by making God our King.

This King owns everything in his kingdom. He owns the computer on which I am typing these words, and the device on which you're reading them. He owns the chair in which you're sitting, the clothes you're wearing, the building in which you are residing. His word and will apply to Monday as well as Sunday, to the "real world" as to the religious, to the "secular" and the "sacred." He made it all, and cares about it all. He has a plan for your work as well as your soul.

Have you made him King of your Monday yet? If not, why not now?

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