Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001382A
01:30 ♪[Theme music]♪
01:40 ♪[Theme music]♪ 01:49 >>John Bradshaw: This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw. 01:51 Thanks for joining me today. 01:53 Today I'm joined by a special guest. 01:55 Dr. Michael Cafferky is a professor of 01:58 business and management. 02:00 He's authored multiple books, and has lectured 02:03 around the world in the area of business ethics. 02:07 When you come to the Bible, 02:08 the Bible is a book filled with ethics. 02:10 In fact, I was speaking to some non-Christian kids 02:13 in Mongolia, of all places. 02:16 I asked them what they knew about the Bible. 02:19 None of the children knew anything at all except for one, 02:21 who said, “It's a book 02:23 that deals with God and is about ethics.” 02:27 Which is fair, I think. 02:29 Business ethics. 02:30 How do we bring ethics into our daily lives, 02:33 and why does it even matter? 02:34 Dr. Cafferky, thanks for being here. 02:37 >>Dr. Cafferky Glad to be here, thank you. 02:37 >>John: Now, you write about, 02:39 and you teach on the subject of ethics. 02:41 In front of me I have the cover of your new book, 02:44 published any day now, 02:45 “Business Ethics in Biblical Perspective.” 02:48 Intervarsity Press have published this book. 02:51 Tell me, let's start right at the beginning. 02:52 We're going to bring this around to a personal application. 02:55 We'll look at this from a very biblical point of view. 02:58 What is business ethics? 03:00 >>Dr. Cafferky Well, it's about doing the right thing. 03:02 But it's also about the process of deciding 03:05 what is the right thing to do. 03:08 And so we're really talking about, 03:09 when we talk about ethics, 03:10 we're talking about a process of thinking 03:12 and a process of doing that is based upon 03:16 some standard of right and wrong, 03:18 either a standard that maybe I make it myself, 03:20 or that I find outside of myself, perhaps in the Bible. 03:24 >>John: Is ethics and morality the same thing? 03:25 >>Dr. Cafferky Well, morality would be 03:27 the standards of right and wrong. 03:30 Ethics is the process of applying those standards 03:32 and trying to figure out now, okay, 03:34 what is right and wrong in this particular situation? 03:37 >>John: So why are ethics so important? 03:39 Or maybe I should say, how important are ethics 03:42 when you come to a business situation? 03:46 >>Dr. Cafferky Whether you're a religious person or not, 03:49 whether you're a Christian or believe in some other religion, 03:52 or no religion, business ethics is really important 03:56 just for the business itself. 03:58 It turns out that, 04:00 research shows that businesses who are ethical, 04:04 following a standard of right and wrong, 04:07 tend to recruit employees, loyal employees, 04:11 that contribute more to their company. 04:14 So it helps in recruiting new employees. 04:17 It helps in retaining workers, 04:19 who also like to work in a situation where there's 04:23 standards of right and wrong that are held to. 04:27 Research also shows that your stock price can actually go up 04:31 if you're an ethical organization. 04:32 So it's really important. 04:33 >>John: So what are some organizations, 04:35 I'm not asking so much for your opinion as the general consensus 04:38 what are some organizations 04:40 that are considered to have ethics figured out well? 04:43 >>Dr. Cafferky: Oh, wow. 04:44 Uh, I think there's, once in a while there's a list published, 04:47 and I forget where it's published, 04:49 of the best places to work... 04:51 >>John: Okay. 04:52 >>Dr. Cafferky: ...for instance. 04:54 Uh, certain, many of the Fortune 100 and 500 corporations 04:58 are considered to be some of the best places to work. 05:01 >>John: Which would buttress the idea we spoke of a moment ago: 05:04 if you have ethics going well, 05:06 your business tends to do better. 05:08 >>Dr. Cafferky: Sure. 05:08 >>John: Okay. 05:09 >>Dr. Cafferky: And then let's take it, let's take it, 05:10 scale it down to the small business. 05:13 Uh, viewers in their own community 05:15 will know of organizations, maybe family businesses, 05:19 that have been in town for many years, 05:21 and they know which businesses are the ethical businesses. 05:25 They trust those businesses, they repeat business as buyers, 05:29 or they'll repeat as sellers to those businesses. 05:31 They like doing business with people who are ethical. 05:33 >>John: Let's talk about this from a broad perspective. 05:36 Can you give me an example of an ethical question that was raised 05:41 maybe it made the news, 05:43 or maybe in academic circles it's a good case study 05:45 of an ethical question that was addressed one way or another? 05:51 What can we discuss? 05:52 >>Dr. Cafferky: Well, I think of the, uh, the story 05:55 of an executive of a food, 05:58 a chain of food stores in New England. 06:01 And there was a bit of a power struggle at the level of the, 06:04 the governance level of the board, 06:07 and this executive was let go, by a relative who was also 06:12 on the board and had gathered board support. 06:15 Let go. 06:17 Many employees said, you know, this won't stand. 06:20 And we're going to walk off, the job. 06:24 Okay, that raises a really important question. 06:26 First of all, is there grounds for firing this person? 06:29 That's one ethical question. 06:31 Okay, so now he's fired. 06:33 What about the employees who said, you know, 06:35 that wasn't right to fire him, and so we're going to walk. 06:38 Is that the right thing to do? 06:40 >>John: How do we determine, then, 06:41 what is the right thing to do? 06:43 >>Dr. Cafferky Oh, yeah. 06:44 >>John: Is this consensus? 06:46 Do we take a vote? 06:47 Or, or what processes ought to guide the way you figure out 06:53 what's ethical in a given situation? 06:54 >>Dr. Cafferky Yeah, that really is the big question. 06:57 How do we go about figuring out what is right and wrong? 07:01 And what is the process we use? 07:03 There are some people who say, 07:04 “Well, there really are no standards of right and wrong. 07:07 And so whatever you think is right, then that's right.” 07:12 That would be what we call egoist approach, right. 07:14 There are others who kind of take the opposite point of view, 07:16 and say, “No, there are absolute standards. 07:18 Let's have a conversation about those standards 07:20 and how they best apply to this particular situation.” 07:23 But there are absolutes. 07:25 And that would be the scriptural perspective for sure. 07:28 >>John: So why are ethics important? 07:30 I mean, I'm a businessman. 07:32 I just want to make money. 07:34 It's my job. 07:35 I'm not here to make friends. 07:37 So if I can, if I can raid a company 07:39 or artificially jack up the stock price and sell out, 07:43 it doesn't matter who I hurt. 07:45 Really, why does it matter? 07:47 You may simply say there's a question of human decency, 07:49 but what if I don't care about that? 07:50 >>Dr. Cafferky Yeah, well, for some people, 07:51 they can go a long time on that kind of approach 07:55 or philosophy of business, yes. 07:57 And certainly some people might get hurt along the way; 08:00 a 30- or 40-year career, that can happen. 08:03 Other people, especially as we mature and we get older, 08:07 we say, you know, life is not just about the money. 08:09 I do value relationships here, 08:12 among my worker, with my workers, with my family, 08:14 with my community. 08:16 There are a lot of reasons 08:17 to start being concerned about ethics. 08:19 And it has to do with our social connections with each other, 08:22 it turns out. 08:23 >>John: I want to bring this around and look at this from 08:25 a biblical point of view. 08:27 Why, why is business ethics important for someone who, 08:33 who is striving to be or desires to be faithful to God 08:36 in his or her own personal experience? 08:39 >>Dr. Cafferky To me this is the, 08:39 this is one of the big questions of, 08:41 what does it mean to have faith in God? 08:45 Faith is not just something I think about, 08:48 like a mental, uh, process I go through, 08:52 or some mental state I get to at some point. 08:55 That's part of faith. 08:56 Believing, that's part of faith. 08:58 But faith also is being faithful in what I do. 09:04 As it says, I think, in the book of James, 09:06 “Faith without works” 09:08 that's his way of putting it, right? 09:10 So faith really is stuff in action, 09:13 things that we do, not just things, 09:15 faith is not just this sense of psychological security: 09:19 oh, I believe the right things; therefore I must be safe now. 09:23 Yeah, that's a part of it, 09:24 but biblical faith is faith in action, faithfulness to God. 09:29 As part of the response of gratitude for what God has done. 09:32 >>John: There's a lot here: 09:33 business, ethics, and faith in God. 09:37 This is where the rubber meets the road in a person's life. 09:40 It's more than what you think. 09:42 It's how your faith plays out in everyday life. 09:44 We'll have more in just a moment. 09:45 ♪[Music]♪ 09:52 It may seem that integrity is in short supply. 09:54 But it does not need to be in short supply in your life. 09:58 I'd like you to get today's free offer, 10:00 “Challenged,” 10:01 written by Dr. Michael Cafferky and myself. 10:04 How you can maintain and demonstrate integrity 10:07 in your personal life or in your business life. 10:10 Call us: 800-253-3000 10:13 800-253-3000 10:15 Visit us at itiswritten.com 10:17 or write to the address on your screen for 10:19 “Challenged” 10:22 >>John Bradshaw: This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw. 10:24 Thanks for joining me today. 10:26 My guest is Dr. Michael Cafferky, 10:27 a professor of management and business at 10:30 Southern Adventist University in eastern Tennessee. 10:33 Dr. Cafferky has authored numerous books 10:35 and has lectured around the world in the areas of 10:38 business ethics and faith. 10:41 Dr. Cafferky, I'm interested in finding out for you, 10:44 from you, rather, what the Bible says about business ethics. 10:48 I think this is important. 10:49 A lot of businesspeople identify as believers in God. 10:54 Not all of them really stop and drill down and examine 10:58 themselves as to whether they're really acting ethically, 11:01 whether it matters from the Bible. 11:02 So, what does the Bible say about ethics in business? 11:05 >>Dr. Cafferky Oh, the Bible says a lot 11:07 about business and ethics, starting in Genesis. 11:10 And actually, if you follow this all the way through scripture 11:13 to the Book of Revelation, 11:14 we even find references in the Book of Revelation about 11:17 business-related ethics, as well. 11:20 You can start in the book of Genesis. 11:22 Genesis, chapter 1 and chapter 2. 11:24 Some people turn to as the foundation ideas 11:28 for why God created this earth, 11:31 how he put human beings here on this earth, 11:33 and some of the basic ideas and principles 11:36 upon which life was started. 11:38 >>John: Give me a for instance. 11:39 We don't have to recite chapter and verse exactly, 11:41 but let's look at an idea, 11:43 just so we get an understanding 11:45 of what it is we're talking about here, 11:47 an ethical situation or a commentary on business ethics 11:50 that we find in the early chapters of the Bible. 11:51 >>Dr. Cafferky: Okay. 11:52 There is this idea from ancient times, 11:55 when people were buying and selling goods. 11:57 They would use a piece of technology 12:00 that we would call a scale, a weighing scale, all right? 12:04 And you would put product on one side of the scale 12:06 and weights on the other, and when they measured equal, 12:10 then you'd know, here's the, 12:12 here's the value for that product. 12:14 And then there was a price associated. 12:15 Okay, so that's the technology. 12:17 The scriptures talks about these scales, 12:20 and how the trader must be very careful 12:23 not to have false weights, 12:25 or a secret set of weights in the bag, it's called, 12:28 because they used to carry these weights in a bag, right? 12:30 Don't use a false set of weights to cheat your customer 12:34 when you're selling product. 12:36 Uh, the book of Proverbs takes up this same idea. 12:39 Solomon the King recites this same idea during his kingship: 12:44 don't use false weights when you're trading. 12:47 >>John: Let me ask you this. 12:48 Is there a lot of dishonesty in business today? 12:52 >>Dr. Cafferky Well, there is, unfortunately. 12:54 But, you know, the marketplace would not work if dishonesty 12:59 was rampant everywhere. 13:01 In fact, that's one of the principles upon 13:03 which a market economy is founded. 13:06 The experts have said. You've got to be honest. 13:09 Yes, there, it is true that some people are dishonest. 13:12 But generally people have to be honest in order 13:14 for the marketplace to work, right? 13:16 There are certain things that we put in place as, 13:19 as protections and boundaries. 13:21 We hire accountants, for instance, to help us be honest. 13:25 >>John: Auditors. 13:26 >>Dr. Cafferky: Auditors, to keep records, 13:28 transparency of the information, so we can trust. 13:31 That's another issue, of course, related to honesty, is trust. 13:35 So honesty is absolutely important. 13:37 And yes, people are dishonest. 13:40 But if the majority of people weren't honest in a free market, 13:43 it would collapse fairly quickly. 13:45 >>John: Okay, let's get back to the Bible. 13:46 Let's look at a couple of other situations. 13:48 >>Dr. Cafferky Yeah. 13:49 Let's talk about the Ten Commandments briefly. 13:51 Hmm, now, many people think the Ten Commandments 13:54 is simply kind of a random list of ten things 13:57 that you shouldn't do. 13:58 Or some things are said you should do, 14:00 a few things are said in the negative, don't do, right? 14:02 And it's kind of random actually, 14:04 when you look carefully and study these Ten Commandments, 14:07 all of them are related to business and business activities 14:12 from the point of view of the people of those times. 14:15 >>John: Now, do you mind if I read a commandment to you, 14:18 and we'll, uh, we'll see how this is associated with ethics. 14:22 >>Dr. Cafferky Okay. 14:22 >>John: Can we do that? 14:23 And there are a couple that I'm wondering, 14:26 how might this one be associated with ethics. 14:30 >>Dr. Cafferky: Okay. 14:31 >>John: I'll give you a nice easy one. 14:31 Thou shalt not... 14:32 >>Dr. Cafferky Okay. 14:33 >>John: ...Thou shalt not steal. 14:34 >>Dr. Cafferky: Oh, good, you started with an easy one. 14:35 Yeah, that's the most obvious one... 14:36 >>John: Yeah. 14:37 >>Dr. Cafferky ...of all of the ten. 14:38 Thank you so much. 14:39 Though shalt not steal. 14:41 Well, just think about it. 14:43 If stealing were rampant in the marketplace, 14:47 how much trading of things of value 14:50 would people actually engage in? 14:53 If I thought that what I bought today 14:56 someone would come and steal tomorrow, 14:59 why would I go and buy something 15:01 that I know someone's going to take from me. 15:04 See, what happens in theft, 15:06 it's not only a disrespect of the person who worked hard 15:10 to earn the money to buy the product they own, 15:12 it's a disrespect of them, 15:14 but it's also a disrespect to the Creator, 15:18 who created all things from which 15:20 that product was made, as well. 15:23 Okay? 15:24 But just think about that. 15:26 If we, we didn't trust the safety of things that we own 15:30 using our hard-earned money, 15:32 the economy would, would tank. 15:34 >>John: Umm. Thou shalt not kill? 15:36 >>Dr. Cafferky Oh my, this is, it's not quite so obvious, 15:39 but it is, it is so clear, 15:41 that without physical safety in the marketplace, 15:45 there would not be trading. 15:48 If I cannot feel safe going out to the market 15:51 and buying and selling, 15:52 right safety for my own physical 15:54 well-being, health, and even for my life again, 15:58 that same impact on the economy, it would tank. 16:01 >>John: Does this mean that questions of 16:02 occupational safety and health, uh, safety... 16:04 >>Dr. Cafferky Absolutely. 16:06 >>John: ...within the working environment, 16:07 those are ethical questions too? 16:08 >>Dr. Cafferky Well, of course, 16:10 and that's the positive side of 16:11 “thou shalt not kill” commandment, right? 16:13 The positive side is, let's foster flourishing life 16:16 for people who we are with, who we have responsibility for, 16:20 our workers, our family, and our, our neighbors. 16:23 So yes, occupational safety is a positive expression 16:27 of that commandment, “Thou shalt not kill.” 16:29 >>John: There's a, there's a commandment in the Bible 16:31 that's been pretty well forgotten by everybody. 16:34 It's the last one, Exodus 20, verse 19: 16:37 “Thou shalt not covet.” 16:38 >>Dr. Cafferky: Oh yeah. 16:40 >>John: Where's the, where's the business ethics in covetousness? 16:44 >>Dr. Cafferky: God designs for us to have a flourishing life. 16:47 Okay. 16:49 And that flourishing life from the scripture point of view 16:50 includes several dimensions. 16:52 I'm going to come to the business part, 16:53 so just work with me here. 16:54 >>John: Okay, sure. 16:55 >>Dr. Cafferky: Uh, first of all, 16:56 our spiritual relationship with God. 16:59 That's part of the flourishing, 17:00 the foundation for a flourishing life. 17:03 Social harmony, with our family and friends in the community. 17:08 Even international peace, right? 17:10 That's part of this flourishing life. 17:12 Physical health and well-being. 17:13 Mental health. 17:14 And there's another dimension that scripture also includes 17:17 in this idea of flourishing life: the economic dimension. 17:21 Oh yeah. 17:23 If we don't put some limits on the economic dimension of our, 17:28 of our life, of this flourishing life, 17:30 it turns out the other dimensions start to suffer. 17:33 And the tenth commandment, 17:35 I'm going to come around to that tenth commandment, 17:36 “Thou shalt not covet,” 17:38 is a way to put some boundaries around our economic activities. 17:45 >>John: Why should those boundaries be there? 17:47 You're telling me that I can't maximize my earning potential, 17:51 or I shouldn't pad my wallet as much as I might like? 17:54 >>Dr. Cafferky: The scripture is clear. 17:56 God desires for us abundance. 17:58 He tells us in the fourth commandment, 18:00 work hard six days a week, right? 18:03 But the seventh, I know this is the fourth commandment, 18:06 but it's going to relate it to the tenth, 18:07 because there's a similar principle of being content. 18:10 That's what we, what we get from the fruits of our labor. 18:13 So yes, work hard, absolutely. 18:15 Achieve abundance. 18:18 But if we don't put constraints 18:20 on our efforts to achieve abundance, 18:22 it turns out that we start hurting people around us. 18:25 We start destroying physical and mental health 18:29 when we don't put constraints on that economic activity. 18:32 >>John: Business ethics. Quite a field of study, 18:35 and Dr. Cafferky's studied it more than most. 18:37 We'll be back with more about ethics, business, 18:39 the Bible and you, in just a moment. 18:42 ♪[Music]♪ 18:51 >>Announcer: In Matthew 4:4, the Word of God says, 18:54 “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bead alone, 18:56 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” 19:01 “Every Word” is a one-minute, Bible-based daily devotional 19:04 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw, 19:06 and designed especially for busy people like you. 19:09 Look for Every Word on selected networks, 19:12 or watch it online every day on our website, 19:14 ItIsWritten.com. 19:16 Receive a daily spiritual boost. 19:19 Watch “Every Word.” You'll be glad you did. 19:21 Here's a sample. 19:24 ♪[Theme music]♪ 19:29 Thanks for joining me. 19:30 The reality is, we live in the midst of a spiritual battle. 19:33 Someone wants you to be saved. 19:35 God, who offers you salvation through Jesus; 19:38 Jesus, who died for your sins. 19:40 But there's someone who wants you not to be saved, 19:42 and that's the devil, Satan. 19:44 So notice Joshua 20, verse 5. 19:46 Joshua is writing about the cities of refuge, 19:49 safe places for those who've accidentally taken a life. 19:52 He says, “Then if the avenger of blood pursues him, 19:56 they shall not deliver the slayer into his hand, 19:58 because he struck his neighbor unintentionally, 20:00 but did not hate him beforehand.” 20:03 The person fleeing to the city of refuge had to be intentional. 20:06 Why? 20:06 Because there was someone pursuing him. 20:08 In the same way it's vital to remember the enormous importance 20:11 of fleeing to safety in Jesus. 20:13 Someone wants you to let go of eternal life. 20:15 So stay close to Jesus. 20:16 Dwell in him, the city of refuge. 20:19 And let's live today by every word. 20:20 ♪[Theme music]♪ 20:25 >>John: Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written. 20:27 My guest, Dr. Michael Cafferky, has written extensively about 20:30 business and ethics, and how it relates to 20:33 a person's relationship with Jesus Christ. 20:35 A couple of moments ago, Dr. Cafferky, 20:38 we were discussing the Ten Commandments 20:40 and their role in ethics and business. 20:43 And you mentioned something interesting. 20:45 When we discuss killing and stealing and lying, 20:49 these are pretty clear ethical questions. 20:51 The Bible says, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” 20:54 >>Dr. Cafferky Right. 20:55 >>John: How do we relate that to a question of business ethics? 20:58 >>Dr. Cafferky Oh, this is, this is fascinating. 21:01 This question will take us, you know, 21:03 a little bit deeper to understanding the Sabbath 21:05 as something bigger and wonderful 21:08 than just a day of worship, 21:09 although the day of worship is really important, in fact, 21:11 that's the foundation, 21:13 taking a day from work, 21:15 not working, to worship in community, uh, our God. 21:21 Okay, so worship of God in community, 21:24 that's kind of the heart of the Sabbath. 21:25 The Sabbath is also about being content with what I have earned 21:30 and what I've gained from my labors. 21:32 Six days you shall work, it says, and do all your labor. 21:36 But the seventh day is the Sabbath, 21:38 and keep the Sabbath holy, right? 21:40 So six days of work, but let's be content with what we 21:43 did earn and obtain from our efforts. 21:46 That's, that's central to the Sabbath commandment. 21:48 >>John: Now, you've written extensively about, 21:50 about a couple of concepts dealing with the heart and, 21:53 and the walk, a person's walk. 21:56 >>Dr. Cafferky: Yeah, those are Bible ideas. 21:56 >>John: Yeah. 21:57 >>Dr. Cafferky: Yeah. 21:58 >>John: Let's, let's talk about that. 21:59 Let's talk about the walk particularly. 22:01 I don't know if that's all we'll have time for. 22:03 So let's talk about that. 22:04 What is, what is this walk issue, 22:05 and how does that impact us from an ethical point of view. 22:07 >>Dr. Cafferky: Well, that's an image of scripture, 22:09 or a metaphor, that scripture uses several times. 22:13 Moses uses it in his writings, 22:15 and it's used in other places as well. 22:16 It's actually used in the New Testament and the Old Testament. 22:19 So, the walk refers to our activities in, in the community, 22:25 when we're with other people, 22:26 things that we do that other people see. 22:29 We're walking, meaning we're behaving in certain ways 22:32 that affect other people. 22:33 That's the walk. 22:34 Let me share a passage of scripture 22:37 from Deuteronomy, chapter 6, and, um, verse 6. 22:43 This follows one of the famous sayings of scripture, 22:47 the famous, “Here, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.” 22:51 That's the, that's the famous from ancient times. 22:53 In verse 6, “These words, which I command you this day, 22:57 shall be upon your heart, 22:59 and you shall teach them diligently to your children; 23:01 you shall talk to them when you sit in your house 23:04 and when you walk by the way.” 23:08 Is he talking about, okay, let's take a hike 23:09 now in the mountains, and we're going to have a conversation 23:11 about the Ten Commandments? 23:12 >>John: What is he talking about? 23:13 >>Dr. Cafferky: He's talking about when we move 23:15 outside of our tent, or our little house, go out, 23:19 we're walking out in to the community to do our business, 23:22 our buying and our selling. 23:24 That's when these principles of the Ten Commandments 23:27 should be on our hearts, our minds, and on our lips, 23:29 to have conversations with people. 23:31 You see, business is a moral activity; 23:33 it's not just amoral money-making. 23:36 From the scripture point of view, it's moral activity; 23:39 it reflects our relationship with God. 23:42 And so the walking by the way, or the, 23:44 the walking means doing our life, 23:48 doing our business of life with other people. 23:50 >>John: The Bible speaks a lot about business, doesn't it? 23:52 Maybe more than many people would even know. 23:54 >>Dr. Cafferky: It does. 23:56 In fact, there are, 23:57 we read a lot of passages about love, redemption. 24:01 Those are wonderful things. 24:02 Scripture talks a lot about money: 24:05 how we earn our money, how we spend our money, 24:08 the principles of which we should relate to each other, 24:11 the work of managers, for instance, 24:13 which are fascinating ideas, 24:17 and they form a wonderful perspective, if you will. 24:22 And they relate to our entire life, 24:23 not just our life in church and life in our family, 24:26 but life in the marketplace, as well. 24:29 >>John: Business people, clearly, particularly people 24:32 in business who claim to have some sort of moral code, 24:35 who claim to be answerable to God, 24:37 clearly ought to be thinking strongly about how, 24:39 how the Bible shapes and forms their ethical practices. 24:42 It's true for individuals, though, too, 24:44 people who don't run businesses, but are living their lives, 24:47 because we all conduct business, don't we? 24:49 >>Dr. Cafferky Oh, yes. 24:50 >>John: Whether it's with the company with which we have 24:51 our cell phone plan, or, or the convenience store up the street. 24:56 >>Dr. Cafferky: Each of us is a buyer. 24:58 It takes two to do business: a buyer and a seller. 25:01 Somebody has to sell something, someone has to buy something, 25:03 in order for that to work. 25:04 So we're all buyers, meaning each family unit, 25:07 and even as individuals we're buying and selling. 25:10 And so the scripture doesn't relate just to pastors, 25:13 just to Bible teachers, 25:14 or just to us when we're in church. 25:17 How would, how would God's message be truthful 25:20 if it only applied to those aspects of our life? 25:24 Going to, going to church. 25:26 The times when I'm reading the Bible, 25:27 that's when I'm the most righteous, right? 25:30 That's when I desire most. 25:31 How about when I go to the marketplace? 25:34 That's when our faith, in response to God's grace to us, 25:38 that's when the faith, I contend, really is shown. 25:41 >>John: I'm going to ask you a question 25:42 that you're not expecting. 25:44 Recently I was in a country where you visit the market 25:47 and you say, “How much is this bowl?” 25:49 >>Dr. Cafferky Oh boy. 25:49 >>John: And they say, 250. 25:52 And you know that they're, they're high-balling you. 25:55 But you've got to come back and barter with that person. 25:58 >>Dr. Cafferky: Negotiate. 25:59 >>John: How do you do that ethically? 26:02 And keep this in mind: you're in a third-world country, 26:04 and you've come from a first-world country 26:05 with comparably a pocket stuffed full of money. 26:09 How does a person go about that sort of, 26:11 it could be you saw something on Craig's List 26:13 and you want to buy a car, 26:15 and they're asking for eight and a half thousand dollars, 26:16 and you don't want to pay that much. 26:18 How do we enter into something like that 26:20 guided by biblical ethics? 26:22 >>Dr. Cafferky: Yeah. 26:23 One of the biblical principles, which is a theme of scripture, 26:26 is called, it's called wisdom. 26:28 Okay. 26:29 Wisdom is not just knowledge about the market, 26:33 but it includes that. 26:35 But wisdom comes from the community that I'm a part of. 26:39 And so the wise thing to do would be to say, okay, 26:43 I'm going to find out as much as I can 26:45 about the marketplace here, 26:47 before I start negotiating and entering a transaction. 26:51 If I let someone take advantage of me, 26:54 and this is a scriptural idea, 26:55 if I let someone take advantage of me, 26:57 they're taking advantage of the community. 27:00 And so, to follow God in a faithful way, 27:03 I'm going to try to avoid that. 27:05 So I might do some research, in another country 27:09 I might take someone with me, 27:12 if I if I knew someone who lived in that marketplace 27:15 or that community. 27:16 Someone with me to the marketplace. 27:19 To have a conversation about the prices 27:21 and so forth of the products. 27:23 >>John: I think we are about out of time, 27:24 but this is fascinating because we all live our lives, 27:27 we all conduct business on some level, 27:29 and we all will be guided by something particularly 27:32 if we are believers in God, 27:33 we want that to be the Bible, 27:34 we want our ethics to be formed by biblical principles. 27:37 Dr. Michael Cafferky, thanks so much for joining me today. 27:40 >>Dr. Cafferky: Pleasure being here. 27:41 >>John: Ethics and the Bible. 27:43 Our relationship with God, 27:45 certainly as we reach out after God we want God to 27:47 guide us in the right way, that we're not only representing Him, 27:51 but our lives are characterized by God's character. 27:53 And that thats what we reflect 27:54 to the world in all our dealings. 27:56 ♪[Music]♪ 28:03 >>John Bradshaw: It may seem that integrity 28:04 is in short supply. 28:06 But it does not need to be in short supply in your life. 28:09 I'd like you to get today's free offer, 28:11 “Challenged” 28:12 written by Dr. Michael Cafferky and myself. 28:15 How you can maintain and demonstrate integrity 28:18 in your personal life or in your business life. 28:20 Call us: 800-253-3000 28:23 800-253-3000 28:26 Visit us at itiswritten.com 28:28 or write to the address on your screen for 28:30 “Challenged” 28:33 >>John Bradshaw: I'm glad you've joined me today, 28:35 why don't we take a moment to pray together. 28:36 Our Father in Heaven, 28:38 we thank you today for Jesus, 28:40 we thank you for a life that was lived ethically, 28:43 morally pure, 28:45 righteously. 28:46 We fail you many times, 28:48 but we want our lives to be characterized 28:51 like Jesus' life with the presence 28:53 and the power of the God of Heaven. 28:57 Bless us, that in all we do, only Jesus would be seen. 29:02 That we would represent you right, 29:04 and experience the joy of a life filled with abundance. 29:07 Abundance of your presence and your blessing. 29:10 We thank you today and we pray, 29:12 in Jesus' name, 29:13 Amen. 29:14 Dr. Cafferky, thanks so much for joining me today, 29:16 this has been a blessing. 29:17 >>Dr. Cafferky: Thank you, its been a pleasure. 29:19 >>John: Let's do this again sometime, thank so much. 29:21 And thank you for joining me today. 29:23 I look forward to seeing you again next time. 29:25 Until then, please remember: 29:28 “It is written, 29:29 man shall not live by bread alone, 29:31 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” 29:36 ♪[Music]♪ |
Revised 2017-07-06