Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001383A
01:30 ♪[Theme music]♪
01:40 ♪[Theme music]♪ 01:49 >>John Bradshaw: This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw. 01:52 Thanks for joining me today. 01:54 My guest today is Dr. Michael Cafferky, 01:56 an author and a teacher in the area of business ethics. 02:01 He teaches management and business 02:02 at Southern Adventist University in eastern Tennessee. 02:06 He's lectured all around the world 02:07 in a variety of forums on this subject. 02:10 We've spoken together once before, 02:12 and Dr. Cafferky, it's good to have you back. 02:14 Welcome. 02:15 >>Michael: Thank you. Good to be here. 02:16 >>John: Let's start at the very beginning. 02:17 Ethics. 02:18 What is ethics, generally speaking? 02:20 >>Michael: Yeah. 02:21 Well, ethics is the process that you and I and all of us 02:24 go through when we try to decide what to do 02:26 and then take an action based on that. 02:30 Ethics is built upon moral principles. 02:33 But ethics is the use of those principles, then. 02:37 Deciding what is right and wrong, 02:38 sometimes it's complicated, and then taking the action. 02:42 >>John: Now, you teach about ethics in business. 02:43 So what is business ethics? 02:46 >>Michael: Business ethics. 02:47 Well, it's the process of deciding what, 02:49 what is right and wrong, 02:50 when we go about our activities in the marketplace: 02:53 buying and selling, hiring workers, 02:56 managing our relationship with workers, 02:57 or our relationship with our employer, 03:00 and other people in the marketplace, 03:02 and doing business. 03:03 >>John: Does the Bible say much about business ethics? 03:06 >>Michael: The business, the Bible says a lot 03:08 about doing business. 03:09 >>John: Give me a simple example, 03:10 one where people will say, “Ah, yes.” 03:13 >>Michael: Well, the business, the Bible talks about, 03:15 in the Ten Commandments, “Thou shalt not steal.” 03:19 The Bible talks about using, uh, 03:22 weights and measuring system that is true, 03:25 that is not false. 03:27 The scriptures sometimes gives very explicit, 03:29 sometimes a very short and cryptic, uh, direction. 03:33 I'm thinking of one in the book of Leviticus, 03:35 in fact, right now. 03:36 Leviticus, chapter 19, and verse 11, where it says, 03:42 “You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, 03:45 nor lie to one another.” 03:47 Now, all three of those elements 03:49 are really important in business. 03:51 In fact, those three are believed to be 03:54 some of the most fundamental, uh, principles 03:57 upon which the marketplace itself must be founded. 04:01 Don't tell lies. 04:04 Uh, be truth, be faithful when you make a promise. 04:07 And don't defraud other people. 04:10 Now, you can't get more specific than that. 04:12 >>John: What are some key areas? 04:14 Let, let me mention a couple to you and see... 04:16 >>Michael: Okay. 04:17 >>John: ...if we can, 04:18 if we can identify where the Bible talks about these things. 04:20 We're talking about in the context of business, 04:22 but all of us, as individuals, do business. 04:25 We buy, 04:25 we sell, 04:26 we work for someone or have someone working for us. 04:29 We're all confronted with ethical situations. 04:33 >>Michael: Oh yeah. 04:34 >>John: What does the Bible say about greed, for example, and, 04:37 and does this have any impact on us ethically in business? 04:41 >>Michael: Oh, sure. 04:43 The scripture's pretty clear that greed is destructive. 04:48 Greed destroys relationships. 04:51 Greed destroys the very things that we hope to accomplish 04:54 in our buying and selling activities, 04:56 in the scripture point of view. 04:58 Uh, and so the scriptures, 05:00 Jesus talks about greed to His disciples, 05:02 and how dangerous it is to be greedy. 05:05 >>John: Now, I want to see if we can define greed. 05:08 Bill Gates has more money than the nation of Oman. 05:14 Is that, now, I'm not, I'm not, 05:18 well I've used him as an example already, 05:19 so I guess that's out there. 05:21 Is that unethical? 05:24 >>Michael: I, I don't know how he made his money, 05:26 in terms of his behaviors in business and so forth, 05:29 so I can't say. 05:30 Just the fact that a person has a lot of money, 05:33 doesn't, does not indicate that that person is greedy. 05:36 >>John: Okay. 05:37 >>Michael: Greed is an attempt to acquire more 05:41 at the expense of someone else. 05:43 And just, and then continue to get more and more and more, 05:48 never having enough, at the expense of other people. 05:52 >>John: Just for the sake of clarification, 05:55 I'm not trying to have a, have a go at Bill Gates. 05:58 By the way, his stated objective 06:00 is to get rid of 95 percent of his wealth before he dies. 06:03 >>Michael: Yeah, I've heard that. 06:04 >>John: Okay, honesty. Honesty in trade. 06:07 What does the Bible say about that, 06:08 and how does that impact us ethically? 06:10 >>Michael: Well, certainly telling the truth, 06:12 when you represent a product and its quality to someone 06:16 when you're selling, 06:17 or when you represent yourself when you're buying. 06:21 It works both ways, for buyers and sellers. Of course. 06:23 >>John: Okay, and I just asked you, 06:24 I think, a pretty obvious one. 06:25 Uh, is greed, is greed bound up in the idea of business 06:29 and personal ethics. 06:30 Yes. 06:31 Now, can we think on the spot of a situation 06:34 where it may be not black and white, 06:35 but a little bit gray, 06:36 and do you have to apply some sort of ethical metric? 06:39 >>Michael: Oh, yes. It, it requires applying the ethics, 06:43 but in conversation with others the more complicated it gets. 06:46 And I think of a, of an issue that is, 06:49 actually comes up every year 06:51 somewhere in the published media, 06:53 either electronic or published magazines and newspapers. 06:56 Every year for the last, well, at least 12 years, okay? 07:00 And that is, the question about how much money 07:03 do top-level executives earn... 07:05 >>John: Um-hmm. 07:06 >>Michael: ...compared to how much money 07:08 the front-line employee, entry-level employees earn, 07:11 and the disparity in the income. 07:13 And the, there's people on both sides of that, 07:15 having this conversation for, for decades now, actually. 07:18 If you go back in the literature, 07:20 you see it's there for, for decades, 07:22 the conversation about the ethics of that: 07:24 how much chief executives make versus front-line employees. 07:27 >>Michael: Now, it's not really clear. 07:29 Well, to some people it is clear. 07:31 It's wrong for the top-level executive 07:33 to earn that much of a difference. 07:35 And for other people say, well now wait a minute, 07:38 look at what that person does for the organization 07:42 and its relationship to its strategic partners, 07:44 and so forth, and the value that that person brings, 07:47 and the responsibility that person has, and so forth. 07:49 There's another point of view. 07:51 >>John: I saw recently where a young CEO 07:52 felt like it was unethical for him to be earning so much more 07:55 than his, than his staff. 07:57 So he's bringing his own pay level right down to the same as, 08:03 uh, his workaday staff. 08:05 >>Michael: Right. 08:06 >>John: Now, somebody might think, 08:07 well, how very honest and ethical and fair of him. 08:09 >>John: But does that itself, 08:10 could that raise other ethical issues? 08:13 >>Michael: This is the interesting thing 08:14 about business ethics. 08:16 When you do something good, 08:17 like in that, there might be some unintended 08:21 economic consequence for other people in the future. 08:25 And sometimes we cannot predict all of the consequences. 08:28 That was, that was a wonderful story. 08:30 I remember seeing it in the news also. 08:32 And he's also raising the wage of the workers up, 08:36 quite substantially for some of them. 08:39 Uh, down, up to the same level that he's coming down to. 08:43 So they're going to have the same level of pay, 08:44 if I understand the story correctly. 08:46 And he's going to phase it in over 08:47 I think, three-year period of time. 08:49 >>John: Now, that sounds wonderful. 08:52 What are the potential ethical challenges? 08:55 >>Michael: Okay, so what happens 08:56 when he wants to sell his business? 08:59 A lot of entrepreneurs, they build their business up, 09:02 build the book of business, or the revenue stream, 09:05 and then cash out, as we sometimes say, 09:07 sell the business to other investors, or whatever. 09:10 So what happens when he sells his business, and the buyer, 09:12 the new owner wants to bring in a new executive 09:16 who's used to making maybe 09:18 ten, twenty, thirty, a hundred times more? 09:21 Now what's going to happen to the workers? 09:23 Now, of course, now, 09:24 this person that you've referred to has said, 09:27 “We're going to build the business, 09:29 then, so that it can support the wage scale 09:34 that everybody will be brought up to.” 09:37 Now, that's a wonderful thing, 09:38 because I think that's the ethical thing to do. 09:39 Because if he were to sell his business before 09:42 building the economic strength of the business, 09:44 he could potentially jeopardize all of those workers, 09:48 sell his business and have all of them laid off 09:50 and replaced by other people to work at less money. 09:53 >>John: Business ethics, the Bible, and you. 09:57 We'll have more in a moment, 09:58 and in a moment I'm going to ask Dr. Cafferky about ethics 10:02 as demonstrated and exemplified in the life of Jesus, 10:05 the Master Ethicist. 10:07 Don't go away; we'll be right back. 10:08 ♪[Music]♪ 10:15 >>John: It may seem that integrity is in short supply. 10:17 But it does not need to be in short supply in your life. 10:21 I'd like you to get today's free offer, 10:23 “Challenged,” 10:24 written by Dr. Michael Cafferky and myself: 10:27 how you can maintain and demonstrate integrity 10:30 in your personal life or in your business life. 10:32 Call us: 800-253-3000. 10:35 800-253-3000. 10:38 Visit us at Itiswritten.com, 10:40 or write to the address on your screen for 10:42 “Challenged.” 10:45 ♪[Music]♪ 10:47 >>Announcer: Planning for your financial future 10:49 is a vital aspect of Christian stewardship. 10:53 For this reason, 10:54 It Is Written is pleased to offer free planned giving 10:57 and estate services. 10:58 For information on how we can help you, 11:01 please call 800-992-2219. 11:05 Call today, or visit our website, 11:08 HisLegacy.com. 11:10 Call 800-992-2219. 11:16 >>John: This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw. 11:18 Thanks for joining me today. 11:19 Our guest today is Dr. Michael Cafferky, 11:21 who has written extensively about business ethics, 11:23 particularly as relates to the Bible. 11:26 And that impacts us because, 11:28 well, all of us are involved in business in some way or another. 11:31 Some run businesses. 11:33 Everybody does business with somebody, 11:36 and ethical questions arise. 11:38 Is it fair to say, Dr. Cafferky, 11:39 that the Bible is, for the believer, 11:43 the ultimate guide in framing and forming 11:45 our ethical principles? 11:47 >>Michael: Absolutely. 11:48 Yeah, the Bible's clearly portrays itself as the, uh, 11:52 statement of God's will for our life, 11:54 a statement of His character and description of the kind of life 11:58 He desires for us, as an absolute standard, 12:01 not something that's subjective. 12:04 In addition, though, the scripture does say 12:06 there are times when we need to have conversations 12:09 with each other about things that are right and wrong. 12:12 >>John: I wonder, uh, based on what you just said, 12:16 uh, should one company rip off its customers? 12:20 No, the Bible's really clear about that. 12:22 >>Michael: Right. 12:23 >>John: So if you're a believer and you care about 12:24 what this book says, then, 12:26 no, thou shalt not steal, let's say... 12:29 >>Michael: Exactly. 12:29 >>John: ...or bear false witness. 12:30 >>Michael: Exactly. 12:31 >>John: How about some of these situations, 12:32 and perhaps you can even think of one, 12:35 that's not real clear from a biblical point. 12:38 There isn't a “Thou shalt not.” 12:41 What do we do then as believers 12:42 seeking to represent Jesus in the marketplace? 12:45 >>Michael: Exactly. 12:46 That's what makes the business ethics really interesting. 12:49 I am thinking of a situation that occurred 12:51 not too many months ago with an airline organization. 12:54 The airplane at the terminal, at the gate, 12:59 filling up with people. 13:01 One of the, I think, copilots or employees 13:06 did a walk-around outside of the airplane 13:09 and saw something written on the tail cone of the fuselage, 13:13 an image that had been inscribed there by the hand of someone 13:16 who had kind of taken a wet finger and, you know, 13:20 drawn something on the fuselage. 13:23 And he took a picture of it with his phone, telephone, 13:26 and then showed it on the inside of the plane to some employees. 13:29 They were very concerned that that might indicate 13:32 some possible terrorist activity. 13:35 And so they, the flight attendants said, 13:38 “We need to have this plane searched. 13:40 We need to make sure, 13:41 because that, that image could relate to some bad thing.” 13:46 And there was, there was a discussion that ensued 13:48 among the pilots and the operations flight managers 13:51 who were on, off-scene in an office somewhere. 13:54 Eventually the workers, the flight attendants, said, 13:57 “No, we're not comfortable flying on this airplane.” 14:02 And there was an inspection done at the tail cone, 14:05 but the workers said, “No, we're not going to fly. 14:10 We're out of here.” 14:12 They walked off the plane. 14:13 >>John: Was that right or wrong? 14:14 >>Michael: Was that right or wrong that they walk off? 14:16 Was it right or wrong that they should be fired? 14:19 >>John: They were fired. 14:20 >>Michael: They were fired afterwards. 14:21 They were fired for walking off the job. 14:24 >>John: So, help me now. 14:25 As a believer, how do I use this book, the Bible, 14:29 to inform my actions and my decisions 14:31 in situations like that? 14:33 I come to an ethical situation. 14:34 I might say, “I don't feel comfortable.” 14:37 But can I do more than that? 14:38 How do I go to the Bible and say, 14:40 “God is informing me this way”? 14:42 >>Michael: Yeah, this is the wonderful thing about scripture. 14:44 It does, it's not intended to be a business ethics textbook, 14:49 you know. 14:50 It's not a business ethics encyclopedia, 14:52 to cover every single situation. 14:54 But the principles in the scripture are dynamic 14:56 and applicable at, at all times, in history and situations. 15:01 So there are certain principles, 15:04 some call these the elements or the dimensions 15:07 of the character of God that are portrayed in scripture, 15:10 described, sometimes used in stories, 15:13 sometimes commented on by scripture writers, 15:16 that are the, the guidelines for us 15:19 when the scripture doesn't comment on 15:22 walking off an airplane, and so forth. 15:25 These elements of the character of God. 15:27 And I am fascinated by some of these dimensions 15:30 of God's character and how they are applicable to scripture. 15:34 >>John: Where do we see ethics demonstrated, 15:36 exemplified, commented on in the life of Jesus? 15:39 >>Michael: Yeah. 15:41 First of all, you have to remember that for 30 years, 15:46 and I'm thinking about from age 12, maybe a little bit younger, 15:50 until he was 30 years of age, where was he? 15:54 He was in the marketplace, 15:57 in the sense that he was helping his father 16:00 in the carpentry business, doing business. 16:03 In fact, there's someone who wrote a book 16:05 about Jesus the carpenter, looking at it, 16:08 studying from the point of view of business and so forth. 16:11 Uh, so He was acquainted with business activities 16:14 in the marketplace. 16:15 We know this not only because of, uh, His early life, 16:19 but also because some of His teachings depended upon 16:23 using common business situations 16:25 that people were familiar with in his parables, 16:28 for example. 16:29 Now, the parables were not designed, 16:31 I don't believe, to teach business per se. 16:34 They were meant, I think to, 16:35 and I think most scholars would support this, 16:37 they were meant to teach about our relationship with God. 16:40 But our relationship with God is not just a mental, 16:44 ethereal, spiritual thing, 16:46 kind of separated from everything else that we do. 16:50 Our relationship with God is tied to everything 16:53 that we do in society, right? 16:55 So in one way you can say that those examples from business 16:59 are related to business. 17:00 Um, also, when he gave the famous Sermon on the Mount, 17:06 I think it's recorded in Matthew, chapter 5, 6 and 7... 17:10 >>John: That's right. 17:11 >>Michael: ...He restated some of these fundamental principles 17:14 that we've found in the book of Exodus and Deuteronomy. 17:19 So that the people of His day could understand 17:21 in a broader way some of the principles of the 17:24 Ten Commandments, which some people have said, 17:26 this really is the character of God, 17:29 when you think about it. 17:30 The Ten Commandments are a description of God's character: 17:33 what He desires for us and how He relates to us. 17:37 All right, so Jesus spent quite a bit of time focusing on 17:41 the Ten Commandments, restating what they meant, 17:43 applying them to, uh, His day and the situations 17:48 that people He knew, uh, faced every day of their life, 17:52 including some business situations 17:54 and some issues that people in business faith. 17:56 For instance, face. 17:58 For instance, He said, 18:01 “Watch where your treasure is. Where do you put your money? 18:05 It's where you put your money that your heart is.” 18:10 We can always know where a person's heart is, 18:13 or at least God knows where the person's heart is, 18:15 from where the person, 18:16 you can follow the money trail, as we sometimes say in business. 18:19 >>John: Yeah. 18:20 >>Michael: Follow the money. 18:21 You know the rest of the story, right? 18:24 Where your heart is, that's where your treasure will be. 18:27 Clearly Jesus was not just talking about, 18:29 He was talking about, two people who attended synagogue. 18:33 He wasn't just talking about your life in synagogue, 18:35 and giving money as a, as a donation to synagogue. 18:38 He's talking about all of our life. 18:39 Where do we put our financial emphasis? 18:43 That is where our heart is. 18:45 And it turns out that in scripture the idea of heart 18:48 is focusing on the ethical decision-making. 18:52 >>John: I want to talk about that a little more just, 18:53 just ahead. 18:54 Our guest, Dr. Michael Cafferky. 18:56 Business and ethics impacts all of us, 18:59 because in our daily lives we interact with others; 19:01 we're called to make ethical decisions. 19:04 What forms that? 19:04 What frames that, those decisions? 19:07 Surely for the believer in Jesus, that's the word of God. 19:11 We'll have more in just a moment. 19:12 ♪[Music]♪ 19:20 >>Announcer: In Matthew 4:4, the Word of God says, 19:23 “It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, 19:26 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'” 19:29 “Every Word” 19:30 is a one-minute, Bible-based daily devotional 19:33 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw, 19:35 and designed especially for busy people like you. 19:38 Look for Every Word on selected networks, 19:41 or watch it online every day on our website, 19:43 ItIsWritten.com. 19:45 Receive a daily spiritual boost. 19:47 Watch “Every Word.” 19:49 You'll be glad you did. 19:50 Here's a sample. 19:53 ♪[Theme music]♪ 19:59 >>John: Looking back, clearly, I was naive. 20:01 I started work for a company and was told that a large part 20:04 of one staff member's job was to go after unpaid bills. 20:08 Huh? I asked. 20:09 You mean, you mean some people just refuse to pay their bills? 20:13 That was new to me. 20:14 Clearly I had some learning to do. 20:16 Deuteronomy 24:15 speaks about how we should 20:18 treat hired servants, saying, 20:21 “Each day you shall give him his wages, 20:23 and not let the sun go down on it, 20:25 for he is poor and has set his heart on it; 20:28 lest he cry out against you to the Lord, and it be sin to you.” 20:31 Simply put, if you owe someone money, you pay it. 20:36 You enter into an agreement. 20:38 You honor it. 20:39 Integrity should characterize the life of a believer 20:42 in the God of heaven. 20:43 If it doesn't, 20:45 it says a lot about the reality of your faith. 20:48 I'm John Bradshaw for It Is Written. 20:50 Let's live today by every word. 20:54 >>John: My guest today is Dr. Michael Cafferky, 20:57 an author and a teacher in the area of business ethics. 21:01 Dr. Cafferky, when it comes to business, 21:04 what's the role, the practical role of the word of God 21:08 in the life of a Christian businessman or businesswoman? 21:13 >>Michael: Well, one of the roles is to provide 21:14 specific guidance about things to not do and things to do 21:19 in response to God's grace to us. 21:22 And, uh, you know, we can consider passages, 21:25 like don't steal, and so forth. 21:27 But then there are other, 21:28 there's another way the scripture helps us, 21:30 and that is by describing the principles or the elements 21:33 of God's character. 21:35 But it, then the scripture says, 21:37 emulate, or imitate, God's character, as His children. 21:41 It says that in the book of Ephesians, I think. 21:43 >>John: Um-hmm. 21:44 >>Michael: So what are we to emu, emulate, right? 21:46 Well, there are several themes of scripture that 21:48 the Bible writers, uh, use in description of God's character. 21:53 And it's interesting to me that these elements 21:55 of God's character also are used in other 21:58 passages to identify Jesus Christ and His work, who He is. 22:05 I'm thinking of one example right now, 22:07 of one of the themes of scripture 22:09 that is also the element of, the dimension of God's character, 22:12 that's also related to business, and that's the idea of wisdom. 22:17 Wisdom. 22:18 Scripture tells us that God created this earth in wisdom. 22:23 That's a part of who He is, 22:26 creating, being able to create in wisdom. 22:28 The Bible also tells us in Proverbs 22:31 that we ought to seek wisdom. 22:34 But look what it says in First Corinthians, 22:36 chapter 1 and verse 24, and then verse 30. 22:42 Verse 24 and verse 30. 22:47 >>John: I'll read verse 24. 22:48 >>Michael: Yeah, read verse 24 first. 22:51 >>John: First Corinthians 1:24. 22:52 “But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, 22:55 Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” 23:01 And then verse 30 says, 23:02 “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, 23:04 who of God is made unto us wisdom, 23:06 and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." 23:08 >>Michael: Yeah. 23:10 Here's identifying Jesus Himself as the essence of God's wisdom. 23:15 He is made our wisdom, or He is Wisdom. 23:19 We could put a capital W on wisdom 23:21 when we get to that point, right? 23:23 >>John: Um-hmm. 23:24 >>Michael: So here's the identity of Jesus Christ. 23:25 Actually, this idea of wisdom is directly related to scripture, 23:28 and how we go about buying and selling. 23:31 This idea of wisdom is amazing. It's, 23:33 >>John: Let's bring this, bring this into a practical, 23:35 everyday business situation. 23:37 >>Michael: Wisdom in the scripture is not just knowing 23:39 how to sell things to make money. 23:42 Sure, that's part of it. 23:44 Uh, knowing something so well that you 23:46 have insight into how things work. 23:48 That's the scriptural idea of wisdom. 23:50 But the scripture idea of wisdom is something far deeper, 23:54 more fundamental. 23:56 Wisdom in the scripture means, 23:58 how do we act in our marketplace so that we support 24:02 our relationships with God and with each other? 24:05 That is the truly wise person. 24:08 It's not just the person who knows how to make money. 24:10 It's the person who knows how to build economically and, 24:14 through those activities of economic build, wealth building, 24:18 builds relationships with people, 24:20 in a way that is aligned with God's character. 24:23 That is wisdom of the Bible. 24:26 There's a famous verse in Proverbs, 24:27 the, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of what? 24:31 >>John: Wisdom. 24:31 >>Michael: Wisdom, right. 24:32 And that phrase, “the fear of the Lord,” 24:33 really is referring to these principles of relationships: 24:38 relationship with God, and with each other. 24:40 That is, you'd be really smart in the marketplace, 24:43 not just because you know how to make money. 24:46 You're really smart when you know how to build relationships 24:50 and support relationships. 24:51 Part of which involves economic development. 24:55 >>John: For somebody in business, 24:56 how important is it that, that they saturate their mind 25:00 with the principles of the word of God? 25:02 >>Michael: Oh, so important, 25:04 because there are so many things that happen in business 25:06 every day that the scripture doesn't talk about, right? 25:09 And so how are we to be fortified, 25:11 how are we to take the elements of God's character 25:14 with us to the marketplace if we don't steep our, 25:17 like little teabags, 25:19 steep our minds in scripture's thinking, 25:22 so that when we're in the buying and selling situation, 25:25 we naturally think of God's character, 25:28 and what would God do in this kind of a situation. 25:30 What would Jesus do in this kind of situation? 25:33 To emulate God's character, that becomes our guide. 25:38 >>John: The Bible, the guide for life. 25:40 And not everybody thinks about this: 25:43 the Bible, the guide for our business interactions. 25:47 >>Michael: Business life. 25:48 >>John: Our business life and the, 25:50 the ethics we bring to that, the way we conduct ourself. 25:53 Because really, if somebody is a believer in Christ, 25:55 then in business they ought to be, 25:57 seen to be a believer in Christ, isn't that right? 25:59 >>Michael: Sure. 26:00 >>John: And if you are a believer 26:01 and the Bible is your handbook, 26:03 when you're into some business situation, 26:06 those principles ought to be exemplified in the life. 26:08 >>Michael: Right. 26:09 And this is, I think, what the Bible calls us to do. 26:11 Exhibit your faith in your actions, in the marketplace, 26:16 as well as in your home and in leisure activities, 26:18 yes, and in church, of course. 26:20 But if we leave the marketplace out of this, 26:24 then we're going to fragment, 26:25 attempt to fragment something that scripture 26:28 has not intended to be fragmented. 26:30 >>John: Dr. Michael Cafferky, thank you so very much. 26:32 It has been a blessing talking with you today. 26:34 >>Michael: Thank you. 26:35 >>John: The Bible, the basis for our lives, 26:37 and certainly the basis for a person's business life. 26:41 Everyone exercises or brings ethics to any situation. 26:44 The closer you are to Jesus Christ, 26:47 the more likely you are, the closer you are, to, 26:49 to demonstrating God's ethics, 26:52 Christ's own ethics, 26:54 in any given situation. 26:55 ♪[Music]♪ 27:02 >>John: It may seem that integrity is in short supply. 27:05 But it does not need to be in short supply in your life. 27:08 I'd like you to get today's free offer, 27:10 “Challenged,” 27:11 written by Dr. Michael Cafferky and myself: 27:14 how you can maintain and demonstrate integrity 27:17 in your personal life or in your business life. 27:20 Call us: 800-253-3000. 27:23 800-253-3000. 27:25 Visit us at Itiswritten.com, 27:27 or write to the address on your screen for 27:29 “Challenged.” 27:32 >>John: Thank you for remembering that It Is Written 27:35 is a faith-based ministry, 27:37 and it's your support that makes it possible 27:39 for us to share God's good news with the entire world. 27:43 Your tax-deductible gift can be sent 27:45 to the address on your screen, 27:47 or through our website, itiswritten.com. 27:51 Thank you for your continued prayerful support. 27:53 Our toll-free number is 800-253-3000. 27:57 800-253-3000. 27:59 Our web address is itiswritten.com 28:03 >>John: The Bible is a great guidebook for our lives, 28:05 particularly our interaction with others, 28:07 our relationship with God, 28:08 but how we, 28:10 how we portray that relationship with God to others. 28:13 When Jesus is the center of our lives, 28:15 dwelling in our heart, 28:17 when we have business dealings with others, 28:20 Jesus' principles will be demonstrated 28:23 in those business dealings. 28:25 I'm glad you've joined me today. 28:26 Before we go, let's pray together, shall we? 28:27 Let's pray. 28:29 Our Father in Heaven, 28:30 we're grateful today for Jesus. 28:33 We're thankful for Your Spirit, who, through Your word, 28:36 will bring to our lives the principles 28:38 by which You want us to live. 28:41 I pray that each of us, as we interact with others, 28:45 would live according to Your high calling on our lives, 28:49 and that we would be living epistles, as the Bible calls us, 28:54 known and read of all with whom we come in contact. 28:57 I pray we'd be people of integrity. 29:00 And give us, uh, a solid ethical framework for our lives, 29:05 which measures with your holy Word. 29:08 We thank You today, 29:10 and we pray in Jesus' name, 29:12 Amen. 29:13 Dr. Cafferky, again, thank you so much. 29:14 A pleasure having you here. 29:17 And it's been good to see you again too. 29:18 I'm glad you've joined us today. 29:20 Looking forward to seeing you again next time. 29:22 Until then, remember: 29:24 It Is Written. 29:25 Man shall not live by bread alone, 29:28 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. 29:33 ♪[Theme music]♪ |
Revised 2017-09-18