Christian Business Concepts
Christian Business Concepts
From Faith To Fulfillment: The Journey of A Mature and Complete Business Leader
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What if the most important metric in your leadership isn’t a KPI, but completeness? We unpack the biblical idea of “perfect” as mature and whole—and show how that shift transforms the way we make decisions, build teams, and define real success.
We start with the heart of Christian leadership: reflecting God’s character at work. That means seeking wisdom beyond spreadsheets, practicing integrity even when it costs, and choosing humility over self-promotion. Drawing on James, Philippians, and Proverbs, we translate timeless Scripture into practical habits—clean books, honest timelines, open credit-sharing, and conflict handled with grace. You’ll hear why perseverance through hard seasons grows more than grit; it shapes credibility, steadies culture, and deepens your witness when markets shake. We also explore love as a leadership strategy, crafting a workplace where people come before profit while performance grows stronger, not softer.
Community and consistency round out the framework. We talk about the power of mentors and peer groups to sharpen our vision and hold us accountable, and we outline how Scripture acts like riverbanks—giving the force of your gifts safe direction. Then we zoom into the “law of consistency”: small, faithful practices that compound over time into trust, resilience, and lasting impact. From a daily dose of Proverbs to steady one-on-ones and principled vendor choices, these rhythms build a Christ-centered culture that customers notice and teams love.
If you’re ready to lead with wisdom, integrity, humility, perseverance, and love—and to aim for the kind of success that endures—this conversation is your next step. Subscribe, share with a friend who leads, and leave a review with the habit you’re committing to this week.
Welcome to the Christian Business Concepts with your host, Harold Milby. Christian Business Concepts is dedicated to guiding companies and business owners in becoming effective, efficient, and successful through God's Word and godly principles. Now here's your host, Harold Milby.
SPEAKER_01:Thanks, Kelly, and welcome everyone to this week's Christian Business Concepts Podcast. I'm your host, Harold Milby, and I'm so glad that you downloaded this episode. You know, each week we share biblical principles that you can apply to your personal life and your professional life that will help you find what we believe will be true godly success. So today I hope and I pray that you'll be enlightened, encouraged, and empowered by what you hear. And please help us to expand the CBC family. Would you do that just by sharing this podcast with four or five others and by posting the link to this podcast on your Facebook and LinkedIn pages? Now, today I want to give a big shout out to a couple of places. Number one is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, right here in the United States. And I also want to give a big shout out to the country of Kenya. You know, we we we have listeners around the world. Uh Kenya is one of those countries that download our podcast on a weekly basis. And I just want to say thank you to those of you in Kenya and also in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and around the world. That includes the United States as well. So thanks to all of you for downloading our podcast every week and being a part of the CBC family. And I hope that you'll continue to help us to grow. You know, in this week's business spotlight, I want to mention a person by the name of Carla Harris. Carla Harris is the vice chairman at Morgan Stanley. Uh, she's considered to be one of the top aspiring Christian entrepreneurs actually in the world. She's a very prominent business executive. She's an author and uh a motivational speaker as well. And Carla Harris um is very successful in how that she weaves uh the elements from the Bible into all of her business endeavors. Uh she openly explains how her faith guides her through her work and how that uh her faith actually influences her personal values. And she believes that one's success in business is really intricately uh intertwined with uh your commitment to serving other people. You know, Harris uh motivates people to develop their spiritual lives along with their professional lives, and uh she does her best to try to prove that spirituality can be a great motivator. So, Carla Harris, I just want to say keep up the great work and for being such a great example and for adding value in people's lives. Thank you so much. Now, let's get into this week's topic. I I want to focus on something that's uh, you know, a little bit more spiritual than than than we we typically talk about, you know. Um it's still something that that I think that does affect you as a business or organizational leader. Uh, but you know, most of the time we're we're dealing with more specific business topics, then this one is really more of a spiritual thing, but it affects you in every area of your life. You know, as Christian business leaders' maturity and completeness are not merely professional attributes, but they're spiritual imperatives. I mean, they are so important and they're they're both rooted in biblical principles. You know, the Bible provides timeless wisdom for developing your character and your integrity and wisdom, uh, and not only to help you develop those things, but to develop those things uh to effectively uh glorify God in what you do, even in your business, even in your professional uh career. And today I just want to explore some key biblical principles to help you as a Christian business leader or organizational leader to grow in spiritual maturity and wholeness. You know, the Bible uses the word perfect, not the way you and I think about being perfect, in other words, without, you know, uh flaws or not that kind of perfect. But in the Bible, the word perfect means complete. And that's what God wants from us. He wants us to be mature, he wants us to be whole, and uh He He wants us to be perfect in that realm. And that's gonna enable us to lead with purpose and humility and excellence. So, so why is it so important? Well, well, first of all, it it it it reflects God's character in leadership. You know, Matthew 5.48 says, be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect. And this word here, perfect, is not does not mean without spot or wrinkle or or imper imperfections. What it means is is complete. Uh also it's important because it helps you to fulfill your God-given calling. You know, Ephesians 2 and 10 says, for we are God's handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. It'll also help us to navigate a lot of the challenges in our life, but not just to navigate them, but navigate them with faith. Uh, you know, James 1 and 4 says, Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. So that's important for us to realize. Another reason is it helps us to influence others for Christ. You know, Matthew 5.16 says, Let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. So that's important. Another is achieving true success. Not what the world says success is, but true success. You know, Matthew 6.33 says, but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these other things will be given to you as well. But we seek his kingdom first. We seek him first, his righteousness first. Then we'll find true success. Because being complete and perfected in Christ as a Christian business owner, it directly enhances our leadership, our decision making, and it impacts both spiritual and practical ways. All right. Another reason why it's so important is it fosters a Christ-centered workplace culture. You know, John 13, 34 says, a new command I give you, love one another as I have loved you, so must you love one another. In fact, it he goes on and says that that um that they're gonna know who you are by the love that you have for one another. They're gonna know that you follow Christ because of the love that you have for one another. So it's important that we have this Christ-centered workplace culture, if at all possible. It also enhances our stewardship. You know, uh 1 Corinthians 4 2 says, moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. Uh it also um uh uh amplifies your witness, you know, to the world. Uh five, uh Matthew 5, 16, again, let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. So those are some of the reasons that that we need to do that. So, so how how is it that we are able to become complete, to be perfected in Christ? How do we do that? Uh, what are some of the principles behind that? And what can we do? Well, first of all, we need to seek God's wisdom above everything. You know, uh James 1 and 5 says, if any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given uh to you. You know, we have a great example of wisdom when we look at the life of Solomon, uh, but there's not just him that has shown a lot of wisdom throughout the Word of God. You can look from Genesis to Revelation and you can see men and women of God who has been given uh, you know, this wisdom that comes from God. Uh I tell people all the time, you know, you should read a one chapter of the book of Proverbs every day. Uh there's 31, there's 31 Proverbs, and if you read one a day and you got 31 days in the in the month, then you read one a month or one a day for the entire month. And uh so I encourage you to do that. But, you know, maturity begins when you recognize our dependence, when you recognize your dependence on God's wisdom rather than human understanding. You know, in business, uh, you know, decisions can involve a lot of complex challenges. There's financial pressures, there's ethical dilemmas, there's team dynamics. Uh, you know, so seeking God's wisdom through prayer and scripture, it really ensures that your decisions align up with his will. Uh, the second thing that we do is we pursue holiness and integrity. You know, Hebrews 12, 14, many of you know, it says, make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy. Without holiness, no one will see the Lord. You know, completeness in Christ requires holiness. Now, you can't make yourself holy. You have to accept that. But there are things in our lives that we can do that line up with God's word, that amplifies this holiness that Christ has already provided for us through his grace. So we live a set apart for God's purposes. And for business leaders, this kind of means maintaining integrity in everything that we do, even when it costs us. You know, integrity builds trust with your employees, it builds trust with clients, with stakeholders, with vendors. Uh, you know, I think it's so important that we reflect God's uh character. You know, and to do that, you can you just need to be transparent in the things that you do, whether it's financial dealings, uh, we don't take shortcuts, we don't practice unethical practices, unethical things. We honor our commitments even when it's unconvenient, and we try our best every day to model Christ-like behavior and how you treat others, especially under pressure. Uh, so I think that's important. Uh the next thing is to embrace humility. If you want to be complete, if you want to be whole in Christ, we need to embrace humility. You know, Philippians 2 and 3 says, do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves. You know, uh humility is a hallmark of Christian maturity. It involves recognizing that leadership is a stewardship from God, not a platform for self-promotion. You know, humble leaders prioritize the needs of others, the needs of their employees or customers or communities over personal gain. You know, C.S. Lewis, a great writer, uh, he said, humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less. Let me say it again. Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less. So that's important. And uh we can do that by listening actively, you know, uh to feedback from employees and stakeholders without being so defensive. Uh, you know, make sure you share your credit, share credit uh for successes with your team, you know, acknowledge their contributions and serve others, even in small ways. You can mentor people, you can some uh support community uh um uh events and initiatives. So those are some things that we can do. Next, we've got to persevere through trials. If you want to be mature, if you want to be complete and perfected in Christ, you've got to persevere through trials. You know, James 1, 2 through 4 says, consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds. Because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. You know, trials and tough times, they are opportunities for us to grow. You know, in business, challenges like financial setbacks or market shifts or interpersonal conflicts, they test our faith, they test our character. So perseverance through these trials fosters this maturity and this reliance on God. You know, John D. Rockefeller said, I do not think that there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature. You know, James 1, it kind of refers to this, as we just read, it kind of refers to this spiritual wholeness, this maturity. Uh it's not a sinless perfection, but it's a state of being fully equipped for God's purpose in our lives. It reflects Christ's uh character. Um, you know, perseverance is is it's a steadfast endurance through trials. Uh, it's it's a process, it refines your faith, it builds character, and it leads to this maturity and completeness. So that's important. All right, what's another thing that we need to do for this completeness and perfection to be uh in our lives? Well, we need to lead with love and compassion. Uh, you know, John 13, 34 says, A new command I give you, love one another as I have loved you, so you must love one another. Christian maturity is marked by love. It's a selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional love. In business, this translating to this translates to caring for your employees, uh, caring for their well-being, treating customers with respect, and making decisions that prioritize people over profit. Uh, you know, so we can do that. We can create a workplace culture that values employees' personal and spiritual growth. And we need to address conflicts, but you address them with grace. You try to seek reconciliation, not retaliation. Uh, and we support charitable causes or community needs as part of your business mission. So those are important. Another is that we need to grow in faith through community. Hebrews 10, 24, 25 says, and let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another. You know, maturity is not achieved in isolation. You know, Christian leaders need a community of believers for accountability, for encouragement, for growth. When you engage with a church or a Christian business network, it fosters this spiritual completeness. So it's important. I would encourage you, if you're not in a church, get in a church. Uh, join or maybe even form a Christian business leaders group so that you can support each other mutually. Um, and and maybe mentor or disciple others. You know, share your faith journey. All right, the next thing, apply the word of God to to all areas of your life. Apply the word of God to all areas of your life. You know, 2 Timothy 3, 16 through 17 says, all scripture is is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. That word equipped is also perfected. So he's perfected for every good work. So that's so important. You know, Paul emphasizes that scripture is divinely inspired, it's God breathed, right? It serves a lot of purposes, teaching, rebuking, correcting, training. And these functions all work together to shape believers into this spiritual maturity and complete person and enables them to live out God's purpose and reflect, reflect again, Christ's character. You know, it's kind of like, you know, the word of God and applying the word of God in our lives is kind of like a river. You know, a river flows very powerfully within its banks. It nourishes the land. But when you think about it, if it didn't have those banks, it floods, it loses direction. And God's word really acts as those banks, like in a river. You know, it guides life's flow through his teaching, through his correction. And it applies, it it ensures that our life flows towards maturity, like Paul letting go of his past uh to press on as it talks about in Philippians 3.13, and we'll cover that here in just a second. The next thing we need to do is we need to follow hard after Christ. We need to follow hard after Christ. Um, you know, Philippians uh 3.12 through 15 says this not that I have already obtained all of this or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us then who are mature should take such a view of these things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. So it's so important as he began to share that. You know, maturity involves this relentless pursuit of Christ. That's what Paul was saying. He said, I'm putting everything, all my past, everything, it's my past, it's behind me. I'm not gonna let anything hinder me from pressing on, from following Christ. You know, it's this process of becoming more and more like Christ, and that's done through intentional effort. Nobody accidentally uh becomes more like Christ. It's an intentional thing that we do in our lives. You know, if you can imagine a sculptor, you know, you just imagine this sculptor and he's chiseling, um, you know, chiseling this block of stone. You know, the statue is isn't complete after he just hits it one time, he just strikes it one time. But it takes shape through persistent effort. And maturity is like this process. Each act that we take in obedience and surrender to God, it begins to shape us, just like a sculptor, closer to Christ's image. But you just gotta have, you have to keep working. And that's why, as we discuss that perseverance is so, so important. We have to persevere. Uh, but we have to also be persistent. You know, we have to be persistent. You know, the Bible talks about there's actually the law of persistence that's in the Bible, the law of persistence. And uh this law of persistence is a law that God created. It works in the world, it works for unbelievers, it works for believers. It's the law of consistency. You know, when when we when we every day get up and read the word of God, consistently it's going to affect our lives. I was talking to a business leader not too long ago, and he told me that he he started this year. He wanted to read through the Bible uh within a year. And he said, amazingly, as he did this uh this year, he said, amazingly, what I found was all of a sudden I could feel closer to God. I could feel closer to him. I felt strength, I felt peace, I felt so much more of God's power in my life. And I said, well, it's because you're spending time in his word every day, consistently, consistently, every single day. You know, if you're going to cut down a tree, you know, if you swing the axe once, you're not gonna cut the tree down. You have to swing it over and over and over and over again. And that's that law of consistency. And uh it's a powerful law in our lives. You know, when we're talking about habits, you know, if you want to develop great habits, then you've got to be consistent. Uh, this law of persistence and consistency works out over time. And uh consistency is the great compounder. Uh, you know, we know about compounding interest. Well, when you have consistency going on in your life, you begin to compound uh those things in your life that you're doing. You know, it's not good enough to do it once or twice. You have to do it consistently. That's why having a vision of our business is so important, having a mission statement is so important. Because if we act on those things consistently, we'll see that vision come to fruition because it's it's it's very, very important. So that law of consistency, uh, if we can apply that, whether it be consistency in our prayer time, uh, it could be consistency in our Bible reading, consistency in making uh really good decisions, consistency in acting with integrity. It's that consistency, that persistence. You just keep doing it, you keep doing it, you keep doing it. And you know, great athletes learned this. Great athletes learned that, you know, early on. That's what makes them a great athlete. They don't become a great athlete just because they had a great game today. They have a great uh uh uh they become a great athlete because uh they they consistently do the work that needs to be done. They work out, they do the things that they have to do. Uh, you know, and uh somebody was telling me the other day, they had talked to somebody on the PGA, and they were just talking about, you know, how they do three rounds of golf in any uh PGA tournament. And he was he was asking them, why do they do three rounds? And he said, Well, anybody can be good one round, but it takes a great athlete, one that is consistent and persistent to become good at three rounds of golf. And so, again, this law of consistency uh plays out in professional sports. And you can see that with great quarterbacks, great running backs. I'm talking about Hall of Fame people. They're just consistent day in and day out. They put in the time, they put in the persistence, they make it happen, and those are the ones that become extremely successful. So this law of consistency needs to be applied to what we do in our business, to what we do in our faith and our in our daily walk with Christ, it is so, so very important to us. So, so Christian business leaders, we're called to be mature, we're called to be complete, we're called to reflect Christ's character in every aspect of our lives, including our careers. So by grounding our leadership in biblical principles like wisdom, integrity, humility, perseverance, love, stewardship, community, you know, they can lead. The leader, a leader can lead with purpose. And more importantly, they can lead with impact. So these principles are not just ideals, but they're practical guides for transforming workplaces, communities, and lives for God's glory. Lord, we thank you for helping each and every one of us today become complete and mature and perfect in your eyes. Lord, help us to practice these principles. Lord, these biblical principles that we talked about today. Help us to grow in spiritual maturity and help us to live out these principles every single day. Help us to be consistent and persistent. And Lord, I thank you for blessing these leaders, Lord, who have listened to this podcast today. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen and amen. Well, thank you again for listening to this week's Christian Business Concepts Podcast. And if this podcast has helped you in some way, and if you see its value, please be sure to recommend this podcast to others because that could be a blessing to them as well. Well, that's all the time we have for today. So until next time, remember Jesus is Lord and He wants you blessed.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you for tuning into this week's Christian Business Concepts Podcast. Go to Christian Business Concepts.com for more information and resources. Be sure to check out other podcasts that will help you take your business and your personal life to a whole new level of success.