William Parker
I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart. (Acts 13:22)Business leaders face perplexing challenges to succeed in the marketplace, they make difficult decisions affecting the lives of their employees, and they inspire their staff to give their best. They experience triumphs and defeats, elation and agony, real wins and real losses. And while the Bible doesn’t give us a manual for business leadership, it does give us a window into the heart after God’s heart, the heart of King David. He faced similar challenges as a gifted tactician, strategist, and ruler, and he was very far from perfect. As David walked through his leadership challenges and his personal failures, he communicated his heart in his psalms.Many business leaders today apply the principles of the ancient Chinese general Sun Tzu from The Art of War to their business. In fact, legions of Sun Tzu devotees are out there applying the principles of a pagan conqueror to attack the marketplace for personal gain. How much better to consider the brilliance of God’s conqueror King David, a man after His own heart? David’s psalms are poetic expressions of this heart. Furthermore, his psalms continue to be “living and active” (Hebrews 4:12) as they are indeed part of the living and active Word of God for business leaders today. No followers of Sun Tzu would dare to make such an amazing claim.Business after God’s Heart challenges the heart of the business leader to follow after the heart of God, as it is revealed in the psalms of David. And ultimately, as the leader’s personal engagement in business flows from this heart, it will yield the fruit of Business after God’s Heart.
