My entrepreneurial journey was launched with Mathew 25, and today I would like to share with you the entrepreneurial lessons I retained from this biblical passage. 

To get the most of this post read the parable of the 10 virgins in Mathew 25:1-13

#1 Set the intention for where you are going from the start.

In movies, It may seem romantic to get up every day not knowing what you’re going to do for the day, where you’re going, and no prediction on how the night will end, but in real life, if you want to succeed, you have to set your intentions from the start.

Whether you are trying to lose weight, cut down on smoking, eat healthier, dress nicer, or start a business, if you don’t set an intention and a goal to back it up from the start, you will end up moving in several directions at once. No one likes to be pulled in 10,000 directions at once. That’s code for severe anxiety and potential heart problems.

In the parable of the 10 virgins, they all took their lamps and went out for a very specific reason: to meet their bridegroom.

#2 Don’t be afraid to mingle with everyone!

The thing about pursuing a calling is that you are unsure how the story will end most of the time. These ten virgins had no idea that the bridegroom would take such a long time to return. So they “all became drowsy and fell asleep.” In a way, it must have been nice to have other people keeping you company while waiting.

This is not about taking advantage of other people, but remember that you are serving a God who loves ALL of his children. You may be looking at your brother or sister and thinking they are not clever enough, not organized enough, not pretty enough to be in your circle, but God is looking at the journey ahead of you and thinking they are exactly who you need with you on the road.

Keep an open mind.

#3 Carry that baggage proudly.

Whenever we think of baggage, we see discomfort, being too crowded, feelings of exhaustion or something to get rid of. What if not every baggage is made equal?

How can you know for sure when to cut the ties with the baggage that kept you company, helped you survive, and comforted you for years?

Letting go too early or letting go too late may create more damage than if you had stayed and lived your life with your baggage. Remember the thorn that Paul asked God to remove from his flesh multiple times, but God said that his grace was sufficient enough for him? (2Cor 12:6)

Maybe without the thorn in his flesh, Paul would not have accomplished not even half of what he accomplished.

To go back to the parable of the ten virgins, the wise ones not only carried their lamps full of oil but also a jar full of oil as a reserve. Some of the things you call baggage are oil reserves for your future. Since you do not know the end, the surest way to know when to hold on to baggage and when to let go is by taking the journey with God at your side.

#4 To take or not to take extra oil.

Some people overpack no matter where they go or how many days they stay there. Sometimes this habit works out in their favor, and some other times, it doesn’t. In this parable, carrying a reserve of oil for the journey was a wise decision because the wise virgin was unsure exactly when the bridegroom would return. However, the foolish ones cut it close for the convenience of traveling light.

There are exact passages and verses applicable to your specific life throughout the scriptures; if you look at other people to determine which directions to take with your life, you may skip the essential steps to your success.

You may get there, but will you be well enough to enjoy it?

Sometimes overpacking is unnecessary, but occasionally traveling light is costly in the end. If you ask God to guide you so you can discern what to carry and what to leave, the journey may still be difficult, but you will be stronger and better for it because the King of Kings is on your side.

5- Resting is productive.

…… as long as you made provision while you were awake.

The foolish virgins had no business falling asleep with the bit of oil left in their lamps and without a jar on reserve. There again was a missed opportunity for them to buy oil. It’s one thing that they took the road to go meet the bridegroom without the reserve of oil, but then while at the wedding location, they should have thought, “Uhm, let me take the chance to go buy oil reserve.”

The text said the bridegroom took a long time to return. Every minute that passed while they were waiting was an opportunity for them to get it right and prepare to receive the bridegroom.

In the devotion on day 15 of the Faith and Dream planner, I highlighted how while this sleep may have been restful for the wise ones, it was far from that for the foolish virgins.

Inner Peace comes from advanced preparation.

A body exhausted from pursuing greatness appreciates the bed much more than a body bored from doing nothing. (Past. Marcello Tunasi)

#6 What you do in the morning sets the tone for your day.

You are probably familiar with this saying. We even joke about making short prayers to feel allowed to go on our phones when we wake up. Jesus reads the hearts and minds 🙂

When the bell rang to announce the return of the bridegroom, the “ten virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.” That means having their lamps was an essential part of the wedding.

The purpose of their lamps was not simply to light their pathway to the wedding, but they were also an integrative part of the wedding or their reunion with the bridegroom. Because of that factor, the first thing they did when they woke up was “trimming that lamp.”

There should be no business without that first conversation with Christ for a Christian Entrepreneur.

#7 Begging is not part of the assignment.

If you find yourself having to ask A LOT of favors from people around you to birth the dream that God entrusted you, go back to the prayer room!

This is not to say that you will be building that empire all by yourself. However, God always equips those he calls. So, if you find yourself in situations like the foolish virgins begging for reserve from other people to succeed, start by asking God for forgiveness, and then ask him to show you the steps that you may have skipped along the way.

You will need a team of people to help you carry forth your vision. However, begging is (most times) not be part of the assignment.

#8 Every rejection is a lesson.

Enough said.

If you’ve read Matthew 25, then you already know how this parable ends. The wise virgins refused to share their reserve with the foolish virgins and asked them to buy their own.

Although the parable’s point is to emphasize the missed opportunity to meet the bridegroom, it’s also a lesson on boundaries. As long as we’re breathing, we have the opportunity to learn from our mistakes or “foolishness” and do better in the future.

#9 – Serving God nonchalantly is not serving God at all. Serve him in everything.

If you genuinely believe that reuniting with your bridegroom for eternity is the most beautiful hope in your life as a Christian, then you would learn to serve and love God with everything you have.

If you create a mindset where everything you do is for God, then that removes from your shoulders the burden of “trying to make it.” If he’s going to get the glory through your success, then there will be no limit to the supply he will put at your disposal. You could be sitting in the US, then someone from South East Asia calls and says they saw your Instagram page and have the perfect job for you.

AGAIN, NO LIMIT.

To learn more sign up for the Christian Entrepreneurship Course at ladistinctionhub.teachable.com