June 29, 2026

Business by the Book

Matthew 12:25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:

Of all things that a manager in a business must strive for, unity may be the most elusive. Product knowledge is easy to pass on, corporate policy can be spelled out in a handbook, and profit or loss can be easily spotted on an accounting ledger. But unity is more difficult. Unity not only depends on products, policy and financial conditions, but also on individual wills, hearts, personal goals, egos, pride, and quality of character.

Jesus states clearly that the lack of unity will ultimately cause destruction. Psalm 133:1 states: Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! Brothers in a family, in a nation or in a business that dwell together in unity bring good and pleasant things to the entire organization.

To have unity there must be a common goal that all individuals involved desire to accomplish. A common goal sometimes is necessitated by one or more of those individuals putting aside their personal goals for the good of the group. History is filled with stories of groups of individuals that became unified and accomplished great things even against untold odds of doing so. Sports teams, military units, families, and businesses have accomplished great things as a group partly because they decided to be unified.

Sometimes outward forces create unity, kind of like having an “us against the world” mindset. Sometimes inward forces create unity, like an owner or senior manager of a business displaying in their own character the importance of unity. Sometimes unity takes years and sometimes it is forged in seconds. However, once unity is created it must be continually fostered, maintained, and reinforced.

The Lord warned about a kingdom, house, or city being divided against itself. The antidote to this malady is unity. As business people there is something to learn here. But know this, unity is not sameness. Within a fine watch there many unique parts all providing a distinctive service to the overall goal of the watch (which is to keep accurate time). Likewise a wise manager will understand that the strength of the unity of an organization is found in the uniqueness of each individual. Just as King Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 4:12 …a threefold cord is not quickly broken. A business environment filled with individuals working in unity to accomplish a given goal is strong. It will withstand the powers that try to break it.

Somewhere, somehow, and at some cost each and every business must achieve some modicum of unity if it is to succeed and then continue to succeed year after year.

Dr. William Howe