01 Oct Christians in the market place

The heart is deceitful above all  things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve. Jer. 17:9-10 In a world that is driven by performance, prejudice and pride, it is difficult to find our place because most of the time we don’t know our ground. So then how does a Christian in the market place become a witness for Jesus Christ? The key point of looking at the concept of a market is what the world is selling these days. The number one asset is instant gratification. Everybody wants immediate cure, pleasure and answers to everything they engage in or parlay with. In a professional decorum, be it engineering, medicine, business or law, you name it, promotions are the most desired things that we as humans work excessively hard for.

Through the ongoing progression of such acts, do ethics, morals and responsibility play a role? Affirmatively they do. Mark 8:36 very clearly states that “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” In this lifetime, we are bound to encounter a legion of people, who will have their own take and perspective on how the dynamics of their ethics flow, and being followers of Christ it becomes our moral responsibility not to substitute the standard of our Maker with the standards of the dwelling market place. The market place camouflages the truth before our eyes and subtly blinds us and in the end binds us in guilt, darkness and shame because of the kind of choices we make, in order to attain the world’s acknowledgement and appreciation, which eventually separates us from His holiness.

Another factor that gives birth to attaining worldly gratification is acceptance. Acceptance as an element in today’s world has been shielded well by an umbrella, known as relationships. Be it liveins or just a mere boy friend/girl friend relationship. The world has completely taken for granted the constitution of holy matrimony that is ordained by God. What does it take for one to stay sanctified and consecrated to Christ till the time is ripe? It takes nothing, but humility to understand that we have already been accepted by Christ, and that not mere mortals’ recognition could ever satisfy our inmost desire. The desire to be loved and wanted, because we are created in the image of God and His Word clearly states that we are to multiply for the glorification of His kingdom. This empty and rotten world that is hung over a canopy of catastrophe delves into premarital consummation and in numerous abortions leading to broken hearts and shattered souls. If such is the result, then why sell it in the first place at all!

Ecclesiastes 3:1 & 8- There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to  love and a time to hate. God created man for companionship but not in a manner that would put us in a state of vulnerability and bring opprobrium to our dignity. So let’s work to keeping ourselves safe and secure in the market place but with the help and power of the Word of God.

Matthew 12:34- For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Furthermore, Ephesians 4:29 says, Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. When it comes to interacting with the opposite gender, our conversations become another vital factor as to how we address and approach the person before us. The market place promotes teasing, flirting, engaging in conversations that could either pull a person’s selfesteem down, or feed egos leading to pride; merely because of lack of an understanding, that it is only God knows our innermost thoughts. He knows the desires of the heart. The Holy Trinity depicts the inter-relational working of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, because all these three work in unity and sync with and among each other, and because there prevails love, respect, obedience, submission and surrender which is why these three in one being, makes absolute sense. We, as believers out there in the market also need to depict the same in the way we approach one another.

Unless our dialogue is Christlike, most of the times we end up making no sense at all. That is why Ephesians 6 talks about wearing the breast-plate of righteousness, the belt of truth buckled around our waist and to have our feet fitted with readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace because in doing so, we are able to get the spirit of discernment which helps fight the battles that take place within us because it is our thoughts that lead to what we speak through our mouths and then place it before people to hear. Hebrews 4:12 says that the Word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any doubleedged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges thoughts and attitudes of the heart. If the walls of our mind are clean then our intentions will also be pure and so will the words that come out of our mouth be pleasant and spread peace.

Irrespective of wherever we may be placed and whatever we may be ordained to do, it is extremely important as believers to understand that we being called God’s own, we must submit to Him in every aspect. Our life ought to be a life of ministry. Ministry  doesn’t mean going around and pushing the Word of God, but, rather living it and being that example that He has set us apart to be. A lot of times, people are under the impression that it is easier being a believer in a corporate arena, because a platform of that kind allows us to stand out and find favour in the eyes of man. Working in a Christian organization has much more challenges than what we can even fathom. Our ethics, morals and faith, are not about pleasing men. It is entirely to be about pleasing the God of all generations, the Lord God who created us and made us able enough to be active witnesses in the market place. So let’s not just be mere buyers, but
become number one sellers of Genesis to Revelation.

Aruna Hannah Dutta studies Law at
Amity University, Gurgaon