To be successful in today’s business environment, you must be prepared to deal with a host of pitfalls and obstacles. It is imperative that you learn to expect and accept the unexpected, becoming both proactive and reactive in your approach to improving your bottom line. Otherwise you will fail.

But more importantly, you must realize that businessâ€"like anything elseâ€"is all about people. How you deal with others will ultimately determine how much you can realistically expect to achieve yourself. Abraham was a man who amassed great wealth and birthed two nations, but he followed a set of unwritten rules that many in today’s society would consider foolish. It is unfortunate, but the business world has either forgotten or discarded these five vital principles that comprise what I call The Abraham Ethic.

1: Abraham trusted God
We all know Genesis 15:6 that reads, “Abraham believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.â€? However, there are a host of other examples from Abraham’s life that prove he really did trust God. Knowing that God has your back is crucial to your successâ€"especially when things aren’t going wellâ€"because it will help you get your mind off your circumstances as well as enable you to bounce back after failures or bad decisions.

2: Abraham believed in people
Another famous story from Abraham’s life is the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18:16-19:29). When the Lord decided to destroy these two cities, He made His intent known to Abraham, who immediately began negotiating with God on behalf of the people living there. How could he have had the audacity to challenge God’s decision? It is only because he understood that “God is love (1 John 4:8)� and that “mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13).� In other words, Abraham understood God’s nature.

This negotiation is included in the Bible to show us how we’re to respond to people. It is not our responsibility to judge others, but to pray for them and seek mercy for them. Obviously, those of us in leadership must often use disciplinary measures, but this is not to be confused with judgment. In fact, we will be far more fair and effective when applying discipline if we continually pursue the best interests of those around us and petition the Lord on their behalf.

3: He sought the greater good
When Abram and Lot went their separate ways, Abram allowed Lot to choose which land to takeâ€"even though it was Abram’s right to choose as the elder of the two men and the final authority figure of their entire clan. He was less interested in finding the most fertile land to birth the “great nationâ€? God had promised him than he was in seeking peace within his household. He understood that peace and harmony require a sacrifice on the part of the more mature individual.

This is often the case in business. Most people are only interested in what will benefit them the most, but shrewd business people look at the big picture. The wiser individuals aren’t afraid of taking the tougher road, because they know the path of least resistance can often lead them into danger.

4: He knew that everything belonged to God
When God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son, Abraham obeyed. The story does not relate whether or not Abraham pleaded with God for his son’s life, but he probably did. It does not relate whether or not Abraham told Sarah his intentions, but if he had, can you imagine that argument? It does not relate whether or not Isaac struggled or resisted in any way, but he probably did, and Abrahamâ€"well over one hundred years old by this timeâ€"was very likely unable to match his son’s strength.

The child of the promise was being asked of him: the child he and Sarah had waited decades for, the child he loved intimately as only a parent can love. Genesis 21:11 tells us that Abraham was distressed about sending Ishmael away from him because Ishmael was his son. Imagine how much more this must have distressed him.

But, in spite of all these things, he obeyed, because he knew that Isaacâ€"as well as everything else in his possessionâ€"belonged to God. It was God’s right to ask for Isaac’s life, and even though Abraham didn’t understand, he could not withhold what rightfully belonged to the Lord. We must apply the same principle to our business decisions, and trust that God will never ask for more than we can give.

5: He gave his best and expected the bestGenesis 14:20 tells us that Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everythingâ€"the first recorded tithe in the Bible. Melchizedek was a priest of God (Gen. 14:18), and this tithe was given after Abram defeated the enemies of Sodom. In verse 21, the king of Sodom told Abram he could keep all the spoils he’d taken from their enemies, spoils that had originally been taken from Sodom by its enemies.

But Abram refused, saying, “I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich’ (Gen. 14:22).� Abram knew that accepting anything from this wicked king would force him to acknowledge God’s provision and the king of Sodom’s generosity in the same breath.

He was not afraid to give the best of whatever he had, and almost more importantly, he wasn’t afraid to accept the best either. Partnerships and alliances that are not built on trust and mutual respect will eventually falter, so be careful who you align yourself and/or your organization with.

Abraham’s life reflected these five traits in nearly every decision he made. Although he made many mistakes, it is evident he that lived and conducted his business by these guidelines. In the end, he amassed great wealth, birthed two nations, and was considered God’s friend. Maybe his is an example worth following.

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