“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” Matthew 5:43-48.

Let’s contextualize Jesus’s words for businesses. He might say today, “Love your competitors and pray for those who steal your market share.” Really? 

As an engineer knows his machine, God knows how we humans function best. He says “pray for your competitor” because bitterness is poison. When we judge, our criticisms boomerang, and the troubles I wish on the competitors return to my head (Matt. 7:1). I’m better off blessing!

Of course, not all competitors have “persecuted” us. But nonetheless, it can be hard to wish them success. The answer: Don’t listen to your feelings; listen to Jesus!

You may be saying, “So when do I begin to pray for my success?” Not yet. Not today. Today, let’s do something only Jesus would think up. Let’s pray for our competitors! Perhaps you don’t have direct competitors in your job. Okay, but you do recognize the tendency to compete for advantage. Audit your relationships and pray for the person you tend to compare your life against… That’s often a good indicator. 

Dare you…

Take a drive by their office, or look up their website, or go buy their product; take their product, or find some other tangible way to represent who they are and what they do. From there, ask God to bless this person and their labors. Perhaps read a favorite promise from the Bible as a prayer for them.

Remember…

Blessing is not a zero-sum game with God. He can bless you and someone else in a win-win way. There’s plenty of goodness to go around! Give it away!