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Confronting Your Industry Culture August 30 "Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who

were buying and selling the re. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those sell ing doves. "It is written," he said to them, 'My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers'" (Matt 21:12-13). Sometimes a corporate culture dictates the way business is conducted because it was established years before. We simply inherit whatever the accepted practice i s. Some of these practices violate a biblical principle. For instance, some busi nesses withhold payment on invoices for sixty, ninety or one hundred twenty days as a form of cash management, which places a heavy burden on suppliers. Some go vernment custom's employees require a bribe in order to get your product into th eir country. One nation thinks nothing about their practice of software piracy b ecause it has simply become a part of their culture. God never allows for situational ethics. There are absolutes in the Kingdom of G od. The Word of God does not change because of culture or accepted practice. It was an "industry practice" to sell doves in the temple. But Jesus never accep ted the practice because he knew it was turning a holy place of prayer into a co mmercial enterprise. It did not matter that it was an accepted practice. God calls each of us to operate from a plumb line of righteousness in our work l ife, no matter the consequence. Zerubbabel led the first band of Jews, numbering 42,360, who returned from the Babylonian Captivity in the first year of Cyrus, King of Persia (Ezra). Zerubbabel is also noted for laying the foundation of the second temple in Jerusalem the next year. He was a leader who managed with inte grity and righteousness. He was a man who God and others wanted in charge. "Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel" (Zech 4:10) . Evaluate your industry practices and make sure you are not violating God's Word. Let your plumb line be measured by His precepts.

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