Why do people work? For most the answer is simply to make money to live and, ultimately, gain the freedom to retire from work. In retirement, one can do as one wishes and there is no accountability. This is commonly viewed as the American Dream.

From a Christian worldview, work is the purpose of mankind. The Creation Mandate (Genesis 1:26–28) stipulates that God created mankind to be his ruling agents over his creation. Mankind was charged to rule through mastery, management, and multiplication. This is work; therefore, work is a divine calling. Through work, mankind obeys God and earns a living. Money is, therefore, not the seminal reason that one works. The real purpose of work is to obey the Creation Mandate. Money is a by-product of work and a tool used to facilitate the will of God.

Part of the will of God is that mankind accumulates true wealth. True wealth is transcendent eternal wealth that has value both in this life and the next existence. Temporal wealth, such as money, has value only in this existence.

Christians are mandated to not only obey the Creation Mandate but also to obey Jesus' command to store up transcendent wealth:

Don't store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don't break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19–21 CSB)   

To store up treasures in heaven means there is wealth more valuable than temporal wealth. Some examples of this wealth are wisdom, righteousness, and reputation.

WISDOM

Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. (Proverbs 3:13–14 ESV)

RIGHTEOUSNESS

Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. (Proverbs 11:4 ESV)

REPUTATION

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold. (Proverbs 22:1 ESV)

Money is a temporal tool; it is not transcendent wealth. It is a tool used to facilitate the will of God.

Given the superior value of transcendent wealth over temporal wealth, one would be wise to trade up and use temporal wealth to gain transcendent wealth. Follow the example of the Ethiopian eunuch who took time away from an opulent life, put his life at risk, and spent money to seek to grow in his knowledge of the Lord (Acts 8:26–39). He traded up.

Here is your business tip. Wise management will seek to use money to trade up to transcendent wealth, such as, wisdom, righteousness, and reputation. While profit is a Christian value, it is not the seminal value. Nor is money the metric of success. True success emanates from obedience to the will of God; therefore, temporal wealth is simply a tool that reveals mankind’s heart condition. An organization led by leaders and managers whose hearts are inclined to the Lord will define success as obedience to the will of God and will use money as a tool to trade up to gain transcendent wealth.