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Five hundred years ago, a lowly German priest walked up to the church door in Wittenberg and posted a document that altered the course of history. It has now been five centuries since Martin Luther stood up and confronted Roman Catholicism. The kindling had been laid over decades, and Luther’s little, almost accidental spark soon set all of Europe ablaze.

In time, this lowly monk proved he had what it took to hold his ground against the church and the world — and under God, he became the tip of the spear for massive reform. In one especially memorable scene, he stood before the emperor and declared courageously, risking his own life, “Here I stand. I can do no other. So help me, God.”

But Luther did not stand alone. The Reformation was not about one or two big names — Luther, Calvin, Zwingli — but about a massive movement of Christian conviction, boldness, and joy that cost many men and women their lives — and scattered the seeds that are still bearing fruit in the twenty-first century. Not only was Luther surrounded by many Reformers in Germany, but lesser-known heroes of the faith rose up all over Europe — heroes like Heinrich Bullinger, Hugh Latimer, Lady Jane Grey, Theodore Beza, and Peter Martyr Vermigli. Luther was the battering ram, but he ignited, and stood with, a chorus of world changers.

And here we stand today, more than five hundred years later. Luther wasn’t alone then, and he’s not alone now. To celebrate the Reformation, we produced a 31-day journey of short biographies of its many heroes, just 5–7 minutes each day.

If you want to learn more about the Reformation — and both Christian heroes you know, and others you’ve never heard of before — subscribe to Here We Stand on Apple Podcasts .

Here We Stand: A 31-Day Journey with Heroes of the Reformation. 

https://www.desiringgod.org/here-we-stand

One of the most important lessons I have learned as a business owner is that people are not problems—they are opportunities. Too often, the relationship between business owners and employees becomes strained because employees are viewed primarily as problems to manage. When that happens, we can lose sight of the individual person and the potential God has placed within them.

Every person has unique talents, experiences, strengths, and struggles. As Christian business owners and leaders, we have an opportunity—and a responsibility—to recognize those qualities and help people grow. Investing in people means taking the time to listen, encourage, teach, and provide opportunities. It also means being patient when someone makes a mistake and helping that person learn from it. People will not always meet every expectation, but that does not make them a problem. It makes them human and often gives us an opportunity to lead.

As believers, our mission in business should ultimately be about people, not simply about what they produce. Production, profitability, and performance are necessary for a healthy business, but they should not become more important than the people doing the work. A successful business can produce excellent results, but a meaningful business also develops better employees, stronger families, and future leaders.

We invest in our people by giving them opportunities to grow personally and professionally. We want employees to learn new skills, accept greater responsibility, and understand the value of their contribution. More importantly, we want them to know that they are respected and valued as individuals. Sometimes the greatest investment we can make is simply taking the time to have a conversation, offer encouragement, provide direction, or help someone recognize potential they may not yet see in themselves.

I have been blessed throughout my life and career to have faithful, God-fearing men who invested in me. They did more than teach me about business. Through their actions, they demonstrated integrity, humility, accountability, generosity, and compassion. They showed me that leadership is not primarily about authority; it is about service and the example we set for others.

Those men helped shape the business owner and leader I am today. Their influence reminds me that we may never fully understand the impact we have on another person’s life. A conversation, an opportunity, or a consistent example of faith can leave a lasting impression.

God willing, I can continue living by the example those men set for me. My hope is to invest in others as they invested in me—to help people discover their abilities, grow into leaders, support their families, and understand that their value reaches far beyond what they produce. If we lead with faith and genuinely care for people, our businesses can become more than places of employment. They can become places where lives are strengthened, relationships are built, and God is honored through the way we serve one another.

Where is our security? How does one begin walking in faith? Finding that which steadies us in every aspect of life begins with beholding the One who has made our faith possible. We find our solid ground when we consider Christ. Considering our Lord calls us to surrender — a chance to come to the end of ourselves, which is a choice to trust. Christ is more present and applicable than we allow Him to be. We reorient our thoughts and actions by first focusing them on Him.

Our hope is in Him who delivers. When we consider His sacrifice, we can confidently go through life knowing that we walk in victory. Our shame is covered by His blood. The future glory of the end of our time on earth is secured in Him. Our identity as believers began with His sacrifice. His grace opened the door to our faith. Who is this glorious King who alone can keep us from stumbling and present us blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy? (Jude 1:24). 

Consider His goodness. How great that we get to call our Creator good. The God of all the universe — being goodness itself. When the heaviness of sin takes its toll, recall our omnipotent Creator, the source of goodness and redemption. He is the Good Shepherd who knows His own and knows our every need.

Consider His sovereignty. He has established His throne in the heavens and His kingdom rules over all (Psalms 103:19). His omniscient eye is always on us (Proverbs 15:3). Cultivate the habit of beholding the One who beholds you. In doing so, consider His love for you. He is committed to His children; we persevere because of His commitment to us. The Lord’s will shall not be deterred. Know that He will one day make all manner of things well.

Certitude is found in considering His promises. Rest in the promise that nothing can separate us from His love. We can trust in His divine security. He promises mercy and grace (Matt. 11:28-29). He promises never to leave (Deut. 31:8). He promises that He is coming soon (Rev. 22:20). God’s promises find their fulfillment in Christ and are sealed by His Spirit. The Lord’s promises become real for us when we consider the Holy Spirit. He is with you (Romans 8:11). What joy it is to know that when we feel uneasy, we have the privilege of calling upon His name. How quickly He responds, how ready He is to restore, how loving He is to always be nearby.

It can be difficult to remember the security we have when our minds are clouded by the distractions of the world. Consider His word and find clarity in Him. The effectiveness of Scripture speaks to every matter. As we navigate life, we have a true north. Meditation on biblical truth exposes us to our innermost thoughts and refocuses our mind on Him. His word is living and active (Hebrews 4:12). When we guard our minds according to His word (Psalm 119:9), we find His character, His promises, His faithfulness. We learn about those who have witnessed His faithfulness, opening opportunity for us to consider His faithfulness in our own lives. 

Building small habits of beholding Christ throughout the day peacefully guides every thought and decision. As we consistently think about Jesus, we abound in knowledge of Him. There is no limit to the aspects of Christ that we may behold. Consider His mercy, forgiveness, justice, relentlessness, character, and all the countless ways He reveals Himself to us. Focusing our minds on Him is the catalyst for trusting the One who promises us forgiveness, redemption, serenity, and eternal life. It is He who keeps us in perfect peace when our minds are stayed on Him (Isaiah 26:3). Behold Him today, rest in His steadfastness, and let Him guide your step as you walk in faith with eyes fixed on Him.

Sometimes I feel like I might be a student forever. If I have it my way, I’m signing up for as much school as any person can attend in their life. I’ve already been a student for 17 years, so although I don’t know everything, I have some experience in the crazy and sometimes erratic phase of “studenthood.”

I know the feeling of waiting for your life to start, thinking school is just a bunch of hoops to jump through so you can finally do what you want.

I know the seduction and danger of a mindset that says “I don’t have to work on growing spiritually until I’m an adult. What could I do now anyway?”

These attitudes grab ahold of us, they infect us and have consequences that last far beyond the date of our high school or college graduation. But you don’t have to believe that, those ideas only define you if you let them.

School can and should be a time when we prepare ourselves for a lifetime of serving God.

In order to do so, we have to watch out for the lies Satan’s dying for us to believe. If I kept count of the phrases I heard most going through school, I think the one used most frequently by students would have been, “when will I ever use this (referring to the Pythagorean theorem, the Bill of Rights, or whatever we’re learning at the time) in real life?” I know I’ve said that more than my fair share of times. And let’s face it, I haven’t used the Pythagorean theorem since 10^th grade! So there’s that.

But more importantly, hidden in the heart of that phrase is a dangerous implication. Who says your years in school aren’t “real life”? What’s less “real” about your school day than your parents work day? This idea feeds into the lie that your life really starts when your formal education ends, and anything that happens before that doesn’t really matter. That’s an awfully dangerous mindset.

The truth is: What you do now matters!

If you think your years in school are a waste of time, you’re going to waste the time you spend in them. As hard as it is to believe, school is most likely the phase of your life during which you’ll have the most “free time,” you’re going to use that time on something, you might as well use it for God. What you do today establishes habits that last your whole life.

Also, students are still learning what they believe and who they are. It’s one of the most effective times to share the gospel. With every day that passes, people get more set in the paths they’re going to follow, and most of these paths lead away from the path of life.

Satan would love to render you ineffective by saying your life doesn’t matter yet, but God loves using the uneducated, the underqualified and the unprepared.

In other words, God loves using students.

It’s our job to make ourselves available to Him, and let Him work out the rest.

Are you a student, or do you know who would like to attend a youth ministry? MCC has two great Youth Ministry programs: Fire and Ice is a Mid-High Youth Ministry and The Hang-Out is a High-School Youth Ministry. 

“Marvin, I’ve never had a boss who dressed as nice as you do or talked down to his employees like you do.” 

I looked across the table at Evelyn, not knowing what to think or say.  I wondered, “should I be angry, embarrassed, or offended?”

Evelyn worked for me in one of my early forays into business and pointed out something I was obviously missing. While I had made it a point to let everyone at the office know that I was a follower of Christ it was not nearly as clear as I believed?  I thought being a Christian witness to others in the office meant not stealing company pencils, not swearing or telling gross jokes. But obviously, something was absent.  In my enthusiasm to obey Him and to tell coworkers I followed Him, I failed to show what being a Christ follower really meant.

I told everyone I followed Christ but misunderstood how to show that I stood for Him at work too. 

In my life and my work, I really have two responsibilities; first to love the Lord with all my heart, mind, soul and strength and second to love my neighbor (read co-worker, boss, customer, the UPS guy) as myself (Matt 22:36-40). 

In my zeal for morality in the office I had missed the most important thing; to love Evelyn, my co-workers and everyone else I came into contact with, as Jesus loved them. 

It was less about rules and more about the heart.

All over the world His followers are standing in for Him in the workplace. Placed there to love as He loves. This is true in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in La Paz, Bolivia and every place in between.  La Paz is a hard place to work and a hard place to own a business.

But it is also a place where His light shines especially brightly when its unleashed through those standing in for Him. It’s a place that desperately needs the gospel to be shared.

MCC is sponsoring a Business as Mission workshop in La Paz on March 24^th that will equip business people and workers to love like Him in their workplaces, to foster generosity in the community and, Lord willing, to launch a business accelerator in La Paz that will lead to more new businesses, economic growth and restoration in Bolivia. 

That night we will be inviting local business owners to join a group of peers who will work together to transform the business community and as a result, the city of La Paz. 

God gave work as a blessing, it should be life giving and restorative. 

As those in the workplace love as He loves, people are changed, the poor prosper and reconciliation happens through Christ.  Please pray that He will do more than we dare ask or think in completing His purpose in La Paz on March 24^th.