Guiding Principles for a BAMmer’s Heart
Keeping Your Heart Aligned in Business as Mission (BAM)
One of the biggest challenges in a Business as Mission (BAM) career—or even in ministry—is doing all the right things while slowly losing the heart behind them. Have you ever felt this way? Consider the words of Jesus:
“Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me.’” (Mark 7:6, NASB1995)
This warning isn’t just for the Pharisees; it’s for all of us. It’s an invitation to continually surrender our hearts to Jesus, allowing Him to take and keep them. As Hudson Taylor wrote:
Take my heart for I cannot give it. Keep my heart for I cannot keep it.
So, how can we ensure our hearts stay aligned with the Lord’s? Here are five key principles:
1. Be Honest with God About Your Struggles
Many believers instinctively try to hide their struggles from God, just as Adam did in Genesis 3. But the truth is, He already knows the worst about us—and He loves us anyway. No matter your failures or inconsistencies, His love for you is unwavering. Run to Him, lay everything bare, and receive His grace.
2. Do Business with God, Not Just for God
A fellow BAM leader, Bill Job, once said, “Learn the difference between doing business for God and doing business with God.” This is a game-changing mindset shift. Instead of striving to impress Him, focus on following Him. Let Him lead, correct, and provide insight and strength. Otherwise, you’ll burn out trying to earn His approval—something He’s already freely given.
3. Find a “Vulnerability Partner”
Rather than seeking “accountability” (which can feel invasive) or “transparency” (which is often controlled), look for a few trusted friends who truly understand grace. These are people you invite to speak into your life with honesty and love. If Paul needed to confront Peter (Galatians 2), we certainly need people who can challenge and encourage us in truth.
4. Train Your Soul to Walk with God Daily
The image of Adam walking with God in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8) is powerful. Can we experience that same intimacy? Yes! The goal is to cultivate a life of simplicity and closeness with Him. This is the heart of being His apprentice.
5. Let God Love You
Many of us intellectually understand God’s love but struggle to truly experience it. Stop striving to “be something” for Him—you already are fully loved. His love isn’t based on your performance. Rest in that truth and let it transform your heart and actions.
Conclusion: Drink Deeply of Christ’s Love
Some may expect a harsh reminder of human wretchedness. Others may seek a checklist of tasks. But the most powerful motivator, the deepest truth, is this: knowing the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge (Ephesians 3:19). Let’s drink deeply, daily, and often. That is the best way to keep our hearts aligned with Him.
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:14-19, NASB1995)