The Sacredness of Trade

By using our God-given talents and creativity to provide for each other’s needs, the exchange of goods and services is, in its essence, a sacred activity that reflects God’s Glory.

God created us in His image and likeness. And therefore, we are called to “co-create” with the gifts and talents God has bestowed on us.

God commanded us to subdue the earth (Gen 2:5 “…and there was not a man to till the earth.”; Gen 2:15 “And the Lord God took man, and put him into the paradise of pleasure, to dress it, and to keep it.”).  God created Man with a view that he would till the earth, even before original sin entered the picture.

And we have been created as relational people.  We are not designed to isolate ourselves and provide for all our needs by our own efforts.  In His divine wisdom, God intended a flourishing of the human person by creating us with a deep desire to serve others, and the need for us to rely on Him (through others) to provide for our needs.

A genuine encounter with another person is an encounter with Christ.  And we serve each other best when we enter into a personal relationship with them and understand their true needs by learning and entering into their story.