Success in the market place is more important than anything else. Whatever you must do to succeed you must do! It’s the mindset of the modern business man but is really nothing new. The lives of people so occupied with 
position, power, and possessions are as confusing as a cage full of birds flying in every direction. The fluttering of wings and the clawing and the cawing lifts a cacophony of confusion which cannot be contained. But each bird symbolizes another plot, plan, or trick to acquire more. In Jeremiah 5:27, the prophet indicts the “businessmen” of Judah of this dilemma. He writes, “Like a cage full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; therefore they have become great and rich.” Ray Stevens wrote a great song about this back in the 60’s entitled, “Mr. Businessman.” Here are his lyrics:
“Itemize the things you covet, As you squander through your life… Bigger cars, bigger houses, Term insurance for your wife…Tuesday evenings with your harlot And on Wednesdays it’s your charlatan..Analyst, he’s high upon your list…You’ve got air conditioned sinuses And dark disturbing doubt about religion…And you keep those cards and letters going out While your secretary’s tempting you…Your morals are exempting you from guilt and shame – Heaven knows you’re not to blame…You better, Take care of business Mr. Businessman….What’s your plan? Get down to business Mr. Businessman if you can…Before it’s too late..And you throw your life away…Did you see your children growing up today..And did you hear the music of their laughter As they set about to play..Did you catch the fragrance of those roses in your garden…Did the morning sunlight warm your soul,..Brighten up your day…Do you qualify to be alive Or is the limit of your senses so as only to survive…Hey yeah…Spending counterfeit incentive…Wasting precious time and health…Placing value on the worthless…Disregarding priceless wealth…You can wheel and deal the best of them…And steal it from the rest of them…You know the score, their ethics are a bore…Eighty-six proof anesthetic crutches prop you to the top…Where the smiles are all synthetic And the ulcers never stop..When they take that final inventory,…Yours will be the same sad story everywhere… No one will really care, no one more lonely than…This rich important man, lets have your autograph…Endorse your epitaph…”
Of course the refrain of the song is “You better, take care of business Mr. Businessman…Get down to business Mr. Businessman…” It’s a call to reflect on your life and to reconsider what matters most. It’s Jeremiah’s call to the citizens of Judah. It’s God’s call to us every day! Let’s set aside the truly temporal things and focus on what really matters. It’s time to get down to doing business with God!