Seven Purposes of Innovation

“Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.” – Isaiah 43:7 (NKJV)

Are you innovating in your business? Why is innovation so important to our lives and business? What does the Bible have to say about it?

We know that we ought to innovate in our businesses and careers or we will face extinction. This consequence comes when we ignore the signs of what innovation can bring. So we ask, why does God want us to be innovative? Let’s consider these seven purposes:

1. To mirror God’s creative nature (Genesis 1:26) – One of God’s greatest attributes is being a Creator. He can make things from nothing, He makes things beautiful, and He brings order to chaos. We also possess this attribute because we are created in His image and likeness. Though we cannot create “something out of nothing” on our own, we can use our imagination to develop new things using God’s creations, and we can also improve upon that which God and others have developed. This can only be done from our creative nature.
2. To fulfill the dominion mandate (Genesis 1:28) – One of the aspects of the dominion mandate is to subdue, which means to control or to harness. Man often uses innovations to control resources or to harness opportunities.
3. To meet human needs (Genesis 3:7) – Just like the need for clothing to cover their shame and nakedness after man and woman had sinned, innovations and inventions are born out of need. Needs give birth to innovative ideas.
4. To show God’s glory (Isaiah 43:7) – Man was created for God’s glory. One of the ways we glorify God is by reflecting His image and likeness in creating beautiful things. When we innovate or create something awesome, meet a need, and give God the credit in recognition, we bring God glory.
5. To improve products, services, processes, and systems (Genesis 3:2) – Man was the first to invent clothes but God improved them. Man used fig leaves, which could not last and were fragile, but God recognized that man needed something more durable, so He made clothes out of animal skin rather than leaves. Innovations make things better.
6. To save time, increase efficiency, reduce cost, and increase profitability (Matthew 25:30) – God wants us to be profitable and He disciplines those of us who are unprofitable. Innovation can help us to be profitable. When we innovate something that saves us time, makes us more efficient, or reduces our cost, our profitability increases.
7. To give you a competitive advantage by establishing your uniqueness in the marketplace (Proverbs 8:12) – As Biblical Entrepreneurs, we cannot be copycats by doing what everyone else is doing. If we are to make a difference in the marketplace and be profitable, we must be innovative. We must tap into God’s wisdom through prayer and meditation to acquire innovative ideas that can set us apart from our competitors.

Let these seven purposes inspire you to not just innovate your business but also your life. May you find innovation not just so you can avoid extinction, but also so that you can demonstrate the Glory of God through your business and life in the marketplace.

My prayer for you is that God will give you the grace to be innovative for His glory.