Christian Business Review 2022: Pressing On Toward God's Goal

BIBLICAL BUSINESS GOALS
BOOK EXCERPT
letic shoes to be sold to various discount stores around the
country. As competition increased, Jesse found that he had to
give deeper and deeper discounts to get business.
Ultimately he found himself offering the shoes at less
than cost many times. Initially he justified this practice as
a necessity to maintain his customer base until prices rose
again. But as time went by and he continued to order more
and more shoes he couldn’t pay for, he got further behind. Only
the oldest bills got paid, and then only when the suppliers
refused to ship him
any more merchandise
until he paid.
Jesse’s priority
of paying was simple.
He took what
he needed to pay his
personal bills (which
was not excessive);
then he paid the basic overhead costs, such as lights and
rent, to keep the door open. Then he paid a small portion to
his church. Last, he paid the suppliers what was left from his
sales, which was often less than 50 percent of the cost of
the shoes.
I met Jesse through a mutual friend who had helped to finance
his business initially. Jesse had gone back to him twice
in the previous year to ask for additional capital. The lender
realized the third time that something was wrong and agreed
to help only on the condition that Jesse seek counsel, which
is how I became involved.
When I saw Jesse’s progressive accumulation of debt, I
asked him to describe his business plan… Jesse went on to
say something I have heard countless Christians say under
similar circumstances: “I know God put me in this business,
and I believe He will work out a miracle if I just have faith.”
I believe in faith and I believe in miracles, but the line between
faith and presumption is very thin. For Jesse to trust
the Lord is faith. But to put the burden of debt on his suppliers
was presumption. It was the suppliers who needed faith.
Jesse willfully violated God’s principles and then expected
God to bail him out….
I then asked Jesse to prioritize his payment system in
conformity with God’s Word. According to Proverbs 3:27 we
are not to “withhold good [payment] from those to whom
it is due.” Since the suppliers have provided the materials,
they have already invested their time and money, and they
hold the position of highest honor, financially speaking. “So,”
I said, “make a commitment to pay your suppliers first out of
any cash that comes into the business.” …
Jesse sank back into his chair, thinking about what I had
said. Finally he replied, “God told me to start this business,
and nobody will talk me into quitting unless God tells me to.”
And with that, he left,
It’s unfortunate that many well-meaning Christians stubbornly
refuse to follow the principles in God’s Word. Instead
they adopt the same attitude the Jews displayed in the desert
when they complained about everything Moses told them
to do. Ultimately God
passed them by and
The priorities we establish for the
use of our money can give us good
insight into where we are spiritually.
waited for others who
would obey Him.
God’s Word says,
“If I regard wickedness
in my heart, the
Lord will not hear”
(Psalm 66:18). If you
know something you are doing is wrong and persist in it, God
will not listen.
PRIORITY 2: PAY EMPLOYEES.
Once the creditors are paid, the next priority is to pay the
employees what is due them. This also runs contrary to common
business practice. After all, the owner has a right to get
paid first, since he or she owns the business. Right? Wrong.
Remember, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit,
but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another
as more important than himself” (Philippians 2:3).
More often than not, the owner/manager of a business
can better afford to lose a paycheck than the employees can.
In addition, scripturally speaking, Christian leaders are admonished
to humble themselves. In other words, put others
first.
PRIORITY 3: MEET OWNER’S NEEDS.
Once you are sure that the creditors have been paid and
the employees have received their due compensation, then
you should draw your portion… It is not unusual for people
who start businesses to feel that they sacrificed to build the
companies, so they have the right to any and all proceeds.
Clearly, that is not what God’s Word teaches.
The critical decision in this and other matters becomes
whether to obey God’s Word or to adopt the common practice
of our society. That choice is what separates Christian
businesspeople from all others. That’s why we can be called
“followers of Christ”; we follow His principles, regardless of
CHRISTIAN BUSINESS REVIEW Fall 2022 132