PART 7 – PUT GOD FIRST
The Bible commends Solomon the king on his enterprises, which involved both importing and exporting with nations far away from Israel. The queen of Sheba was extremely impressed by the prosperity which marked the king’s reign (see 1Kings 10 for more details). We are told, as a footnote to Solomon’s reign, that he managed to bring God’s Law, at least in large part, to bear on the people of Israel, so it seems that what’s good for a whole nation is good for the individual businesses within its border. The principles of God’s Law, even when practiced in part, are still valid today and always will be valid.
The sad reality of the present situation is that as nations adopt God’s Law in part, they are blessed only in part. The principles, like aerodynamics, are capable of lifting us higher, but too many people overload their lives with immoral baggage, so we never quite get the flight we hope for.
It is also clear that God ranks financial and material blessing as something to be pleased with. It is not a sin, as some saints have suggested, being rich. In the Bible wealth is frequently held up as evidence of God’s blessing, and a thing to be comfortable with. The only downside of wealth is the possibility that complacency can lead to pride, and the sin of forgetting God. Like a certain Babylonian king who said “My hand brought me all this wealth!” punishment will follow, as surely as night follows day.
When goods are imported, they usually go to an importer’s warehouse, from which they are sold to retailers, and then to customers, so there is always a marking up of the price at each step. If possible, it pays for a business to do the importing direct from the country, but this usually involves a large outlay, however, once the goods have arrived, the business can make an even larger fair profit. On the other hand, exporting is part of the manufacturing side of business, and involves many difficulties. One has to buy materials, pay staff, and find overseas customers. But it happens. If you can produce something people want at a fair price, your business will work, and if it were too difficult, which it isn’t, hardly anyone would bother to try.
Take a tip from Solomon: put God first, obey God’s Law, and expect to see things take off.
How to run a business using Bible principles – Introduction
How to run a business using Bible principles – Part 1
How to run a business using Bible principles – Part 2
How to run a business using Bible principles – Part 3
How to run a business using Bible principles – Part 4
How to run a business using Bible principles – Part 5
How to run a business using Bible principles – Part 6
How to run a business using Bible principles – Part 8
How to run a business using Bible principles – Part 9
How to run a business using Bible principles – Part 10
How to run a business using Bible principles – Part 11
How to run a business using Bible principles – Part 12
How to run a business using Bible principles – Part 13