Support Your Fellow Christians
But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).
The above verse is one that is familiar to most Christians, but I wonder how many think about exactly what it means to “seek first the kingdom of God.” I think the most obvious interpretation of this is that we should be seeking, first and foremost, to be more like Jesus. This involves surrendering our will to His and learning what He desires of us. One area that I think is hard for a lot of people to surrender is that of finances.
With the ever-rising popularity of places like Walmart and Amazon, many “mom and pop” companies have gone by the wayside. We see fewer cottage industries because everyone knows that they can’t compete with companies that have a large enough bank account to buy products for next to nothing and then sell to the consumer for less than you or I could sell them for.
I am not saying that it is wrong to shop at big stores and save money. I like to bargain shop myself. And, if we are talking twice the price or more to order from a Christian company, my budget would probably not allow me to spend that much. However, I have found instances where the savings is only a few dollars, and this is where I would much rather support my fellow Christians or local businesses.
One reason this is weighing heavy on my heart, besides the fact that I just started my own online bookstore, is that I travel the country setting up booths to sell books for Family Renewal and Master Books. These companies spend a lot of time and money to go to conventions where people can look through the books to decide what they would like to purchase. Then many times they go home and order from Amazon or another discount seller, leaving us to pack up the inventory and take it back home. No wonder conferences are dying left and right as exhibitors are no longer covering their expenses.
What many don’t realize is that, when you purchase that really cheap product from a discounter, the creator of the product gets very little from that sale. If you buy a book on Amazon, for example, the author probably makes less than $2/book. Less than $1 in some cases. Most authors are happy to get books into people’s hands so they would rather folks buy from Amazon than not buy, but if you want to support your favorite author and help him or her to be able to continue to write and, in some cases, support their families, then it is much better to purchase directly from the author or another Christian distributor that doesn’t discount very much.
As Christians, we are to be good stewards of the funds God has given us, but we also need to pray about where to use those funds and who He desires to bless through our purchases. It is really His money after all.
Thank you for this S. And thank you for all the many miles of travel and work that goes into the family ministry you have -which is Profound. I will never forget meeting you at a homeschool conference Atlanta and all the great books you supplied us all (consumers). I agree 1000% that it is truly right to give to small business in this way. Thank you for sharing your heart in this matter because what you know about the financial aspect is important. Blessings! Heg
Thank you Sony for your wonderful articles through the years you have made some good articles and comments on so many good subjects.
This one indeed is it good particle and I can see it comes from your heart
I have seen the effects a Walmart and Amazon in our community just like any other community the mom and pop stores are gone and I guess they will not be back.
I shopped with a local Christian bookstore here for years in our community but we haven’t had a local Christian bookstore in our community for about 15 years so I have to travel 30 to 40 miles to go to a Christian book store where I can shop that is an independent store.
They have kept up with the times they have a website and I do look at it
But I am a retired person and I cannot go like I used to go to a bookstore and buy a book or CD and pay full price
I know they must stay in business and make a profit but I must live and support my family on a very limited income
We have a family friend who is into Melaleuca and a lot of other things but she also works at the bank her husband holds down a job also I tried to buy the products but they’re so expensive in the expense does not cover the quality they say they have which they are good product but not that much better than what I buy in the stores
I have been in Amway Shaklee and a lot of other business from home because my mother was into it but I never could get into it properly
But if it’s so hard to support a family of four people and you have to work two jobs plus another one how does a retiree get by and have to support someone like that when they themselves teeth help
I would like to support a local business
There is a local grocery store in our town but I have to own a shop there on Tuesday and when I get 10% off senior discount and by only what’s on sale because their prices or anywhere from 30 to 50% higher van Winn-Dixie which is a big store it’s a chain store and they are higher than Wal-Mart
So how do I survive I’m just like the mom and pop but I don’t have nowhere to go if I don’t have enough to go around I do without
And do the best I can yes I will support a Christian business and give them the extra money if I know they’re Christians but I know so many mom-and-pop stores in the time pass where they were Shady business people have Shady business practices and I know one business in our town who says they are Christian but they have Shady business practices and I’d rather not shop there because of what I know
As you well know extortioners we’re not even supposed to have any dealings with him or eat with them if they’re called a brother or a Christian that is what’s in the Bible and I’m not judge
But I do see where you’re coming from and I hope you understand where I’m coming from
I have to be frugal to survive thank you for listening God bless you.
I wish I could find the story I read the other day about a woman who wrote to an evangelist, telling him that she didn’t have a job and wasn’t sure where her next meal was coming from, but she wanted to give money to his ministry. He wrote back and told her that she needed to use the money to support her family. God would supply his needs through another means. (I think it was D.L. Moody or Charles Spurgeon who told this story but, since I can’t find it, I hesitate to say that adamantly.) Scripture emphasizes good stewardship so I think being led of the Spirit is really key. If a “Christian” company is charging twice what everyone else is and practicing shady business practices, then I agree that you should not support those companies. (At least unbelievers don’t know any better.) And if you are literally living hand to mouth, then, yes, you need to save every penny you can. I’ve been there and totally understand. However, there are people who nickel and dime everything to death when they are not in that position. Again, you don’t want to waste money even if you have extra. You want to make sure you are making wise purchases. However, in my town, there is a local grocery store run by Seventh Day Adventists. I found out recently that they have the yogurts I like for 19 cents more than Walmart. But I also found out that they run sales on that yogurt. 🙂 I would much rather support this local business if I’m able so, although 19 cents a piece does add up, when I have extra and am able to do so, I plan to buy local. But as much as I can, I will stock up when they have a sale that brings the price down to Walmart’s. 🙂 We also have a Christian bookstore 15-20 minutes away that I would hate to see go out of business like so many others have. I don’t buy much from them but, periodically, if I am looking for a Bible or CD or a Christian-themed gift, I will go in and see what they have that might be in my budget. The key is really focus. If you are doing the best you can, then keep doing that and don’t feel condemned for it. That was not the purpose of this article. <3