Sometimes my wife and I have a tendency to think that we are alone in our struggles. It has been a blessing at times to hear from other Christians that our problems are not unique, and that others are able to conquer these challenges and temptations through the power of Jesus Christ. It is for those who suffer the same burden of isolation in their stuggles that I share this story.

I operate several business websites in addition to consulting clients regarding their Internet Marketing strategies. One of my websites sells a particular golf product and managed to rank higher than the actual manufacturer. Now and then, I receive orders for the product and act as the middleman. I turn around and place the order and make some money in the process.

A few days ago I received the following email:

Dear Sir, I would like to receive a quote for 100 units of your XXXXXXX. Please also advise me about shipping to the Netherlands.

I thought, “Yes!” I had only sold about 20 of this product to date, and this guy wanted 100 of them. I do the same amount of work for one order as I do for 100. I thought maybe even that this was the 100-fold return I read about in the Bible, being put into action. I negotiated an acceptable price from the manufacturer, built in a nice profit margin, and contacted the prospective customer.

The customer contacted me back with the following:

I ordered 25 units of XXXXXXX from you earlier this year at $X per unit. Would you please explain to me why the price has gone up so much in such a short period of time?

Ugh. This person had already been in touch with the manufacturer and thought I was them. However, the rest of the email led me to believe that he still might be interested.

Unfortunately, my immediate (fleshly) reaction was to start crafting an email about “supply and demand”, “how we’re getting closer to the golf season”, and other good-sounding phrases.

Then I realized that I was not following the Holy Spirit. I was getting ready to deliberately mislead this guy. Being the middleman is perfectly ethical, but posing as someone else crosses the line. I thought about my two options:

1. Come up with a plausible excuse for the price hike and make the sale which would net me some serious profit for essentially sending 3 emails.
2. Remember that God is my source and my mission on earth is to do more than make sales. I am to represent Christ at all times - to be a light. Upholding this would mean pointing the owner of the golf store to the intended party - the manufacturer.

I got ready to post the question on some Christian ethics forums and remembered my experiences with this. Usually when I have a question, I know what the Holy Spirit is telling me - I’m just hoping I can find someone to justify it for me.

As you can guess, I chose option #2. The pressure then seemed to immediately lift off my Spirit. I emailed the gentleman and gave the email address to the manufacturer and briefly explained the situation.

Of course this did provide an opportunity to mention my company and how this situation (being more visible on the Internet than the manufacturer) shows our abilities. I said that I would enjoy hearing from him in the future if his company has any marketing needs.

Of couse I would like to make the money, but I have to remember the following verses:

Pro 11:18 The wicked earns deceptive wages, but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward.

Pro 13:22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.

Pro 10:3 The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.

This “reward” may not be in the physical realm. It may be in the spiritual. Either way we should remember that eternity goes much longer. Who knows - God may use this situation for purposes beyond “straightening me out”.

It was not so long ago that I would not have made this decision. Not that I am a “great guy”, but rather because Jesus Christ changes people. He does more than saves us from eternal damnation. He starts to change us into his image and likeness so long as we comply.

I hope this has been an encouragement to you, and pray that the Lord will help us all to make decisions as he would have us.

If you would like to read more about making business decisions with the Lord’s wisdom, click here and check out the Bible study we recently finished from the book of Proverbs

Have a blessed day.

!!! UPDATE !!! (3/29/06)

I received an email from my “Dutch Friend” that I spoke of.

Thank you (Name omitted) for your honest answer!!! I wish the rest of the world would take a bit of your honesty and it will look a lot nicer! Regarding internet marketing. I will start a Google campaign in Holland next Friday. Since my business is a bit slow I decided to invest in Internet Marketing. I hope it will be a success.

Kind regards

(Name Omitted)

Now, I am sharing this not so you think I’m “cool”, but to illustrate that following God’s word and leading has both an immediate and long-term impact on others besides ourselves. I closed the email with “have a blessed day”, so maybe my Dutch friend has one more seed planted that Christians are not what the world makes us out to be (self-righteous jerks). Europe is an especially tough mission field, according to European pastors that occasionally speak on programs that I listen to.

Maybe this makes a difference for someone else, or maybe it just makes a difference for me. Either way - Three cheers for Jesus Christ!

Categories: Good News, Living for Christ, Wisdom
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