A Biblical Approach to Marketing Series: Intro | Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four

Verses:
2 Kings 4:1-7 “Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil. Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.”

Insights for Meditation:
The debt left by the man who died caused a heavy burden to be placed on his widow and children.

Even though she had very limited resources, God multiplied them to provide a livelihood for the widow.

The widow involved her sons in the process of doing what Elisha instructed her to do.

The widow acted in obedience even though she didn’t know how what she was doing would solve her problem or bring her income.

The first priority for the income that was generated was to pay off the debt she owed.

There was no question that the oil would sell. It was a given.

The actual selling process didn’t require any further expenditure. Presumably the widow just went out into her community and sold the oil to friends and neighbors.

Principles for Application:
When establishing a business/marketing plan, don’t assume debt. Look for creative ways to use the available resources and give God the opportunity to multiply them and make the work successful.

Train children to be involved in the business operations. Even young children can play a role.

Accept godly, biblical counsel and have faith that God will bless obedience to His calling.

If there are outstanding debts, use the proceeds of the business venture to pay them off. Make this a priority.

Assume that there is a market for the product and do the work required to make it happen. “Go!” Marketing need not be complex and complicated.

Questions for Consideration:
How can I avoid going into debt and still produce and launch a professional-quality book?

What creative ways can I use the resources I have to generate income?

In what ways can I more effectively involve my family in my efforts?

Where should I go and what should I do to sell my book?

Steps for Implementation:
□ Keep track of all expenses related to the book project and carefully evaluate expenditures to determine if they are necessary.
□ Come up with two ways to generate income to fund the book project using resources that I already have available.
□ Set up a bank account for book-related income and expenses.
□ Make a list of places in the local area that I can approach to sell my book.