March 23, 2026

Business by the Book

Romans 16:2 That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also.

A shoe company sent two salesmen to the indigenous people of a remote land. The individuals of this land had never seen a pair of shoes. After a few months one of the salesmen wired the company asking for arrangements to come home. “Nobody here wears shoes,” he said. The other salesman at the same time wired the company with this message: “Nobody here wears shoes, please send me as many shoes as you can as fast as you can.”  They both saw the same thing, but they both saw something different.

Business is all about doing that which our verse says today, …assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you…  Finding people who need your product and instructing them as to why they need your product is the essence of marketing. In the fictitious story above, two men reacted differently to the same marketplace. One saw no potential for his product, the other saw an immeasurable marketplace for the same product.

Assisting others in their business will cause your business to grow. How can your products or services assist others in reaching their goals? Find that out and your marketplace enlarges which should lead to your market share being increased.

Dr. William Howe