What Prices Can Teach Us: Love of Neighbor in Everyday Buying and Selling
Most of us don’t think about prices until they rise suddenly. Then it can feel personal—like the world is tightening the screws on the home budget. But Scripture invites us to see daily commerce with more sobriety. Buying and selling is one of the ordinary ways God provides daily bread through other people’s work. In a world where time, labor, and resources aren’t always abundant, prices are a kind of public “signal” that helps people decide what to make, what to buy, and how to share scarce goods without constant conflict.
That doesn’t make the market a savior, nor does it make money holy. It just means God can use very ordinary things—like a price tag in dollars—to serve the neighbor. When something is scarce, a higher price can reduce waste and draw more supply. When something is plentiful, a lower price can bless more people. We don’t have to romanticize it. We don’t worship the almighty dollar. We simply receive it as part of living in the real world, and we ask for wisdom to act faithfully within it.
The Bible is especially clear about one thing: honesty matters. “A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is his delight” (Proverbs 11:1). “Unequal weights and unequal measures are both alike an abomination to the LORD” (Proverbs 20:10). Whether you’re a business owner, an employee, a customer, or a contractor, God cares about the integrity of the exchange—truth in advertising, fair dealing, paying what you owe, and refusing the subtle ways we justify taking advantage of someone who doesn’t know better. And for even more honest measures, consider transacting with a means that is not inflationary or manipulated.
John the Baptist gives wonderfully practical counsel to people working in messy, everyday economic roles. To tax collectors he says, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do” (Luke 3:13). To soldiers, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages” (Luke 3:14). Notice how grounded that is: do your work without squeezing your neighbor, without manipulating the weak, and without making money your god. Contentment and honesty go together.
So here’s a simple way to apply this truth: when you buy, buy with gratitude rather than resentment; when you sell, sell with fairness rather than clever deceit. If you’re feeling pinched by prices or inflation, bring it to the Lord without shame—He already knows your needs. If you’re doing well, consider how God might use your surplus to bless others quietly. And for all of us: let our dealings be plain, truthful, and patient, because the neighbor across the counter is someone Christ died for.
