A few years ago Chick-fil-A restaurants passed KFC and became the restaurant that sold the most chicken in the United States. They still hold that record even though they have fewer stores in the U.S, Chick-fil-A 2,605 versus KFC 3,980. They aren’t just selling more chicken, they are making more money; more than KFC and Popeyes – numbers 2 and 3 on the chicken sales list – combined. The restaurant chain that makes more than any other is McDonald’s, but they also have the most locations. The chain that makes the most money per location in the U.S. is also Chick-fil-A, according to QSR’s top 50 report for 2017. On that list, Chick-fil-A is ahead in per location sales with an average of $4,407,100 to McDonald’s $2,550,000. One amazing thing about those numbers is that Chick-fil-A does it while every store is always closed on Sundays. That means their chain is closed 52 more days per year than the other chains. Fourteen percent fewer days to sell food and yet, they are ahead of everyone else in sales per store. That’s pretty cool for them and especially cool given the Biblical reasons behind why they are closed.
In the book of Nehemiah chapter 10, Nehemiah was the governor of the Hebrew people and he led them to consecrate themselves to the principles in God’s Word and to follow the Law. In verse 10 the leaders, with Nehemiah, agreed to “bind themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations and decrees of the Lord our Lord.” Including in verse 31, “When the neighboring peoples bring merchandise or grain to sell on the Sabbath, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on any holy day”. They were committed to be closed on God’s day. No business, not business as usual. This idea seemed crazy to people then and seems crazy to people now. Other businesses can see God’s blessing on Chick-fil-A, but none of them are following their example to close one day a week to observe a Sabbath rest.
The interesting thing about the cost of devotion is that people end up shortchanging themselves when they don’t trust God’s principles. How about you? Are you devoted to what looks like paying a steep cost today, but is, in fact, trusting God and investing in the future?
Pastor John Riley
Junior High Ministry