A thoughtful Question About 31:33: Why are we for profit?
Occasionally I’m asked this question: “Why does 31:33 profit from something connected to the Lord?”
My answer draws from biblical reference and personal testimony.
Before coming to know Christ, I worked in fashion and design. I created jewelry, artwork, sculpture, and dressed celebrities for events. Yet none of those things were as rewarding as sharing the Lord.
When I became a Christian, I left my old life behind and believed I was meant to work directly in ministry. I applied for ministry roles and expected that was where God would place me. Instead, those doors did not open. As I dug into God’s word, I began to understand something: God provides our talents long before we know Him or how we might use them best. Rather than discarding those gifts, He can use them for His glory.
For me, that meant using the skills He gave me in creating 31:33 for His glory, to highlight covenant identity, obedience, family recognition, and The Great Commission of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
If every Christian only worked inside church ministry, many areas of Christian life would be missing. Who would write Christian novels? Produce Christian films? Create Christian art, clothing, or jewelry? Christian businesses, when operated honestly and faithfully, provide encouragement, conversation starters, and opportunities for evangelism in everyday life.
The Bible affirms that work should be paid. 31:33 would not be able to offer such special and enduring fine jewelry for His glory to you otherwise.
1 Timothy 5:18 (NIV)
“The laborer is worthy of his wages.”
Ecclesiastes 3:13 (NIV)
“Everyone may eat and drink and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.”
These verses establish a simple biblical principle: earning income through honest work is good and right.
So the real question becomes:
Why should only people who do not wish to honor the Lord profit from their work? Christians must also provide for their families, support their communities, tithe, and live responsibly in society. Even those who preach the gospel (which we do at 31:33) are supported through their work.
1 Corinthians 9:14 (NIV)
“In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.”
The Builders of God’s Temple Were Paid:
When Solomon built the Temple for the Lord, it was constructed with extraordinary beauty and craftsmanship. The workers who built it were not expected to work for free.
1 Kings 5:6 (NIV)
“I will give you whatever you need to pay your workers for the service of the cedar and cypress timber.”
Solomon provided food and provisions to those who supplied labor and materials. They were treated abundantly by the Lord.
The Temple itself was covered in gold.
1 Kings 6:20–22 (NIV)
20 – “The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold, and he also decorated the altar of cedar.”
21 – “The gold nails were also overlaid with gold, and the whole house he covered with gold, inside and out.”
22 – “The cherubim were inside the inner sanctuary, each with two wings spread out, and their wings touched one another. He overlaid them with gold.”
The extravagance shown was not for vanity—it was to honor the Lord.
We at 31:33 believe the Lord deserves our best. At the same time, we believe pieces created in His name should be lasting. These are some of the reasons we work with precious materials like gold and silver— that throughout scripture are associated with honor, covenant, and the glory of God. He held them as precious, and we hold Him as precious.
Scripture includes the imagery of wearing God’s truth as a necklace.
Proverbs 3:3–4 (NIV)
“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.”
God’s desire has always been that His truth would be written on the hearts of His people and carried with them wherever they go. When believers wear reminders of their faith, they reflect that Scripture—keeping the Lord’s truth close to the heart and visible in daily life.
I often wonder how the Lord feels when someone spends their hard-earned dollars to wear a piece that glorifies Him. Given the Scriptures above, I believe this honors Him deeply.
31:33 exists out of a step of obedience—offered so that believers will remember their covenant with God, live openly in their faith, and share Christ with the world. While we love our 31:33 family, it is ultimately the Lord we work for and receive our approval from. Scripture affirms that fine jewelry in His name honors and glorifies Him, and that is what motivates us daily. For believers, every vocation can become a form of worship when it is done faithfully for the Lord.