No, this article isn't about financial advice, but I though such a title may get our attention in the financial hard times many of us find ourselves in. Rather, I am going to share with you an excerpt from Lynn Miller's book "Just In Time", which is a collection of thoughts and stories about God's extravagance. The following comes from a talk he gave to a group of Christian business investors, and illustrates how different God's model of stewardship is from ours.

God, says Miller, as understood through his sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, is more of an entrepreneur than a conservative investor. "... Jesus (God's entire supply of venture capital) was put at risk on the cross for us despite our being sinners and enemies of God at the time. "  God took a great risk, and the motivation was more from God's nature than it was from a profit motive. 

            "...Despite God's foreknowledge that billions of people would seek salvation elsewhere (in false religions, materialism, atheism), God offered up his Son anyway." Miller continues with business terms to say... "Despite the most accurate market research in the world, clearly showing a poor market share of the potential "customer" base, the "manufacturer" went into production anyway. The embarrassing fact is that if salvation was a hamburger, most of the world's population in the past 2,000 years have been buying their hamburgers elsewhere.

            However, we are the ones to be embarrassed, not God. For in this case, it is the sales force (evangelists) of the company (kingdom) who have failed. The manufacture (God) made an extremely effective product (the atonement), and expected, even commanded, that it be distributed primarily by the referrals (testimonies) of satisfied customers (the saved). So what is the problem?

            Perhaps it's because we have focused on the terminal benefit (heaven) rather than on the product's living reality (Christ's lordship). Perhaps if we began demonstrating (making manifest) that the immediate product benefit (Jesus as Lord) has set us free to give away our lives (in stewardship), we will find demand catching up with supply!" [1]

Hmm... A powerful challenge, said only as Lynn Miller could say it.

May it become so. Amen.

Pastor Carl

[1] Lynn A. Miller, Just In Time: Stories of God's Extravagance, Herald Press, 1997. pp. 24,25.