God's R.O.I. (Replay)

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March 5, 2008

Good morning folks and Happy Hump Day!

I hope everyone in the Southeast survived the storms and rain last night. We definitely needed the rain here in NC because Falls Lake now looks like a big sand box. That's ok though because we know that God will provide what we need when we need it as long as we are good stewards of what he gives us. This makes a good place to start today's word for the day. Gods investment in us.

This morning I was listening to the Yolanda Adams morning show and Kirk Franklin was a guest (they are on their Caribbean Cruise). They talked about a plethora of things and one of which was God's return on His investment. Well what does that mean though. First let's get some definitions out in the open.

R.O.I. (Return on Investment) - A performance measure used to evaluate the efficiency of an investment or to compare the efficiency of a number of different investments. To calculate ROI, the benefit (return) of an investment is divided by the cost of the investment; the result is expressed as a percentage or a ratio.1

ROI = (Gain from investment – Cost of Investment)/Cost of Investment

For investors and analysts, this formula is very good at letting them know when they should risk an investment. After doing the math, if the return isn't profitable for them, they do not make the investment. Now let's look at God.

We have a known in the ROI formula which is the Cost of the Investment. The Lord has done a lot of things for us. For starters, He created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). Not only did he create the heavens and the earth, He went on to create man in the likeness of Him (Genesis 1:27). This alone is a huge investment, but then Adam and Eve decided to disobey God and eat from the very tree in the Garden of Eden that He said not to eat from. Like children God, punished them -- kicked them out the Garden (where they had a "fa sho" hedge placed around them) creating the first sin and the separation of God.

You know how the story goes, but that's not the end. Not only did Adam and Eve sin against God, they created a domino effect that would cause every human being to be born into sin. Hence, there needed to be an investment made on our behalf. In order for us to regain direct access to God, He had to send his only begotten Son to come to die for our sins that we may have everlasting life (John 3:16).

Let's compare this to the modern world. I know this is a far stretch but work with me. When the US economy seems to be headed for a recession (or a fall), the government had to stimulate the economy by making an investment in it. The hopes are that the people will feel confident to spend while the company feel confident to supply. Gods investment, by having Jesus to die for our sins was the ultimate investment. Now that we have access to Him through Jesus Christ, we should feel confident in spending in the Kingdom of God. The bad news for us is that it is a return that we as a people can never make Him fully recover while we are in the flesh. The good news is that we can strive (in the flesh) to make His investment justifiable, so that on Judgment day all the Saints can have God fully recover from His investment.

So, now that we know the cost God endured for investing in us how can we have God obtain a "Gain from investment"? Well glad you asked. Remember, some time before that we did a WFTD about being a Pew Warmer (see http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wftd/message/601)? Well, being a pew warmer is how God does not recover from his investment. Every time someone sits and does nothing, there is a lost. In this case, lost of a soul. (Note: Just because you are saved, that does not guarantee you go to heaven!) God placed a purpose in your life. Whether it is to help people, be in business for your self, be the best custodian, be the best whatever it is God has given you the talent to be. Ephesians 4:11-13 says,

"(11) It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, (12) to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up (13) until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."

God has placed in us something to do for the kingdom. If you seek God for what the purpose He's placed in your life and to follow through with it, He will see an increase towards the gain of His investment. Aren't you glad that God loved us enough to take a risk? If he had been like someone on Wall Street, He would have looked at us and said, "this is a bad R.O.I. For me". However, He loved us enough to "take a hit" upfront to have us come back to Him in the end.

Be blessed folks and have a happy, HAPPY, HUMP DAY!

1 Investopedia. http://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/returnoninvestment.asp

--
Antoine E. Hall
"If God didn't do it, well who did?"

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