Getting a Return On His Investment

This week the Lord began another one of those lessons that left me in a quandry, wondering what He was getting at.

I bought a lamp and shade from Target, but decided to returned it and was credited. On another day, I picked out a different lamp and shade and purchased it, however I wasn't happy with it either, so again I went to the customer service counter to make the exchange.

Since I am not a very detailed person, I hadn't noticed that during my original purchase I was only charged for the lamp, while the shade resting a top, was overlooked. However, when I returned it, I was credited for both. Realizing that I had received more than I was entitled, I pondered how to handle the error. Now knowing the very chaotic condition of the customer service department, I opted to forget about it, not attempting to remedy the error.

A few days later I exchanged the lamp and shade again, finally settling on a purchase. This time I realized that I was actually credited less for the shade than I should have been. Yet, knowing the earlier confusion, and the fact that I had been over credited, unfortunately I let it slide. However, I never did really forget about this. It bothered me having received what wasn't mine. I asked the Lord to forgive me for the neglegence on my part, even though I had not intentionally sought my own gain through these transactions.

During the next week I went to Staples to purchase an ink cartride for our printer. I used three, $3.00 coupons that I had received earlier for returning empty cartridges. Wouldn't you know it, when I got home I realized I had carelessly picked out the wrong cartridge (definately not detailed). When I went back on the same day to return it, I was credited the full amount for the cartridge I had purchased, instead of the discounted amount from my coupon reduction.

When I asked whether or not the coupons had been used the second time, the clerk seemed confused and called his manager to find out how to handle this. Knowing that I had used discount coupons the manager still instructed him to credit me the full amount and not the discounted price which I had actually paid. Even though I made an effort to correct this, again I walked away with something that wasn't mine. Why were these exchanges happening, so that I was receiving back what wasn't mine?

Not only has the Lord challenged us for several years to be faithful overseers with our finances (not living in debt), He can make something out of nothing. He can even work things for His purposes, that almost seem ridiculous. He can and will restore all that has been stolen. He can do more than we can think, ask or imagine and He can certainly multiply all that er invest in Him.

The Lord spoke the world into existence. He used A Pharoah, the most powerful man of the time, as a pawn in His plan for Moses to lead His people out of captivity and into the Promised Land. He is certainly able to take whatever small amount we offer Him from our lives to expand it for good. Imagine the multiplication that can take place. God is able to get a much bigger return on His investment than we imagine.

Steven Furtick, my Pastor, of a 2,000 member church, weekly experiencing many people giving their lives to the Lord, 3 services, 2 campus' in less than 2 years says, "The limiting factor in God's ability to use our life is not our ability, but our capacity. We need to enlarge our capacity to receive. Our growth is limited by our capacity, not God's supply!" "God shall supply all of our needs according to His riches in Glory in Christ Jesus." Phil/ 4:19 I know that is true. He took my broken life and restored it to something that is better than I could have ever dreamed. I want all He has to give, to affect all those He gives too, for His glory!

Those store credits weigh heavily on my heart, because I want to be faithful with all the Lord gives me. We are being challenged to continually relinquish all that we hold in our hands. Even when unscrupulous people steal, all things are still His.

Ruth Bell Graham described the darkness we exsist in, apart from Christ, with these words: "Choosing his own path, how could he know Your hand directs where he shall go? Thinking he's free -free at last- unaware that Your hand holds him fast. Waiting in darkness to hide in night, not knowing, with You dark is as light, poor Prodigal! Seeking a "where" from "whence" how does one escape Omnipotence?