Return on Investment

What so I get out of it?  In the world of business it is common to talk about the "Return on Investment"or a "Cost Benefit Analysis".  Basically it examines how much we will get out of a situation compared to how much we have to put into it.  If the company pursues a certain marketing strategy then they anticipate some amount of sales.  The analysis compares these two to decide if it is worth it.

I think of this when I go to a conference.  I have been to many over the years.  Some are good and some not so much.  Maybe I have a pretty high expectation for what a conference should deliver.  I have heard people say over the years, "If I get one good idea from a conference, then I'm happy."  I always think, "One?  that's it?  This cost hundreds of dollars.  And right now I'm not at work, so there is the opportunity cost associated with that.  If all this time and effort only generate one idea, it had better be one heck of an idea." If I bought a book and sat someplace quietly reading for a day, could I generate a single idea?  I expect a bigger return on the investment, and I'm not even footing the bill.

Extravagance is the opposite of a cost-benefit analysis.  Extravagance says, "We are doing this no matter the cost." Extravagance is about going forward in spite of the fact that the return on investment will be little or even negative.  There is no justification for extravagance, we do extravagance because we do.  Some people embrace an extravagant life style.  They live a life of excess because they can.  It is all part of the image.  There are TV shows to take the rest of us into the world where people engage in the extreme without considering the cost.

So where are we going with this?  In our walk with God we are called to be a good steward of hte resources given to us.  We hear about the Parable of the Talents and we need to make the most of our resources.  But we are also called to love one another.  Jesus tells us that the greatest commandments are to first love God and then each other.  And Love, by its very nature is incredibly extravagant.

Watch this clip from Pastor Lowell.

Love never asks for a return on investment.  We are called to be patient, kind, forgiving, humble with EVERYONE.  We are called to show love, not feel love.  We are called to demonstrate these qualities so that God's love can be seen through us.  In some situations, showing love is easy. There is the immediate return on the investment of the person loving you back.  But I think that we are called to show love extravagantly.  We need to show it, even when we will get nothing in return.