In the world’s economy, yields fluctuate. Sometimes you get a better yield out of the stock market, and sometimes out of the bond market, and sometimes out of the real estate market. Yields fluctuate.
In the last half of 2008 the fluctuation has primarily been south. Yields are extremely relative. Back in 2007, folks were looking for yields in the 7% bracket. Today people are scrambling to find yields in the 3% bracket.
Jesus teaches something entirely different about yields.
God’s economics concerning yields are emphasized in Matthew 25, when Jesus teaches about how God gives out resources. What we do with those resources determines the yield. One man was given five talents, and his yielded doubled. Another was given two talents and his yield doubled. The man who did nothing with the resources God gave him had not only a lack of yield, but also the scorn or his master.
All of us want to know about the yield on our investment. As Jesus was entering the end of his earthly ministry, Peter was beginning to ask the question about the yield of his commitment. In Matthew 19: 27, he poses the question to Jesus about how he would be rewarded? He reminded Jesus that he had left everything and followed him.
Jesus teaches us God’s economics about yields. He said anyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or fathers or mothers or children or farms for my sake shall receive many times as much, and shall inherit eternal life.
Wow—that is a yield many times as much as anything that we have invested.
A few years ago I met a man who had two brothers who were kin to him. They had asked him to look after their finances. They had been active in the church. They had a great desire to give their money, to make an investment in order that ministers might be better trained in the areas of leadership and evangelism.
Initially it was thought that it would be just a few million dollars. The money turned out to be close to triple digit millions. Two of the areas where this money was invested were in a seminary in Birmingham now known as Beeson Seminary and a great program for ministers at Asbury Theological Seminary known as the Beeson Program. Hundreds of pastors in the Beeson Program have come to Frazer as a part if their training.
The Beeson brothers did have quite a yield in the world economy on their investments. There biggest yield is their investment in the lives of thousands of young people who are going to make a difference for Jesus Christ in the world.
What yield are you getting with your life? I expect your worldly yield is down a lot—how about your spiritual yield? Whatever little bit I have given, God will multiply through His Kingdom economics.
The principle of the yield in the world fluctuates—God’s economics of the yield has not changed in thousands of years, and will continue to yield exponentially forever.
