The Law of Diminishing Returns

And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ. Philippians 4:19

The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it. Psalm 24:1

           

Our earth contains vast but finite resources. Were it possible to harness all the collective wealth and distribute it, the Law of Diminishing Returns would come into play. The amount to share is fixed. The more recipients there are, the less each one receives. There is only so much to go around.

“In this respect, we see how greatly God’s power differs from that of a mortal king. If the latter were to find all of his subjects deserving, he could not possibly reward them all even he is were fabulously wealthy. Any reward he allocated would be miniscule if he divided his fortune among everyone. Furthermore, he can reward only those subjects who are alive; those who have died are beyond his realm of reward. On the other hand, God has infinite capacity to reward, even if the whole world  were righteous…and even after the righteous have died, God continues to reward them in the hereafter.” Mishlei, commentary on Proverbs 8:21

The sixth chapter of John’s gospel contains one account of five thousand people miraculously fed. The large crowd listened to Jesus for a full day. The hour was late, the location was remote and the people were hungry. The disciples’ solution; send the people out to fend for themselves. Jesus had another plan in mind. The disciples scrounged around and found a boy with a sack lunch; five loaves and two fish. Sufficient for the child, the amount of food wouldn’t begin to feed all the people. To the disciples, the situation was impossible; to Jesus, this was a job for El Shaddai. Jesus gave thanks and instructed the men to distribute the food. God’s power caused the elements to supernaturally reproduce exponentially; problem solved. Everyone ate heartily with an abundance left over.

Sometimes we hear or even make statements like: “Come Holy Spirit” or “If you want to meet with God, come down front”. Unconsciously the impression given is that God is either absent or confined to a specific geographic location. God is omnipresent, in His totality all the time. He is as real on the back row and in the balcony as He is on the platform and the front pew. He’s here; He’s just not always welcomed or acknowledged. How sad that the Owner of all things finds himself unwelcome in His own creation. The question is not, “Is God present?” but, “Are we sensitive to His presence?” When we recognize His omnipresence it reinforces our faith that all we or anyone else needs is available right now.

God’s power and resources are limitless. If forced to meet every need of every person simultaneously, the cost wouldn’t put a dent in His coffers. It’s hard to grasp but it’s true. With that in mind, dare to dream and believe big. God can back you up without denying anyone else equal support. Step out when He directs, confident that He can meet any need easily. Supernaturally He’ll over ride the Law of Diminishing Returns with plenty for this request and have more in store to meet the next one that will surely come His way.