By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen has been made from things that are not visible (Hebrews 11:3 HCSB).
With our eyes we can see in the world of mammon, things that can be monetarise are supported by things that cannot be monetarised.
We can pay the salesmen easily. Give him a commission based on his sales. It is a bit more difficult to determine the value of the back-end supporting staff. But we can also pay them bonuses based on company's profit. But how do we measure the monetary values of loyalty, integrity and honesty which the staff has?
Commercial organisations exist to make money. Monetarising their effort is quite easy. However, if the other supporting organisations are not there, commerce may not be viable. You would need the police to maintain law and order. You need the civil service to maintain public services. You need religions and charities to keep people happy in bad times.
How do we measure the contributions of non-commercial entities? What would happen if we monetarised their effort? Would things be the same?
Behind every successful person is a woman, usually the super mum. But motherhood is free. Whenever a woman gets paid, it is usually for her job, not as a mother. Yet a good mother may bring up a valuable person who may contribute millions to the economy. But what would happen if motherhood is monetarised? Would motherhood be the same?
If the business of an organisation is charity and the income is from donations, how then do we pay the employees? Do we pay the CEO by the amount of donation which he can garner (which can be monetarised), or the effectiveness of the organisation's charity focus (which cannot be monetarise)?
Prince is a commercial pop singer that makes lots for money for his record company. So his company also pays him well.
Joseph Prince is a pastor that makes lots of money for his church, so his church also pays him well. But is the money that the church gets an "income" in the commercial sense? When a pastor's effort is monetarised, are things still the same?
Without Jesus, there would be no Apostles. Without the apostles, there would be no Christianity. Without Christianity, there would be no Joseph Prince. How much then should we pay Jesus? Satan once offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world (Matthew 4:8, Luke 4:6), if only He would worship him. Jesus rejected the offer. Can we offer Jesus more than what Satan, the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2), had offered?
All the Apostles, save John, were martyred. This is God's earthly reward for those who laid the foundations of Christianity. If the efforts of the Apostles were monaterised, how much should be they be paid? If they accept the pay, where would Christianity be today?
He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose. Jim Elliot.
Don’t sacrifice the permanent on the altar of the immediate. Bob Jones Senior.
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