Any complete analysis ultimately comes down to a bottom line. In loan analysis, the bottom line always involves cash. Sufficient cash for a down payment, sufficient cash to start a business, sufficient cash to make the payments. Any way you slice it, the bottom line comes back to cash.
In our last component, I think we’ve found the bottom line of our analysis. E2 lives do not happen without love; accepting God’s love, returning God’s love and sharing God’s love. Any way you slice it, the bottom line comes back to love. This is the message of I Corinthians 13, ,“the greatest of these is love”. If that is not sufficient evidence to support my analysis, let’s look at Jesus’ reply when asked for the “bottom line” in Mark, chapter 12.
Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! (don’t forget to put your name in for Israel) The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these.” Mark 12: 29-31 (NLT)
Faith + Goodness + Knowledge + Self-Control + Perseverance + Godliness + Kindness + Love = Effective and Efficient Living.
It all begins with our acceptance of his love for us. A love that makes it possible for us to participate in the divine and avoid the corrupt.
“God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life (divine) through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins (corrupt). I John 4:9-10 (NLT)
A love that makes it possible for us to help others know the divine and avoid the corrupt.
Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.” 1 John 4:11 -12 (NLT)
My younger brother sang a song when we were younger that said it this way; I am loved, you are loved, I can risk loving you, for the one who knows me best, loves me most. That’s the bottom line!
Love is the best motivator. The days I love my job and the people with whom I work have are by far the most effective and efficient, productive and useful days.
When I first starting studying financial spreads, I was not aware of the practice of dropping the last three digits of the numbers in most printed spreads. Recognizing this practice completely changed what I was looking at; $100,000 is completely different than $100. Love is the most powerful element of our formula. It is like adding zeros to a number; it completely changes the result!
This verse from Romans, chapter 12 sums up the bottom line like this. “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically .”
Honestly love each other. Hate the corrupt. Hold tightly to the divine. Love each other with brotherly kindness. Never be useless and unproductive, but work effectively and efficiently and serve the Lord enthusiastically.
Love that “E” word. It makes me think of when my mom would tell my brother to do something with a twinkle in his eye. E cubed, maybe? living effectively, efficiently, with enthusiasm. It’s a thought.
Thanks for listening,
See you next Sunday,
Ronda
I hope you'll join me next week for a summary analysis of E2 living. We'll take a look at an analytical tool for measuring substainable growth.
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