Saturday, October 18, 2008

Are You an Asset or a Liability?

There are a lot of people who thinks this way, “I am not doing any criminal activity also I’m not really doing anything good for others, so hmm… I am doing well.” They live a life absorbed in their own little world.

They are the center of their own universe.

I have been reading some books on investments lately; one thing I learned was an asset that is not generating income is a liability! A store that is not selling well becomes a liability because the rent, electricity and the salaries still has to be paid regardless of its income. If the expenses are greater than the income then the store becomes a liability since it drains money away from its owner.

A healthy lazy son becomes a liability to the family since he is not contributing to help the family in their needs. He takes up food and space without replenishing them.

God has given us life. Our “life” is God’s investment. God was very specific with what He wanted with His investment. Jesus showed us that when told the parable of the talents.

“Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour. For it is like a man going on a journey, who summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The one who had received five talents went off right away and put his money to work and gained five more. In the same way, the one who had two gained two more. But the one who had received one talent went out and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money in it. After a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled his accounts with them. The one who had received the five talents came and brought five more, saying, ‘Sir, you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ His master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful in a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’ The one with the two talents also came and said, ‘Sir, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more.’ His master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’ Then the one who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Sir, I knew that you were a hard man, harvesting where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ But his master answered, ‘Evil and lazy slave! So you knew that I harvest where I didn’t sow and gather where I didn’t scatter? Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received my money back with interest! Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten. For the one who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless slave into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’”

If we are not doing anything to make this world a better place, we are a liability. We are literally taking space and resources and not giving anything back. If we have a “consume-er” mentality, the world will eventually be exhausted. If we fail to do some “good”, then there is a depreciation of good. If the good acts are lost, then the balance of good and evil is lost.

Not doing anything is NOT GOOD!

Do we wonder why the world is so dark and miserable? Because we fail to do the good we should have done. If we are not Assets, then we are liabilities.

What do you call an asset that is not producing anything good?

It’s called “useless!”

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