Jesus' Unconditional Warrantee
11/20/08 07:28 Filed in: Happiness
"When he drew near, seeing the city, he wept over it ..." (Luke 19: 41-44)
The Jews could not conceive of their temple being destroyed. They thought it had been built for the ages. But every thing made by the hand of man sooner or later perishes.
That’s why American consumers will spend $9 billion to buy extended warrantees on everything from appliances and computers to cameras and cell phones. (To put that figure in perspective, Best Buy’s entire gross profit in 2008 was $9.5 billion.)
The warrantees are supposed to guaranty that we’ll be happy with our purchase. But what the warrantees actually guaranty is the retailers’ profits. In many of the big box retailers, warrantee plans account for half of the annual profits, and in some years 100%. The merchants count on the fact that less than 20% of the warrantees will ever be redeemed.
The Jews could not conceive of their temple being destroyed. They thought it had been built for the ages. But every thing made by the hand of man sooner or later perishes.
That’s why American consumers will spend $9 billion to buy extended warrantees on everything from appliances and computers to cameras and cell phones. (To put that figure in perspective, Best Buy’s entire gross profit in 2008 was $9.5 billion.)
The warrantees are supposed to guaranty that we’ll be happy with our purchase. But what the warrantees actually guaranty is the retailers’ profits. In many of the big box retailers, warrantee plans account for half of the annual profits, and in some years 100%. The merchants count on the fact that less than 20% of the warrantees will ever be redeemed.
"When he drew near, seeing the city, he wept over it ..." (Luke 19: 41-44)
The Jews could not conceive of their temple being destroyed. They thought it had been built for the ages. But every thing made by the hand of man sooner or later perishes.
That’s why American consumers will spend $9 billion to buy extended warrantees on everything from appliances and computers to cameras and cell phones. (To put that figure in perspective, Best Buy’s entire gross profit in 2008 was $9.5 billion.)
The warrantees are supposed to guaranty that we’ll be happy with our purchase. But what the warrantees actually guaranty is the retailers’ profits. In many of the big box retailers, warrantee plans account for half of the annual profits, and in some years 100%. The merchants count on the fact that less than 20% of the warrantees will ever be redeemed.
Shoppers willingly pay an extra 10 percent or more of a product’s shelf price for an extended warrantee because we know from experience that sooner or later every product will disappoint us. It will break, short circuit, wear out or rust out.
All happiness based on material possessions is fleeting.
Jesus offered His followers true happiness with an unconditional warrantee. But this form of lasting happiness also comes at a price.
First, we have to acknowledge that life involves some heartache, injustice, privation and persecution. No amount of money can assuage the losses that we all experience as a natural part of the human condition.
Second, we have to recognize that happiness consists not in having more but in being content with what we have. As Saint Paul said in Philippians 4:11, “… I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.”
The happiness Jesus promised isn’t based on our exterior circumstances. It is based on our interior life. It is not about looking outward and comparing our selves to others. It’s about looking inward, upward and forward with faith and hope in the loving providence of God.
When we follow the terms of this warrantee, our happiness is assured. In fact, it has already been redeemed.
The Jews could not conceive of their temple being destroyed. They thought it had been built for the ages. But every thing made by the hand of man sooner or later perishes.
That’s why American consumers will spend $9 billion to buy extended warrantees on everything from appliances and computers to cameras and cell phones. (To put that figure in perspective, Best Buy’s entire gross profit in 2008 was $9.5 billion.)
The warrantees are supposed to guaranty that we’ll be happy with our purchase. But what the warrantees actually guaranty is the retailers’ profits. In many of the big box retailers, warrantee plans account for half of the annual profits, and in some years 100%. The merchants count on the fact that less than 20% of the warrantees will ever be redeemed.
Shoppers willingly pay an extra 10 percent or more of a product’s shelf price for an extended warrantee because we know from experience that sooner or later every product will disappoint us. It will break, short circuit, wear out or rust out.
All happiness based on material possessions is fleeting.
Jesus offered His followers true happiness with an unconditional warrantee. But this form of lasting happiness also comes at a price.
First, we have to acknowledge that life involves some heartache, injustice, privation and persecution. No amount of money can assuage the losses that we all experience as a natural part of the human condition.
Second, we have to recognize that happiness consists not in having more but in being content with what we have. As Saint Paul said in Philippians 4:11, “… I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.”
The happiness Jesus promised isn’t based on our exterior circumstances. It is based on our interior life. It is not about looking outward and comparing our selves to others. It’s about looking inward, upward and forward with faith and hope in the loving providence of God.
When we follow the terms of this warrantee, our happiness is assured. In fact, it has already been redeemed.
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