As the businessman picked up the phone, the young missionary looked through the huge picture window behind the desk. His eyes canvassed the acres of manufacturing buildings on his friend’s corporate campus. As he looked across the parking lot filled with hundreds of employee cars, the missionary remembered the hard years of work that had built this enterprise. But, his daydream ended abruptly when he noticed Mr. Jackson’s troubled face and heard him say, "Are you sure it’s that bad? Okay, call the board into an urgent session, I’ll meet your team downstairs in five minutes."

As the businessman hung up the phone, the missionary said, "I don’t mean to pry but it sounds like there’s a real problem?"

"That’s an understatement," said Mr. Jackson, "Right now, I really need your prayers. That was my chief financial officer calling with some pretty sobering news. It appears that our entire shipment of raw rubber from South America has been destroyed. Our international insurer doesn’t cover this type of loss, and without that rubber next season’s production will fall by over 90%." Then, somberly, he added, "This may put us out of business!"

"I’m so sorry. Besides my prayers, which you will have, what else can I do?"

"I’m going to have to ask that you return the check," said Mr. Jackson.

"Of course," said the missionary handing back the piece of paper, "I understand."

Taking the check, the businessman tore it in half and dropped it in the trashcan beneath his desk. Then, without saying a word, he pulled his checkbook out again, opened it, wrote another check and handed it across the mahogany desk.

Somewhat surprised, the missionary looked at the new check and turned pale. It was a check for $100,000! "I don’t understand," he stammered, "you just asked me to return the $50,000 check when you got the terrible news. Why are you giving me twice as much now?"

Mr. Jackson leaned forward and rested his chin on his large hands and, speaking in a low, deliberate voice he said, "You’re right, I just got some devastating news. Humanly speaking, there’s nothing I can do to fix the problem. So now it’s between just the Lord and me. I want Him to know where my trust is."

What faith! I doubt that mine is that strong. Is yours? But if we’re ever going to get it right, we have to understand what Mr. Jackson understood. He got the big picture: We really don’t own anything — it’s all God’s! Just like King Solomon of old, Mr. Jackson realized that we come into this world without anything and we will one day check out without anything — all the stuff in the middle is just on loan. Solomon said it this way: "As he had come naked from his mother’s womb, so will he return as he came. He will take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand." (Ecclesiastes 5:15)

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Steve Diggs presents the No Debt No Sweat! Christian Money Management Seminar at churches and other venues nationwide. Visit Steve on the Web at  www.stevediggs.com  or call 615-834-3063. The author of several books, today Steve serves as a minister for the Antioch Church of Christ in Nashville. For 25 years he was President of the Franklin Group, Inc. Steve and Bonnie have four children whom they have home schooled. The family lives in Brentwood, Tennessee.

A complete financial compendium, 19 chapters
• What you can do today to get out of debt and kill the Debt Monster
• A,B,C's of handling your money God's way
• How to save, invest, and retire wisely
• How mutual funds work
• How to stop fighting over money
• What to teach your kids about money
• Learn how home & car buying, college financing and insurance work.
• How to develop a budget that works -- forever!
• Features simple charts, graphs, and easy-to-use forms.

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