The law of demand and supply

Christians’ wealth creation
Itai Chapunza

In its most basic form the law of demand and supply states that the more people want a product yet there is not enough to go around all of them it pushes the price of that product high.

The opposite is true as well. Meaning that if there is too much of a product than people are willing to buy, the price of the product drops. It can also then be expanded to factor in consumer equilibrium, where demand for the product and the supply is equal. Graphically this can be explained by the point where the demand curve cuts the supply curve. Even for someone that has never studied economics before, this should be an understandable principle after a bit of reading about it.

To make it easier to absorb, let’s bring everyday products into it. For example, car fans know how expensive it is to buy a vintage car. Especially if it is still in its original state. With the same old engine still in good running condition. The old parts should never be replaced with new ones. Instead they should be restored into perfect order. In fact these cars have no set price. They are sold in auction with bids opening at several millions of dollars and can even reach close to a billion dollars. One may wonder why such old cars cost so much, the answer is found in the law of supply and demand. The less the product is available on the market, the more expensive it is. This is mainly because there is a sense of pride in holding a product that other people do not have. More so a product other people may never have.

The same is true for us Christians and the way we seek God. Since God is the only supreme God, we know of no higher God, thus there is no limit to what we will do to know him more. Although one who has no regard for the things of God may not understand why people give up so much for God, when the Lord calls on him or her, they will know the value of having God in their lives.

The amazing thing is that we each have given up different things to know God. Others have given up drinking hobbies that they enjoyed, others have given up ungodly business ventures although they gave them money, and others have given up friends that they loved very much. All because of this God that we worship. There is no limit to what can be done by people for God.

Matthew 19:21-23
21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. 23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

The young man in the scripture above wanted to know what to do for him to enter Heaven. In other words he wanted to know what to do in order to be fit to be in the presence of God. Jesus responds in a way he did not expect. He says to him, give away all you have. This does not mean he would need to literally give away all his property. But it meant that he must not hold his wealth dearly in his heart. He meant that God must be first in everything in his life, so much to a point where everything could be taken from him and he would still love God. Because this man held his property and wealth too dearly, this was a price too high to pay. He wanted his earthly wealth than he did heavenly treasures. This is so for most of us. We love things that are on earth and our wealth more than we love God. This is evident in the hours in a day we dedicate to other things and not God.

Only those who understand the return on investment or value of a scarce product will pay so much for it. This means our value for God is strongly attached to how much we understand Him. Just like in any product, how much one is willing to spend in getting the product is strongly determined by how much we know and understand the product.

Most women would not pay ten million dollars for a vintage car. Its not that there is anything wrong with paying so much for the car, the issue is understanding the value of the car and the potential return on investment if you could restore it, get it running and resell it. In the same manner, it is understandable for those people that find it shocking when you say to them you will not attend a business meeting on Sunday because you are in church. To them, church is far less important and can be done during your spare time. They have no understanding that God is a master of every industry and profession. It is also the grace of God that we that understand this are able to put it into practice in our lives. Their time to understand will come, because it is God that calls and chooses us. The unfortunate part is when one is called and ignores the call of God.

Some people do not believe that all of us are called. Although we are all called, we are not called into one purpose. We are called for different functions.

The call of God can be broken down  and viewed as a proposal to be in business with God.

John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

For God so loved the world . . . This is God’s business proposal. God came to the man and said I love this world. So out of my love for the world, I have a proposal for it. God said we must be in business together. More like a businessperson can see a boutique and say, “I love the clothing business. May I partner with the owner in it.”

. . . that he gave his only begotten Son . . . This is God’s investment capital. When one wants to buy into a business, normally you approach shareholders of the company and make a capital offer for a specified number of shares. This may be in form of cash or a property of equivalent value that the new owner can then liquidate or use as he sees fit. In the same manner, God offered his son as capital in purchase of 100% of the people in the world. God searched in his inventory of valuable property and found the most valuable and offered it a sacrifice in exchange for His only son.

. . . that whosoever believeth in him should not perish . . . This is the value addiction process. In the simplest form, value addition is to increase the value of a product in order to sell it at a higher price. For example, adding tomato source to beans, baking them and putting them in containers and selling them at a higher price per 500g is value addition. This is what we buy as tinned baked beans. Our faith in the son of God is value addition to us because it produces a result better that before. Our faith in Jesus Christ produced a result more valuable than before we had faith in Him. This means faith in Jesus Christ and receiving Him as our Lord and Saviour makes us better people. In the statement “that whosoever believeth in him” God is also inviting us into partnership in his business of salvation. In any partnership,  parties involved have to bring something to the table for it to be called a partnership. We also need capital if we are to enter into this business deal. Our capital is faith. Faith is the currency of Heaven. That is why the word says without faith it is impossible to please God. Your partner in business is pleased when you bring an important factor to the business. Thus God is pleased by our faith. He requires us to believe in his only Son.

. . . but have everlasting life. This is the return on investment. After buying into a company, that company may use that money to better the business if it was collected as equity. Equity is the money that is put into a business in exchange for a part of the business. If however, a share of the business was purchased from one of the shareholders, he then collects his funds and exits the business. But whichever way it happens, the company must begin work forward with the introduction of the new partner. If everything is done right in its working, at the end of the day the people that own the business must experience a return on investments. In God’s business plan, Jesus Christ + our faith = Everlasting life.

In this business idea God came to a realisation that the demand for him was not declining, but instead increased more and more as people began to see that they are not in control of their lives. The demand for God became so much that fake gods began to rise up claiming to be the answer to be people, even other people demanded to be worshipped as gods. People that had exclusive access to fake gods took advantage of people’s desperation and demanded worship themselves and a god-like treatment. With such a problem among His children He then made available a way to get to Him without lowering His standard to become like the world.

John 14:6

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Those that seek God seek for a way to Heaven and to Him, Jesus says he is that way. Those that seek God normally seek the truth of who we are as human beings and what the future holds. Where we come from and how we came to be and what our ultimate end will be after this life. Jesus is that very truth. Those that seek God normally want to understand what life is. Science cannot even explain it, they cannot explain what the soul and spirit of a man is. They cannot explain what happens when one dies, but Jesus is that life. He is the answer to the fundamental questions of the universe.