As you most likely know, we began this discussion by talking about the 100-fold return. That is not a promise in Scripture but is nevertheless a topic of interest because it speaks to wealth creation and the concept of multiplication vs the fractionalization of resources. Fractionalization can give you increase, but multiplication creates wealth.
If you want to be technical, anyone can get rich on 5% annual interest if you live long enough but It would take about 95 years to grow $10,000 to $1 million. Besides, we most likely won’t be using the dollar 95 years from now, because all unsecured paper currency eventually returns to its intrinsic value and we are fast approaching that point now.
Wealth Creation Factor # 1: Profitability
The 100-fold return is easy and anyone can do it – if you have enough time. For example if you had $1000 to invest, do you think you could turn that into $1,010 in a 30 day period? I’m talking about a measly $10 profit in 30 days. That is ridiculously easy to accomplish. Just buy a gumball machine or a car at auction or a tax lien or any of a hundred things and you can get a 1% return in a month.
If you took your $10 profit and added it to the principal every month for 39 years, that $1,000 would turn into more than $100,000 in 39 years. That is a 100-fold return. If you began that when you were twenty and you were now fifty-nine, you would have $100,000 extra dollars in your account, which is way more than most Americans of any age have saved up. That is very real wealth creation, albeit kinda slow.
I’m just trying to get you thinking here so stay with me… We read in Scripture that Isaac got his 100-fold return the same year. It was actually in one growing season. That’s more like it! However as I previously mentioned, getting a 20 to 50-fold return on wheat is fairly normal today. If that yield was normal in Isaac’s day, then getting the 100-fold return was in fact, double the normal yield. This is solid, replicatable wealth creation.
I’ve even wondered if that was the 6th year, the one before the land was to rest for a year, and in which they would receive double the harvest (the double blessing). It doesn’t say and this occurred before the law, so it is only speculation, but regardless, it was done in a time of famine, so God’s blessing is what secured the outcome.
Multiplication vs Fractionalization
One of the things the world has conditioned many of us to, is fractional increase vs multiplication. God said, “Be fruitful and MULTIPLY” not “be fruitful and fractionally increase”. Can you imagine Isaac planting a bushel of wheat and hoping for a 10% increase in a year so the next year, he could plant 1.1 bushels of wheat and maybe if he lived long enough he could actually eat some of his wheat!
When you consider what Revenue Generating Mechanism you are going to build, one of the first factors you should consider is profitability. How profitable is the transaction, the investment, the effort, going to be? May I suggest you consider using a multiple as a goal instead of a fraction? But before you decide on what you think good profitability is, I suggest you consider all seven of the factors that affect every Revenue Generating Mechanism.
Profitability as a stand alone measure is a trap and many folks have fallen for that one. Without knowing the second factor, profitability means nothing. Check back for our next post to learn about it, or sign up here to get the notification in your email.
Great reading! Looking forward to hearing about the other seven factors.
I enjoyed the 100 Fold Return posts, and this one is more food for thought. Interesting about the 6th year…I’m wondering now if Gods laws were in place even before He gave them to Moses. Being eternal and creator, and laws of the universe already in place before Adam, I imagine all His life laws may have been…. As I said, this is really good stuff to ponder. Thanks Michael.
Just what I was wondering Jenny. It makes sense to me that those laws were already in place. Thanks for your thoughtful post!
God bless you!
Jason and I have really been trying to think toward the future and to see where God would have us take what He has given us. We see all kinds of potential in the venture He has started us on. I am looking forward to reading about the other factors.
I know pressing into the future can be challenging, especially because of the unknown, but I encourage you to keep pressing in and on. Live life on the offensive in a forward moving direction. Your kids are depending on you and your King is for you.
Blessings.
Thanks Mike, more grease to your elbow.