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Not By Might! (10.08.05--Beginning Again!--2 Kings 5:12)
“That’s simple--too simple!” I thought. I had been looking for a simple solution to overcoming a seemingly complex problem for a long time now. How could I get better mileage and performance on an engine that was nearly 40 years old? I had been looking for a repair solution that was complicated, involving a possible valve job and other expensive repairs. I was convinced that this was the only way. Then, one evening, I heard a talk show on the radio centered on engine performance. The speaker talked about a simple engine additive, one that had been under my nose the entire time but I had never given it credence. This fixed my problem and all the while it had been staring me in the face.
Sometimes the best solutions to difficult problems are all too obvious for us to grasp. I’m reminded of a young couple who decided to start their own business. He was an engineer and she was an advertising copywriter. They decided to buy a small salmon cannery in Alaska. They soon discovered they had a problem. Customers opening a can of their salmon discovered that the fish was gray. Sales sagged. Investigation revealed that the problem was a result of the way they processed the fish. “This is a technical problem,” said the wife, “you’re an engineer. You have to find a way to fix this.”
A month later, the husband announced that they would have to replace some machinery and make other changes. It was going to take at least 10 months to do the job and it was going to cost a lot of money. “We have to do something sooner than that,” said the wife, “or we’re going to go under.” For the next two days she pondered the problem and came up with this solution: There was nothing wrong with the salmon--it tasted fine. The problem lay in its looks. So she changed the label on the can. In bold letters, right under the brand name, the labels thereafter announced, “The only salmon guaranteed not to turn pink in the can.” (Bits and Pieces, June, 1990, p. 9-10.)
Sometimes starting over when things have not gone right in our live...
"I read about an instant cake mix that was a big flop. The instructions said all you had to do was add water and bake. The company couldn’t understand why it didn’t sell-until their research discovered that the buying public felt uneasy about a mix that required only water. Apparently people thought it was too easy. So the company altered the formula and changed the directions to call for adding an egg to the mix in addition to the water. The idea worked and sales jumped dramatically.
That story reminds me of how some people react to the plan of salvation. To them it sounds too easy and simple to be true, even though the Bible says …
God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of ...
