Taking Inventory: Getting the Count Right

While America remains in turmoil over the Florida election results I've been experiencing my own recounting problems. You see, I'm the guy who orders a huge portion of the inventory for a retail store. When we have holes on the shelves that I'm responsible for guess who looks bad? When we don't have the specific product (or quantity of product) a customer is looking to buy it's even worse. In order for me to maintain the proper amount of merchandise without under-buying OR over-buying it is absolutely necessary to keep an accurate count.

Believe me, I understand how easily discrepancies happen in what would appear to be a simple matter of counting. Errors CAN happen in computer programs, but most of the counting goofs are caused by the HUMAN factor. Here are a few ways it can happen:

* Merchandise can be incorrectly received.
* Merchandise can be incorrectly sold.
* Merchandise can leave without being purchased.
* Merchandise can be used or damaged without being accounted for.
* Merchandise can be inaccurately counted during inventory day.

I recently returned from a wonderful two-week vacation just in time for inventory day. I'm still recoiling from the whole experience! I'll just say that the counts weren't exactly accurate. And without accurate counts I cannot function properly. So, I have to make sure that the quantity that is displayed in my computer is adjusted to match exactly what I have in the store. I can't guess, I can't make it up, I have to count. One, two, three, etc. Not once or twice, but every time a discrepancy is detected. Otherwise, I'm ordering what I DON'T need, or NOT ordering what I DO need. It's the only way to do business.

There is an accounting that Paul, the apostle, wrote about in his letter to the Romans. In many "Christian" circles it is thought (and taught) that accountablity has to do with sin. But nothing could be farther from the truth because sin is what JESUS took accountability for! The thing WE count is found in what Christ did.

Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ JesusRomans 6:11

See that word "consider"? It's a lousy translation. The Greek word is an accounting term. Even the KJV got it better than the NASB (which is usually pretty good) because it used the word "reckon". The word describes what I do at work when I count 25 items and then record 25 items on my count change sheet. It also describes what the computer room person does when she inputs "25" in the system for that item.

The gospel has nothing to do with hype. It has nothing to do with pretending something to be true that is not. It declares reality. It tells us what is REALLY true even though it seems way too good to be true! It tells us that God's righteousness is found in Christ through his death and resurrection. He died to sin once for all and now lives to God.

What is it that you tell yourself of reality? Are you guessing? Are you making up your own reality? Are you trying to live up to somebody else's ideas of reality? Are you still trying to record your sins and/or your good deeds down in a book of accountability somewhere? How can you function properly when your personal inventory book is so messed up? I can tell you that all you'll end up with are holes on your shelves and all the wrong stuff in the overheads, which is why no one will need what you're trying to push on them.

Christ IS reality, and if he is in you, HIS reality is YOUR reality. He died to sin, which means he has NOTHING more to do with it! Not only that, but he is also alive to God.

For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to GodRomans 6:10

Toss out all that bogus info and record THIS in that inventory log you got running in your head: YOU ARE DEAD TO SIN AND ALIVE TO GOD IN CHRIST JESUS!!

Until next time .....
scoopfully yours,
the shovel (aka Jim)