The Outcome
I am a believer that the outcome is directly related to the income. Whether one looks at that from a financial perspective or a family/marriage perspective, or from a business/Church perspective, the end is dictated by the sum of the input.
Financially, when a person spends more money than is acquired, over a period of time bankruptcy is the result. That can be influenced anywhere along the way by relevant actions, but ultimately the result is dictated by the action or inaction of the individual.
When a family or marriage is built with the ingredients necessary for success a positive outcome is viable. When discord and disobedience are introduced into the equation, a negative outcome becomes increasingly likely, and ultimately, uncorrected, will lead to dissolution.
In a business or Church there is a design or plan that is established by the individual who “starts” the business/Church. In the Church (the only business that interests me) God has designed and published His plan. It is clear, explicit, exacting, and unchangeable. When followed (to the letter) it works perfectly, performs with excellence, and never experiences fatigue, losses, setbacks. . .and certainly not failure.
The issue is the “income” that is utilized to carry out the operation. Whenever one, or a few, or many, decided they have a better plan, a new operational behavior, or find “necessary” some plans which are not in accord with the original design, all of the above (negative things) become a part of the operation.
Throughout it’s 2000+ years of operation men and women have concluded their plans, designs, schemes, practices, desire, needs, focus, etc. are better (or probably better) than those of the founder. Hence, the Church has become an organism that struggles, hurts, damages itself and others, and even fails in part, damaging the structure of the whole.
There is an easy fix. Follow the design/plan! Not sure where to get that info? Read the Book. Or, in some cases, have someone read it to you, explain it to you, because it is required that you follow it if you wish to be successful.