The Law Of Diminishing Returns
By: Egoeh Seth Gogo

Today, I would like to share with you briefly one interesting law from Economics, the law of diminishing returns (also known as the law of diminishing marginal returns) and look at how we can apply this law in our lives to our benefit.

The law states that “if one input in the production of a commodity is increased while all other inputs are held fixed, a point will eventually be reached at which additions of the input yield progressively smaller, or diminishing, increases in output”, (britanica.com).

In other words, if one factor of production (e.g. number of workers) is increased while other factors (e.g. machine, workspace) are held constant, the overall returns will decrease after a certain point. It just means that there will be increase, but the increase will be at a decreasing level. This law is normally applicable in the short term with regards to production, since in the long term, all other inputs will change.

However, I think that we can always apply this law in our daily lives, both in the short/long term. I’d like to call the “point of diminishing returns” as the “point of diminishing sins”. We will always produce sin as output (returns) as human beings without God and His Spirit. As stated in the Bible, we are all sinners (Romans 3:23) and unrighteous (Job 15:14), and only God can produce righteousness in our lives through His Spirit.

So, in the Christian’s perspective, if we can take God, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus Christ as fixed inputs in the production environment (i.e. in our lives); and take ourselves as the one factor that needs to increase, sin will decrease and righteousness in God will increase. How can we increase? I think we can only increase through daily Bible study and prayerfully seeking the Holy Spirit’s help in everything we do. I believe, this will produce less sin and [more] righteousness in our lives.

In short, the only fixed factors we need in our lives to attain righteousness is God and His Son and Spirit; and not society. We will continue to slip away from God if we continue to make society dictates to us what is good and bad. Like Paul said, “all things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient [beneficial]”, (1 Corinthians 6:12). This just means that it is not everything that society endorses as good under the law is good/beneficial for the Christian. In short, the point is that we need to stay focused on God and the things of God.

Brethren, we have our standard, which is the Bible. Let us continuously abide by it. God never promises us that the Christian road will be smooth and easygoing, but what He does promise us is that He will always be with us – what can be bigger than this?

May God through His Holy Spirit, grant you divine knowledge to discern between good and bad according to His standards, and not according to the world/society. May He continue to protect and guide you in His perfect love so that you remain faithful to Him who is always faithful to us. Amen!