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“A car for every purse and purpose,” quipped legendary CEO, President, and
Chairman Alfred P. Sloan. As an initial leader in the auto industry, at least
as important as Henry Ford, Sloan led GM for over 4 decades, changing the way
the business is done, car are made, and trends are set. He was the consummate
businessman, who also amassed great wealth, lending his name to a philanthropic
organization valued at over one billion dollars. Let’s hear it for free
enterprise, where are Communism’s philanthropic gifts? Enough said about the
benefits of Communism, for now. But he was also famous for another quote, “the
business of GM is not making cars, but making money.” And in the fifties and
sixties, when GM had almost 60% of the total US car market, the US wanted to
break them up, fortunately didn’t. Maybe they had learned a lesson from
breaking up Standard Oil, making John D. Rockefeller 27 times richer when they
broke his company up into 27 smaller companies. Another example of why
government should stay out of business. Leave it to those who know it. But
among Sloan’s many contributions, one still stands out today, and is practiced
by every company producing goods. I refer to the annual model change. Longer,
lower, wider...and designed just enough to make your old car look old. Again a
Sloan quote, “You can sell a young man’s car to an older man, but you cannot
sell an old man’s car to a younger man.”
As long as I can remember, the new car signs posted in dealership windows
have drawn me to them. And growing up in the sixties, there was a lot to be
excited about. Muscle cars-SS, GTO’s, BOSS Mustangs, GTX, and Hemi’s, there was
a lot to be excited about. And new models, where even my mother could tell the
difference between a 1965 and a 1966. Maybe more subtle in some cars, but just
enough to make you think this year, instead of last. And if you wanted to be
the first kid on your block with the newest and coolest, you paid full sticker,
earning you bragging rights. But there was an opposite philosophy, wait until
year end for left over discounts, and many did, and still do today. Gambling if
the car was still worth it, and not giving into this year’s newest rage. But
the annual model year changes go on, if to a lesser extent. Not just in cars,
as motorcycles come out with new models, new colors, more options, better
performance, and of course higher prices. And Harley has learned like Mercedes
Benz did 40 years ago, raising the price every year on new models, makes the old
ones worth more at trade-in time. And so the curse of the annual model change
is still with us, and many of us still wait to see what is new this year, even
if it is just trim and color. There is something about a new car or motorcycle
that we just cannot resist.
So I think that a gene must exist for us humans to want the newest model.
Take cell phones, marketing types know just when to announce a new model, and
when yours is worn out. Built in obsolescence, another term given to Sloan, and
one we are guilty of today. Again phones, when growing up, you had phones you
got from Bell Tel, and they lasted forever. If they broke, the man came out and
you got a new one. Try that one at Verizon. If you had a problem, you got an
operator, who directed your call, instead of press 1 and hope. Many problems
avoided by direct human contact...what a concept. And nothing can be more
frustrating than calling customer service with questions, and they are reading
from the same manual you are. And they have questions for you! Built in
obsolescence at it s height! So we just by the new model, getting a trade for
our old unit, and the system goes on. And someone, somewhere out there gets the
ne car or bike or whatever, and is glad to get it. Recycling long before
recycling became a mantra. So from phones, to fashion, to cars and bikes, to
religion-yes religion, people change at the slightest whim...all based on
pride.
I have talked with men and women who changed churches because they weren’t
the music leader. They changed the church carpets without asking their
opinion. They got a new pastor, who taught from the Bible, making them feel
uncomfortable in their sin. And the list goes on. Some are looking for self
worth, found in self appeasement, and in glorifying themselves. Some have
fallen prey to the name it and claim it lie. Some even doubt the deity of
Jesus, claiming He isn’t God, and just a man. Changing to fit their life
styles, and feeding their own egos. Pride...and it always goes before the fall,
always has and always will. One thing that a new model year intro has purposely
avoided.
To paraphrase Alfred P., “young men are willing to serve a old God.” And
we are. For God is not old, He is eternal. Even in dog years, He is still a
kid compared to eternity. And was there at the beginning....how old was He
then? But His ways have stood the tests of time, and where others fail with a
new interpretation of scripture, Jesus Christ remains the same today as He did
yesterday, and will be tomorrow. A good thing to know in a constantly changing
world, that contrary to the theory of evolution, is getting older and lesser
every day. A law, not a theory, the second law of thermodynamics, things are in
a constant state of atrophy. Works on cars, motorcycles, and phones, you would
be foolish to think people are exempt from it. But we are getting old, or maybe
just older as Ray and I agree, but we aren’t as quick as we used to be. And as
it seems time is going faster, maybe it is really just me going slower. Face
it, we need God more today than ever. So why do we look elsewhere, when we have
a factory warranty, with a living God there to provide? What is your excuse?
Please, just the short list.
Seek God first, then all other things will be added unto you. Good advice
from Matthew 6, who although a scumbag tax collector, came to Christ, even
having Him eat at his table. Imagine the group there that night. Imagine what
the neighbors had to say about that! But again good advice, but only if taken.
And if not taken, you will be taken, by someone else’s false advice. So today
God promises you can be a new creation in Christ, which has to be better than my
old, scarred body. I can have confidence that when I call He will answer, and
all things will work out for my good. When Jesus gets the glory, we get the
benefits. “A God for every purse and purpose,” you might say. The business of
Jesus is making new creatures, not making money.” “The business of business is
business,” Sloan understood. So let the business of salvation, redemption, and
God be God’s. He doesn’t ask for your advice, but He allows you to give His
advice to others. Something I would be reticent to do, knowing others. But the
same truth that sets you free, will ensure you make it to heaven. It doesn’t
promise a smooth road, but a rough one, where God can be God in every
instance...if you let Him.
Shopping for a God today, make Jesus your first stop. No others can
compare, so don’t fall for all the false hype. You won’t need another one next
year, as God’s perfect model was the best from the start. No longer,
lower,wider, or lower payments. Everything you are looking for in life can be
found in Jesus Christ today. What will it take for you to become a believer
today? Lexus may promise the pursuit of perfection, it is already found in
Jesus.
love with compassion,
Mike
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