WHAT IF

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14

“If God be for us, who can be against us?” Ro 8:31 KJV

On August15,1987, Howard Schultz was faced with the toughest decision of his life whether or not to buy a small chain of coffeehouses with a strange name: Starbucks. The price was $3.8 million. Knowing what we know now, it seems like a no-brainer. In his memoir, Pour Your Heart Into It, he reflects on his “what if” moment: “‘This is my moment,’ I thought. ‘If I don’t seize the opportunity, if I don’t step out of my comfort zone and risk it all, if I let too much time tick on, my moment will pass.’ I knew that if I didn’t take advantage of this opportunity, I would replay it in my mind for my whole life, wondering: ‘what if?’” So he gave up the safety net of a $75,000 annual salary to pursue his passion for all things coffee. Five years later, Starbucks went public on the NASDAQ. That day, by the closing bell, its market capitalization was $250 million. Not bad for a $3.8 million investment! Nowadays, Starbucks has more than 40,000 stores all over the world, with a net revenue calculated in billions and billions of dollars. This represents billions of cups of coffee sold! There are 1,784 “ifs” in the Bible. Most function as conditional conjunctions in front of God’s promises. If we meet the condition, God delivers on the promise! “If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land” (Isa1:19 NIV). Are you a redeemed child of God contemplating taking a risk that scares you? Here’s an “if” promise you can stand on with confidence: “If God be for us, who can be against us?”