As Christmas 1996 approached, the Kingston Technology Corporation of Orange County, California, informed its 523 employees they would soon receive an extra special Christmas bonus.

Having started in the owner's garage in 1987, Kingston Technology, like many high-tech companies, had experienced explosive growth, to the point where it now was the world's largest supplier of add-on memory boards for personal computers. And each year since the company had begun with just a handful of employees, the owners had followed a generous policy of giving 10 percent of the annual profits to the workers.

Well, in 1996 another company bought Kingston Technology for $1.5 billion. The arrangement called for Kingston's owners to retain control of their company, and they decided to carry on generosity as usual: they gave 10 percent of a billion or so dollars to their employees as a Christmas bonus! With the bonus computed on the basis of seniority and performance, that meant the average employee would receive $75,000, and the highest bonuses could reach $300,000.

The decision-makers at Kingston Technology believe in giving lavish rewards to their workers. So does God. At the final judgement, the Christmas bonuses of this company will look like peanuts compared to the heavenly rewards God will shower on those who have served him in this life.

Choice Contemporary Stories & Illustrations For Preachers, Teachers, & Writers
Craig Brian Larson, Baker Books, p. 229.