How much am I offered for dedication?

In defense of avarice, selfishness (call it greed), Wall Street executives defend multi-million dollar bonuses...in addition to their multi-million dollar salaries... argue that if the institutions they shepherd are to prosper, then to attract and recruit talented men and women it becomes necessary to offer very large salaries. In short, this means that men and women who are wise in financial management can squeeze money out of the pockets of others into their own purse or pocket. This is what it is because it is the way the world (and worldly) to operate(s). No surprise.
Lane change...
Moving from the money stream to the spiritual stream; is is possible that the same principle applies in the management of institutions of the church? Put another way, is the church having to "buy" talent? or, is dedication negotiable?
It is relatively easy to buy talent. If the church does that...you and I are the church... are we also buying devotion to the work of the Lord? You decide.
To the Mind of the Essayist, it appears that the Lord's business is being gradually nudged aside in favor of man's business. When I look, for example, at the medical work from the outside...an admittedly out-of-date and limited perspective...I see a system that looks alarmingly like any other medical system in any other city. But perhaps in order to remain relevant and effective such a migration has to occur...perhaps.
The encouraging part is that while we may seem to be corroding from the inside out, there are 7000 who have not bowed the knee to the Ba-al (a reference to Elijah after he fled from Jezebel). These men and women are determined to build for the Lord the best departments, the best offices, the best care they can; and do so amidst political struggles; the first of which began in heaven. These 7000 (symbolic) faithful workers determine to design and order their corner of the work, small or large, by determining to give compassionate care in the name of Jesus Christ; and to do so without having to be bought.
One may sell themselves as a dedicated and devoted worker in the field of God. It is those who buy who are foolish because the transaction is a one way street. dedication cannot be bought.
Don't think about these things too much. Pray! Pray for revival and reformation in all areas and at all levels of our institutions before the hand of the Lord brings judgment on the centers that stand as monuments to the wisdom of man. And pray for the 7000. I know some of them; they are good and dedicated people. e.c.