Yesterday I was interviewed by yet another radio station and the host asked if economic conditions today would make it harder, if not impossible, for someone to go from rags to riches by simply working their way up the ladder.
I responded that I believe it is just as much possible today as it was when I did it. He asked me if I thought that the young people of today were ambitious enough. I responded that a small portion of them are; however a larger portion of our population seems uninspired, and in fact possess an entitlement mentality and are too lazy to put forth the necessary effort.
However, nothing has changed in that realm that I can see, and such was much the same when I was working my way up the ladder. Some people in our nation seem to think the world owes them something for no other reason than being born. They don’t want to work and the term sacrifice is foreign to them.
I was not and am not among them. I decided early on that I would never inherit a dime or win the lottery. I realized too that I was way too boring and ugly to attract a “sugar mama” that would take care of me, so I decided that if I were to succeed, I would just have to earn my way to whatever success I enjoyed.
I made the point to the radio host that success in life requires that we maintain a great attitude with a genuine passion to succeed. We must exhibit a strong work ethic and not just work hard, but we must work smart and always be searching for better ways to accomplish our goals. Perhaps most importantly we must be determined not to give up even when things look bleak. Things will not always go well and it’s imperative to work through those periods and persevere without becoming overly discouraged and we must never lose hope and give up.
I told the radio host that I strongly believe the Bible verse, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” However it does not say, “Now that I’m a Christian, Christ will do all things for me.” The verse states that we must do our part and that is where determination, hard/smart work, and perseverance come in.
I also do not believe for a New York minute that “All things”, actually means “ALL” things. God would not bless us if we tried to start a criminal enterprise. All things refers to ALL things within God’s will for our lives.
In that regard I don’t think God wants all of us to be wealthy because it wouldn’t necessarily be healthy.
Consider two of my sons. One is very detail oriented and is a dyed in the wool “by the book” type guy. The other does not go by the book and doesn’t have a detail oriented bone in his body.
The detail oriented one decided to get his pilot’s license and he did. I have flown with him and before he takes off he ALWAYS thoroughly checks the plane and goes through his preflight routine in a fastidious, meticulous, manner leaving absolutely nothing to chance, including opening the door of the plane and yelling, “Clear”, when no one is within a mile of his plane.
My other son thinks yelling “Clear” in such a manner is cornball to say the least and is more like me in that if he could even find the preflight checklist, would probably quickly glance at it, contemptuously snort, throw it over his shoulder into the back seat, take a sip of coffee, crank that sucker up and start taxiing down the runway!
Which son would you think I would want to fly an airplane?
God looks at us in a similar manner. I can tell you first hand that wealth is not for everyone and He loves us far too much to allow some of us to have it, knowing full well that we are not well suited for it. Remember the Bible states that it is more difficult for a wealthy man to get into heaven than a camel to go through the eye of a needle. With God nothing is impossible, but it sure ain’t easy!
When you wish for all those things in this world and just can’t ever seem to obtain them, think about the fact that God loves us and wants to spend time with us in heaven…
Selah…Stop and rest and think about this for a moment…
Wealth is so difficult to manage because of incredible temptation and tremendous pressure and distractions from the world; so much so that it is exceedingly difficult to focus on the Lord and often leads to total disaster. Whitney Houston is a good example of someone who came up singing in choirs in church in her youth, and yet when she got the wealth, the power, and the fame, it got the best of her to the point that she drowned in a bathtub with cocaine and a cocktail of other drugs coursing through her body. Elvis died that way, as did Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobaine, Michael Jackson, and on and on…
Success is not the attainment of wealth, power, or fame. Plenty of people are wealthy, famous and powerful that are also totally miserable. Misery is not a definition of success. Success is knowing peace, joy, and love.
Ask yourself this question, if I could have tremendous wealth today, what would I buy with it? The answer would eventually boil down to you would buy whatever would bring you peace, joy, and love in your life.
We all long for it. Unfortunately we look in the wrong places; we can’t find it by putting cocaine up our nose, or taking pills; we won’t find it in a bedroom or a bar room; it is not to be found in a bank account, private jet, yacht, plane, or grand home; accomplishing some significant achievement; or in being exceedingly famous, or powerful.
God will not allow everyone to enjoy earthly wealth, power, or fame; however there is no question that peace, joy, and love are available to every single one of us free for the asking through Jesus Christ. Millions enjoy it that live simply and in the most humble of circumstances.
My friends the Bible tells us that success can only be found through a close personal daily relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ. And it is just as easy today to have that relationship as it was when I put my faith in him 40 years ago, or as it was centuries before. Success is free for the asking, but we have to ask.
Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.