Surrender is the preference

If you could make big bucks by doing something that did absolutely nothing for the Lord, and only moderate bucks doing something that reached people perhaps even all over the world for Christ, which would you choose?

Many a talented person has been faced with making that decision. One of the brightest people I ever met is my pastor of many years in Atlanta. He has a razor sharp mind, quick wit, amazing vocabulary, and is handsome and as articulate as anyone I know. He confided in me that he really wanted to be an attorney, but reluctantly, yet obediently, entered the ministry because he knew he had been called to preach and could not say no to the Lord. I have zero doubt that had he chosen to do so he could have made many millions as an attorney.

Another friend of mine is an extremely talented athlete. He got a scholarship in baseball to a major university, and was drafted early out of college by the pros to play in the big leagues. He was offered a huge salary, but turned it down to take a job working with troubled teens to lead them to Christ for a paltry salary. Again millions were left on the table.

Hmmm… Two men who could have rocked the world with their talent and raked in the millions chose to serve the Lord instead. Do you think they lament that decision? They of course personally know countless wealthy people who support their ministries and they have ridden in their private jets, and been to their lavish estates, and eaten their chef prepared gourmet meals, and participated in multi-million dollar weddings for their children that went to only the finest schools. They have seen what they are missing out on.

I’ve asked them that question privately and they both told me that the thought has crossed their minds many times, especially when they were discouraged and satan came whispering in their ears, but both said with conviction that they would do exactly the same thing if they had it all to do over again.

I did not feel called to the ministry after becoming a Christian, but I faced the converse of the decision that they had to make a few years ago. I was very successful in business and it finally came to a point where I asked myself, how much is enough? I came up with ten million dollars “liquid” as my figure. I felt that I could easily earn 10% on that amount of money and that would yield $1 million dollars annually and after taxes would leave $600,000 free and clear. I could do a lot of good with that kind of money and never even have to touch the principal.

At the time I was thinking about this, I could have sold my company for $30 million dollars, (three times what I thought my “magic number” should be). And since I didn’t have any debt I would be set for life and so would my sons.

As added incentive to sell, the company was growing at a rapid pace and with the management team that I had in place was becoming very difficult and stressful to run. It just wasn’t fun anymore.

This decision was a no-brainer… Right???

Sell now! Take the money and run… Right???

Wrong.

Every year I earnestly begin working on my goals in October and without fail have them finished and in writing by January 15th. I began wrestling with making this decision in October. I prayed, I meditated, I scratched my head, I chewed on pencils, I banged my head on my desk, I read my Bible, prayed some more, and banged my head some more, but when I reached mid-December I still could not find peace with my decision to sell. I felt like something bad was going to happen and I kept waiting for the hammer to drop. I couldn’t eat and I couldn’t sleep, (even the paltry 3-4 hours a night that is normal for me). I knew with certainty that my uneasiness was coming from God and it became clear to me that He did not want me to sell at this time.

“But I want to sell Lord. Gimme a break here — I’ve worked hard all these years…”

“Shut up your whining and do as you’re told!”

I knew if I kept the company and grew it more that we would need more top level management and it would be expensive and I would have to work twice as hard. Why do it? How much is enough? I wondered why God didn’t want me to sell.

I came to the conclusion that albeit going from zero to $30 million has a nice to ring to it and is a nice accomplishment; zero to $75 million has an even nicer ring and would be a MAJOR accomplishment that not many in this old world ever achieve. My plans after retirement were to use my testimony to demonstrate how God used His awesome power to transform my life from being doomed to prison, death, or insanity as a homeless drug addict/alcoholic/criminal to a peaceful family man and multi-millionaire who loves the Lord with all of his heart.

When this thought got settled in my mind, I completely surrendered, (submitted, yielded, gave up, capitulated, acquiesced) to God. When I made the decision to put aside my personal desires and go with the more difficult assignment of sticking with it for a few more years, it was like God removed a huge weight from my shoulders and I knew peace for the first time literally in months. It was a tremendous feeling of relief and one I shall never forget.

I realize that this would seem to be a paradox to any non-believer who doesn’t understand the joy of being within the will of God, or the torment of being outside of the will of God. Working my tail off and dealing with all of the stress of the tough growth and managing bigger issues at an intense nerve racking level instead of sitting around the pool living the good life made perfectly good sense to me, because it would allow me to remain within the will of God and turn me on to His peace that can come only from Him.

I tore into that business like a buzz saw taking no prisoners along the way. I worked exceedingly difficult and long hours, dumping all of our profit back into the company in order to enhance the infrastructure. At tremendous expense I moved the entire company to a nicer neighborhood and facility in order to attract and hire a top notch work force. Once I had that solid management team in place I really rolled up my sleeves and we went to work with reckless abandon. We grew the company like crazy and then sold it at the perfect time, (two weeks before the stock market crashed).

Ask me if I’m happy that I obeyed God and did not take the easy money and the easy road.

Yes…

The platform I now have, (Zero to $75 million), makes it far easier to be taken seriously by the secular world and get on television talk shows, radio, newspapers, Internet, garner speaking engagements, sell books, and perhaps even make a movie, etc.

Guess what? Literally millions of people are hearing and will hear how Christ saved me and how they too can tap into His eternal grace. It offers hope to so many who have lost hope. I am so happy I surrendered.

I say all of that to encourage you to pray about your major decisions as best you know how to determine the will of God for your life. Don’t focus on material things but spiritual and mostly obedience and total surrender to God.

Upon our deaths and we enter heaven, everyone mentioned in this devotion or Christian who is reading it will be stripped of every possession but one . And that my friends will not be a Rolex watch, but simply the good works that we have accomplished on this earth in honor of our Lord and Savior.

In Matt. 6:19 it states:
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

How do we get treasures to store in heaven?

What kind of treasures are they?

I am convinced that whatever our wealth on this earth might consist of must be dedicated to God and used as His work demands. Wealth used for doing good is treasure laid up in heaven. Christ urges us to make the best things in our lives the joys and glories of the “other” world, those things “not seen” which are eternal, and to place our happiness in them. Those are the treasures in heaven.

Money is not the root of all evil; the “love” of money to fulfill worldly lusts is the root of all evil. It is far easier to spread the word of Christ if one is properly funded. Once funding is obtained though it can be a major challenge to remain free of the “love of money’s” grip on one’s psyche and therein our souls. Many cannot handle it and soon forget about God and fall to money’s temptations, (which are many). Maybe that is why the Bible warns not to work too hard to be rich in this world.

Take it from me, it ain’t easy, but rest assured we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us if we are willing to submit to His will and purpose for our lives and completely surrender…

Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”