Just finished an interesting book called Being Broke Makes No Sense. The author, Marshall James, is a Captain in the US Armed Forces.
What I like about this book is that it challenges the beliefs many of us were raised with. If you’re religious, you were likely indoctrinated in the belief that the pursuit of wealth is bad. Many who subscribe to this limiting belief often quote Luke 18:24-25: It is harder for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.
My mother used to repeat that part of the scripture regularly. As a result, we were all raised to believe that pursuing wealth was wrong. But my Mom was wrong.
“Many well-intentioned family members, friends and even the church have conditioned us to believe that poverty somehow brings us closer to God. There is nothing in the Bible that suggests we must live our lives in poverty in order to be rich..” Marshall James
I have written many times about The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25: 14-30). This parable makes a strong case that the pursuit of money is a good thing. In this parable, the master gives each of his servants Money (talents). The two servants who took some risk and were able to double the money the master had given them were given more money. They were rewarded with more.
The purpose of this parable is to highlight the fact that the pursuit of wealth is a good thing.
Do not accept the limiting beliefs you were raised with. They will prevent you from realizing success in life.
Mark 9:35 And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”
We exist to serve others. When, in our service, we add value to others, we will be rewarded. The key then, is to pursue some purpose in life that allows you to add value to the lives of others. When you find that purpose, you will be rewarded financially and realize great success in life.
About Thomas C. Corley
Tom,
I read your blog almost every day. As a believer in Jesus Christ, your article strikes a cord. I would add that the pursuit of money is not the sin. It’s in the lustful pursuit of something other than his God that a person makes this his master. Matthew 6:26 says , “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” It is my hope that the person who is reading this will make their relationship with Jesus supersede their relationship with money and riches and knowing that God will provide richly to those who place their faith in them. Keep up the great work, Tom!