We have all heard the bible story for the man who built his house on the sand and the man who built his house on the rocks. Which one was the wise man? If you have never heard the story, you can probably guess the right answer.
A prosperous and fulfilling life is the same way. If you want a stable life that is full of joy and fulfillment, it has to be built on a solid foundation. Let's say you cruised through college partying and having a good time. When it came time, you met that special someone, got married, started a family but never took responsibility for the future of your family. Eventually, the partying lifestyle would begin to take it's toll on your family.
Building a life of fulfillment is a lot like that. You see, true wealth is more than financial success. I know people that have more money than they can spend but have no time to enjoy it or their pursuit of riches has cost them their family. Since the only things we take with us when we die are relationships and memories, I'd say the person that only chases money is still poor no matter how much his/her banker loves him/her.
The richest man who ever lived, King Solomon, asked for one thing and one thing only; WISDOM (1 Kings 4:29-30). Since this is what he asked of God, God said all of the other "stuff" would be his also. Maybe it's just me but it really sounds like the path to true wealth begins with wisdom and if the wisdom is the key, then knowing God must be the beginning of all wisdom.
Now, there is something else. I don't know how many times I've heard the words, "Money isn't everything" and "You have too much money, you need to give some of it to the poor." People that think like this make me sick. I can say that because I have thought like that myself and I'll tell you that being poor doesn't help anyone. It only makes you frustrated. It keeps you from being a blessing to someone who truly needs the help and if you think it is holy to be poor, you are believing an age old lie spun by the devil himself. Even Mother Teresa was worth over $3 million when she passed away.
I'm not going to get in the biblical aspect of money or religion here but i'd say that if you have believed you are a better person because you are broke, you are sadly mistaken. I can prove it. When you live paycheck to paycheck, who do you think of most on payday; the needs of you and your family or the single mom down the street that struggles just to keep power on in the house? So tell me, is your lack really helping anyone?
The point of this article is not to vent but the attitude toward "Stuff" in our country has created the mess our government is in today. In order to turn things around, I believe we need to change our thought process and attitude toward wealth and that begins with a strong, right foundation.
Look at wealth like this. Nothing was ours when we were born and nothing is ours when we die. The only thing that has mattered is how we use what we have been given. If nothing on this earth is new, and somethings get passed on to the next generation, then God must have owned everything from the beginning and he will own it all when we are finished with it. So it makes since that we are just stewards of everything we have.
How are you going to use your resources to make a difference? What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind. Are you chasing true wealth or are you just trying to get rich? A mentor of mine by the name of Mike Murdock once said "You will ALWAYS put your time and money into what is most important to you." For some, that might be depressing.
I don't have a video clip today but instead just a link to The Wisdom Center website where there are all kinds of resources that relate to true wisdom.
