WEALTH – It’s worth examining

Money is often referred to as currency. It is used to enable “Quid Pro Quo” (This for that) transactions. In a court of law, it’s commonly referred to as a  negotiable instrument.  On the streets it has several vernaculars such as, bread, mean green, stash, shake, you get the Idea. What role does money play in our lives?  I would say it’s as important as air. Without money, (or a negotiable instrument) your life is going to be  difficult.  Without a fair amount of it, it’s going to be a struggle. And if it’s not, the struggle is coming at someone else’s expense. (like mom and dad’s  or the Tax Payer)

But many of us SAY we want wealth. But the media (Television, newspaper and radio) has done a great job of making you think money is bad. A  casual example is “Gilligan’s Island”. How did the producers of Gilligan’s Island make the Howells look? Idiot misers? So as children we thought, if we  get rich, we’ll be perceived as helpless idiot  buffoons.

Even before television. Look at Dickens and “A Christmas Carol” Ebenezer Scrooge is depicted as a cruel heartless miserable penny pinching MISER.

Let’s go way back now. Look at the New Testament. Jesus says: “It will be easier for a camel to pass thru the eye of a needle; than for a rich man to  enter heaven”. (Matt 19:24)  Let me explain this example, he was saying that it would be more likely that a camel would pass through the eye of a  needle than a rich man to humble himself before God.  It was not the abundance of money preventing the rich man; rather his spiritual poverty.

And of course this goes along with 1st Timothy 6:10 “The Love of money is the root of many evils”. (This verse is often misquoted as: “Money is the root  of all evil”) It’s not the money.  It’s the “Love” of money that is the root of “Many” (not all) Evils.

But money is like oxygen. Those with money do not die of exposure. Those who have money still die, eventually, but even the apostle Paul said that it  was important for man to work and earn his living.  A poor person is not going to put food in the stomach of another poor person. (I’m paraphrasing)  More importantly; Paul said he had learned to live with abundance and without.  One of my top 10 favorite sayings from “Ace’s book of sayings” is: “If  you can’t be happy without money; you’ll never be happy with money”.  It kills me to see couples divorce over finances.  Money comes and goes but  marriage is a holy covenant.

I’ve actually heard preachers say that they “didn’t want to be to rich or they might forget God, yet they didn’t want to be poor or they might resent  God”.

I’ve been studying the subject of Money quite a bit lately. It started when I invested in the DVD “The secret”.   The secret is a well produced movie about being able to “Manifest” anything you want if you just focus on it hard enough.  It’s called the “Law of Attraction”.  It promises you can “do”, “have” or “be” anything you want.  The secret is one of the nicest incomplete  movies you’ll ever watch. Of course if you go on the internet you’ll find a plethora of books, videos and CD’s that try to sell you the “missing SECRET“.

All of them are trying to tell you that the reason the “Secret” is not working for you is because you have a “limiting belief”. And just buy my  book/CD/DVD and I’ll show you how to identify and rid yourself of your subconscious belief that is holding you back from your riches.  Such as “I don’t deserve to be rich”.

I spoke earlier about our attitudes that we have about rich people. This indeed is more common than you might believe. There are endless reasons why  people won’t let themselves become rich. The biggest reason (and I’ll save you about 200 bucks in books) is that you don’t feel that you’re deserving  for one reason or another (or several).

I’m afraid money would change me.  I wouldn’t feel right making more money than my parents.  The Bible says I should be poor.  Most rich people I know are unhappy, etc……

These are all dearly held beliefs. But they’re all just flawed progammed scripting.

Yes money can change you, but what’s wrong with not having bills to pay?  Your parents are abusing you if they wouldn’t love for you to be wealthy?  The Bible says nothing about wanting you to be poor.  Actually the Bible talks about “Abundant blessings“.  Happiness comes from within.  Happiness is  a state of being.  It’s not something that money buys.  Now the lack of money can lead to many situations that will challenge your happiness if you don’t  have a solid relationship grounded in trust, but money in its’ self is just a tool. It’s like a fork. Forks don’t make you fat just as money doesn’t make you  happy or unhappy.

Americans should have a greater respect (not love) for money.  Parents, teach your children to respect money as you would a hot stove.  It’s humanly  essential to be financially responsible.  Just as much as it is to be hygienically clean or morally disciplined.

Remember, you can never be too thin or too rich.