When You Take, You Lose - When You Give, You Gain
November 29th, 2006 | Michael Pink
Work is where we trade a portion of our life for finance in order to make the remaining portion of our life better. Ideally, our work is also fulfilling and enjoyable. Whether we enjoy it or not, we are trading our time for some kind of reward, usually financial. Let’s face it, not many of us would remain in our jobs if we were not going to get paid, no matter how much we love it.
Because this exchange of our labor for money is sometimes painful, it is tempting to look for shortcuts. With this in mind, Solomon exhorts us that if sinners entice you saying, let’s take advantage of the innocent we will find all precious substance and fill our house with spoil. Join us. It is all for one and one for all. He warns us not to consent to this enticement. Those who are greedy for gain, taking away the life of the owners, are really lying in wait for their own life. You see, when you take advantage of someone in business for your own gain, you’re really taking a portion of their life, because money is time in foldable form. When you take some of the life of someone else, you simultaneously destroy a part of yourself. Do you see the paradox? When you take, you lose. When you give, you gain.
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November 29th, 2006 at 8:01 am
This is a really good reminder of the rewards of giving. The greatest giver of all time…gave HIS SON that we might live forever! With HIS Love overflowing in my life; I can’t resist in giving.
November 29th, 2006 at 8:12 am
Great post. We cannot create anything. It is merely redistributed. For me to buy something I have to give something up. As you pointed out, my cash involves my time. Both are limited and choices have to be made.
We should all keep in mind taht one day we will stand before God accountable for our lives…how we responded to the cross and how we responded to His creation. If God created all of mankind in His image, then all are His children (sinners and saints…believers and non-believers) and loved by Him. His desire is that none should perish, even though He ultimately knows who will chose life and how will not.
If we would keep in mind that our transactions are with not only our clients, but with our God we would hopefully make better decisions on how we deliver our goods…
Who knows, the sinner God brought into your doors might have been with the intention to use you to bring him into God’s Kingdom, not to take the wealth from the world and give to you….
November 29th, 2006 at 6:01 pm
Dear Michael,
It was a distinct honor to shake your hand in Sarasota! I learned that money is time in foldable form, and quite honestly your influence has paralyzed me and made me conscious of the need to evaluate and measure my performance in the workplace against a much higher standard, that being Gods Judgment. When we think of money as taking life from another, in proper context, I would agree as it would apply to those committed believers. In some cases however receiving money from a person who is unsaved is a gift and even a biblical mandate. Thank you, and continued Blessings. William
www.holyspiriteconomics.org
November 30th, 2006 at 5:51 am
Does this have anything to do with Supply/Demand or what Trade Type I’m involved in?
November 30th, 2006 at 8:22 pm
My belief is that it does, and that it’s more an issue of being consistent and operating with integrity. Are you taking advantage of someone because of their situation or belief system?
I don’t believe that we are to give our products or services away to anyone, Christian or not. We need to make a living and stay in business. However, if God is telling us to help someone out then we need to be obedient.
I suppose it could be argued that God told me to gouge someone because they were a non-believer and he wanted to teach them a lesson based on their folly. I’m not sure that I could fully support that scripturally. My guess is that his way of giving the wealth of the world to further His kingdom is based more on our receiving favor for Him and man. We can position ourselves with necessary products and services to be able to help those in need…at a good profit.
An example.. Is it fair to sell USC Notre Dame football tickets for $4000? It’s hard to say, but no one is forced to buy them.
Is it fair to sell heating oil to the inner city in Chicago at 5 times the normal rate because they need the oil and they don’t have an option? I don’t think so.
Any other thoughts?
February 28th, 2008 at 10:30 am
The more you give, the more you get. This is one of the major laws of attraction. What you send out, you shall reap in abundance