The Inner Conflict Continued
January 11th, 2007 | Michael Pink
More than ever I am convinced that our biggest hindrance in the pursuit of our goals is the way we think. After reading the blog postings from last week, it is evident that many of you, like me, have struggled being in an environment where success is measured by dollars, while having a heart that knows it is so much more. In fact, most of us are more comfortable with the “so much more” aspect than the financial side. Yet we need the financial side to not only provide for our family, but also to support the great works we believe in.
This year, we are going to get comfortable with the financial side. I did not say we are going to pursue riches. I did not say we are going to make an idol of finances. I said we are going to get comfortable with finances. You need to get comfortable with the notion of wealth if you are working in a field where the top levels of that field experience wealth as part of the prize for succeeding there. I am not saying that as a librarian who wants to be a Godly influence in the library system, you will experience financial wealth or that you should expect too.
I am saying that if you are working in a field where the top rung realizes substantial financial benefit and you want to excel in that field, get comfortable with the notion of wealth or you will never experience it. The top guy in real estate or the higher echelon in financial planning consistently earn far more than the top sales guys in the copier business or the piano business or many others I could name.
When you are conflicted about the prize for succeeding in your chosen field of endeavor, you will not achieve the level of success you desire. In future blogs, we will develop this theme and bring more Scripture into it.
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January 12th, 2007 at 5:10 am
I look forward to additional studies on this topic! As a Career Counselor in the past, I had many clients tell me they did not want to be financially wealthy. Many of them stated that they just wanted enough to get by. While I encouraged them not to chase money, I often reminded my clients that if indeed the Lord blessed you with financial wealth, think of the good you could do in the kingdom if you were! Think of the charities you could start or supoort, the people you could help, the ministries you could start, etc. Let’s say you made 1 million dollars in a year. Not factoring in taxes at the moment, you could live on 100K (or less) and give away 900K for Kingdom works. Is that a bad thing as long as you are not chasing money for the sake of money? It is not the wealth that is bad, it is how you get it and what you do with it that we need to be careful of.
January 12th, 2007 at 5:47 am
It took some time to get used to making a good income without feeling a bit guilty. However, it has enabled us to adopt a child through World Vision, give anonymous financial gifts to needy people in our congregation and increase our weekly giving to the church by 25%. The more we do this, the more I seem to win more business and it confirms that this is what God wants us to do with wealth. I encourage everyone to give and God will give back abundantly!
January 12th, 2007 at 5:53 am
I could really use some help on this topic. As a financial advisor, I have had no trouble in helping others with financial success, but struggle to help myself in this matter. I’m definitely more comfortable with the “so much more” aspect than with the financial side.
January 12th, 2007 at 6:18 am
I REALLY like the concept and look forward to a Biblically based principals to help with my ‘internal’ struggles of guilt, etc that you mentioned. Coming from parents who experienced the Great Depression, they instilled some ‘povert mentallity’ concepts that i believes inhibits my success rate. Thanks for all that you are doing! To His Glory–Blake
January 12th, 2007 at 6:51 am
For many, many years the deep-rooted notion that wealth was inherently bad and that there was something noble and even Godly about being poor restrained me. One year, my daughter gave me a copy of Zig Ziglar’s book “Confessions of a Happy Christian” and that initiated a paradigm shift in my perspective on life. In this moving autobiography, Zig Ziglar puts to test the notion that born-again Christians should wander through life bearing long faces and short pocketbooks. Dynamic, charismatic, and a spectacular success by any standard, Zig and his life story are proof positive that you don%u2019t “pay” the price for serving the Lord but, instead, you can enjoy the NOW benefits of serving Him.
Michael - press forward. There are many of us praying for your efforts in this arena.
January 12th, 2007 at 6:58 am
Amen. I struggle with being in the world and not of it and the challenges inherent in making a substantial living. I so do agree with what Steve Ellis said above. Let’s do this work and honor the Kingdom as well.
January 12th, 2007 at 7:00 am
Good word! I too am looking forward to this discussion. It’s mind boggling to think of the good that God could do through a group of submitted Christian business men and women who aren’t afraid to be successful or to let the blessings flow through them back to Him.
January 12th, 2007 at 7:13 am
If we think wealth, of which I agree, and you want to be at the top of the sales ladder in earnings in most cases you have to give up something. In the IT field selling to the federal gov’t the top rung leaders are stressed, work long hours, but they make a lot of money. How much is enough? I struggle like many of you. His grace is sufficient.
January 12th, 2007 at 7:16 am
Someone recommended a book by ? Smith on business organization. Can anyone help me identify the author?
January 12th, 2007 at 7:26 am
I have found that when I give liberally to God of my time, heart and finances He opens new doors of oppportunity and it becomes easier to do that which he is calling me to do.
When I am seeking my own agenda it becomes a struggle to do anything more then just get by.
January 12th, 2007 at 7:33 am
We have been drilled from childhood that it is wrong to be wealth and that only the poor enter the kingdom of God. The devil has skillfully built strong-holds up in the mind of God’s children across America.
How can we reach the lost with a broke and barely getting by church? You can’t… The bible says that the wealth of the wicked is laid up for the rightous. Although how can a rightous man recieve wealth or get paid what he is worth when he has been programmed to stay poor. He can’t. As a man thinks in his heart. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. Have you ever felt like that? Well you not alone…
What can make the change?
Reprogramming or renewing the mind which can only be done by the word of God. The word will not return void. You can get all the books in the word but none is better than the bible for reprogramming.
Det. 1:11
The truth will make you free but… It’s only the truth you know. My people parish for a lack of knowledge!
Your worth is not determined by your feelings or family and friends. It is determined by God. What does the bible say about your value?
Roman 8:16
II Peter 1:4
Galatians 3:13
Once you renew your mind to the truth your spirit will line up and move towards what you think your worth or better yet… What God says your worth.
Was Abraham poor? I think not and neither should you be.
Annointed for Bunsiness is a good book.
God Bless Your Brother in Christ,
Brad
January 12th, 2007 at 7:45 am
I don’t know if I feel uncomfortable with the idea of having wealth as much as I feel that it is unatainable. Comming from a long line of underacheivers, I often wonder if I am worthy of financial success. How can I change my mindset?
January 12th, 2007 at 8:42 am
I don’t expect wealth to follow as I pray and work toward the idea for a unique business and ministry opportunity that God’s allowed me. If them come, they come. If they don’t, may I be content in poverty or riches. Regardless I’m working to be a good steward of what He’s allowed me. But I’m excited to learn and hear about it. Thank you for your daily devotional. It’s an encouragment.
January 12th, 2007 at 8:58 am
I have definitely had an inner strugle with the whole issue of material wealth. It’s easy to see the material wealth of God’s people in the Old Testament. But, though I know it was literal, physical riches, I’ve always seen it as types and shadows of the true spiritual riches in Christ. What I have seen in the New Testament is people like John the Baptist, the disciples, the Apostle Paul and the Lord Jesus Himself all voluntarily laying aside the pursuit of material treasures for the treasures in heaven. I have felt the the servant is not greater than the master and to be like Jesus is to walk the same way as He walked for the sake of others. A preponderance of verses have exhorted me to go on in this way, such as:
“For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.” (1 Peter 2:21)
For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” (Philippians 1:29)
But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 3:7-11)
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” (2 Cor. 8:9)
To seek after the Giver rather than the gift and the One who blesses rather than the blessing has been my pursuit.
I have seen the Kingdom of God as one where -
To be wise, you have to become a fool,
To be exalted, you have to humble yourself,
To be great, you have to become the least of all,
To be rich, you have to become poor,
To have life, you must die.
Now let me tell you, that is a deep-rooted barrier to any kind of energey spent on wealth creation!
I do believe that these things are all true, however, I feel that the Lord is trying to bring me, and many of His children, into a fuller understanding of the ways of His kingdom. Something inwardly rings true about our Father desiring to bless us materially, at least in some measure, that we might be a blessing to others. I really need a breakthrough, a paradigm shift to go the next level, so I believe your topic and your timing is really of the Lord. Thank you for listening to leading of the Spirit. (Sorry, this was so long-obviously I’m conflicted and this issue has been on my heart!)
January 12th, 2007 at 9:16 am
I no doubt have had difficulties with being comfortable with the financial side. As I look back on some of the career choices I have made, some have probably been as a result of my expectations that it is OK to be successful but not wealthy. I will journey with this group to develop a healthier outlook with the financial piece of success in sales, with His guidance.
January 12th, 2007 at 9:44 am
I am in the mortgage business as a loan officer. The position allows me to work with many individuals who need an honest man in the business. There are so many needs that my wife and I want to sew into. We have had much teaching on wealth and having a kingdom mentality. The Lord wants us to be the head and not the tail. Worldly wealth is not a negative thing. It is our love of wealth taking away from the love for HIM that is wrong. The earth is the Lord’s. He wants his kids to not have to beg. He is for us and not against us. He loves us and wants us to be blessed.
January 12th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
Isaiah 60:11
11And your gates shall be open continually, they shall not be shut day or night, that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations–and their kings led in procession [your voluntary captives].
January 12th, 2007 at 4:00 pm
Ist time to respond but my wife and I have been blessed the last year and a half by the daily e-mails. Many many days these have been the encouragement we needed to just keep going or make significant decisions based on incredibly timely advice. I concur with several of you who have honestly shared how you struggle with this area of our Christain lives and calling. I am a financial planner and my client base is almost exclusively Christian at this stage. I know by experience this “dilemma” is shared in many Christian homes. I look forward to more growing through this study. Thank you for being a part of my growth.
January 16th, 2007 at 7:13 am
I will agree that I have been limited by my beliefs about money and acheiving success in that arena of my life. I am praying for change in that area and grateful for these emails.