Do You Know The Secret? Part 3

I had originally thought I could address the book "The Secret" in two articles, but there is another statement that is so out of alignment with the intent and purpose of scripture it deserves attention. It is this:

"Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and Jesus were not only prosperity teachers, but also millionaires themselves, with more affluent lifestyles than many present-day millionaires could conceive of."

Let's talk about the lives of some of these men to see if they measure up to this claim.

"I will bless you and make you great..." This was a promise made by God to Abraham. Was he actually a 'prosperity teacher'? Did he live his life by the tenents of the so called 'law of attraction'? We know nothing of Abraham's early life. He was 75 years old when God appeared to him. Most of the rest of his life was spent wandering - which means he probably lived in a tent for that time. He did live for periods in what could be called the lap of luxury- in Egypt the Pharaoh took a liking to his wife and he was treated well because of her. He was also treated well by Abimelech, a Philistine king. Both relationships ended badly. It seems Abraham had a problem with lying. He told these leaders his wife was his sister. A number of Abraham's problems were self inflicted. The behaviors he demonstrated are certainly not in keeping with sending happy thoughts to the universe. I'm not even sure if his emotional condition is ever mentioned. However, he is known by one outstanding trait. Obedience to God. He did acquire a great deal of wealth along the way. Most of that was in the form of livestock.

While Isaac seems to have inerited is father's penchant for misrepresentation, his sons took it to a new level. Jacob used deceit to steal his brother's birthright and lived most of his life in fear of his sibling, who had vowed to kill him. Years later when they met again Jacob was so afraid he split his possessions in half, thinking that if one group was attacked, the other might be able to get away. He came along last. He was not what we would call a picture of ebullient self-confidence.

Joseph, was of exemplary character and competence. As a young man his jealous brothers sold him into slavery. Later he was falsely accused of philandering with his boss' wife and thrown into prison for a number of years. Finally, some two years after interpreting the dream of one of his cell mates, he was called into the presence of Pharaoh himself. His interpretation of Pharaoh's dream was accepted and he became one of the highest ranking officials in Egypt. The rest, as they say, is history. Nothing bad is ever said of Joseph.

Joseph would be the closest of these who would have lived a luxurious lifestyle. But not before all the other bad things happened. Those events were not in his control. His life should be studied, not for how richly he lived, but because of his attitude and perseverance.

I've already written about Jesus in a previous article, but I will mention a few things. Was his lifestyle the envy of millionaires today? Not exactly. At one time when asked where he lived he replied, "...foxes have holes, birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has not where to lay his head...." He never amassed riches for himself and spent His life exclusively in the service of others. His death on the cross was to atone for the sins of all mankind.

Jesus taught that putting faith in Him was of supreme importance, above any kind of riches, business success, or health. He told his followers that gaining the wealth of the entire planet was worthless if they died without Him.

It would be incorrect to say that any of these people "...lived more affluent lifestyles than many present-day millionaires could conceive of...." Even the richest king of Israel, Solomon, who made approximately a billion dollars in gold each year, couldn't flip on a light switch, turn on a TV, or reach into a refrigerator and pull out a cold drink. An American of modest means today has it better than these people did for most or all of their days.

The scriptures help us put things in perspective. While having a lot of money and the attendant material things can be good, their weight becomes very small when compared to eternity. Especially if those things become a hindrance to a right relationship with God. "...lay not up for yourselves treasure upon the earth, ...but rather lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven...." This is the kind of prosperity taught by Jesus. We would do well to follow His advice.

An Imagined Conversation

This would have taken place on either April 23rd, or April 24th of this year.
Me: Hello, is this the President of BP?
(The responses are up to your imagination. This is the conversation from my side of the phone. )
This is the President of the United States:
I'm very sorry to hear about the explosion of your oil rig. My condolences for those who have lost their lives.
Let me ask: Have you made arrangements for those who died in this disaster and their families?
What about the injured? Are they being taken care of?
Is everyone who was present on the rig accounted for and safe?
OK. Great.
I understand the pipe is leaking right now, do you have a contingency plan in place for this?
How can the United States help you stop this leak?
I've got my top disaster guy here on the phone too. I'm going to turn this over to him. Whatever you need he'll arrange to get for you.

How hard could it be?

Do You Know the Secret? Part 2

This is the second part of a series based on "The Secret". What I am trying to do is show where the ideas in the book agree with scripture and where they do not. The first part is about those areas I have a problem with. This will show some areas where "The Secret" compares rather well with scriptural principles. Many of these agreements have to do with our attitudes. Let's look at a few of them.

JOY: .... What your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.... A job well done is anything but drudgery. It is joy. It is a great thing to be able to accomplish something in any area, business, sports or in personal living.
Some years back I was working at a small company designing machines. One day my boss, AJ comes in and says, "I've got some good new and some bad news." "What's the good news?" I asked. "You get to design an new machine." "And the bad news?" "I need to take it with me when I leave- next Friday!" Did I tell you this was also Friday? I had less than a week to design and build a machine. "OK." I said. The next Friday we tested that machine and loaded it into the back of his truck. It was a week of hard work. It was also a week of pure joy.

CONTENTMENT: ...Eat your bread with happiness... Godliness with contentment is great gain... These days there is a lot to worry about. However, over the years I've found out that over 90% of the things I worry about never come to pass! That means I've wasted a lot of mental energy thinking about the wrong stuff. Now if some worry comes to mind I'm a little bit relieved. Odds are against it happeneing. On a larger scale, contentment is a demonstration of faith. Not that I am somehow in control, - God is.

THANKFULNESS: ... In everything give thanks... Rejoice evermore...Come into his presence with singing. It is in this area that "The Secret" comes very close to scripture. Giving thanks is one of the great hallmarks of a person of faith. King David recognized this. Praise and thanks are scattered all over the Psalms. David recognized that being able to come into the presence of the Living God is the greatest honor that can be enjoyed in this life.

GENEROSITY: ...Freely you received - freely give...When you give to the poor do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing...Give to him who asks of you.... All these statements were made by Jesus. He was demonstrating a principle. I am freely giving of Myself to you. Now you do the same.

The above attitudes are great, but having them does not guarantee that success in any area of life (such as business or wealth) will absolutely follow as implied in "The Secret." You can have the best attitude in the whole world and your business still fail. That failure may have nothing to do with you, your efforts or your thoughts. For example, lets say you are a farmer. You plant at the best time of year and in the best possible way. This does not guarantee a successful crop. Things may happen which are not anticipated. What if there's a drought? What if some careless person starts a fire and it gets out of hand? What if some kind of pestilence comes? In any endeavor, be it farming, any other business or sports there is always some uncertainty. That's one of the things that makes life so interesting. Solomon say this in Ecclesiastes 11:6: "Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well." He acknowledges uncertainty and suggests for us to always be looking for opportunities. One may fail. In that case there are others which may not.

In light of this, what is my best attitude to have? I am a creation of God. My most important relationship is to Him. I can have eternal life through faith in His Son, Jesus. The above attitudes, Joy, Contentment, Thankfulness and Generosity flow from my relationship with God and sipll over to other people around me. If I gain any material succes in life, great! If not I can always rest in the fact the God will not leave me or forsake me. It is He who guarantees my soul. This does not mean I should not strive for excellence in all I do. To the contrary my actions are a form of worship. All is for His glory.