I went to church today and the pastor spoke about the love of money. I found his message to be very relevant to what I have been thinking about lately (see my blog about Oprah). I want to just give a little bit of a summary to gather my thoughts on the subject a bit more.
Ecclesiastes 5:10-20 (The Message)
10 The one who loves money is never satisfied with money,
Nor the one who loves wealth with big profits. More smoke.
11 The more loot you get, the more looters show up.
And what fun is that—to be robbed in broad daylight?
12 Hard and honest work earns a good night's sleep,
Whether supper is beans or steak.
But a rich man's belly gives him insomnia.
13-17 Here's a piece of bad luck I've seen happen:
A man hoards far more wealth than is good for him
And then loses it all in a bad business deal.
He fathered a child but hasn't a cent left to give him.
He arrived naked from the womb of his mother;
He'll leave in the same condition—with nothing.
This is bad luck, for sure—naked he came, naked he went.
So what was the point of working for a salary of smoke?
All for a miserable life spent in the dark?
Make the Most of What God Gives
18-20 After looking at the way things are on this earth, here's what I've decided is the best way to live: Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives you life. And that's about it. That's the human lot. Yes, we should make the most of what God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what's given and delighting in the work. It's God's gift! God deals out joy in the present, the now. It's useless to brood over how long we might live.
Money is a good servant but a bad master.
The more we get, the more we need to take care of.
We get tied down by what we own and accumulate.
The more we have, the more we want.
The more we have, the more we spend.
The more we have, the more we hoard.
The more we have, the more we leave behind.
It is all about the approach we have towards money.
God gives work and wealth to us as a gift from God!
Be happy and content with this gift!
And "Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives you life."
This video is so inspirational, think about the effect that we could have on this world if we decided to not live in so much excess, but instead gave even a little bit of our excess!
What could this look like for you?
We often look at missionaries, or other people who fund raise their pay check and think, "that is very noble of you to make that sacrifice to serve." Why don't we think of how we can make a sacrifice so that our friends and families can serve? Or simply to sacrifice a little bit of our time and money to serve the needy in our society. I think the video tells the story better than I can.
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Wisdom from Oprah
I was reading an article about a Harvard case study that involved Oprah. You know I am really an MBA student when I am reading about Harvard case studies during my summer! haha
The article talked about the process of creating the case and how after years of working with the Harpo group (found out that Harpo is Oprah backwards haha) Oprah actually came in to speak to the Harvard MBA class.
It was an interesting article, but what really struck me were some of her comments about our desires for money and how this desire can only drive a person for so long:
"If you only desire to make money, you can do that. Obviously, everybody in here is going to make money. Everybody in here is going to have a level of financial success that most people in the world will not know. But what I will tell you—and I know this for sure too—that the money only lasts for a while in terms of making you feel great about yourself. In the beginning, the money is to get nice things. And once you've gotten those nice things, I think some of the most unhappy people I know are the people who've acquired all the things and now they feel like, 'What else is there?' What else is there? What else is there? And that feeling of 'what else is there' is the calling—is the calling trying to say to you [that] there is more than this. There is more than this."
I find so much truth in this statement! I find that so many people are driven by the desire for more money and more things. This is especially true with business people. I found it very interesting a year ago at orientation for the MBA program, we had to introduce ourselves in front of the class, and many students said that they were planning to major in Finance because they wanted to make lots of money. There is nothing wrong with wanting to make money, but this will never satisfy a person. More things will never satisfy. We can always desire to make more money, or to have a bigger house, or a better car. It never ends, there is always more to own or possess. There is always a desire for more.
What else is there? What is your calling?
Oprah went on to say:
"There is the voice that everybody hears that is your parents' voice, your professor's [voice], it's the world's voice saying to you, "you should do this, you should be this, you ought to, you got to." And then there is the still small voice—for some people it's not so small—inside of every human being that calls you to something that is greater than yourself."
What are you called to do? How can you make an impact on this world that goes beyond making more money and owning a bigger house? What impact can you make that can be left behind? When we die we can't bring our money with us, we can't bring our car, we can't bring our house or our boat. In reality, very few of us will even be remembered 4 generations from now! Can you even name your great, great grandparents, let alone know if they had lots of money or a nice house? I think I know one of my great grandparents names! We can accumulate money for future generations, but that legacy will only last so long, whereas the legacy of time, relationship, and faith can be passed on for generations. People are not remembered for the stuff they accumulated or how much money they made, but for the impact they had on this earth, and the people in it, positive or negative.
I do not know what Oprah believes as far as faith, religion, or the after life, but there is a lot of truth in what she shared with the Harvard MBA class. We can't take our possessions with us when we die, but we can make an impact while on earth. Making a difference while on earth is much more valuable and satisfying than continuing to reach for more finances and possessions that never fully satisfy.
I believe that Christ died for my sins and is preparing a place for me in heaven, I have put my faith in Him and this should and has changed my desires and goals while on earth. Money is a necessity in life, but money is not what drives me. Accumulating possessions and money is only temporary, I want to have an impact for eternity. It is much more valuable to spend hours having an impact on people through friendships and serving than spending more time in the office to bring home money and possessions that will rust and fade.
Matthew 6:19-21: "Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be."
I encourage you to think about these questions:
What else is there? What do you desire? What really satisfies?
What are you called to? How can you make a real impact on this world, now and after you die? How can your hours be best spent? Eating supper with your family or friends, or more hours alone in the office?
The article talked about the process of creating the case and how after years of working with the Harpo group (found out that Harpo is Oprah backwards haha) Oprah actually came in to speak to the Harvard MBA class.
It was an interesting article, but what really struck me were some of her comments about our desires for money and how this desire can only drive a person for so long:
"If you only desire to make money, you can do that. Obviously, everybody in here is going to make money. Everybody in here is going to have a level of financial success that most people in the world will not know. But what I will tell you—and I know this for sure too—that the money only lasts for a while in terms of making you feel great about yourself. In the beginning, the money is to get nice things. And once you've gotten those nice things, I think some of the most unhappy people I know are the people who've acquired all the things and now they feel like, 'What else is there?' What else is there? What else is there? And that feeling of 'what else is there' is the calling—is the calling trying to say to you [that] there is more than this. There is more than this."
I find so much truth in this statement! I find that so many people are driven by the desire for more money and more things. This is especially true with business people. I found it very interesting a year ago at orientation for the MBA program, we had to introduce ourselves in front of the class, and many students said that they were planning to major in Finance because they wanted to make lots of money. There is nothing wrong with wanting to make money, but this will never satisfy a person. More things will never satisfy. We can always desire to make more money, or to have a bigger house, or a better car. It never ends, there is always more to own or possess. There is always a desire for more.
What else is there? What is your calling?
Oprah went on to say:
"There is the voice that everybody hears that is your parents' voice, your professor's [voice], it's the world's voice saying to you, "you should do this, you should be this, you ought to, you got to." And then there is the still small voice—for some people it's not so small—inside of every human being that calls you to something that is greater than yourself."
What are you called to do? How can you make an impact on this world that goes beyond making more money and owning a bigger house? What impact can you make that can be left behind? When we die we can't bring our money with us, we can't bring our car, we can't bring our house or our boat. In reality, very few of us will even be remembered 4 generations from now! Can you even name your great, great grandparents, let alone know if they had lots of money or a nice house? I think I know one of my great grandparents names! We can accumulate money for future generations, but that legacy will only last so long, whereas the legacy of time, relationship, and faith can be passed on for generations. People are not remembered for the stuff they accumulated or how much money they made, but for the impact they had on this earth, and the people in it, positive or negative.
I do not know what Oprah believes as far as faith, religion, or the after life, but there is a lot of truth in what she shared with the Harvard MBA class. We can't take our possessions with us when we die, but we can make an impact while on earth. Making a difference while on earth is much more valuable and satisfying than continuing to reach for more finances and possessions that never fully satisfy.
I believe that Christ died for my sins and is preparing a place for me in heaven, I have put my faith in Him and this should and has changed my desires and goals while on earth. Money is a necessity in life, but money is not what drives me. Accumulating possessions and money is only temporary, I want to have an impact for eternity. It is much more valuable to spend hours having an impact on people through friendships and serving than spending more time in the office to bring home money and possessions that will rust and fade.
Matthew 6:19-21: "Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be."
I encourage you to think about these questions:
What else is there? What do you desire? What really satisfies?
What are you called to? How can you make a real impact on this world, now and after you die? How can your hours be best spent? Eating supper with your family or friends, or more hours alone in the office?
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