I am sick of hearing “PASSIVE INCOME” and “GETTING RICH NOW” from every corner.
Money, money, money, money!
People are worshiping Mammon every single day of their lives by chasing money. Millions of YouTube videos are about:
– making a YouTube channel to earn money
– create digital products to earn money
– making socials to earn money
– writing books to make money
– even shaking your a$$ to earn money
– doing this, making that..
Yes, money is responsible for the exchange of goods and services. BUT we can’t build our lives around getting goods. What about building our lives around the Calling! The Essential Reason We Are ALIVE?
It was no different in the times of Jesus when he was telling his disciples not to chase money, but to seek the Kingdom of God and its righteousness first.
Every single human being is called to do so. We did not come to this earth to consume only. There is no such thing in nature as just being a consumer only. All the world lives in harmony – a cycle of taking and giving, sawing and ripping. Every single creature takes part in the chain of life! Only humans consume unstopably. Unapologetically. Like crazy. More, more, and more. A never-satisfied hunger for goods, for money, power, taking everything that can be taken.
We are not called to live this way! We were not created for this. The human being is created in the image of GOD. The nature of God is to build, give, and create!
We are built to produce! But not only goods for uncontrollable consumption. We can invent, bring order, make things beautiful around us, communicate, share, give, love.
What am I producing today? Am I just building nets to get people caught in to extract some money from them? Or do I build the Kingdom of God on earth?
Christians know that they are following Christ for his teaching. However, Christians, despite being named after Christ, disregard his main value: the Kingdom of God here on earth and its righteousness.
We have to bring the Kingdom of God to everything we do. Not to bring the church. Not to bring religion. Not to bring another system of oppression. But to make things right!
Why can’t Christians do it these days? Because their main concern is money. Money for “noble” things, of course, because we all know that Christians maintain the “righteous” brand. What kind of righteousness is that? Is this righteousness to help the poor, the one in need, the orphan, the destitute, the sick? Or is it the pretended righteousness that is like a suit that you can take off when the discussion is about money?
Because when it is about money, it is a totally different story. When it is about money, the so-called righteous fellow has the total right to mislead, abuse, pretend to be a servant, thinking of his benefit while chasing his own income?
What happened to Christ’s statement: Don’t think of what you should eat and drink because the pagans are worried about those things? Seek first the Kingdom of God? First, his order in all things? Bring order to everything you can? Teach?
Create goods and services that matter..
Make difference..
Make impact..
All these are imprinted on the back of our minds. But then the “opportunity” presents itself on our way to righteousness, we choose to bypass it, while we are chasing our own interests.
For whom was this parable of a Good Samaritan?
The opportunity presented itself to three people and only one was able to prove the righteousness – the Samaritan.
Are we even close to the Samaritan? Are we anywhere near the person who expended his own goods to help another human being in trouble? Are we anywhere near the person who postponed his plans to do something for the other?
At this point, many of us may remember how they drifted away from this Samaritan standard at some point in their path following Christ. Someone’s kind intentions were not appreciated; someone’s were abused. I get that. Does this cancel the reason we decided to follow Christ? Does disappointment cancel that?
So many times, I myself was misunderstood, not appreciated, and my desire and attempt to help were abused. And so what? I have learned to understand who truly needs help, who doesn’t, who is sincere in their cry for assistance, and who is looking for an opportunity to get more for less at my expense. I am learning every day, so that I can keep moving on the path I have chosen.
Yes. It doesn’t always work the way we want. I am the first one to witness it. But that is ok. Jesus himself was misunderstood; his kindness was abused by the one from his closest circle. He was unappreciated. He kept moving and finding those who will value what He does for them.
That is why he was preaching about the Sower. He experienced that. He knew what it meant for His words to fall on deaf ears. He knew what it meant: people are consumed by mundane things and do not want to change anything.
And He kept sowing! To get the seed into good soil.
It takes time, effort, and countless unsuccessful attempts to build the right world around you.
When things are right, when the most important things in life are taken care of, the work brings results. It doesn’t happen the next day. So why do Christians chase the PASSIVE INCOME, the GET RICH TOMORROW ideas and techniques? Either it is in finances or in services they create, in the YouTube channel they develop, in books they write, in relationships they build? Chasing money is the problem. Trying to get rich now, to get money now, fast and easy, is the problem.
But, Kate! – You will say – You are charging for your services.
Yes, I do, but… 100 times below the value I give. I work my hours to create solutions that go beyond money. They extend to ETERNITY. They will live beyond my physical existence. I make people pay so that others can benefit from these solutions. The money comes as promised every single time. God never betrayed me. He did take care of all my needs.
It doesn’t mean I don’t need money. Money will not be enough to cover all the needs of mine, of my family, of the people and animals I take care of. That is normal. Even millionaires lack money. Because when you have more, your opportunities expand, and the implementation of many ideas requires money. The bigger the ideas, the bigger the money you need. It is OK to LACK money. If you don’t LACK money, you are most probably satisfied to be a couch potato. Because for you to do good things, you need money.
It does not start with chasing money. The Good things start with planning, vision, and building a future in your mind. This vision will bring opportunities to get money your way. Not the other way around. Let’s stop chasing money and return to our base. Kingdom first.