“And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24, KJV).
Worship Money?
Jesus didn’t sing the following lyrics, the Beatles did:
“The best things in life are free
but you can keep them for the birds and bees.
Now give me money.
That’s what I want.
That’s what I want, yeah.
That’s what I want.”
However, “Money” could be the theme song for traders. The vast majority of traders consider making money and/or getting rich as the main purpose of trading. Jesus would have other ideas for the purpose of trading. He would consider trading as a vehicle in which to enter the kingdom of God.
Worship God
In the above Bible passage, “Jesus’ point is that the person with wealth is easily taken away from the search for inner values. He or she can identify with the worldly sense of importance that wealth brings: power, influence, an impressive public image, a sense of righteousness . . . . But we might say that someone with worldly power needs to be twice as conscious as someone less subject to such seductions” (The Kingdom Within: The Inner Meaning of Jesus’ Sayings by John A. Sanford, pp.38-39). “Twice as conscious.” Since one spiritual purpose for trading is to develop consciousness, a successful trader would need to become highly conscious and use money for God’s purposes.
Worship God first, and God’s plan for your life and trading will be revealed. Store precious values rather than precious metals. Seek God’s diamond-bright vision rather than physical diamonds. Become a diamond and emanate God’s light from all your facets.
Thoughtful post. I like you thoughts about trading to enter the kingdom of God. All acts in life should be considered a part of the divine, and trading for money is also part of the inner kingdom.
Thank you for sharing your insights, Joshua.