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succeed in acquiring them at all- that they seem never
able to find very mucb time for seeking tbe kingdom of
God or to be governed by the laws of God.
Most people today are in ignorance of the true
formula for success, for accomplishment, prosperity;
for the happy, joyous life. Most people don't even
know what success is. Many people seem to believe
that happiness is something that comes from
material possessions. Their chief concern in life is to
earn a better living, seek more money to find
happiness by acquiring material possessions.
l n this chase for that elusive money a large majority
find the pursuit so difficult that they become
overcharged witb the cares of earning a living; trying to
make ends meet. And this overwhelming majority
you: " ... fret not thyself because of him who
prospereth in his way.... Cease from anger, and
forsake ... evil." Yes, what shall it profit a man
though he gain the whole world-seeking riches in
this world- and then lose his own soul? That kind
of riches is false and soon left behind.
Sorne of these worldly rich have been unjust.
They and their big industrial and agricultura!
corporations have taken advantage of their positions
and paid their laborers too little. Ought the laboring
man, then, to organize and to fight back? That's
what we've seen in this world.
But is this the true Christian way? It is not. That
is not God's way. Even though the tactics of labor
unionism have gained higher wages, employers have
often raised prices so that today's highest
wages of all time actually purchase less than is
commonly assumed. What increased prosperity
Even though the
tactics of labor
unionism have gained
higher wages,
employers have often
raised prices so
is being enjoyed has been due rather to the
fact that machines have increased human
efficiency. It's true that machines throw men
out of work at first , but sorne, after retraining,
find work in new industries because machines
have created many new industries that we did
not have three generations ago. Others,
however, are thrown out of work and have
great difficulty finding work.
tbat today's highest
wages of all time
actually purchase less
tban is commonly
assumed.
What should the man who is oppressed by
an employer do? You'll find the answer in
James 5:
l-4, 7,
Revised Authorized Version:
o
never realize their goal. They remain eitber poor or
~
worried, and the happiness they seek becomes as
t:
elusive as the money. They slave away tbeir lives;
yes, empty, wor ried, unhappy lives.
But a few of those who seek first the material
riches of this world-and only a very few do have
the talents, the qualities for material success and the
accumulation of money- that few prosper and pay
the price. They generally have ability, and they are
the ones who have studied and prepared themselves,
who have exercised vision, industry, perseverance,
determination-yes, they have al! of those qualities.
So those who are prospered by God, because they
sought fi rst the kingdom of God- that is, to
diligently live under the laws of God's
government- they're not the only ones that prosper
materially. No, the few successful ones who seek
first and usually only the material riches, many of
them also prosper in the world.
Now, there are two kinds of material prosper ity.
One, that prosperi ty wh ich is acquired by those who
seek first and only tbe mater ial assets. And that
prosperity found by those who seek God's way of
life first, and who claim God's promise that the
material blessings will be added- and they are added
in due time if you trust God and if you're di ligent.
In this world a common pastime of sorne is to
envy the rich, to grumble, to gr ipe, and to complain,
to bate the r ich. What does God say about that?
Turn to Psalm
37:7-8.
Here's what God says to
2
"Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your
miseries that are coming upon you! Your
riches are corrupted.... You have heaped up
treasure in the last days. l ndced the wages of the
laborers who mowed your fields [the farm worker is
here singled out-it might also be the factor y
worker), which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and
the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the
Lord of [hosts] .... Therefore be patient, brethren,
until the coming of the Lord...."
l n other words, when God sends J esus Christ to
this earth, he is going to straighten out all of those
things, and he's coming in our t ime and our
generation.
God's instruction is to be patient until the coming
of Christ, to wait until God restares justice. But , a
lot of men say, "Oh, if we did that we wouldn' t get
anywhere." Probably they don' t know God and don ' t
t rust God. But
if
you will t rust God, your faith will
not be in vain, and you will really find the t rue
riches in the end.
By seeking fi rst only material acquisitions, the
majority have failed to acquire them. T hey've worn
away their lives in a vain pursuit. While the few,
even at the cost of hard work- study, application
and perseverance-have succeeded. But neither
group has found happiness. Neither those who did
gain their great wealth in this manner, nor those
who've been cheated out of it. I t just does not bring
happiness either way because material wealth is not
the sou rce of happiness. Spir itual wealth is the real
source of happiness. o
The
PLAIN TRUTH