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nenes have resulred. Many chousands
of lives have been
CHANGED
- curned
righc side up - made more successful
- ANI) HAPPY!
I learned chat chere are che
THREE
DIMI:NSIONS -
che
within,
rhe
aromul.
and che
above.
Mosr people cheac chemsclves by
ucilizing only che firsc rwo. In cheir
lives chere are only rhese rwo dimen–
sions on which
tO
re!y.
Looking inro rhe
within
is like
looking inro a well and finding ic has
gone dry. Relying on rhe wirhin. rhey
become self-cenrered. Their concern is
primarily for self. So chey bccome
selfish. They develop greed, dcsire co
have, co
GET.
co cake, ro accumulare.
They measure success in rerms of
material accumularion. Toward ochers
they are unconcerned, cnvious,
jealous, suspicious. They live in a
spirir of comperirion.
Their self-cenrcred chinking resulcs
in conscanrly shrinking horizons.
They may develop larenr ralenrs.
arousc ambirion for self-gain, develop
cheir own inner powers and rcsources,
bur rhose resourccs are comparacively
meagre. They cry co find happiness in
material acguisicion, buc rhac is noc
che source of happiness.
Thcn, of course, rhere is che pull of
human narure co
CONFORM -
ro
BELONG.
So che dimension of rhe
around
fills a big pare of cheir lives.
Buc chose around chem are self-cen–
tered coo, crying co gec che bese of
chem in every deal. They, too. cenrer
cheir affeccions on material acguisi–
cion. They consricure an unhappy
world. They are benr on gerring, and
coo ofcen you find che)' are jealous, or
envious, or resencful roward you. You
lind chac rheir concern is for rhem–
selves, racher rhan for your wclfare or
happiness. You trust chem, and too
ofcen find chem unrrusrworchy.
Thcre's noc much in rhc way of
resources co be found in che
arotmd,
buc many disillusioning disap–
poinrmems.
Buc whar abour che third dimen–
sion - che
above?
Could ir
be
possible
rhar mosc of humanity has been fail-
48
ing co cap che source of che grearcsc
resources and meaningful, rewarding
benefics?
Here is whac
1
found re-vcaled. ln
che firsr - rhc creacion - chapccr of
che Bible, ir is writren cbac God
formed catrlc afcer rhe caccle kind,
whales afcer che whale kind - rhac is
che way God made chem - che way
He formed and shaped rhem. Bur ver–
ses 26 and 27 say He formed man
afcer God's own image and likencss
-man was
MADE -
formed, shapcd,
in che same form and shape as God.
However, the 7th verse of rhe 2nd
chapter says He formed man of mate–
rial subsrance- out of che ground -
while in John 4:24 ir is revealed chac
God is composed of immarerial
SPIRJT.
Buc
WHY
was man formed and
shaped likc Goo, inscead of like any
of che lower animals) Because man
was crea ced for a
PUR POSE - tO
have
a personal and spccial relarionship
wich God.
In che Ncw Tesramcnr book of
John, ic is sraced rhar Jesus gave ro as
many as received Him power co
become che sons of God. And in I
John 1:3 ir is scared chac all such
accually have fellowship - accual
conracc and
feliowship
wirh Gocl , and
wirh Chrisc!
1 found chac che Biblc is lirerally
full of
PROMISES
from Gocl, in which
He
PROMISES
to
do rhings for us,
bcscow chings on us, give needed
chings co us.
Notice jusc a few:
"Bur my God shall supply all your
need according co his riches in glory
by Chrisr Jesus" (Philippians 4:
19).
Thar cloes nor promise co supply all
your dcsires or wanrs - jusc your
need. And ic is well co realize rhac che
Bible reveals chac God does for us
whac we are unable co do for our–
selves. Usually He will supply your
need chrough your own cfforcs - bur
if you place
CONFII)ENCE
in Him,
He'LI sce char che need comes.
In James 1:5, "If llny of you lack
wisdom, lec him ask of God, thar
giverh ro all men liberally, and
upbraidech noc; and ic shall be given
him. Buc lec him ask in faith. norhing
wavering."
Vcry shorcly afrer 1 learned chis
crurh abouc che Bible, 45 years ago. 1
found in a rime of embarrassmenr
rhar 1 lacked wisdom. From a very
young boy I had always craved ro
havc
UNDERSTANDING.
And l had
acc¡uircd a fair degree of rhac, buc
wisdom is more rhan knowledge and
undcrsranding. Ir is abilicy ro use
borh, and come co a righc and wise
decision. So I cook God up on chis
promise chrough che wricing of
James. I asked for wisdom. I
believed
I
would be givcn wisdom, since God
had
PROMISED
ic, on my asking - and
God could nor break His promise. l
rcceived wisdorn. In my posirion
wday, as che chicf human adminis–
cracor over large worldwide acriviries,
1 freguently have co make dccisions
involving millions of dollars. 1
NI:ED
ehae wisdom!
Had 1 been forced ro rely solely on
che resources
witbin,
or on advice and
counsel from che
arozmd,
rhis greac
Work, I am sure, could ncver have
developed. Buc 1 have had
a/1 three
dimensions ro cap. 1mosr cercainly
th
seek counsel from orhers. Solomon
said rhar in a mulcicude of counsellors
there is safecy. So 1 call in counsellors.
1 use my own besr judgmenr, based
on experience. And in addicion, I rely
on wisdom from God. 1 urilize all
chree dimensions - and chey make a
greac ream. Thar's che safesc way l
know.
Jusc how
GREAT
are thesc rcsourccs
from
alxlve?
How
GREAT
is che living
Goo?
The prophec Isaiah gives us some
informarion on rhac. This is whac
God inspired him co wrice:
"Who harh measured che wacers in
che hollow of his hand, and meced
out hcaven wich rhe span, and com–
prehended che dusc of che earth in a
measure, and wcighed che mouncains
in scales, and che hills in a balance?
"Who harh directed the Spiric of
rhc Ecernal, or bcing his counsellor
hach raughc him? Wich whom rook
PLAIN TRUTH August 1972