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By Cameron C. Taylor,
the author of the book
"Does Your Bag Have Holes? 24 Truths That Lead to Financial and Spiritual
Freedom"
Phoenix, AZ, U.S.A.
When there is a person with an amazing talent, extraordinary
intelligence, or a developer of some great invention, the world often
attributes these achievements to the individual. The world says, “He has
done it,” and the individual says, “I have done it.” No honor or credit
is given to God. The myth that success is a result of an individual’s
energies, labor and mental capacity is a common one. The cartoon character,
Bart Simpson, personifies this attitude with the mealtime grace consisting
of the words, “Dear God, we paid for all this stuff ourselves, so thanks
for nothing.”
Let’s say a baseball player hits 74 home runs in a season and breaks the
single season home run record. Does the bat receive the credit? Is the
bat somehow better than the other bats and thus entitled to recognition?
In the record book, is partial credit given to the bat? Of course not.
The bat hits home runs because of the batter. In our relationship with
God, we can be compared to a baseball bat. We can do nothing by ourselves.
How many home runs would a bat hit if it were in the batter’s box alone?
The bat is going to lie in the dirt and do nothing. The bat can do nothing
by itself, just as we can do nothing without God.
If a home run is hit, does the crowd honor the bat because it actually
made contact with the ball and hit it out of the park? Of course not;
however, often in our lives we take credit for our accomplishments or
honor others’ accomplishments with little or no credit given to God. When
people take credit for their accomplishments, it is as foolish as giving
praise to a baseball bat for hitting a home run. When we understand our
true relationship with God, we realize He is the source of all our accomplishments.
In order for a home run to be hit, both a batter and a bat are required.
How many home runs would a batter hit without a bat? This is where we
come in. We must allow Christ to utilize us as instruments in His hands.
Our role in bringing to pass righteousness and achieving greatness is
submitting to His will. Our role is to become an instrument in the Master’s
hands.
The Savior teaches this principle in John 15:4-5 “. . . As the branch
cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can
ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that
abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without
me ye can do nothing.”
St. Augustine wrote, “Christ does not say, without me ye can do but little,
neither does He say, without me ye cannot do any [difficult] thing; nor
without me ye can do it with difficulty: But He says, without me ye can
do nothing!”
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS – INSTRUMENT IN THE HANDS OF GOD
Following Columbus’ discover of the Americas, Columbus wrote a summary
account of his voyage for King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. It reads
in part, “The great success of this enterprise is not to be ascribed to
my own merits, but to . . . the Lord often granting to men what they never
imagine themselves capable of effecting, as he is accustomed to hear the
prayers of his servants and those who love his commandments, even in that
which appears impossible; in this manner has it happened to me who have
succeeded in an undertaking never before accomplished by man. . . And
now ought the King, Queen, Princes, and all their dominions, as well as
the whole of Christians, to give thanks to our Saviour Jesus Christ who
has granted us such a victory and great success.”
THE PRINCIPLE OF INDIRECTION
The principle of indirection is when the focus and accomplishment of one
thing results in the achievement of another. For example, if you want
anyone to laugh you have to provide him with a reason, e.g., you have
to tell him a joke. In no way is it possible to evoke real laughter by
urging him, or having him urge himself, to laugh. True laughter is the
indirect result of the direct action of telling a joke. There are certain
things in life that cannot be obtained by direct pursuit. To obtain these
things, we must focus on an indirect action, which will, in turn, cause
the result we desire.
HUMAN NEEDS AND THE PRINCIPLE OF INDIRECTION
I will contrast two approaches people use to fulfill human needs. One
is a direct approach illustrated by Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
The other is an indirect approach taught in the New Testament.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is represented as a pyramid, with the larger,
lower levels representing the basic needs of food, air, water and shelter,
and the upper point representing the need to seek a power greater than
oneself and to serve others. One of the fundamental ideas is that there
is a specific order in which we seek to fulfill our needs. We start at
the bottom, with our basic survival needs, and work up the pyramid. For
example, Maslow’s hierarchy teaches that we must fulfill our need for
food before we seek to fulfill our need for security, and that we must
fill our need for security before we can seek a power greater than ourselves.
While Maslow’s theory represents how people driven by fear and selfishness
seek to fulfill needs, it does not represent how people of faith seek
to fulfill their needs. Men of faith seek God before food, security or
friends. Men of faith know that in seeking the will of God first, all
their needs will be fulfilled. Matthew 6:33 reads, “But seek ye first
the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall
be added unto you.”
PARABLE OF THE STATIONARY BIKE
Trying to satisfy our human needs without faith in God is like trying
to win the Tour de France on a stationary exercise bike. You can peddle
as long and as hard as those on a racing bike, but at the end of the race
you will still be in the same place. Truly fulfilling human needs requires
application of the principle of indirection. We can’t truly satisfy them
by directly seeking them; we must first seek God and serve others. As
taught the Savior in Matthew 10:39, “He that findeth his life shall lose
it; and he that loseth his for my sake shall find it.” The indirect approach
of seeking God is the first step to truly satisfying our needs. The person
on the stationary bike can peddle, work and sweat, but will get nowhere.
Those who are driven by fear and selfishness will attempt to satisfy their
needs first, but will find it impossible to truly fulfill their needs.
For if you put God last, you will go nowhere fast.
The more you make the fulfillment of your needs your target, the more
you will miss it. True fulfillment of your needs cannot be obtained by
direct pursuit. True fulfillment of your needs will come as a result of
your personal dedication to God and the service of others.
PARABLE OF HEAVEN AND HELL
A noble Chinese warrior died in battle and arrived at the heavenly portals.
He requested that he be allowed to see what hell was like before entering
heaven. His request was granted. Much to his surprise, he was taken to
a magnificent chamber. In this chamber, there were tables heaped with
an abundance of the most desirable foods one could imagine. However, the
people in the room were cursing and screaming in anger. The warrior was
initially puzzled at their behavior, but soon understood their plight.
They were trying to eat with three-foot long chopsticks. They had learned
to pick up their food, but because their chopsticks were so long, it was
impossible to place the food in their mouths. When the warrior entered
heaven, he saw a similar scene. He once again was brought to a magnificent
chamber, filled with tables of delicious food. The guests at the table
also had three-foot long chopsticks. This room was not filled with frustration,
anger and cursing. It was instead filled with sounds of laughter and joy.
What was the difference? These people had learned to feed one another.
In giving, they received.
CONCLUSION
The belief that success is the sole result of a person’s energy, labor
and mental capacity will create the vices of pride, selfishness, and ungratefulness.
The virtues of humility, generosity, and gratitude will fill our hearts,
minds, and souls once we realize our total dependence on God and believe
that all we have and are is a gift from Him.
About the Author: Cameron C. Taylor is the author of the book "Does
Your Bag Have Holes? 24 Truths That Lead to Financial and Spiritual Freedom."
Content for this article was taken from chapter 2. The book’s table of
contents and sample chapters are available online at http://www.DoesYourBagHaveHoles.org
Source: www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=226300&ca=Religion
Published - September 2008
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