What the Bible says about laziness and hard work. Biblical principles of professional success Bible marfin labor

PRISON MINISTRY. SERMON FOR PRISONERS.
Labor, work - these concepts do not bypass anyone. What is our attitude towards these realities of life? It is very important that our understanding of this issue (and all other everyday issues) coincide with biblical teaching, if only we seriously decide to follow Christ.
The first mention of work is found literally on the second page of the Bible: “And the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. (Gen. 2:15) Without a doubt, man's first work was easy, because in Eden there were no weeds or pests, and the climate was ideal. And then comes the Fall. God expels the man from paradise and says: “... because you listened to the voice of your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, saying: “You shall not eat from it,” the ground is cursed for your sake; in sorrow you will eat from it all the days of your life. She will bring forth thorns and thistles for you; and you will eat the grass of the field. By the sweat of your face you will eat bread until you return to the ground...” (Genesis 3:17-19) Working conditions, as we see, have worsened, and this happened as punishment for sin. Offending children often seek to escape parental punishment, just as many adults wish at all costs to escape the burden that God places upon them. Therefore, there are many commands in the Bible regarding how our work should be organized. Let's look at these principles in order. First, let’s read the fourth Commandment: “Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord commanded you. Your God. Work six days and do all your work; and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your livestock, nor your stranger who is with you, so that the servant may rest. yours and your servant, as are you.” (Deut. 5:12-14) This commandment balances work and rest, and also explains what rest should be like. Rest should be dedicated to God, this means that rest time should not be wasted on aimless, sinful entertainment, but this is exactly how rest is understood in the modern world. Time free from work should be spent thinking about heavenly things, reading the Bible, attending meetings, and doing works of mercy. Some people, called workaholics, completely ignore the commandment to rest, working from dawn to dusk seven days a week. They do this in order to escape reality, in order not to think about God, in order to drown out thoughts about eternity. Workaholism is almost the same as alcoholism, since they also drink in order to escape reality. But still, there are not so many workaholics compared to those who want to have material wealth without making any effort. And the easiest method of making easy money is theft. But the Eighth Commandment clearly and briefly warns against this evil: Thou shalt not steal. (Deut. 5:8) But stealing is not the only method of making money that the Bible warns against. The Bible also prohibits lending money at interest. Do not lend your brother silver, bread, or anything else that can be loaned at interest. (Deut. 23:19) Forbids weighing and counting: “You must have a weight that is just and right, and you must have an ephah that is just and right, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” (Deut. 25:15) It should also be noted that the Bible is not against private property and not against the use of hired labor, nor against what in modern language is called business. But the Word of God commands all businessmen to pay their hired workers honestly. This is exactly what a huge number of entrepreneurs do not want to do, and not only in Russia. Remember how in the late 80s they started telling us on TV how American farmers were thriving? What they didn’t tell us then was that most farmers hire illegal immigrants from Mexico and pay them half the required minimum wage, and for the last period of work they often do not pay at all, because they know that the illegal immigrant cannot complain. This is how things are in America, but you know better than me how things are in Russia. But God sternly warns such businessmen: “Behold, the wages that you withheld from the workers who reaped your fields cry out, and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.” (James 5:4)
Of course, much of what was said above is only a theory for the readers of the magazine in the sense that in practice, after release, the overwhelming majority of readers will still not have the opportunity to lend money to someone at interest, they will not have their own business, and therefore the temptation will not There is no need to pay workers' wages. In real life, many will simply have to find an ordinary job, and since many do not have a good specialty, the first job may turn out to be simple but difficult: digging trenches, mixing mortar with a shovel, carrying bricks... For many of those who are behind the barbed wire, wire, golden hands and they are not afraid of work, but still there is a considerable percentage of those who got behind barbed wire precisely because of the desire for easy money. And if you found Christ in prison, repented, and decided to live according to God’s principles, you will certainly have to start working honestly. And the work will most likely be physically difficult. And when at the end of the working day your arms and back hurt, Satan will more than once try to tempt you with memories of easy money. He will definitely show you those people who prosper at the expense of others and will try to make you jealous. Such temptations do not only come to those whom God has just called out of the deep pit; Such temptations also come to those who have long followed the Lord and have been established in the truth since childhood. The Bible clearly tells us that this was exactly the temptation that the psalmist Asaph faced. Open your Bible now and read Psalm 73 in its entirety. I will quote only some fragments of this Psalm: But I - my legs almost shook, my feet almost slipped - I envied the foolish, seeing the prosperity of the wicked. For they have no suffering until their death, and their strength is strong. They are not present at human work, and they are not subject to blows with other people. That is why pride surrounds them like a necklace, and insolence dresses them like an outfit. (Ps. 72:2-6) As we see, even then there were people who did not work, but had a lot of material wealth. Further, the pious Asaph admits that it was difficult for him to understand why this was happening. He says: And I thought how to understand this; but it was difficult in my eyes. (Ps. 72-16) But unexpectedly the denouement comes. Asaph found the answer to his torment, and this happened when he entered the sanctuary of God. (See Ps 72-17) While in the sanctuary of God, Asaph realized what the end awaited the wicked: “So! You have placed them on slippery paths, and you will cast them into the abyss. (Ps. 72-18) Yes, it was in the sanctuary that Asaph found the answer to his question, which almost led him to retreat. Likewise, when we suffer temptations, we must look to Christ, and He will not allow us to fall away from our calling.
It’s difficult in prison, but it can be even more difficult in the wild, since there is hard work for many, on the one hand, and many temptations, on the other. If you persevere during this initial period, things will get easier. Learn to resist temptations, and over time you will be able to find an easier job if you acquire a specialty. But the initial period will be difficult, and in this period it will be revealed how you believed. The Bible says: “And if in this life only we trust in Christ, then we are the most miserable of all men.” (Cor 15:19) Yes, there are people who come to God in difficult times, hoping that God will give them relief in earthly suffering. We do not persecute such people, but their misfortune is that they could not understand that the most precious thing that God has for us is the gift of eternal life. Christ said: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33) If you value eternal life, for which Christ paid with His blood, then you will resist all temptations and difficulties, and everything else will be added to you, that is, God will give physical and material relief over time. But if you believe, seeking from God only physical relief, and do not seek and value the Kingdom of God, then sooner or later you will be shipwrecked in your faith. Therefore, while you still have time, check yourself whether you are in faith, and if not, repent and ask God to show you the true riches that are revealed in Christ.

“What a bridle is to a horse, so is work to our nature. God gave you his hands not so that you could accept from others, but so that you could work and give to those in need.” (St. John Chrysostom)

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“He who is busy with work will not soon allow anything unnecessary in deeds, and in words, and in thought, since his whole soul is completely devoted to a hard-working life” (John Chrysostom)

“Bodily fasting alone is not enough to achieve perfect purity of chastity; it must be surpassed by repentant contrition of spirit and persistent prayer against this unclean spirit; then constant teaching in the Scriptures combined with mental work, also physical labor and handicrafts” (Cassian Roman)

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“True work cannot be without humility, for work in itself is vanity and is not counted as anything” (Reverend Barsanuphius the Great)

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“Let us not be ashamed of crafts and let us consider it dishonor not work, but idleness and idleness” (John Chrysostom)

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“The intention of piety should not serve as an excuse for laziness and escape from work, but as an incentive to even greater work” (St. Basil the Great)

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“There has never been a single person who, without labor, anxiety and severe embarrassment, reached the Kingdom of God.” (St. Theophan the Recluse)

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“Our life is fraught with work, since without work we usually become corrupted. Our nature cannot remain idle, otherwise it easily leans toward evil.” (St. John Chrysostom)

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“Bodily labors are instruments of virtue and are saving for the soul.” (St. Anthony the Great)

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“Bodily labor brings purity of heart, and purity of heart makes the soul bear fruit.” (St. Anthony the Great)

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“Whoever runs to God and asks for His help in any work will find peace in work.” (St. Isaiah the Hermit)

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“He who does not rely on his own labors feels God’s help the most.” (St. Isaiah the Hermit)

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“Whoever talks idlely while doing something has fun while doing something, and whoever immerses his thoughts in the holy word will accomplish more.” (St. Ephraim the Syrian)

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“Try to finish your day’s work on the appointed day, and the mind, unfettered by care and sadness, will have free time for prayer.”
(St. Ephraim the Syrian)

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“If you go out with your brothers to share, then, to the extent of the strength given to you by the Lord, help the weaker, knowing that you will receive a reward from the Lord for your work and compassion. If you are weak and weak, then do not talk much, give orders and take liberties, but rather remain silent and silent, and the Lord, seeing your humility, will convince the heart of your brethren not to place a burden on you.” (St. Ephraim the Syrian)

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“One should not shy away from work; on the contrary, if brother helps brother, then they will be elusive in the devil’s snares.” (St. Ephraim the Syrian)

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“Whoever does not like to work, through inaction, feeds passions and gives freedom to desires to rush towards objects related to them, which is especially revealed during prayer; for then the attention of the mind is completely absorbed in what the heart is occupied with, and all it does is think through what is suggested by passion, instead of talking with God and asking Him for what is useful for itself.

Business is an anchor for thought and gives it a safe direction. Even though storms are approaching from everywhere and gusts of wind threaten destruction, thought stands steadily, held by action like an anchor; She is somewhat worried by rising thoughts, but is not carried away into danger, because the bonds that hold her are stronger than the winds that drive her. (St. Neil of Sinai)

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“When praying, work is required from a strong body; without it, the heart will not be broken, prayer will be powerless and untrue.” (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov)

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“We must first put in the work and sweat, then the fruits will begin to show. But the urgent condition is not to feel sorry for yourself (not to feel sorry for yourself does not mean heaping mountains on yourself.” (St. Theophan the Recluse)

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Life is work; labor is life. Moderate physical labor is very useful in cultivating virtues, but vices develop from inaction. (Abba Isaiah)

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“To feed ourselves, let us work in trust in God. Do not mourn the work; many, doing nothing, were burdened by self-carelessness.” (St. Ephraim the Syrian)

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“Get your daily food not with hidden money, but with your own labor.” (St. John Cassian)

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“You are no better than Paul, no better than Peter, who never had peace, but spent their whole lives in hunger, thirst and nakedness. If you want to get what they get, then go the narrow way.” (St. John Chrysostom)

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“He who does not have extra time is hardworking.” (St. Nilus of Sinai)

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“Poverty is like a courier: it soon overtakes the lazy.” (Prov. 6, 11)

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“Know that if, being healthy, you live at someone else’s expense, then you are eating up the property of the poor and weak.” (St. Gregory the Theologian)

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“Do the works of your ministry gracefully and carefully, as if you were serving Christ.” (ancient monastic regulations)

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“Just as fresh waters, turning into stagnant waters, spoil, so the human soul and body spoil from idleness. He who lives in idleness sins continually.” (St. Tikhon of Zadonsk)

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“A lazy and idle life is the same as an idle and uncultivated field, on which nothing grows except worthless herbs.” (Filaret Archbishop of Chernigov)

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“To eat your bread by the sweat of your brow is God’s penance.” (St. Theophan the Recluse)

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“When you get up in the morning, say to yourself: “Work your body to feed you; Be sober, soul, that you may inherit the Kingdom.” (St. Basil the Great)

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“Jesus Christ bore bodily labor, the Apostle Paul labored continuously, and for everyone piety should be considered not a reason for inaction, but an incentive to greater labor.” (St. Basil the Great)

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“The apostle commands that one should work, and he who does not work should not even eat.” (ancient monastic regulations)

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“The present life is all given to labors and exploits, and the future is given to crowns and rewards.” (ancient monastic regulations)

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“We must do every deed as if it were being done in the sight of the Lord, and formulate every thought as if the Lord were watching it.” (ancient monastic regulations)

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“The apostle teaches to live quietly, in one’s place, not to be curious about rumors and the fables of everyday life, to correct oneself more, to work with one’s own hands, not to desire gifts and alms, to withdraw from disorderly people.” (St. John Cassian)

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“Work and prayer, prayer and work—this is the most proper and best use of the time God gives us daily.”

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“According to the commandment of God, devote one day out of the week for complete service to God; on the rest of the days, try to devote at least certain hours from your work and activities and devote them to prayerful conversation with God, mainly and certainly in the morning, after rising from sleep, and in the evening, before going to bed.” (St. John Chrysostom).

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“If you stretch out your hand to work, then let your tongue sing and your mind pray; for God requires that we always remember Him.” (St. Nilus of Sinai)

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“Life is work; work is life." (Abba Isaiah)

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“Moderate physical labor is very useful in cultivating virtues, but vices proliferate from inaction.” (Abba Isaiah)

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“The Angel of the Lord himself taught to alternate prayer with difficulty.” (St. Anthony the Great)

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“He who lives in idleness sins continually.” (St. Tikhon of Zadonsk)

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“Whoever is able should work and share with those in need. For whoever does not want to work is not considered worthy to eat.” (St. Basil the Great)

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“Man, imitate the earth, bear fruit for others, as the earth bears for you.” (St. Basil the Great)

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“You should not eat bread in idleness, because you are able to work.” (ancient monastic regulations)

“Lord, help you to be greatly strengthened by His spirit, and you need to take care of this, and if you are ill, if you are not collected within yourself, and when you are sick, turn to the Lord. This cannot be obtained on your own; but it doesn’t come without difficulty. From there and from here it is necessary, but it is necessary. First, God created light, and then gathered it into luminaries. So it is with us. There is goodness, but it is scattered or spilled. We need to bring everything into one. And, it seems, the soul asks for this, but it doesn’t guess. And most importantly, there is self-pity. Lord have mercy on us! Without work and self-compulsion we will not succeed in anything. Even just a little bit, you have to force yourself, even if just by a hair's breadth. When there is zeal and zeal, everything will go well. But true jealousy is merciless towards itself. Is there more to it and is the foundation good? - The foundation is here: a deep feeling of sinfulness and irresponsibility before God. All hope then is the Savior; - and hence the incessant: Lord have mercy!” (St. Theophan the Recluse)

The Gospel says: Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of its own, its own care is enough for each day.(Matt. 6, 34). These words of the Savior can be taken literally, but only necessarily correctly. Nowhere in Holy Scripture can we find approval of idleness. Many of us are familiar with the saying from childhood “he who does not work, neither shall he eat,” which - oddly enough, because it was widespread in Soviet times - is an almost verbatim quote from the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians: If anyone doesn't want to work, don't eat(Thess. 3 , 10). Of course, the Apostle Paul would hardly have decided to somehow contradict the words of Christ the Savior. Moreover, all of Holy Scripture says that labor is necessary on the part of man - both spiritual and physical. If we return to the very beginning of Holy Scripture, the Book of Genesis, we will see that man was commanded to eat his bread by the sweat of his brow, that is, to work with his own hands, get tired, become weary, and thus obtain his daily food.

Therefore, in the words “don’t worry about tomorrow” there is no call for idleness. What does it mean to “care” in this context? Thinking too much about whether tomorrow I will have what to eat, what to drink, what to wear. You need to think differently: I just need to do everything in my power today so that tomorrow I will have all this. I need to be modest and thrifty in my expenses, I need to work hard, but at the same time avoid fear, anxiety, and the inner vanity that is born in a person who does not trust God and His Providence for himself. After all, this fear sometimes appears in people who already have everything they need, but look to the future with great doubts and anxiety. And this fear, without any real reason, begins to destroy a person from the inside.

The line between healthy care and vanity is not so difficult to determine. Everything that is healthy is constructive. When a person calculates his strengths and means, thinks over all the circumstances and does not rush about because of this, but, on the contrary, feels more calm and confident, this can be called healthy, normal concern. Moreover, if a person is a believer, then he understands that his plans can be adjusted in accordance with the will of God. So, so be it, because in the end everything will turn to good. When a person is constantly in these thoughts and in this care, when this fear torments him and forces him to swallow sedatives, then, of course, the person has already crossed the line of a healthy attitude.

"Take everything from life"?

The expression “don’t worry about tomorrow” in the minds of some people takes on a completely wrong meaning: live carelessly, one day at a time, “take everything from life”, don’t think about the consequences. It is obvious that such a substitution of concepts can only occur in the mind of a person who draws his ideas about how to live this life correctly anywhere, but not in the Gospel. This is, rather, even some kind of Satanist ideology, because it is known that one of the postulates of modern Satanism is “here and now,” that is, I must get everything I want, right here and right now, regardless of moral or to material restrictions.

Why is this change happening? It occurs when a person loses faith. This is what Dostoevsky said: “If there is no God, then everything is permitted.” And if there is no eternal life, then you really want to get the most out of every day of your earthly life. A person simply does not ask the question: “What then?”, or he asks himself and gives himself a negative answer: “There will be no “later.”

If we continue the conversation about substitutions, we have to remember that large families are often accused of some kind of carelessness: they say, people give birth to children and do not think about how they will raise them. Such families actually often face domestic and financial problems. But, in my opinion, this formulation of the question is generally incorrect and unauthorized. What alternative is offered? Do you want to do birth planning? This is not a Christian approach at all. We see families in which parents want to have children, but the Lord does not send them to them; and we see families in which there really are certain financial difficulties, lack of income, and child after child is born. After all, this is also a matter of God’s Providence. The appearance of every person in this world is always a kind of miracle. Now he was not there - and then he appeared. And it seems to me that this should be accepted precisely as a miracle and as the will of God, and not reproach people for carelessness.

And to what extent it is possible to provide children with what they need, this probably largely depends not on how many of them are born, but on how the parents’ lives in general develop: how much they are in demand as professionals in their field, how much they have worked in their time to become such professionals. That's what you need to focus on, not the number of children. After all, there is nothing wrong with acquiring a profession that can make a person stand firmly on his feet. There is simply no need, on the other hand, to grieve inconsolably when, for some reason, the work is not well paid, as long as it is honest and not associated with something sinful.

There are, of course, families where they give birth to children one after another and do not care for them. But the problem here is not having many children, because by and large there is no difference: one child is left to his own devices, or two, or five. The whole point is about parents who either drink, use drugs, or simply don’t care about their children.

In many large families, children are not only not left to their own devices, but they also participate in raising each other, and their number becomes not a problem, but, on the contrary, a solution to the problem.

Penance and hope

I will return once again to the Book of Genesis and to the command to earn bread by the sweat of my brow. Everything we need in life is indeed obtained with difficulty, and this is a kind of penance that a person bears after the Fall. What do we know about penance? It’s bad when you have to carry it, because it means that there is some reason that determines its necessity. But if it has already been determined for us, then we need to fulfill it. Strong, reasonable care for our material needs is also an integral part of the penance given to us after the Fall. In fact, this is another commandment of God - to work and earn your own bread.

But returning to this word - “do not worry,” or, as it is said in the Church Slavonic text, don't worry(don’t worry) - I would like to remember the story of Arkady Averchenko, a wonderful pre-revolutionary writer who was called the king of laughter. The hero of this story, who was trying to do some business and for this purpose wandered through many authorities, was constantly told: “We should work hard.” He couldn’t understand what it meant to “bustle around”: run, clap your hands, spin, do something else? Likewise, a person who worries too much about something, he seems to be pointlessly “fussing around” - running, waving his arms, but there is no sense in this, because internal anxiety and vanity can only prevent a person from doing what he needs.

If, for example, we are talking not about a family, but about a monastery, then the economist there must absolutely calculate the reserves and funds so that they are enough for food, for clothing for the brethren, for everything necessary for worship. If he does not count on this, then he is worthless as a steward - and, on the contrary, fulfilling his monastic obedience, he in no way comes into conflict with the Gospel. However, if he endlessly walks around darker than a cloud and says: “Tomorrow we will all die of hunger,” although for today there is everything necessary, he, of course, sins against trusting God. We can see many examples in the history of various monasteries when they opened a barn with full confidence that it was empty, but by a miracle of God it was bursting with wheat or other supplies. The Lord thereby clearly showed that man cannot gain anything through his own care, that He takes care of us Himself, and we get what we need. After all, in the Gospel there are these words: And which of you, by caring, can add even one cubit to his height?(Matt. 6 , 27). Do everything that depends on you, and for the rest, rely on God.

Elder Paisios said to himself: when something needs to be done, I first do everything within my power that is required, and then I stand in prayer, raise my hands and pray that the Lord will give what is missing. This is the best care, the best care for tomorrow.

Reading various business literature, I was surprised how often the principles of rich people that made them rich coincide with what is taught Holy Bible. And I decided to write this article, firstly, to show the obvious similarity of these principles, and, secondly, to help take a slightly different look at what is taught.Bible.

So, the first principle:we need to watch what we say.

We say many words without thinking and cannot imagine the destructive power they can have in our lives. Very often people say something like this: “I always have no money”, “I can’t afford it” and so on. The rich try to avoid similar expressions. You ask: “Well, shouldn’t I lie to myself and say that I have money when I really don’t?” . No, you don’t need to lie, but you can just say it differently and often in these situations the word helps "Bye": “I don’t have money yet”, “I can’t buy this car yet” , - and it’s better to even ask yourself the question: “how can I buy this car for myself?” .

On this occasion, the Bible, firstly, says that the heavens and the earth were created by the word (Genesis, 2 Peter 3:5), and, secondly, calls us to watch our speech: “Let no corrupt word come out of your mouth.” (Ephesians 4:29). The Bible actually has a lot to say about words and our language, here are some more examples: “So the tongue is a small member, but does a lot” (James 3:5); “Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps his soul from troubles.” (Proverbs 21:23); “The tongue of a fool is his destruction, and his mouth is a snare for his soul.” (Proverbs 18:7). The Bible repeatedly points out the importance of what we say, and this applies not only to business, but to many different areas of our lives.

Second principle: fear shouldn't control your actions.

You can often hear this phrase from people: “I’m not interested in money” . This phrase alone carries three negative aspects at once. Firstly, the first principle I spoke about above is violated: if money doesn’t interest you, you won’t have it. Secondly, the person who utters this phrase, as a rule, is lying to himself and others. And thirdly, fear: if you offer this person to invest his money somewhere, he will most likely refuse, because... afraid of losing them. If he is not interested in money, then why is he afraid of losing it? That's why I said that such a person is lying to himself. You can be afraid of many things: you can be afraid of starting a business and going broke, afraid of being fired, afraid of financial instability, etc. Any fear is inherently negative. One of the most common fears is the fear of making mistakes. But one thing should be understood: the one who does nothing makes no mistakes. Famous businessmen, scientists and many others made a lot of mistakes before they achieved success. We often hear about someone's achievements, but for some reason we are not interested in what price they had to pay for it. Henry Ford in his book he wrote that he would rather hire a person who has some mistakes on his record than a person with a perfect track record. Here is another phrase of his from the same book: “Failures only give you a reason to start again and smarter. Honest failure is not disgraceful; shameful fear of failure" . Multimillionaire Peter Daniels said: “In order to move forward, you only need to be right 51% of the time.” .

The Bible says this about fear: “Behold, I command you: be strong and courageous, do not be afraid and do not be dismayed.” (Joshua 1:9). Also in 2 Timothy 1:7 it is written: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind.” . In general, someone calculated that the Bible in different forms 366 times calls not to have fear (we can say that every day of the year, including leap days, God says "don't be afraid"). The only acceptable fear that the Bible speaks of is the fear of the Lord, which is less understood as fear in its usual meaning, but more in the sense of respect and honor for God, or even in the sense of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7: “The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord” ).

Third principle - principle of giving.

The rich know a simple thing: if they want to get more of something, they must give more of it. We often hear about how much money this or that person donated for humanitarian aid, gave to open a charitable foundation, etc. Do you think this was done to show off? In some cases this may indeed be the case, but more often the reason lies elsewhere: he is simply applying the principle of giving in order to get even more. Poor people tend to think like this: “if I had more money, maybe I would give something away” . This is the same as asking a fireplace to warm you up, promising that after that you will add wood to it.

This principle applies not only to money: if you want to receive more compliments, start giving more compliments, if you need love, start giving more love, etc.

Usually the books do not indicate how much you need to give, but sometimes I have seen recommendations that it is advisable that it be at least 10% of total income. I cannot assume anything other than that this figure was taken specifically from the Bible, which talks about tithe (10%) and what it is intended for: “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me in this, says the Lord of hosts: Will I not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out blessings upon you until there is abundance?” (Malachi 3:10). Those. in other words, God wants us to learn to give, and then He will give us something more. People often laugh, saying that they don’t understand why Almighty God, Who already has everything, needs some more money. They consider any mention of money to be a mere fiction used to profit from simple-minded people. To this I will answer that God really does not need your money at all. It's actually quite the opposite: it is God who wants to give you more than you have. The commandment of tithing was given by God not to deprive you of anything, but to give God the opportunity to bless you. And if God’s law seems illogical and incomprehensible to someone, this does not negate the power of this law. Many rich people have long understood this and use it to their advantage.

Briefly describing the following principle, it can be expressed as follows: do not give up.

Mistakes and failures will happen to anyone who wants to achieve something. One man had to go through 97 banks so that in 1998 he was finally given the required amount to start a business. How many failures do you need to give up on your plans? Ray Kroc, founder of the McDonald's restaurant chain, expressed this principle this way: “Push forward: nothing in the world can replace perseverance. Talent cannot replace it - there is nothing more common than talented losers. Genius will not replace it - unrealized genius has already become the talk of the town. A good education will not replace it - the world is full of educated outcasts. Only perseverance and perseverance are omnipotent.” . Jesus Christ told a parable that illustrates this principle well:

“...in one city there was a judge who was not afraid of God and was not ashamed of people. In the same city there was a widow, and she came to him and said: protect me from my rival. But for a long time he didn’t want to. And then he said to himself: although I am not afraid of God and I am not ashamed of people, but, as this widow does not give me peace, I will protect her so that she does not come to bother me anymore.” (Luke 18:2-5).

There is one film that I really like, and many people have probably seen it. Film `s name "The Shawshank Redemption". Without going into details, the plot of the film tells how the main character (a banker), accused of murdering his wife, goes to prison. I won't tell you the details of the film, but just advise you to watch it. In addition to the fact that this film itself is interesting, a deeper understanding of it helps us see a number of important principles in the actions of the main character, one of which directly relates to the one we are talking about now. So, the main character set out to update the prison library. In this regard, he wrote a letter to the relevant authorities with a request to allocate the necessary funds, but was refused in response. Then he began periodically sending them letters, until finally he was allocated some funds. But that’s not all, and his further reaction simply delighted me: the amount of funds allocated seemed to him insufficient and he said that from now on he would write them two letters each. What a striking demonstration of the principle!

Fifth principle: acquire knowledge.

When multimillionaire Peter Daniels was asked where to invest his money, he answered very simply: "spend money on your brains" . At business seminars and in business literature, it is often recommended books, which should be read. In the modern age of information technology, there is no excuse for those who neglect free access to virtually unlimited amounts of information. With the help of a computer and the Internet, you can gain knowledge from any field. Before I say what the Bible says about knowledge, I want to note that rich people sometimes recommend the Bible itself, among other books that should be read. With all that said, I think it now becomes clear why.

There is an opinion that the Bible promotes uneducated people and condemns the development of science and the pursuit of knowledge. This is a myth that many try to prove, citing as an example the actions of the Inquisition in the Middle Ages against scientists. At the same time, few people are interested in whether there was anything in common between the Inquisition and the teachings of the Bible (not to mention the fact that many scientists condemned by the Inquisition, paradoxically, were believers), and what the Bible itself says about knowledge. In general, this is a separate topic, and we will return to ours and let the Bible speak for itself. And the Bible says a lot about knowledge, here are some verses: “get wisdom, and with all your possessions get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7); “When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge delights your soul, then prudence will guard you, understanding will guard you.” (Proverbs 2:10-11); “knowledge is better than choice gold” (Proverbs 8:10); “The heart of the wise acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.” (Proverbs 18:15). And who after this will say that the Bible teaches to remain in darkness and ignorance? As Paul Sabatier (French chemist, Nobel Prize laureate) correctly noted: “Natural sciences and religion are opposed to each other only by people poorly educated in either one or the other.” .

In addition, I would like to remind you that the main character of the film I mentioned above was looking for funds not for new plumbing, but for a library.

Let's call the next sixth principle: money should work for you.

Another difference between the poor and the rich is that the poor work for money, and the rich make money work for themselves. And that’s why the reproaches of the poor are funny to me when they accuse the rich that they are only obsessed with money, although at the same time they spend their whole lives trying to get a pitiful salary, i.e. are essentially slaves to money (and quite a bit of money) instead of mastering it. Even the Bible in this case will most likely be on the side of the rich, because... condemns submission to anything material. And, returning to the principle, I will cite another Biblical parable:

“...a man, going to a foreign country, called his servants and entrusted them with his property: and to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his strength; and immediately set off. He who received five talents went and put them to work and acquired another five talents; in the same way, the one who received two talents acquired the other two; He who received one talent went and buried it in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time, the master of those slaves comes and demands an account from them. And the one who had received five talents came and brought another five talents and said: Master! you gave me five talents; Behold, I acquired another five talents with them. His master said to him: Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful in small things, I will put you over many things; enter into the joy of your master. The one who had received two talents also came up and said: Master! you gave me two talents; behold, I acquired the other two talents with them. His master said to him: Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful in small things, I will put you over many things; enter into the joy of your master. The one who had received one talent came up and said: Master! I knew you that you were a cruel man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter, and, being afraid, I went and hid your talent in the ground; here's yours. His master answered him: “You wicked and lazy servant!” You knew that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter; Therefore, you should have given my silver to the merchants, and when I came, I would have received mine with profit; So take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents.” (Matthew 25:14-28).

Let me note that talent in the time of Jesus was called a monetary unit. The meaning of the word “talent” in the sense of “ability”, “gift” comes precisely from this parable. And most often this parable is interpreted this way, i.e. in the sense that we must use the abilities that God has given us. And this is the correct interpretation, but no one is stopping us from considering it in the literal sense, which tells us that money is needed "put to use" , to "receive at a profit" . The amount of money in this case does not play a strong role, if suddenly someone thought that a slave who received one talent was in unequal conditions. The talent was the largest monetary unit, equal to six thousand denarii or drachmas, i.e. in other words, even one talent was a fortune. I also want to note that we often act even worse than a lazy slave, because... he at least saved what he was given, and we, as a rule, waste everything we have, and sometimes on things that we don’t even need.

In addition to the listed principles, other equally important points can be found in the Bible. For example, in business literature it is often said that you need to believe that you can succeed. Comments are unnecessary here: I think that I will not be mistaken if I say that there are dozens, or even hundreds of sermons on the topic of faith. I will cite just one fairly well-known verse: “all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23). You can also often hear about the importance of thought. One entrepreneur said: "we are what we think about" . Believe me, this idea is not new or revolutionary. More than two thousand years ago, the Word of God described this principle almost exactly: “As are the thoughts in his soul, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7)

Another important point that concerns various spheres of human life (in principle, like most of the listed principles) is work. I will not describe the importance of work, because... There are already a lot of works devoted to this, but again I will show what the Bible says about this, because and in this area there are often various misconceptions that believers only pray and do nothing. So, in Scripture you can find the following verses: "Sweet is the worker's dream" (Ecclesiastes 5:11); "hard workers acquire wealth" (Proverbs 11:16); “You will sleep a little, doze a little, lie down with folded hands for a little: and your poverty will come like a passer-by, and your need like a robber.” (Proverbs 6:10-11). These and many other verses tell us more and more about the wisdom of the Bible, we just need to let the Scripture speak for itself and not listen to doctrines based on nothing.

So how is it really Bible refers to rich people? Some people believe that a rich person and a Christian are incompatible concepts. Personally, I think this is a deep misconception. The only thing the Bible warns about is that wealth should not control us and control our hearts: “He who trusts in his wealth will fall” (Proverbs 11:28); “The root of all evil is the love of money” (1 Timothy 6:10). The Bible contains a number of examples of rich people whose wealth did not prevent them from becoming those who are now preached with admiration. Such people include Job, Solomon, Joseph of Arimathea and others. A number of verses indicate that it is quite normal to be rich, for example: “The wealth of a rich man is his strong city; the trouble of the poor is their poverty.” (Proverbs 10:15); “The crown of the wise is their wealth” (Proverbs 14:24); “A good man leaves an inheritance to his grandchildren” (Proverbs 13:22). Agree, in order to leave an inheritance to your grandchildren, you need to be rich. Those. a kind person is not the one who lives on a pension and hangs on the children’s necks, but the one who provided for two more generations after himself. But poverty in the Bible is most often seen as a curse rather than a blessing: “Poverty and shame for him who rejects teaching” (Proverbs 13:18).

Very often we hear from poor people that the rich are greedy, that they profit from others, that they are really unhappy, etc. In my opinion, people say this out of envy. Many people became rich for completely different reasons: they became successful because, in their moral qualities and principles, they stood above those around them. This is what brought success to their lives. Many poor people remain poor only because they lack positive qualities and, instead of developing these qualities, they choose the easiest way: they claim that the rich acquired their wealth through dishonest means (while hinting that they themselves remain poor supposedly because that they are simply trying to live honestly). Someone may object by saying that they have often heard about how many problems the rich have, how they commit suicide, etc. Therefore, I will make a small clarification: when speaking about rich people, I mostly meant those people who achieved success through their perseverance, most often these are businessmen and corporate executives. Of course, there is a certain category of people who became rich for other reasons: children of rich parents who were already born rich; many stars who only thanks to talent (or PR) suddenly became famous and famous; people who get money by dishonest means, etc. - that is, all those who became rich without making much effort. And money often really did not benefit such people: suicides, drug problems, depression, etc. often occur among them. Likewise, among the poor there are genuinely happy people who are completely satisfied with their work and wages.

So I don't want you to think that I am saying that all the poor are bad and all the rich are good. If this is what you understood, then you did not understand what I wrote about at all. I just want to break some stereotypes. And I would like to summarize the above with a phrase that may seem somewhat strange, and to some even offensive: « many rich people became rich because they followed biblical principles better than many Christians » .

Note:

For some time I was haunted by a Bible verse. It sounds like this: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:24). Regarding this verse, I reasoned something like this: a camel cannot pass through the eye of a needle, which means that a rich man cannot enter the Kingdom of God; therefore, if I want to go to heaven, I must not be rich. But in the process of studying the Bible, I learned the interpretation of this verse. In the time of Jesus, cities were often surrounded by a city wall and the entrance to the city was a large gate that was closed at night. But at night some traveler could come to the city, and especially for these purposes, in addition to the large city gates, there were small gates, which were called the eyes of the needle. A person could pass through them calmly, but in order to lead a camel, he had to be completely unloaded and bent with his knees to the ground so that he could pass through them. There are often verses in the Bible that must be interpreted in the context of the time, otherwise they will not be understood. Likewise, this verse does not mean that a rich person cannot enter the Kingdom of God, but its meaning is that it is somewhat more difficult for a rich person to do so, because... As the amount of money increases, so does the temptation.