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Subscribe!Wed - May 16, 2007 : 10:50 pm
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What does "rich" really mean?
I've been reading the scriptures a bit lately, and I came upon a verse which intrigued me. That verse quickly made me think of this one, and this one. Let's not forget this one - that's a good one, too - verse 33 being the focus.
Here's another really good one warning of the dangers of the previous entries, and further proving the point that at least some of the previous entries mean "rich" in the sense of having lots of temporal stuff. You know, "rich".
Hopefully you've read all the links above because I'm assuming you have.
Here's the skinny. My whole life has been one "upgrade" after the next. Jobs and money (to a certain extent) have fallen from the sky to me, and continue to do so. I honestly feel I don't deserve any of this good fortune because I know myself well, and I'm overly aware of all my shortcomings.
My upbringing was pretty darned good. Kudos to my parents. They did one heckuva job raising me in light and truth, and I thank them for it.
One thing, however, I think that my parents didn't emphasize, and isn't emphasized in my religion either, is temporal blessings. Now, obviously, I know why. The last link above is *precisely* why. Helaman explains it best, by far.
As soon as we're blessed and rich and lavish and have everything we could possibly ever want, what happens? Yeah, that happens.
We forget all about the source of our blessings, and more than that, we tend to remember all too well our own pride and holy cow. We all know too well where pride leads us.
Soooo.... Yeah. I guess the whole point of this entry is concerning a bewilderment I've had pretty much my whole life. The Lord says he'll bless us. My parents and church have taught me that "blessed" means "spiritually blessed". My own research has led me to believe that in addition to it is also "temporal blessings", meaning riches - gold, silver, flocks, glory, etc... So... Here's my quandry:
Why are some righteous people poor? Pretty open-ended question, if ya ask me, but in my life, I don't consider myself even close to being as righteous as I could be, and yet - I'm blessed far beyond the blessings I often see in others. I'm not exactly sure why, other than these two things:
I guess I'm just having a hard time accepting the blessings God grants to me while seeing others who are struggling to make a fraction of what has been given to me. It's up to me to decide how to use my own blessings.
Hopefully I've chosen wisely. Probably not, but... hopefully.
Here's another really good one warning of the dangers of the previous entries, and further proving the point that at least some of the previous entries mean "rich" in the sense of having lots of temporal stuff. You know, "rich".
Hopefully you've read all the links above because I'm assuming you have.
Here's the skinny. My whole life has been one "upgrade" after the next. Jobs and money (to a certain extent) have fallen from the sky to me, and continue to do so. I honestly feel I don't deserve any of this good fortune because I know myself well, and I'm overly aware of all my shortcomings.
My upbringing was pretty darned good. Kudos to my parents. They did one heckuva job raising me in light and truth, and I thank them for it.
One thing, however, I think that my parents didn't emphasize, and isn't emphasized in my religion either, is temporal blessings. Now, obviously, I know why. The last link above is *precisely* why. Helaman explains it best, by far.
As soon as we're blessed and rich and lavish and have everything we could possibly ever want, what happens? Yeah, that happens.
We forget all about the source of our blessings, and more than that, we tend to remember all too well our own pride and holy cow. We all know too well where pride leads us.
Soooo.... Yeah. I guess the whole point of this entry is concerning a bewilderment I've had pretty much my whole life. The Lord says he'll bless us. My parents and church have taught me that "blessed" means "spiritually blessed". My own research has led me to believe that in addition to it is also "temporal blessings", meaning riches - gold, silver, flocks, glory, etc... So... Here's my quandry:
Why are some righteous people poor? Pretty open-ended question, if ya ask me, but in my life, I don't consider myself even close to being as righteous as I could be, and yet - I'm blessed far beyond the blessings I often see in others. I'm not exactly sure why, other than these two things:
- I seriously believe and am convinced that God gives us exactly what we want. What we really want. This is a whole discussion unto itself, but suffice it to be explained this way: If I want a new Ferrari, my want will turn into actions and a series of events which will ultimately lead to my obtaining my want. If I sit in bed and dream of a Ferrari, it will only be in my dreams. I believe God has a large role in the actions of our lives.
- The next reason I think blessings are seemingly disproportionate among the world is that God is the ultimate judge of all things, and people. God is the only person who knows our hearts and desires. I believe that if we desire money, as Jacob says, to do good and serve others, we will eventually get it. If not, then it's left to us and our own devices. And heck, some people don't even want it in the first place. Ain't nothing wrong with that!
I guess I'm just having a hard time accepting the blessings God grants to me while seeing others who are struggling to make a fraction of what has been given to me. It's up to me to decide how to use my own blessings.
Hopefully I've chosen wisely. Probably not, but... hopefully.