Jesus’ company
It’s interesting to look at some of the not so obvious traits of the disciples of Jesus Christ. But when we take a very close look at the men Jesus Christ surrounded Himself with, we come away with some amazing insight.
Phillip, for instance:
“But he answered, “You give them something to eat”. They [Phillip] said to him, “That would take eight months of a man’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”
~ Mark 6:37
Here are a few takeaways from Phillip’s response:
1. He was smart. One look at the crowd and he could instantly estimate the quantity and cost of bread required to feed them.
2. Their company was rich. The issue here wasn’t the availability of the cash; it was that Phillip didn’t think they should take that much and spend on bread when those people could fend for themselves.
3. He was shrewd. He preferred that they retained their money in their coffers.
Now, look at Judas:
When the disciples [John tells us it was actually Judas] saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. This perfume could have been sold at a high price [Judas calculated it to be worth a year’s wages] and the money given to the poor.”
~Matthew 26:8,9
Again, some takeaways:
1. Judas did not necessarily care for the poor; he was a thief. However, he was smart. He took just one look at the perfume and determined it’s worth.
- Again, this shows that their company was rich. Judas did not suggest that they put the money into their funds. They had more than enough. Futhermore, he referred to the poor as a separate group from themselves, implying that the disciples did not consider themselves as poor.
3. The disciples were generally averse to wastefulness.
It’s interesting to note that Jesus Christ surrounded Himself with men who were smart, shrewd, and averse to waste.
Mind your company
I think that if you want to create surplus, if you want to spend less than you earn, if you want to eliminate wastefulness from your life, you must mind your company.
What kind of folks are you hanging out with? If you want to succeed in your enterprise, strive to surround yourself with people of high caliber. The quality of human beings you surround yourself with is critical to your success. To be successful, surround yourself with smart and intelligent people.
Pay attention to the attitudes of the people with whom you spend most time towards their finances. Whether they are relatives, friends, or co-workers, these people have the most impact on your financial life. Do they consistently apply the first three keys we’ve examined so far?
· Do they spend less than they earn?
· Do they keep accurate records of their income?
· Do they keep accurate records of their expenses?
If the answer is “no”, then I recommend that you start spending a little less time with them; and this is why.
If they don’t consistently apply these principles, it is unlikely that you will either. You unconsciously model the people around you, and the more people you are exposed to that don’t follow these principles, the more likely that you won’t.
Consciously surround yourself with people whose attitudes are more in alignment with the financial habits you seek to cultivate. Spend time with people that have financial habits that you’d like to emulate and learn from. The best way to creating a healthy relationship with money is to connect with other like minded people who are on the same journey.
Relationship must be by choice, not by force
Jesus Christ handpicked His most intimate associates. And He made sure they were individuals who were smart, intelligent, shrewd, and averse to waste. In the story of the feeding of the multitude, whereas John tells us that it was actually Phillip who discouraged the idea of spending their reserve on food, Matthew writes that it was all the disciples. This allows us to perceive that this was the general attitude among the Twelve. Similarly, in the case of the woman that broke the perfume jar at Jesus’ feet, whereas John tells us that it was Judas that frowned at the waste, Matthew, writes that all the disciples did so. Again, this suggests to us that it was the general disposition of the disciples towards the woman’s actions. Jesus Christ carefully surrounded Himself with men who were averse to waste. No wonder they always had reserves in their treasury.
In order to be successful in life, you must ensure that your most intimate fellowships are based on mutual agreements, common positions, shared perspectives, and common purpose. This is one of the primary perspectives of the Wildfire Message and lies at the core of our Family’s mission.
Relationship must be by choice, not by force. If you want to build wealth, you really can’t afford to have certain mind-sets in your company.
For instance, if you want to spend less than you earn, you should avoid ostentatious individuals. Stay away from so-called friends who are insecure and tend to pretend to be what they really aren’t. This sort of people will always spend more than they have, run their lives into ditches of debt, and ultimately live in lack. Worst of all, they’ll drag you into their wretchedness as well. So, do the right thing and stay away from them.
You should sort through your circle of family, friends, and acquaintances for those that are smart, shrewd, and averse to waste. Then deliberately strengthen your link with them so you can reinforce your efforts to spend less than you earn in order to create surplus. Furthermore, in building new relationships, be mindful of their attitudes towards their finances and ensure that you connect only with people who are aligned with the positive financial habits you seek to cultivate.