The Illusion of Financial Security by Merwin

There are many examples of prosperity among the believers in the Bible.

Most of those examples of they that were blessed, are even contrasted by the desperate want of those around them.

Just to name a few... Joseph, who was pulled from prison and put in his high office by the Pharaoh, doling out stores during the seven years of famine. Israel wandering in the wilderness for forty years, being blessed with their daily miracle provisions, Elijah was used by God to bless the home of the widow with an abundance of oil that she could sell to buy grain, in the middle of drought and famine, etc.

I am not against the prosperity message per se, in my opinion it has value when the message itself is balanced. So this is not an anti-affluence message nor is it meant to discourage those who have received hope of financial healing from God, I believe these things occur.

What I do feel impressed to write about, is the inordinate and inappropriate expectations of many (believers and unbelievers) who desire to gain any solid employment, that will allow them to be certain of their financial comfort.

I am specifically addressing the wide ranging concept that a position with any company that is well founded, translates into... "If I work hard, and am loyal to my (employer) business, my business will in turn be loyal to me, and I will have 'job security', and I can therefore count on certain things."

This is utter nonsense on the one hand, but a work good ethic that is in "some" demand on the other hand.

Let me explain that last sentence. We were taught (or should have been), that hard work is rewarded, and that loyalty to one's company generates a return of loyalty from that company. That, diligence and good ethics will assure longevity and maybe even a decent retirement package.

Well, will you please look around us.

Great institutions are folding up left and right, retirement reservoirs have either been embezzled by crooks or simply hamstrung by the economy's failures.

Employers nowadays will look for any excuse (and sometimes no excuse) at all, to fire the employee that is edging close to time goals, that make them eligible for promised hiring incentives.

And even if the company does not use firing except as a last resort, they can employ something I heard termed as, "Saturation Management", whereby the supervision will keep heaping on tasks beyond reasonable, "burden" limits, hoping to drive out the more mature employees, so firing becomes unnecessary.

These practices are all too common among companies, though there are a few good companies that still live up to the promises they made to their entry level personnel.

Why is this? Why should this be so? Well... it is so, because nearly all companies are in competition with other companies who are willing to cut corners to make ends meet. The corner that the first company is willing to cut is the rank and file corner, the corner of the lowest employment rungs of the company.

I know, your probably thinking Well, when business is bad... sure, they have to cut back ...true, except I was illustrating a common daily competitive practice that has become predominant in nearly every industry.

And again, don't forget, we are talking about job and financial security or the illusion of it.

You should know, that financial security in reality, is very much like a bare bones farmer making his living off his little farm. One bad crop failure and he or she is wiped out and they have to start all over... if they can. Who among us does not know of a friend that was financially well off one day and wiped out the next... either by hook, or crook? Even owners of solvent businesses can be taken advantage of.

Most companies cannot afford to do the "old school" reward system any longer and... you cannot afford to rely entirely on the old school work ethic to provide you with a contentment and confidence that people used to be able to expect as rewards for work well done.

And as far as the American Dream of owning your own small business and reaping the greater harvest for your hard work investment?

Please... big Government is now over-regulating small businesses into a thing of the past.

So what is the answer? What can be done?

A sound work ethic will always be valued, loyalty to one's employer will always be a treasure to the boss you work for.

Can you rely on that? Yes... but, qualify that yes with some common sense, continue in these things and be willing to invest and reinvest these things at every opportunity as it comes along. Will this bring you the security and peace of mind that you work for..? No.

What will?

Back in the day... waaaaaay back when I was a kid, one of the most powerful explosives in use was TNT, so common was its use and definition, that TNT was used as a measurement to describe the value of atomic weapons... 50 megaton atomic bomb as an example meant the equivalent of 50 millions tons of TNT.

I love to make this application... nearly thirty years ago now, I believe that the Lord gave me this analogy. The analogy is from Matthew...

Mat 6:25 ¶ Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

"Take No Thought for your life..." you know what? This, Take No Thought, happens to be perfect faith, perfect faith in God.

Perfect trust in the fact that your Father knows what you need, and in this position, this posture, this faith, the TNT gift from God is powerful enough to remove mountains. It is explosive... in your life, for your peace, for your comfort from the Comforter, God's Holy Spirit.

Hbr 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Mat 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

Mat 6:32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

This, "Take No Thought", is the ultimate gift, it is the faith that He is the author and finisher of.

People in the day would run away from TNT!

I say... do not run from this particular type of TNT... run to it... then rest in Him, and be at peace!