Be Rich Toward God!

When I was in Ethiopia recently, I was struck as so many Westerner are, by the grinding poverty. While I was there, though, a man told me, "In the West, you measure a man's wealth by his possessions. In this country, we measure his wealth by his friends." How will you measure your wealth?
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Wise people build their lives around what is eternal and squeeze in what is temporary. Not the other way around. So let's try an exercise in understanding what is at stake. Think for a few moments about two categories: "forever" and "temporary". What in your life is going to last forever, and what is going back in the box?

What will go back to the box?
* Possessions
* My resume
* My body
* Money
* Pleasures
* Other people's opinions of me
* Security
* Titles and positions
* Youth
* Power
* Physical attractiveness
* Health

Forever
* God
* Deeds of love
* Other people
* My Soul


All that will be left is love. That which was done out of love for God will last. Every human being you see is a cleverly disguised receptacle of eternity. You can take the love with you.

The object of life is to be rich toward God."

John Ortberg, "When the game is over, it all goes back in the BOX" pg 30-32. Zondervan 2007.
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Naked we came, naked we will depart! John Ortberg was referring to the monopoly game. We are Master of the Board at least once in our live... but we will surrender everything after each game of monopoly. The plot of lands we acquired, the houses we built, the friendship we made... everything will be returned to da box! Caesar built a big empire! Genghis Khan conquered the world, little kingdoms, fiefdoms were built and destroyed. Companies were built and gone! Well at least that's call entrepreneurship. In the book "Built to last" by James C. Collins (Author), Jerry I. Porras - they described / analyzed companies which were "built to last" such as GE, GM, Ford, HP, TI... interestingly enough a lot of technology companies. Yet look how they have become such colossus that even they plan to shed their weight... i.e sell divisions, subsidiaries that cannot compete. GM and Ford are in trouble and compete heavily with Japanese & Korean car makers... Chinese cars will come in-line soon! I think the Great Wall of China is a great highway to nowhere... only Chinese cars can be driven on this autobahn (highway)! Erno Rubik is famous for his Rubik's cubes... hours and hours of addictive puzzle. Built to last? It took a while for the cube to be a craze in the west because Rubik's company was in the Eastern Block (Hungary) - they only knew communism... not capitalism or even socialist democracy as China is trying to embrace. However whatever we try to build to last... it will turn to dust. Even your Rubik's cube!

So when the game is over, it all goes back in the BOX!

Unwittingly I arrived, as if I leave quietly. Sometimes you have to let go of what you cannot live without.