Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
As believers of Christ, we have eternity in perspective and our top priority should be God, His kingdom and His righteousness, followed next in order by our family and then other concerns. We are aware that life on earth is temporal, that we are sojourners and pilgrims on this earth and that we will not bring anything with us when we pass on into glory.
Unfortunately, many of us spend a lot of time developing our identity in the business or corporate world in order to be successful and rich, often without God’s blessing. We may want to prove to the world (sometimes especially to those who have belittled us) that we can make it on our own and be successful. This is pride. There is always a price to be paid for affluence apart from God, and there are sorrows that come with success apart from Him. Our health, family relationships and our walk with God may not be among our top priorities in our pursuit for success. Our pride might have led us to venture into something that we were not particularly gifted in or have been clearly called to, and we now find ourselves failing. Some of us may have believed that we can be an entrepreneur and do a better job than our previous bosses. We might now find ourselves buried in financial woes if we had been rash in making an investment decision. Not everyone is a gifted entrepreneur or pioneer. Such persons need to be able to grasp the big picture, have a strategic mind, be able to develop the business, have good EQ and very deep pockets, especially if it’s based in Shanghai or any first-tier cities in China. There are many good ideas, but not all of them will succeed, particularly if they do not have the blessing of God. And even if success does come to us, we may need to pay a high personal price for it, possibly with the loss of something precious.
There are people who have adopted unethical ways to climb the corporate ladder, who could not wait to be promoted to hold a title of significance in the corporate world. And some of us have our identity so entrenched in our job that other aspects of who we are, be that parent, spouse or child of God, are suffering as a result.
Without God, pride will cause us to eventually fall and depart from Him even if we are currently successful in business or make a lot of money. Without God, we will not always win in life. An unexpected turn of events or a sudden shift or slowdown in the economy may cause our investment to take a beating and our world may crumble. We might be made redundant or our health might require us to take a break from our career. Therefore, we should always remember to order our priorities aright and that when we seek the Kingdom of God first, all other good things will follow.
Sermon Series: Resilience (Part 3)
先寻求神的国
马太福音 6:33 你们要先求他的国和他的义，这些东西都要加给你们了。
作为基督的信徒，我们相信有永恒，我们的优先次序应该是先寻求上帝的国和祂的义，其次是我们的家庭，然后是其他的关切。我们知道地球上的生命是暂时的，我们是地球上的旅居者和朝圣者，当我们进入荣耀时，我们带不走任何东西。
不幸的是，我们中的许多人为了得到成功和财富，常常在没有得到上帝祝福的情况下，投入大量时间在商界或业界钻营，以期扬名立万。我们可能想向世界(有时尤其是向那些贬低我们的人)证明我们可以靠自己取得成功。这是骄傲。离开上帝，富裕总是要付出代价的，成功也会带来悲伤。在我们追求成功的道路上，我们的健康，与家人的关系以及与上帝的同行或许就不再是我们的首要考量。我们的骄傲可能会导致我们冒险去做一些我们没有特别天赋或没有被明确指向去做的事情，到头来却发现自己一败涂地。我们中的一些人可能认为我们可以成为一名企业家，并且比我们之前的老板做得更好。如果我们草率地决定投资，我们现在可能会发现自己陷入财务困境。不是每个人都是有天赋的企业家或先驱者。这样的人需要有大局观，有战略眼光，能发展业务，有良好的情商和非常雄厚的财力，尤其是在上海或者国内任何一线城市。好的想法层出不穷，但并不是所有的都会成功，尤其是如果他们没有上帝的祝福。即使成功降临到我们身上，我们也可能需要为此付出高昂的个人代价，可能会失去一些珍贵的东西。
有些人以不道德的方式攀爬企业阶梯，迫不及待地想被提拔以在企业界拥有显赫的头衔。我们中有些人把个人身份与工作相捆绑，如此根深蒂固乃至我们身份的其他层面如父母、配偶或上帝的孩子等等都深受拖累。
没有上帝，即使我们目前在商业上取得成功或赚了很多钱，骄傲最终也会使我们跌倒并远离他。没有上帝，我们不会在生命中持续得胜。意外的事件或经济的突然转折或放缓可能会导致我们的投资备受打击，我们的世界也可能会崩溃。我们可能会被裁员，或者我们的健康可能导致我们职业生涯的中断。因此，我们应该时刻记得要理顺我们的优先顺序，当我们首先寻求上帝的国时，所有其他美好的事物和祝福的应许都会随之而来。
讲章系列：韧性（反弹/恢复能力)（第三部分）