One of the tests of the mettle of any person is how he or she handles adversity. And one of the most common tests is financial adversity.
For those who view independence and self-sufficiency as virtues, financial calamity causes them to turn inward to find answers. Frequently, they withdraw and isolate themselves taking pride in seeking to solve problems by themselves.
The Scriptures, however, teach that the way to face adversity is through humility, submission, and dependence on others. Note Solomon’s teaching in the above text, which connects tangible prosperity to submission to godly parents who guide the son (speaking generically of both males and females) into the will and ways of God. This is an example of how spiritual reality drives physical reality. Specifically, the predicate for tangible prosperity is sound biblical thinking (a biblical worldview).
One of the key ways that we attain sound biblical thinking is through parents—both natural and spiritual—who can guide us into the will and ways of God. Natural parents are the first authority figures in the life of each person. But natural parents are limited and never perfect. So to supplement the deficiencies of natural parents, God provides spiritual parents.
Therefore to fully mature and realize one’s potential, in this case specifically regarding prosperty, requires learning to submit to divinely ordained authority.
In 1875, a young businessman named Harry faced bankruptcy. His business partners, financial backers, vendors, customers, and friends turned against him. Instead of leaning on his own understanding, Harry submitted to his godly mother who provided direction and counsel. As a result, Harry was able to recover and build one of the most successful companies of the twentieth century. (To hear more of Harry’s story, please listen to this month’s podcast/teaching.)
If you want to prosper in God’s universe and to successfully face economic disaster, you must build your life on sound biblical thinking. One of God’s key ways for providing this foundation is through submission to natural and spiritual parents.
Here is your business tip. When facing economic calamity, humble yourself and submit to godly parents—natural and/or spiritual—who can guide you to alignment with biblical principles. In building organizations, look for people who are submitted to godly parents, both natural and spiritual. People who are truly submitted to parental authority will submit to workplace authority. They will be humble and teachable. One of their characteristics will be compliance to directions and receptivity to counsel from authority whether or not they agree and/or understand. Such people will make wise decisions that will lead to prosperity. |
