This essay continues a sequence. Read the previous one here.
Seeking success? Comfort? Wealth? Then you’ve missed it – the Word was given to change hearts, not bank accounts. Don’t confuse (potential) side effects with core purpose.
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In the previous essay we discussed an aspect of human nature that leads us astray when trying to understand The Word. But that is not the only interpretation challenge we face.
What Seek Ye?
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
— KJV, John 1:1
The Word is eternal and unchanging, while the human being continues to grow and evolve.
That is to say: The Word Is, while human beings are becoming.
In essence, The Word is not material. It follows that It was not given primarily for material purposes, but for spiritual upliftment.
Therefore, digesting The Word in its true sense is only possible with a spiritual mindset i.e. with a humble desire for inner self-improvement devoid of any temporal material objectives.
My Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
— John 6:32
For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven,
and giveth life unto the world.
Correct interpretation of The Word requires that we distinguish between core spiritual objectives and material side effects.
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The “Motivation” and “Prosperity” Delusion
The Word is not given to “motivate” us for material success, or to give us strategies and ideas for material gain, or to solve mundane problems, or to generally help us feel good in the earthly sense. These are side effects that may (or may not!) occur in a natural way after a level of spiritual purification has been achieved i.e. after we have begun to absorb The Word.
We must avoid putting the cart before the horse.
Therefore take no thought, saying,
— Matt 6:31-33
What shall we eat? or,
What shall we drink? or,
Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:
for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God,
and his righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you.
Our main priority must be the simple and correct spiritual understanding of The Word. All else will emerge naturally from this.
Reading The Word Is Not Understanding
Part of what makes this difficult is that spiritual understanding is not a function of mere reading. It arises from living The Word (an idea further discussed in “Act To Experience To Know“).
We must get to the level where our material goals are defined by our understanding of The Word, rather than our preexisting inclinations:
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man,
— Matt 13:45-46
seeking goodly pearls:
Who, when he had found one pearl of great price,
went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
Given our materialistic habits, all this is not easy. We must therefore be on guard against our own nature, while working and praying towards better understanding.
Today’s Resolution
- We shall strengthen our resolve to become more spiritual and less materialistic, remembering that this is why the gift of The Word was given.
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