I do not
know anyone personally, who has done the first two. But I know a lot of people
who have done it the third way. Does making money make you happy? Obviously not,
but it sure helps in relieving the pressures of our debt ridden society. I am
pretty sure the reason you are even reading this article, is that you would like
to be more prosperous.
One of the greatest lessons I have learned in my
life, is that I can learn much from those who are older than me, who have walked
down life's path before me, and have shared with me their wisdom. As a teenager,
most of us rebel against our parents, and then around age 24-30 we wake up and
say, "Hey Mom and Dad were right. Why didn't I listen to them?" Unfortunately
for many of us, we have already screwed up something in our lives, and we have
to begin to correct the error of our ways. My Mom and Dad were always there to
help with that journey back to the right path.
In the Book of Proverbs,
chapter one, Solomon wrote "Listen to your father and mother. What you will
learn from them will gain you many honors." Now this fellow Solomon, lived three
thousand years ago, but the "wisdom of Solomon" is legendary, and I have found
many practical applications to my life in his writings.
Well, my Mom and Dad taught me
a very important truth years ago. It too comes from the writings of Solomon.
"Wealth gotten little by little." That is the secret. People sometimes ask me
how I was able to purchase 35 pieces of investment real estate. And my answer is
always the same. One at a time.
As a real estate investor, I had
purchased some of those tapes from those fellows who advertise on TV. When they
came in the mail, I glanced at them, and put them on the shelf of my closet. It
was two full years later, that I pulled them down and began to listen to them,
and start to fulfill my dream of purchasing properties. I purchased my first
piece of real estate in 1975, which was my first home, and then my first
investment property was purchased in 1978. The next one was in 1981. Not exactly
burning the track up with a fast start. But today, both of those properties are
paid for and all the income from them is pure profit. Then around 1986 my
construction business was catching fire, so I was able to purchase properties at
an accelerated rate.
Now since I financed a bunch of them in 1986 on a
fifteen year mortgage, guess what happens in 2001. You got that right. All those
nice rental people paid for my property, and during these fifteen years, I made
about 100 bucks positive cash flow from these properties. Now the rent of
500-700 a month is all mine. Thank you nice people for paying off my
properties.
But there have been some nightmares along the line. Flooding
apartments with water line breaking, roaches galore from one nice lady ( a
nurse-- can you believe it), and lots of other fun stories about property
management. So life is not a bed of roses. Now when things get looking bleak, go read your Bible and get God's perspective on things.
I did not have the Internet in the 1980's, but believe you me, I felt like
dumping those "headaches". I am glad I didn't quit.
Well, let me
clarify one other thing I learned. As I said above, the income will be all mine
when these properties are paid off. Again, let me refer to Solomon, in Proverbs
3:9,10 "Honor the Lord with your wealth, and with the firstfruits of all your
crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing." I have found that for me
personally, if I give of my wealth to where God directs me, then he keeps his
promises to me. Does this mean that everyone will be rich. No. Money does not
make you happy.
I have found that the most important truth that I have
discovered in my sixty years on the planet, is that there are two things that
are going to last forever. One is the Word of God. 1 Peter 1:25 states, "The
word of God stands forever" The other thing that is going to last forever is
People. The Bible makes it very clear in many passages that this is a consummate
truth. Probably the most vivid example of this is found in Revelation 20:11-15.
You might get a Bible and read that.
My name is written in that Book of
Life, and has been for many years. My life is entwined with the truth of Romans
1:16. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, (good news of Jesus Christ coming to
save me),. because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who
believes."
I do not in any way apologize for claiming to be a Christian,
but I am not a man who is perfect. I have failed God many times in my life, and
my life is one of a daily walk with Him. I give him credit for all my
accomplishments in life. Without the input from the Word of God in my life, I
would be nothing.
Does God want us all to be rich? No, I think that he
delights in taking ordinary people and doing what he wants to for His purpose.
Is there anything wrong with making money? No, God expects us to use wisely what
we have. I am reminded again of Solomon who wrote in Ecclesiastes 5:10, "Whoever
loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with
his income. This too is meaningless." And I might also remind you of that oft
quoted passage, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some
people eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with
many grief's."
So bottom line, what is the secret to making money. Like
the commercial that hit our TV's about Paine Webber a few years ago. "We make
money the old fashioned way. We Earn It." If your passion is to make the
Internet Business your vehicle to success, or if you choose some other venture,
you must remember, that it takes time, patience and a lot of hard work to
become successful in the financial world.
Does God want everyone to be a
millionaire? I do not think so. Does he want everyone to be successful? Again, I
must refer you to my manual of success. Joshua 1:8, states, "Do not let this
Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that
you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous
and successful."
It works for me.
Jim Young
**If you have
further questions about how I got to this point in my life in my relationship
with God, please refer to the articles in my Personal Web
Site.
