The Secret (2 of 6)
Family Matters
Roger Thomas
Philippians 4:12; Proverbs 3:1-2
May 12, 2002
Introduction: Today I want to talk about the secret of financial independence. That's a piece of what Solomon meant by prosperity and Paul meant by contentment. It is not all of it, but it is a part of it. Everyone, if they had their druthers, would choose a life of financial independence and contentment over poverty and want any day. I am here today to tell you that the path to financial independence is not a secret. It is really quite simple.
Some of you probably suspect you know the secret and it is like this. A young man asked an older rich man, whom he knew claimed to be a self-made man, how he made his money. The old guy fingered his worsted wool vest and said, "Well, son, it was 1932, the depth of the Great Depression. I was down to my last nickel. I invested that nickel in an apple. I spent the entire day polishing the apple and, at the end of the day, I sold the apple for ten cents. The next morning, I invested those ten cents in two apples. I spent the entire day polishing them and sold them at 5:00 PM for 20 cents. I continued this system for a month, by the end of which I'd accumulated a fortune of $1.37. Then my wife's father died and left us two million dollars." That's one way. But that's not the secret I want to talk about!
For the most part, my message is drawn from the book of Proverbs. More than anything Proverbs is a book about common sense living. It is presented as the kind of information that any reasonable person would come to if they just observed life and lived long enough. But in Proverbs God is the ultimate source of this information. That's what makes it so reliable.
Proverbs further insists that, if followed, this information leads to prosperity and long life. It doesn't however present this as ironclad rules or promises. I think that is a misreading of the book. There are always exceptions, no guarantees. ...
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