“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) Growing Dominion, Part 45 The most persistent heresy that the Church has had to deal with, over the course of our centuries, is the heresy of Gnosticism. In countless ways, Christians drift into the dangerous assumption that spiritual means immaterial and that unspiritual …
Rewards
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) Growing Dominion, Part 44 Heavenly things drive earthly things. What we assume about ultimate reality is going to dictate how we behave in day-to-day matters. If we assume that the whole idea of “rewards” is somehow less than spiritual, then we have to …
Altruism and Self-Interest
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) Growing Dominion, Part 43 A businessman cannot function without a prudent sense of self-interest, and one of the reasons many Christians struggle in their oversight of business is that they do not understand this virtue properly. And the reason they do not understand …
More on Self Interest
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) Growing Dominion, Part 42 Self-interest is built into us. We do not have to create it, and it is not possible to annihilate it. It is fixed; it is a given. This means that when I have a toothache, I know instinctively that …
Selfishness and Self-Interest
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16 11) Growing Dominion, Part 41 No one needs to teach us the arts of selfishness, and the related arts of rationalization. No one has to have special classes for the toddlers in the nursery in order to teach them how to grab for toys, …
Giving Away the Store
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) Growing Dominion, Part 40 God blesses open-handedness, and yet there is such a thing as giving away the store. What is the difference between the two? The law of God requires open-handedness, and a generous spirit. The gleaning laws of the Old Testament, …
God Gave the Increase
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) Growing Dominion, Part 39 No one controls his own life. No businessman controls the variables that govern the success of his business. At the same time, there is a correlation between our behavior and whether we prosper or not. When we see this …
Gambling and Faith
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) Growing Dominion, Part 38 In the last installment, we addressed the fact that luck governs nothing. Our triune God oversees all things that happen, and He does so in a particular and personal way. Not a sparrow falls to the ground apart from …
Luck
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) Growing Dominion, Part 37 As we labor in our various callings and businesses, we have to remember that there is no such thing as luck. Neither good luck nor bad luck exists. The fortune that one man experiences and another man misses are …
Audio Reading of Post
Discrimination
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) Growing Dominion, Part 36 Discrimination used to be a good word, and it is still possible to use it that way in some settings (e.g. “He is a man of discriminating taste.”) But for the most part, our modern thought police have seen …