Is the rat race "The pursuit of happiness?"

Dear reader, this is your sunday morning breakfast blog, eat slowly...

There was a movie called the “Pursuit of Happiness” and it had core points of working hard, striving for the mastery, doing what you got to do to come out of poverty and eventually getting rich. However, from start to finish not once did it tell the truth, of where true happiness comes from.

Not once did the movie give credit to our Heavely Father for the success, not once did

happiness go hand in hand with the joys of salvation, and as the story was from a worldly and hollywood worldview, Jesus Christ was never mentioned.

The story could make one think that financial wealth is "happiness" that getting rich and working hard to get there is happiness.

The film boasted temporary measures, for a finite existence. So, can the pursuit of financial wealth give you happiness?....Let's talk..

I've recently had a better understanding of people who love money and chase it all day are victims of misplaced devotion and purpose. When a man gives the majority of his time and effort to pursue self-centered ambition, the love of God does not reside in him (well at least when he or she is in that mindset) I am not talking about your day job but more of your mindset just to make sure we are not mixing words in this blog, let me setup some scriptural foundations:

Deuteronomy 6:5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

The Lord was clear to Solomon and is clear to us today when He say’s

”…acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.”

God does not mix his words or water them down, and in this blog I will be straight talking.

We who have the hope for better and greater things need to know and live like we are going somewhere! I speak of salvation, I speak of heaven.

Do you wonder why believers (Christians) weigh ourselves down with the burdens and deceptions of being “filthy rich”, “big rollers” or have “superstar fever”?

These are dreams of those who do not know and love Elohim, Yahweh our Heavenly Father.

"💰 Money Lovers" are those who live in the rat race and reside in spiritual darkness, they behave as if they have not seen or loved the light that is Christ Jesus.

What is a rat race you may ask?

A rat race is a term used for an endless, self-defeating or pointless pursuit, in many respects, it is the fierce competitive struggle for wealth or power.

While some believers in and out of the church run back and forth for the next big pay check, academic achievement, contract, sale or business venture, they allow the desire to be like the next Millionaire, American idol or family chairman, to overpower their NEED and love for God.

I like how one blogger put it, "I know plenty of financially wealthy people living in a self-created prison; and I know several financially poor people who consider themselves free (and happy)." Mymoneyblog.com, Jonathan Bing

When a man pursues riches in this world and does not pursue his purpose as a Child of God, he puts himself in harms way, resulting in sorrow, grief, and confusion. This has led so many to depression, fear and at worst suicide, which tells me with alarm bells that chasing the world leads an individual to self-destruction. The bible is so wise on life, giving so many "life-hacks", here is one that hits the nail on the head

1 Timothy 6:10 "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 griefs."

But your probably thinking, "why can't I do both"? It's tempting to love God and pursue the world, what rapper said "Get rich or die trying" but in the context to happiness and "the rat race", I am drawn to what Jesus said in the gospel of Matthew 6:24

" 24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

Now back to that Rat race, If you have ever seen a LAB RAT in a maze you will understand what the devil does to men when their affection, devotion, time, and love is directed from God to temporal things.

You see, the rat is let loose, cheese/being your lusts or the thing that will give you temporary satisfaction, is placed at strategic places throughout the maze (broad way) and the rat runs around sniffing and chasing after its hearts delight, money, bling, wealth & power etc, nowhere insight is there an exit (though there is one) and because the rat is not looking for an exit but following the cheddar (money)it does not realize how lost it is and gets deeper into the mindset of chasing a dead end. You see rats don’t have wings and the maze is deep enough that the rat cant jump out when an exit is sought by the rat the rat races around thinking it can get out but every exit eventually turns into a dead end, and the cheese at each dead end after a while becomes unsatisfactory, as its belly is full and the taste becomes stale. This is the rats world, within a world, It’s a pointless pursuit as the lust is never satisfied, and it sounds like hell.

If you pay attention to the great controversy the devil uses may opportunities or tricks to keep someone chasing the world. It seems like it isn’t enough to get you in one area he will replace the yellow cheese for a really smelly blue cheddar, that will draw you further away from looking for an exit, because the exit out of this death maze, represents trusting and needing God. Think about that.

Satan will distract the wandering soul so they focus on the temporal wants for more cheese and the spiritual man becomes debased, lost and he suffers misplaced devotion, no longer wanting to get out from his secular world and surely forgets Gods Kingdom.

This is hard to read, but luke warm Christians suffer a similar fate. Is there any hope for the rat? Yes, the rat may be taken out of the maze but he would have to stop chasing the cheese to realise he could, with help, find the exit. Yes, you may go church and yes you may call yourself a Christian but as long as Jesus is not first and long as Gods Kingdom, the joy of salvation and His righteousness is not your focus, the lust of the world will always drive an individual to be like rats sniffing for that next cheese and being secular is their portion. Surely, this is the lukewarm mindset to be totally oblivious to the fact that they are lost and devastatingly forgetful that, God says,

He will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:19-20),

He says He will give you peace that passes all understanding (Phil 4:6-8),

He will give if you ask, open doors if you knock (Matthew 7-11),

He will point the way if you are lost (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Jesus is famous for following through with His promises and many other things, but one thing that will resonate with those who think they dont have much, is that, Satan comes to destroy but Jesus says He (our Saviour ad provider) came to give life and that He will give life more abundantly. (Read John 10:10)

This is the answer to LIFE, where happiness turns to JOY, if you didnt know this truth, read it "Jesus is the answer for you today and everyday" He is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6) but this tansformation is to be discussed in another blog.

Dear reader, lets have a heart to ❤️ here, when we look in ourselves for the answers to life and happiness, we will only find temporary measures, that at it's best, scratches the surface and at worst leads to pointless ends. I suggest, with even a little faith, that we need to look above and trust in the Father above, because the bible yet again has a major counsel for us, with the promise that says, in Matthew 6:33 "seek first the kingdom of (God)Yahweh and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you." The answer is simple, but should be explored to realise the fullness of the promise. The question remains for this blog, how do you get out of this rat race? ..Well, start with reviewing all the scriptures in this blog and catch up with me on my next blog but that's a discussion for the next blog.

As a final encouragement take a sneak peak at the bible and you will discover that "Gods people never had to chase for wealth or money, because wealth both spiritual and material was given to the people of God." So dont chase the money, the money will find you.

If you enjoyed this blog, if it made you think about life, please leave a comment, ❤ or 👍 like but most of all, share it .

Back next week for your sunday morning breakfast blog 08:30am.

Eugene James

If you enjoyed this blog please leave a comment, ❤ or 👍 like , but most of all share it .