Bringing in the harvest…
The Vital Few verses the Trivial Many
Prosperity on Earth
Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.
3rd John 1:2 (NASB)
When you think of prosperity what does it mean to you? Do you imagine a large beautiful house, filled with everything you ever wanted? Do you think of a fancy new car that turns every head as you drive by? Or, do you dream of having more money than you could possibly spend in your lifetime? Of course! This is the American dream!
Unfortunately, for many Americans, the pursuit of the so-called American dream has left them with an enormous debt trying to live a life style they cannot afford. What is even worse is the American government is continuously spending money faster than it can earn, leaving our children’s children with a current nine trillion-dollar debt to foreign countries. This national debt keeps growing by the minute. The reality is that eventually Americans, and the American government itself, will get to the breaking point resulting in a total financial and economic collapse if we continue on this course. America is considered one the richest countries in the world, but with such an enormous debt, one could question if that statement is really true.
For the few people, who do realize the American dream of material wealth, they never seem to be satisfied. Why you may ask? Because they are not filled with the abundance of the Holy Spirit, and no matter how much material wealth they may acquire, they are empty and dead, unable to fill the void inside.
No pun indented, but selling prosperity in America is big business. The countless get rich quick schemes floating around the internet, the many self-help books, and the “prosperity preachers” on TV would lead you to believe that everyone can achieve this goal by simply throwing money at them. Obviously, the only ones getting rich are the ones selling you on their ideas, and cashing in on your dreams.
What is important to realize, not everyone is meant to receive material wealth because of a simple thing called human nature. But do not be discouraged, because once you set your sights on something much more important than material possessions, the riches you truly long for can be obtained when you receive the precious gifts that God has for you.
“The Vital Few versus the Trivial Many”
Vilfredo Pareto (1848-1923) was an Italian economist who is credited for observing that “eighty percent of the wealth is possessed by twenty percent of the people in the world.” This is commonly referred to as the “80/20 rule” and he created the saying, “the vital few versus the trivial many.” Because of this, Pareto spoke out against this injustice and even went as far as proclaiming himself a Marxist; believing in communism as the way of distributing the wealth and bringing prosperity to all on planet earth. What Pareto failed to realize is that even if you evenly distributed all the wealth to every human being on the earth, given enough time, the majority of the wealth would eventually go to the vital few people with the trivial many left with the remaining twenty-percent. It is a sad reality, but it is the nature of humans because of the sin of greed.
Here are a few examples of the 80/20 rule in our lives. This example applies to men as well as women. “People wear twenty percent of their clothing eighty percent of the time.” Now be truthful, does this describe you? My wife tells me that I wear ten percent of my clothing ninety percent of the time (but that is another story).
Here is another one “People associate with twenty percent of the people they know eighty percent of the time” You get the picture; the 80/20 rule is just part of human nature.
Naturally, the 80/20 rule is not an absolute. It could range from about 70/30 to 90/10, but the main concept is that many things in human nature correlate to the “vital few versus the trivial many.”
With this concept of the 80/20 rule in mind, I did a little research of my own1. I looked at some world census data on countries reporting the percentage of Christians in their country and found something interesting. Please keep in mind that not all countries reported having Christians, and I am sure there are more out there than is reported; however, of the countries that did report having Christians, eighty percent of those Christians lived in twenty percent of the countries.
I also discovered from another report2, that only about thirty percent of all humans on planet earth are Christian and the growth rate of Christians are on the decline when compared to the world population growth. When Jesus returns for His Church, will he take the vital few (believing Christians) and leave the trivial many (non-believers) behind? For that answer we must refer to the scriptures.
Jesus said, “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Matthew 22:14 (NASB)
Jesus also said, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
Matthew 7:13-14 (NASB)
In both passages, Jesus uses the word “few” to describe those who will be chosen and find their way to salvation, while using the word “many” for those who will hear his calling and still go down the road that leads to destruction. Are you going to be one of the vital few that heed the calling, or are you part of the trivial many that ignores His calling? The word “trivial” does not imply that non-believers are trivial in the eyes of God. Keep in mind that God does not wish anyone of His children to be lost. And, this is why evangelism is even more important than ever in these troubling times.
Although this article is about the treasures we will inherit in the after life, we still need to thrive and survive in this life, and that will require money. The Bible states that money in itself is not evil, but it is the love of money that is the root of all evil. When we ask God to give us this day our daily bread, we should start by first thanking Him for the gifts He has already given us. The key words are “daily bread.” Therefore, we should always pray that we are neither poor nor rich, but that we receive just enough to sustain us day by day (read Proverbs 30:8-9).
It is okay to want a nice house, a reliable car and other material things. We must be certain; however, to not want them to the exclusion of everything else; especially to the exclusion of the One who gives us all things; God.
Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You can not serve God and wealth.”
Matthew 6:24 (NASB)
Jesus also said, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Mark 8:36-37 (NASB)
“Blessed are those who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”
Luke 6:20 (NASB)
“But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full.”
Luke 6:24 (NASB)
“Truly I say to you (his disciples), it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
Matthew 19:23-24 (NASB)
Notice that Jesus said that it is “hard” for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven, but it may not be “impossible.” However, those that are rich (materialistically speaking) will have a greater responsibility to help others who are not so fortunate. Jesus said that for those who are given much in this life, much would be expected of them. A word of caution: In America, even the middle class is considered rich when compared to world standards. What are you doing to help the needy in this world?
“Faith without works is dead.” James 2:26 (NASB)
It is important to remember that Jesus is our foundation in building a life with good works. Without Christ as our savior none of our good works will be received by God; in fact it is an affront to Him by believing good deeds alone will guarantee our salvation. By building on the foundation that Jesus laid for us by dying on the cross, we can receive many rewards when we leave this world. Although there are five crowns mentioned in the bible, we cannot even comprehend the things God has in store for those who love Him, and trust in Jesus alone as their savior. This is true prosperity!
Summary
True prosperity and wealth does not come from the material things of this world. They come from within us and they are a gift from the grace of God. When someone is asked what things they would like to have in this life, they usually say, a beautiful home, a nice car, and so on. But when you ask them, what makes them happy in life, they usually reply, being loved by family and friends or being healthy. Hence the saying is true, “money can’t buy you happiness,” and, “money can’t buy you love.”
Jesus teaches us that not one day will be added to our lives by worrying about what we will eat, and what clothes we will wear. God knows the things we need to survive, and he knows the wants in our hearts. The most important thing to concentrate ours lives on is seeking our heavenly God first, and then he will make sure we receive the things we need in this world.
References
1. Wikipedia “Percentage of Christians by Country”
2. David Berrett et al, “World Christian Encyclopedia: A comparative survey of churches and religions AD 30 to 2200,” Oxford University Press, (2001)
(C) Copyright 2008 Jeffrey Lowmaster
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