A great many people are attracted to the New Thought of the day, by its
declaration of our right to material wealth, and by its claim that the
mind of man can create, command, and control conditions which produce
wealth.
There is no question concerning the truth of this claim.
But woe unto him who cultivates his mental and spiritual powers only
for this purpose.
His gold shall turn to dross, his pleasure to Dead Sea fruit.
He shall be as one who drags a beautiful garment through the mud of the
streets, and while clothed in purple and fine linen is yet a repulsive
object.
Into the Great Scheme of Existence, as first conceived by the Creator,
money did not enter.
He made this beautiful Universe, and all that it contains was meant for
the enjoyment of His creatures.
There was no millionaire and no pauper soul created by God.
Each soul contains the spark of the divine spirit, and by the
realization of that spark, and all it means, whatever is desired by
mortal man may come to him.
But wise is he who remembers the injunction, "Seek first the kingdom of
heaven and all other things shall be added unto you."
Wise is he who understands the meaning of the words, "Unto him that
hath, more shall be given."
Not until you obtain the faculty of being happy through your spiritual
and mental faculties, independent of material conditions, not until you
learn to value wealth only as a means of helpfulness, can you safely
turn your powers of concentration upon the idea of opulence.
To demand, assert, and command wealth for its mere sensual benefits, to
focus your mind upon it because you desire to shine, lead, and triumph,
is to play spiritual football with spiritual dynamite.
You may obtain what you seek, you may accumulate riches, but at the
cost of all that is worth living for.
The merely ignorant, or stupid, or wholly material man who stumbles
into a fortune, through inheritance, dogged persistent industry, or
chance, may enjoy it in his own fashion, and do no harm in the world.
But the man who knows and who has developed his spiritual powers only
for the purpose of commanding material gain, might better have a
millstone tied about his neck. For he makes himself a spiritual
outcast, and his money shall never bring him happiness.
Make, therefore, your assertion of opulence the last in your list, as
you make Love first.
Call unto yourself spiritual insight, absolute unselfishness, desire
for universal good, wisdom, justice, and usefulness, and last of all
opulence.
Think of yourself as possessed of all these qualities before you
picture financial independence.
For without love for your kind, without the desire for usefulness and
the spiritual insight and the wisdom to be just before being generous,
your money would bring you only temporary pleasure, and would do the
world no good.
Neither should you labor under the impression that God's work is lying
undone because you have no fortune to command and wisely distribute
where most needed. Rest assured if you do the work which lies nearest
to you, relieve such distress as is possible to you, and keep your
faith in the ultimate justice of God's ways, that the world will move
on, and humanity will slowly attain its destined goal, even if you
never become a millionaire.