There seems to me that many Christians favour socialism over capitalism, but capitalism is based on one of the Biblical ways of becoming a success – the principle of free exchange. When I have something someone else needs and they have something I need, then when we freely exchange those things I am better off than so are they.
Last Tuesday, I got my hair cut while I was up in Scotland ministering. Now here in the UK, I go to a barbers that is a short walk from my house. In Scotland the price of the hair cut was half what it is in London! But I paid the man London rates because I wanted to be a blessing to him, but also because it was worth that value to me.
I was happy to do it because having tidy hair while I was preaching in Scotland Wednesday, doing a live stream Thursday and recording eight programmes Friday – not to mention three services at the weekend – was worth more to me than what I paid. He got a deal and I got a deal. That’s how we can add more value to the whole universe and make everyone better off! Most people are looking for a bargain, but that is not what we should be looking for – what we should be looking for is value. Then we make free exchange work for us. It does not matter what a pair of jeans was worth last week, or next week – but will they add value to your life now. That’s how things work, not by chasing bargains.
This is a blog post that I offer to you for free – but I also sell books and I am about to sell some courses too. What if you bought my Healing Book for £19.99 and while reading it you could now walk properly and sleep properly? You gained something worth a lot more than what you gave me for the book, but I am already healthy, so I gain and you gain. The principle of free exchange is what has developed and built civilization and we have to learn to work on the right side of it.
You can get on the wrong side of it – you can rip people off, stitch people up, give people something useless for money. But if what you are selling or exchanging adds to people’s lives then you are making the world a better place, and enrich everyone. Your motto should be: if I sell something, I will give every person more value than I take from them. Then you are bringing life and prosperity wherever you go.
Most people do not realize how powerful this principle is because they operate in a lack-mentality. They think that if they want more sweets, someone else has to have less sweets. No – we can make more sweets through the principle of free exchange. We can share ideas, concepts, systems and increase the prosperity and abundance in the world.
If you are working for an employer right now, your salary is based on a combination of three things: how much demand there is in the world for your skills (who needs what you do), how good you are at doing it, and how hard it would be to replace you. People in jobs where anyone can do it and they can be replaced get minimum wage! Now, the one that you can control the easiest is how good you are at doing it. Want to be paid more? BECOME A MASTER OF WHAT YOU DO!
Now – when I say that – your next question might be – how good am I at doing what I am doing? I’ll answer that next week!
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