11th December 2012 by Natasha Kim – CM.
The way God writes the history of your life and the history of the world is totally different. “When you actually write your own history and try to think whether you are successful, try to look at it from God’s angle because we are not successful by numbers.” says Tony Tay.
In addition to that he says, “One thing I’ve learnt, is that most of the people around me are not real, that is why I believe that the hardest thing to do in order to gain greater spirituality, is to love your enemies. True wisdom comes from doing God’s things not worldly things.” God has a purpose for all of us and He gives each and every one of us our domain, we just need to discover our calling.
The Four Myths of Success
- That it is measured by external indicators (2 Corinthians 4:18)
- That it is worth the expense of any price (1 John 2: 17)
- Must work even harder (James 1: 5)
- Material success is proof of God’s blessings (1 Timothy 6:17)
Genesis 1:26 – Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
“Wealth is not to make you rich but is to be paid for godly assignments in your life and one of the biggest problems with business men is that we find our security in wealth," Tony said. "When you are in God's purpose all the resources will come and fulfill their wishes. However, sometimes… we say one thing when we say we trust that God will provide, but (it's another thing when) we trust in our bank accounts.”
Becoming a Christian calls for a total radical change in lifestyle.
Until God puts you down to your knees, then and only then, can you truly feel the abundance of God. Tony considers himself to be an optimistic person, but there was a time in his life in the year 2011 where he was losing a million New Zealand dollars a day. He was so depressed that he could not eat nor sleep as anyone else would do if they were losing that much money in that span of time. He was suicidal on the 7th day and thought he will die but Psalms 23 ran through his mind over 100 times.
On the 8th day he woke up a totally new person! He says, “I can never explain the peace and joy I felt. I was then restructured because God had preserved me.” From there as he shared he says, “After that I’ve never brought so many people to Christ, from people who were suicidal to discipling so many business people. That’s how God defines success.”
The price of blindly Pursuing of Success
- At the expense of health, body and soul (Matthew 16:26)
- Sacrifice of family (Luke 12: 15)
- Distortion of character (1 Corinthians 15: 33)
- Eager for money and wandered from faith (1 Timothy 6:10)
- Social justice (Isaiah 5: 8; 23)
Tony says, “People are greedy! And how do you not be greedy as a business man, only God can change you.”
There is a very big difference between success and excellence. Simply put it as, success is comparing with others and it involves flexible compromise, excellence on the other hand, is you comparing with yourself and keeping to moral principles.
“If you don’t fill that purpose that God has given you, no matter how many cars you have or how much money you have, you are not successful. You can do wonderfully good things but they are called wonderful failures, not wonderful success,” said Tony.
God designs you to get the best out of you, so do not compare yourself with others.
We are to Pursue Excellence
- Ambitious (1 Corinthians 14:20)
- Burden (Hebrews 12: 1)
- Charisma (1 Peter 4:10)
- Determination (Philippians 3: 13)
He quotes Albert Einstein saying, “Habit is like a chain, either too light to be felt or too heavy to be broken”
Tony always advises people in the marketplace to not stay in the grey area for too long because if you do then, you will end up in the dark area.
People who are excellent are disciplined. He says, “We need to walk in the light. The blood of the lamb will cleanse us of all our unrighteousness. God will preserve his children if you are obedient.”
Acts 17: 26 – From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.
Dear Viewers in Christ, if you find this article edifying to you, please share with your friends or loved ones by using the social media plugs (Share, Email to this article). The Lord will surely bless you as you bless others. May the Lord’s peace and love be with you. Amen.
References for pictures:
http://liz-green.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/moneyman.jpg
http://coachjanelee.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/003996831.jpg
Well said!