A Bethelite brother gave a public talk at our hall a couple weeks ago. One part of the talk focused on "putting kingdom interest first". He gave examples of how some gave up material comfort so they could pursue the ministry. He gave an example of a brother that he knew from back in his home state who came to visit Bethel. Apparently, this brother owned a very successful buissness, and he pulled in close to a 7 figure income! However, the brother confided in his Bethelite friend the fact that he didn't feel he was doing enough for Jehovah. The Bethelite apparently told him that if he pursued a life of full time service instead of spending too much time pursuing riches, he would receive God's approval and hence be happy.
Well, the brother took the Bethelite's advice. Today, the brother only owns a fraction of the buissness he owned before (and thusly, a fraction of the income, though probably well above the poverty line) because he sold most of the interest he had in it. He now (along with his wife and during the summer his kids) is in the full time service. He talked recently with the Bethelite and told him that selling his buissness and becoming a "full time servant of Jehovah" was the best thing he ever did, and that he is infiniely more happy now than he was when he made all the money. The Bethelite pointed out to us that that was truly an example of "putting kingdom interest first".
Have any of you known any persons who, like the above mentioned brother, put "kingdom interest first" to the extent of loosing considerable monetary wealth? Did any eventually stop feeling happy, and how did they feel afterward?
Go therefore and baptize the people in the name of the father and of the son... what the hell, we just need to bring up the yearbook numbers!