THE TRIVIVAL PRINCIPLE

Many people today are just trying to survive. In this struggle for survival, some may justify in their minds things like theft and violence to ensure their own survival. Even some religions have had a similar ideology, some of which are in existence today. "Take from the wealth of others for your own charity," is an accurate paraphrase of one religious figure. One can also research the religion of Kali, once practiced in India, which preached murdering others for the plunder of their wealth. This ideology only leads to war and sttrife as it is destined to pit people against each other.

Jesus had a better idea. It was for his idea, his very words, that people exclaimed that Jesus was the Savior of the World. In John 4:39-42, we see this at work.

"Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

This was near the beginning of Jesus's ministry.  It was even because of just what Jesus said that people proclaimed Jesus to be the Savior of the World. What was this that Jesus said that made them believe he was the savior of the world? We can find the most complete description of his words in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. There, we can find the crux of his message, and what I refer to as THE THRIVIVAL PRINCIPLE. We find this in Matthew 6:25-34.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Instead of struggling for life, Jesus said to just to thank God that he is caring for you and concentrate on helping others and doing what is right along the way. This is THE THRIVIVAL PRINCIPLE. If you can thank God for anything at all, you are thriving. If you concentrate of doing what is right by others, God will reward you.

I can testify from personal experience that this really works. When I first came to this area, I was homeless. I had a Jeep Grand Cherokee, and $150 in my wallet. I slept in my Jeep in a state park at night and in the morning I washed myself off in a creek to get ready for the day in the local library sending out resumes. I helped old lady's and moms at the grocery store by pushing their cart back to the store for them.

One day, while I was washing off in the creek, I received a job interview call on my cell phone. The caller was a local business owner, who asked me, "Where are you right now?" I thought it was ironic, because I was standing naked in a creek in a state park. The caller was actually refering to my phone number because it was an out of state phone number. The job prospect didn't work out, but the caller is now one of my friends on Facebook.  

Shortly thereafter, I found myself in a shelter for homeless people. Since I had a Jeep Grand Cherokee, I gave people rides to job interviews and such. After a couple weeks, my gas tank was below 1/4 full and I had about $5 left. I asked everyone in the car I was driving to work to pray about the gas situation. For some reason, the gas indicator never below that point for the several weeks that followed. After which time, I acquired 3 jobs.