Above you will note the traditional Chinese figures for Health, Wealth, and Happiness.

Not surprisingly, the things that the world desires are often preached in the pulpits, and we are all too familiar with this particular worldly skew.

If I were to name the three things that have most hindered my reliance on God, what do you imagine they would be? That's right, sickness, poverty, and sorrow. No, wait - when I am in sickess, poverty or sorrow, I always turn to the Lord; the reality is , when I am healthy I forget to thank God for my health, and I begin to trust in my own strength (surely I will go with you on that business venture next month - what could happen?), likewise when I am wealthy I need not ask God to provide - why bother, I have enough already! And when I am happy - do I even think about God? No! I am way too busy being happy.

Without exaggeration, if I needed to come up with three things that have kept me from relying on God, I could say without hesitation: Health, Wealth and Happiness.

I am therefore not surprized that just about every system of philosophy is preoccupied with securing these things. Surely anyone who has them is going to be extremely hindered in coming to God. I think that is what Christ meant when the rich young ruler was walking away - unsaved. To His disciples Christ remarked that it would be more difficult for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom.

That is why I cringe every time a modern day Balaam preaches health, wealth, and happiness to God's children - they are preaching a gospel of separation, they are paving the way to self reliance. Nasty stuff as far as I am concerned.