“Nothing incites to money-crimes like great poverty or great wealth”

ByHal Hammons

Paul writes in 1 Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”   I like the way the New American Standard Bible reads here — “a root” instead of “the root,” as it is translated elsewhere.  It is silly to suggest that the love of money is “the” cause of evil in this world.  But it is certainly “a” cause — and one that rears its ugly head in all sorts of circumstances. 

Where is your commitment?

ByHal Hammons

In The Corporate Coach by James B. Miller, a book on my shelf that is left over from a long-abandoned career in sales management, James Miller discusses the role of “the twitch in your elbow” while interviewing job applicants.  Gut instinct, we might say.  And a big part of that, he says, is the commitment the applicant shows toward other activities.  If he’s a scratch golfer, he didn’t get there just with 18 holes on Saturday.  Maybe he’ll cut out of work early some days.  If he’s out on his boat every weekend, who’s to say he won’t miss a few Monday mornings?

Commitment is a character trait not everyone has.  It is to be admired.