A Path To True Prosperity

Josh Reeves explores the power of shifting from scarcity to abundance, encouraging readers to let go of negativity and embrace prosperity. With a focus on gratitude and self-awareness, he invites us to redefine our worth and live more fully. Through personal insights and spiritual practices, Reeves inspires a transformative mindset that fosters joy, generosity, and connection.

Transcript

Our founder, Ernest Holmes, Shared a novel idea. He said, Why not fast on the idea of lack and feast on the idea of abundance? Why not fast on the idea of lack and feast on the idea of abundance? No more anger sandwiches. But how might your week be different if it was free of negativity, Pessimism, Judgment, Blame towards others or yourself? It would probably be a pretty darn good week. And what if, Instead, Your heart and mind focused on prosperity, On possibility, On the richness of life, Of saying, God, I am so thankful to be alive. Let's fast on lack and feast on abundance, A well-balanced spiritual diet. That being said, I've been practicing this teaching for 30 years, Believe it or not. And I have learned that fasting on lack is harder than it sounds. See, It's not just negative thinking. Sometimes it's negative feeling. Sometimes the negativity has become part of the marrow of my self-image. It can invade my self-worth so much so that what I think is abundance is actually my lack. And what I associate with lack, If I could just embrace it, Could actually be the pathway to my abundance and prosperity. Think positive, But also have the courage to bring a deeper awareness to the many layers of yourself to remove the layers of not-self we have allowed to become within us that keep us from the glory of being who and what we are. Thus, My message for you this morning, What is your worth worth? What is your worth worth? How do you define your worth? Many of us define our worth based upon how much we accumulate. How much money is in my bank account? How's my portfolio looking? Oh, I've got to get that newest iPhone. That video game comes out on Friday. I've got to get it on day one. I've got to accumulate. Saint George Carlin described this as our stuff. Famously, He said, A house is just a pile of stuff with a cover on it. You can see that when you're taking off in an airplane. You look down, You see everybody's got a little pile of stuff. All the little piles of stuff. And when you leave your house, You've got to lock it up. Wouldn't want somebody to come by and take some of your stuff. They always take the good stuff. They never bother with that crap you're saving. All they want is the shiny stuff. That's what your house is, A place to keep your stuff while you go out and get more stuff. I like that we have a biblical memory of George Carlin here at Mile High Church. When I think of what it means to me to be abundant, I think of waking up and thinking about what I want to do and doing just that. I think of not having to worry about spending. I think about doing fun things for me, Helping people that I love, Sharing of that wealth. And that's a wonderful thing. And yet there can be a shadow side to that. Because I can also look at those areas of my life where I spend and I do so from a place of wanting to cover up my inner sense of poverty. I can think of buying someone for someone I care about who I know deep down loves me, But I know I'm buying that because there's a part of me that feels unworthy and wants to buy their love. There can be a shadow side to this stuff. I grew up in a family, There were six of us. Maybe you did too in a similar way. If you would have given us $20 on Friday, We would have made it through, Had $0 on Monday, We could get by. But also, If you gave us $2, 000 on Friday, We more than likely would have $0 on Monday as well. See, There's something about getting a little bit of money and we want to spend it right away. I'm still like that. It's payday, I want to go out to dinner. I don't care if dinner's ready. Kids, Get in the car, We're going to Olive Garden. And it's an innocent, But it comes from this place within me that feels impoverished. And even if I feel like the richest man in the world, For an hour I'm going to do it. What's your worth worth? Who is the richest person of all time? George Bailey's the richest man in Bedford Falls, But who's the richest person of all time? I have a nominee for you, St. Francis of Assisi. The richest man of all time, St. Francis of Assisi. Born of means, St. Francis read the Gospels and he came upon the Gospel of Matthew, Where Jesus says, Is not life more important than food and the body more important 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? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Stop nagging me, Jesus. It gets in there sometimes. St. Francis decided to take a vow of poverty. He would release and let go of all that he had accumulated to rely fully and completely on God. St. Francis and the brothers were on a long fast and in the middle of the night, One of the brothers started to weep, He was so hungry. And St. Francis decided that all of the brothers would wake up and they would eat together. St. Francis was once walking by a fountain surrounded by birds and he quietly whispered to them, May the peace of the Lord be upon you. And he had, You know, Those good animal vibes that makes him not want to run away. He was in that flow and this became known as the Sermon of the Birds and this is why we know St. Francis as the patron saint of animals. Later in his life, It was very cold outside and there was a beggar who was freezing and St. Francis gave his coat to him. And the brothers became worried about St. Francis and they said, We've got to get that coat back. But St. Francis insisted that they pay the man for the coat. That is what abundance and prosperity means to me. The ability to be present enough with compassion and to care for those around me. It's the ability to feel one with and not outside of nature. To enjoy hanging out with the birds. It's the ability to remember generosity and charity in all things. That is what it means to be rich and prosperous. One of St. Francis' prayers goes like this. Most high, Glorious God, Enlighten the darkness of my heart and give me true faith, Certain hope, And perfect charity. Give me perception and knowledge, Lord, That I might carry out your holy and true command. Now, We religious scientists, We are not a poverty people. We're the abundance people. And yet, I want to encourage us today to take a vow of abundance that integrates the best of the spirit of the vow of poverty. And the first vow that I invite you to join me in accepting is I enjoy more in less. I enjoy more in less. Will you say that with me? I enjoy more in less. You know, There's such thing as too much abundance. Right? God, When I prayed for abundance, I didn't mean 10 pounds. Right? God, When I prayed for abundance, I didn't mean a to-do list longer than I am. I didn't mean the sense of the world on my shoulders, This overwhelm. There's such thing as too much abundance. What would it mean this week to do things a little differently? Instead of going to the grocery store, Let's make a commitment to cook each night with the existing ingredients in our home. Let's sit down with the family and have a slowest eater competition. Walk out of your door and take a walk without any set, Preset destination. Experience the more in less. Eric Butterworth had a great affirmation. He said, I establish myself in the limitless substance of God and I have abundance. Will you say that with me? I establish myself in the limitless substance of God and I have abundance. You can do that at Ruth's Chris. You can assert that at Taco Bell. All you have to do is assert and know that limitless substance of God is right where you are and you have abundance. In the largeness and vastness of our lives, Yet more importantly in this moment, Looking at your hand, Eating a tortilla chip, In that moment the whole world belongs to you. Many of us equate our worth with how much we've accumulated. Others of us associate it with our accomplishments, Our titles, Our licenses, Our certifications. Do you know who I am? My name is Reverend Josh Uah Reeves. I went to the Hogwarts School of Ministry where I mastered in consciousness studies. Please don't ask me what that means. I minored in hugging. Dr. Michelle teaches a wonderful hugging class at the school. She is a great hugger. And titles, Licenses, Certificates are wonderful. They are keys that unlock the doors to so many opportunities. I wouldn't be standing before you getting to share if I hadn't gone to ministerial school. And yet, There can be a shadow in that for me. That I want you to know who I think I want to be and I don't want to show you who I really am. I want to build up this idealized self because there's a part of me that lacks the self-worth to be fully transparent with you about who I am. What is your worth worth? I have a dear colleague in the ministry. His name is Reverend Stephen Rambo. He spoke here a couple years ago. And I was assigned to be his mentee when he became a minister and I immediately got a big brother. So grateful for my relationship with Stephen. And we got to talking one day because we talk quite regularly. And we were talking about slowing down. We were talking about accepting ourselves in the moment. We were talking about living in the flow and how we were both, Even though we're at different ages, Struggling to get there. And he shared with me that it's so hard for him because of the tape that he was brought up with growing up black. Still is the last time I checked. The message was, You have to work twice as hard to get half as much. In life, Stephen, You have to work twice as hard to get half as much. And that was true to his experience in the world, But it made him so driven, So go out there and get it, So work, Work, Work, That when the calling is to cease that work, To put the drive away and enjoy the ride, He struggled. He struggled. We both know that essential to successful ministry, And I'm sure work as well, Is that our way of work must be a reflection of our way of life, Our practice, Our sense of balance, Our self-care. When it's the other way around, When our way of life is a reflection of our work, We get burnt out. We have to confront that part of ourself that won't accept itself just being who it is. And thus, The second vow of abundance I invite us into today, Being myself is enough. Being myself is enough. Tom Waits said, Me and myself, We get along so well, I can't believe it. Being yourself is enough. If you don't already journal, I invite you into a practice of journaling this week. I hate journaling. I bore myself, But I do it anyways. Sometimes I make a little list. What I will remember about today. What are three things that I'm grateful for today? What are three things I want to be grateful for tomorrow? Josh, And I will say my name, What do you need right now? And how can you provide it to yourself? For a lot of us, There's something missing in our lives, A feeling, An essence, A soul. Do you know what it is? It's you. There's something missing from your life. It's probably you. A further expression of your own depth and soul. You don't need anything to be with what that self is. We can practice what Maria Montessori taught about children. She encouraged them to make silence. We can do that while we're cooking, While we're drawing or painting, While we're picking up in the yard. Just make silence. And it calls forth our essence, Our soul, The most abundant thing and prosperous thing any of us will ever have in our lives. That sense of soul. It helps us, Again, See ourselves as a part of nature instead of outside looking in, Saying, Oh my God, These calendar days just keep whooshing by. Where did the time go? Mm-mm. Where have I been? Wayne Muller in his excellent book, Sabbath, Shares, We do not gauge the value of the seasons by how quickly they progress from one to the next. Every season brings forth its bounty in its own time. And our life is richer when we can take the time to savor the fruit of each. In the fall, We chop and carry our wood, Gather the harvest, Rake leaves, Prepare our home for winter and give thanks. In winter, We are dormant, A time for quiet generosities and reflection on the endurance of inner light in the midst of darkness. In spring, We prepare the soil for planting. We prune what has been lost or dried up. We feed the soil and plant what is needed and take delight in the flower. In summer, We tend to the garden, Watch for weeds and crossing thin what needs air and sun. At rest in the freedom of long days and warm nights, Losing ourselves in the gift of sweet air and time. Lose yourself in the gift of sweet air and time. One more thing for enjoying being yourself. Turn those little annoyances that come up in your daily life into opportunities to be yourself. Because we all know for the most part what those little annoyances are aren't really annoying at all but the thing that is keeping us from the engine of keeping that artificial self going because it's keeping us from getting where we think we need to be. I had my car stolen in August. That sucked. And I went out and got a 2016 Subaru Forester which makes me officially a Coloradan. And it has one problem. The key gets stuck in the ignition. So the first couple months of having it, I go, Darn it, I gotta get somewhere. What is going on? Moving the wheel in and out of park. Just losing my mind. And I know I should probably go to the mechanic but I am a minister and I like to talk about these things in sermons but I learned that if I just keep the car running for 30 seconds the key comes right out. And so what was frustrating and annoying don't you know I am so important and have somewhere to be experience becomes 30 seconds of self love. 30 seconds of taking deep breaths. 30 seconds of listening to a favorite song come to its crescendo and completion instead of cutting it off in the middle. What a terrible sin that is to do to a great Van Morrison song. And it allows me to be myself. Turn those little annoyances into opportunities to care for yourself and to give yourself what you need even if that's only to articulate what it is. There's one more area of worth and value I want to touch upon and it has to do with relationships. It has to do with the eyes that we live in. With those who we love and those who love us. I am the richest person I know because of the quality of my relationships. I am the richest person. I know because of the quality of my relationships. Stephen Ramble. Wow! Am I blessed to have a relationship with him. Hundreds of you right here today. How lucky I am. And I know we are all very unique and special but it is true in my experience that some people are a little bit more unique and special than others. But back to that shadow of worth. What I have learned in my life is that I need to embrace the understanding that I am not who I love. I am who loves me. I am not who I love. I am who loves me. And it has been better for me to not seek to live in the eyes of those who I love but to live in the vision of those who see, Love, And adore me. Now I may be the only one who has made a habit in his life from time to time of loving people and seeking love from people who are incredibly lovable but not love able. Who may be able to receive love from you but unable to reciprocate it in return. Not because there is anything wrong with them but where they are at at their point in consciousness. And when I look back at my life there is a couple different narratives. There is the narrative of spending time seeking to be loved by those who I for some reason want to love me. I won't even get into the analysis there. And living that life in the vision in the eyes of the people who love and care about me the most. Looking back I sure do wish I did not spend those three years chasing that goth girl and had more hamburgers and milkshakes with my dad. See this perception has been important for me because it defines focusing and experiencing what matters most in life. And this leads me to the last vow which is to first think about that from time to time. Am I living in the eyes of those who love me or in the perceived eyes of somebody else? But most importantly in the spiritual sense am I living in the vision that God sees me in? Am I living in those sacred eyes that are the very vehicle of my beautiful becoming? And that leads me to this last vow which is to remember I am always on the mind of God. I am always on the mind of God. Will you say that with me if you're up for it? I am always on the mind of God. Even when I have forgotten God remembers. God I did it again I woke up and I thought of something other than you. Instead of doing what I know is most important to me which is to get that cup of coffee and sit down in my chair with a good book and start thinking about you immediately I forgot. I picked up that freaking phone. I started thinking about my bank account. I started thinking about that frustrating conflict I had with so and so yesterday and I forgot you God. When we were younger we may have written a poem and I may have written this to that goth girl I was telling you about. You are my first thought when I wake up in the morning and the last thought I think about before I go to bed at night. This is true of the spirit about you. You are the first thought God has in the morning and the last she has when she slumbers and rests at night. God may not always be on your mind but you are always on the mind of God and what that means is that there is no moment where you are not beloved. There is no experience where you are not held. There is no challenge or opportunity that does not hold within its splendor the inspiration to become that which you are. We are that loved. We are that held. Life is that meaningful that in this very moment to welcome ourselves back into that mind of spirit that always holds the most sacred vision for us. It gives us everything we need to face whatever may be in our days, Months, And years. Moving to prayer this morning, I invite any of our stupendous prayer practitioners to stand and join me. They are available for prayer after service here in the Mile High Sanctuary. And so I remember these vows today. These vows that are statements of my worthiness, My life worthiness, My love worthiness, My play and joy worthiness. I embrace more and less. I enjoy being myself. I am always on the mind of God. That mind uplifts. It unfolds and it reveals as we welcome ourselves into a sacred vision. It propels each and every one of us into greater degrees of becoming, Transparency, Acceptance, And willingness. The things that spirit and we have to do together to cultivate, To co-create, To bring forth are so grand. As we know our own worth, We reveal the great treasures of our life. If we deny that worth, The treasures remain buried. And so feasting on this idea of abundance, That all we will ever need is in our own soul, We invite the treasures, The gifts of life to come forward to the great sacrament of our own becoming. Knowing that this leads to a sense of eternal connection, Of inspired joy, And of an unconditioned peace that holds us, Holds us so sweetly, And reminds us that at the level of the heart, Sanctuary is all there is. May we rest there, Dear children of the beloved, And allow that love to fill our lives so hugely that we can never step outside of it. And so it is. Amen.

Reviews

Thought-provoking and enlightening✨
Thank you so much🙏🏾

Thank you Rev. Josh! Exactly what I needed!

Excellent