Think
Good Morning,
Today, it matters little in which industry you are involved; industry has one primary goal — self preservation. Go to a car lot and ask the salesman what you need. He will direct you to a high end car and advise the addition of all the upgrades; but you alone know what you really need. THINK!! The salesman is there for money and business, and as long as he does not hurt you, he is fine with selling you a Cadillac when an Impala would have been just fine. The average real estate agent will sell to you any property for which you qualify; and he honestly does not care about your needs — he wants a commission. Of course there are exceptions; Christians in many industries will care for the well-being of individuals, but that is not the rule out in the world.
We hear jokes about a surgery the doctor thinks one needs, only to end up with a punch line about his wife needing a new car. Sadly, more often this has proven to be true.
Today, when you go to the doctor or dentist, you cannot go in trusting him as we did in the past. The medical world, along with the pharmaceutical industry, has become a business in which they want to make money, and profit is the main goal. If you would not let the car salesman tell you what to buy, I suggest you not let the dentist tell you what to buy either — they all sell a product. When I decided to put our daughter in braces, I found it interesting that the orthodontist said nothing about life-long needs for retainers and other extras; he simply told us of the six months or a year of braces and the straight teeth. I was the ignorant parent; six months was not bad, and straight teeth would be good. Had the orthodontist told me about life-long needs I might have chosen differently.
If you let the dentist control your family choices, he will have all your children in braces (and you as well). The dental staff will schedule deep cleaning, plaque removal, and countless other expensive things they have planned for your mouth — and, of course, your wallet.
I am not saying any of these things are wrong; but there is nothing wrong with a Ferrari either, it just may not be best for me. That which is best for me is my decision to make, not the salesman’s decision, whether it be a dental salesman or a medical salesman.
If you allow the carpet salesman to pick out what you need, he will never offer you the cheapest brand, but rather the one with the most profit for himself. If you do not think that doctors and dentists will sell you more than you need, you are not a very good student of human nature. Go ahead and ask one of them; ask if they think dentists or doctors ever prescribe treatment that exceeds the necessary demands of the body. I believe there are enough honest men and women in medicine that they will admit that, within their industry, excess can be found "at times."
My cardiologist prescribed some pills for me. After reading the side effects, I determined not to take the pills. At my next visit, the doctor asked if I was taking the pills. I said, “No,” and he asked why. I explained and he assured me that I should take the pills no matter what the warnings said. I refused and he softened his voice and said, "I would never take them either! I won’t take any of that medicine." At that point, I did not know if I should punch him or thank him for finally coming clean.
Suffice it to say, men are sinners, and the nobility of position is as far gone in medicine as it is in the ministry or politics. Men are sinners, and unless restrained by the Bible and a well-trained inner conscience, they will not choose your best interest over their own.
Psalm 51:5 “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.”
Psalm 58:3 “The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.”
Job 15:14 “What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?”
vs. 15 “Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.”
vs. 16 “How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?”
God puts no trust in us, and we should be very careful about who we trust as well.
Job 15:15 “Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints…”
Men are sinners, and the farther we get from the Bible and a religiously-centered society, the more selfishness and greed will motivate the people in leadership.
Pray, study, ask direction from others, but do not blindly let a mechanic tell you what repairs your car needs. We have all seen the reports of surveys done on auto repair shops. Do you think the medical world is exempt from the flesh and carnal nature? Think and seek God's help in discerning right and wrong, but do not let the landscape architect determine your needs around the house. (Your yard will look like Disneyland and you will be broke!) The fact that I need a car is easy to determine, but a used one for sale at $3,000 is a lot different from a new Lincoln at $40,000. I will not trust the suggestion of the car salesman. Just because I qualify for the loan, does not mean it is the best choice for my family. A cancer doctor will often admit to you that he may not cure your cancer, but he will learn much in trying and that knowledge will help others. Ask yourself if you are into trial medicine and helping others before making the decision; this is called being a guinea pig. It is okay to be a guinea pig if you want to be, but at least find out this information before it all begins. How much difficulty will you face? How many trips to the doctor? How many times will the elderly lady have to get her failing husband into the car to go for weekly tests, and how much suffering will he go through? Ask and think!
That dentist will try to give you perfect teeth, and cost is of no consequence to him. You may have perfect teeth, but you will not be able to smile because you will be crying about being broke. One of my older teenage children had an abscessed tooth. The out-of-town dentist (we were on vacation) suggested a root canal, then a crown. The cost was serious. I asked about pulling it and getting an implant. After pressing him for facts, he said a root canal and crown would need to be replaced in 7-10 years, and an implant would last over twenty years and end up costing much less. I then asked his advice and he said he suggested the root canal and crown...ready... "if cost was not a consideration." I said, I am not a dentist and cost is always a consideration! I, of course, opted to have the tooth pulled. Now, if you disagree with my choice, it does not matter; but understand that there just happens to be a more profitable path to travel in life, and most men are selfish and will send you down the path most profitable for themselves or they have different priorities than I do. I will not go to ball games on Sunday when I should be in church — that is a priority! The dentist wants a perfect smile: I want godly children; I want to tithe, support missions, and help others. Perhaps that is a reason why I did not own a house for twenty years after entering the ministry. Many of my staff members were buying homes long before me. I had priorities; right or wrong, they were mine. THINK!!
How often do you need your car waxed to protect the paint? Ask the guy you hire to wax it and you will get a more expensive answer than if you ask a paint and body shop owner who repaints cars with oxidized paint.
Men are sinners!
Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
Labor to be honorable in your work. If you are in a position that brings people to you for counsel, seek God. Do not trust the flesh of the average lost man, whether in the medical world or sales of exercise equipment.
A family moved to our church from a distant city, and after some months, came to me with a question. His house in the other city had finally sold. He made a good profit on it and he wondered where the tithe should go, his old church or his new one (ours)? Do you not see how quickly profit can move into our decision-making? I suggested he send it to his old church. Right or wrong, I felt I would err on the side of safety, but that is not what the average lost man in the world thinks; THINK for yourself.
Pastor