Inspiration Station: Survival Mode (The Rich Young Ruler In You)

We explore the critical question "Are you in survival mode?" and examine how this mindset prevents us from making meaningful sacrifices for others. Two kingdoms exist—one visible and tangible, the other invisible yet equally real—and understanding this helps explain why followers of Christ often feel like outsiders in this world.

• Zig Ziglar's principle: "You can have everything in life that you want if you help enough other people get what they want"
• Story of an actor who lives modestly while donating over 90% of his income to help the underprivileged
• Challenging question: What's the biggest sacrifice you've ever made for someone outside your family?
• The parable of the talents teaches that good stewardship requires investment, not self-protection
• The rich young ruler couldn't give away his possessions despite his religious devotion—a warning for believers today
• Survival mode keeps us accumulating resources while avoiding sacrifice

What's your biggest sacrifice for someone outside your family? Share your thoughts in the comments section wherever you find this episode. Thank you for continuing to follow us and subscribing to our YouTube channel and, of course, following us on all listening platforms and on social media.

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Chapters

• 0:10 Welcome and Key Question
• 1:26 Two Kingdoms: Visible and Invisible
• 3:40 The Actor's Generous Sacrifice
• 5:07 Questioning Our Personal Sacrifices
• 6:15 Stewardship Lessons from Scripture
• 8:12 The Rich Young Ruler's Choice
• 10:03 Closing Thoughts and Call to Action

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:10

Thank you, welcome back to the All Purpose Pod for an all-purpose life, wherever you are, and have you listening to the? Call Me, mr you and the Inspiration Station. Thanks again for making us part of your week. Are you in survival mode? I'm asking that because I think it's a question worth asking. I ask myself that all the time. I'm asking you that today.

Speaker 1: 0:56

Are you in survival mode? Have you ever felt like you weren't really a part of this world? You didn't really get what's going on in the world. You had a different mind, a different heart, a different approach to things and you just didn't feel like you didn't belong. You kind of feel like you are an alien or a foreigner in this big old place that we call Earth. You ever feel like you just didn't really fit. The reason for that and we'll get into that in more detail on future episodes is because there's two kingdoms. Into that in more detail on future episodes is because there's two kingdoms. There's one that we see, that's tangible, and the one that we don't see. The principles still stand.

Speaker 1: 1:34

There's a gentleman by the name of Zig Ziglar, one of the most famous but most impactful public speakers or inspirational keynote speakers that I've ever heard in my entire life and he has a quote that I love. I've shared it so many times on this podcast. It's just ridiculous. Excuse me, but he said in short you can have everything in life that you want If you would just help enough other people get what they want in life. I might have boosted that quote, but that's the gist of it you can have everything in life that you want if you would just help enough other people get what they want in life. I've known people and associations that have misused that and try to use it to their own advantage, for their own betterment, for the building of their own empires. But this is as authentic as I've ever seen, because I really believe and this is just my personal opinion, you don't have to agree with this I believe that the scriptures support this mindset looking to the interests of other people more than your own interests, investing in others more than you invest in yourself. Interests of other people more than your own interests, investing in others more than you invest in yourself. Doing for others more than you do for yourself.

Speaker 1: 2:50

There's a famous actor I won't call his name, I don't want to put his name out here on this show, but he's. I think he's a pretty funny person. His characters are always funny, his movies are funny to me. But he had went on. I guess I would say he took a vow or he decided to go on a mission to serve people on a high level. So the majority of his income from movies and standup comedy, whatever it is that he's doing, documentaries, whatever it is more than 90% of it I guess it is, or maybe 90%, 90 plus percent he'll give that to people who are in some way underprivileged, impoverished, whatever it is, and he will devote all his money or most of his money to those causes rather than himself. So basically, he lives very, very modestly. He can be he's probably a billionaire modestly, he can be, he's probably a billionaire. He can be living a lavish lifestyle, but what he chooses to do is live very modestly. He dresses very modestly. Even at public events or extravaganzas or galas he's dressing like somebody who just going to Walmart to pick something up. So he may be a little bit on the weird side or eccentric to a lot of people, but my point is that he is not afraid to make a large sacrifice for the sake of others.

Speaker 1: 4:16

I asked you earlier in the episode are you in survival mode. I asked you that for a reason, a person that's in survival mode is never going to do what this actor is doing. They're going to try to accumulate as much as they can, stockpile whatever they can stockpile, to make sure they never run out of what they think they need in life. And the idea of giving some of that stockpile to somebody in their mind it never even crosses their mind. It's never even a part of their plan. They don't even think about it. They don't even hesitate, even think about doing something like that. Their sole goal Is to make sure that they're okay and to make sure that they have all that they need, even at the expense of other people. This actor is a total contrast To somebody who's in survival mode.

Speaker 1: 5:04

What's the biggest sacrifice you ever made for another person? What's the biggest sacrifice you ever made For another person? Immediately, you may think about your son or your daughter, or your wife or your husband. Let's exclude them. We know that if you're in a family, you make sacrifices for your family all the time. You miss out on things that you want to do for the sake of your family. Put them to the side for a second. I'll ask the question again. Now that you know that your family is excluded, I'll ask the question again. Now that you know that your family is excluded, I'll ask you the question again what was the biggest sacrifice you ever made for another person, not your immediate family? What was the biggest sacrifice you ever made for another person, not a relative who wanted some money? What's the biggest sacrifice you ever made for another person? Why am I asking? Two reasons why Tragedy and trauma. We become a people who are in survival mode. How much can I get while I can get it? What will you give me? How little can I get away with giving you back so I'm going to have more of what I need, so I can feel safe and secure with the things that I have?

Speaker 1: 6:16

There's a story in scripture and I'll just paraphrase it just for time purposes. Three men were given substantial amounts to invest for their manager While his manager was out of town. Their job was to invest that substantial amount that they were given and cause it to reproduce, to duplicate, to get interest on it. The critical story always follows the one that invested the least lost everything they had, including the opportunity to ever invest again. That's a cautionary tale for bad stewardship. That's how it looks to not take good care of what you've been given, what you have responsibility over. That's a podcast episode all by itself. The other part of the story is the one that invested the most, received the most in return, multiplied on top of that, what they were already given. So they got double because they were good at investing and being a good steward of what they've been given.

Speaker 1: 7:24

Why are we talking about stewardship? What's the point here? Whether it's trauma, whether it's unforgiveness, whether it is self-doubt, all these things keep us from investing and, honestly, at the end of the day, when we hear language like this in the scriptures, understand that it is the vernacular of that kingdom, that second kingdom I was telling you about. It's only true, the one that we see and the one that's not so tangible that we can't see, but we see shadows and signs and glimpses of that kingdom is the one that's not so tangible that we can't see, but we see shadows and signs and glimpses of that kingdom is the one that we are supposed to be investing in, and I love what the actor has done by dedicating his life to giving to others, but he should never be the model for that. We, as the church should be doing, that we shouldn't be in survival mode. We should be trying to accumulate all we can get and trying to find angles and ways and plots to give less and avoid having to give from out of our storehouse of things, storehouse of resources, storehouse of blessings, if you will. We're afraid to lose what we have.

Speaker 1: 8:32

The rich, young ruler that we read about in scripture is a great example of this. He had everything you could want and on top of that, he had salvation too. So he was saved and he was wealthy. What a combination, right? He was saved and he was wealthy, and the Lord asked him to do one thing. He kept all the commandments since he was young. He did all the right things toward his neighbors and friends. He was a good person. On all accounts he was a good person.

Speaker 1: 9:04

The Lord asked him to do one thing. A thing too heavy for him, a thing too hard for him. Give away all of your goods and follow me, walk with me. Let me teach you what the other kingdom is like. Let me teach you what it looks like to be a part of this kingdom, as opposed to the kingdom you already are part of and you're a wealthy part of. Let me show you the other kingdom.

Speaker 1: 9:28

And the young man walked away sorrowful because he had so much stuff. He was in survival mode. He had so many things he couldn't stand to give it up. Are you in survival mode or are you willing to make the kind of sacrifices that change the lives of other people? Something to think about. We can talk about it offline if you'd like, in the comments section, wherever you find this episode. Can't wait to hear your questions and your answers for the questions I asked you. Are you in survival mode? What was the biggest sacrifice you ever made for another person outside of your family? Can't wait to hear your responses to this. Thank you for continuing to follow us and subscribing to our YouTube channel and, of course, following us on all listening platforms and on social media, wherever you find this episode. Grateful to hear back from you guys soon. Thanks for listening. Have a great day you.