Did you catch a 60 Minutes piece about this man back in March?His name is Mikhail Prokhorov, a Russian billionaire who has agreed to purchase 80% of the New Jersey Nets basketball team. The program was introducing Mr. Prokhorov because he is the first foreign owner of an NBA franchise. At 6'8" he says he is the only owner who can dunk the ball.
Steve Kroft followed this billionaire through several days in "his world"...allowing viewers to get an eyeful of the lavish lifestyle he enjoys. Mr. Prokhorov travels around the world in private jets stocked with beautiful women. He does absolutely what he pleases. He works out two hours a day and says he is addicted to adrenaline sports (what he calls "controlled risk"). I read he doesn't sleep much, so it was nothing to fly Kroft to Siberia to check out his gold mine in the middle of the night. The Russian joked and laughed often as they talked, but even in laughter his eyes seemed cold.
At one point, the interviewer remarked..."well, as you come to the United States to watch the Nets play, maybe you will find someone to marry". The 44-year-old bachelor laughed and explained to Steve Kroft that his life was to his liking. "If you have a wife, you have to be with one woman...I like women. My heart is like a teenager."
Does this mean that he thinks the choices are either marriage (A), or whoopie (B)? Mr. Prokhorov, you are not alone in that misunderstanding (and there are others who choose to juggle both those choices). But please know that the One who formed your innermost being has kindly left instructions for a well-lived life; life is found in choosing to live inside God's guidelines. And those guidelines offer marriage (A), or celebacy (B). There's no sex outside of marriage.
If our Russian billionaire has all the money he can burn...all the pretty women at his beck and call...and all the toys...then why are his eyes so lifeless? Why is he not able to sleep at night? There is a richness and relaxation that comes from the assurance of pleasing God. Not everyone owns an NBA franchise, but when your life is in conformity to the Owner's manual, simple things like sleep come easier.
Addendum...
Just this week I read another article about Mikhail Prokhorov. Investigation is revealing that Mr. Prokhorov has done business with the Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe for years. Know him? Mugabe is so evil that his henchmen cut off the hands and feet of an opposition leaders WIFE before they set her on fire. The dictator's corruption caused the United States to make laws against doing business with him. Mr. Prokhorov does not violate Russian law in his business dealings with Mugabe, but they do reveal an icy, calculating heart. The NBA (whose job it is to investigate the character of prospective owners) might want to take another look at whose money that they have accepted.
"The fear of the Lord is the start of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One gives a wise mind...If you are wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer." Proverbs 9.10,12 BBE/NLT
And as I Timothy 6:10 says, "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."
ReplyDeleteSomehow, with all his money, this man appears not to be very happy!