TODAY'S PROMISE

"Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters.

Hasn't God chosen the poor in this world to

be rich in faith?  Aren't they the ones who will

inherit the kingdom he promised to those who

love him?"   

(James 2:5 NLT)

THE FUNERAL

Today I actually did a task I hate to do.  I went into town
to pick up some needed things,  On the way home I was
arriving at the entrance to one of the local cemeteries when
a funeral procession came and I had to pull over and stop.

In this area it is common to see one motorcycle cop leading
a funeral procession with his lights flashing.  But not this
funeral procession.  I think it was about four motorcycle
cops with their lights flashing followed by at least two
police cars with their lights flashing.  Then of course a long
procession of cars with their lights flashing followed up by
no less that six more police cars with their lights flashing.
WOW!

I could not help but look down into the cemetery when I
was allowed to proceed.  In the cemetery just inside of the
entrance was an honor guard of men on both sides of the
road in black suits and white military type hats, standing
at attention, saluting with one hand and holding a rifle
with the other hand.
DOUBLE WOW!

That sure was not anybody I know.  But I had to stop and
think.  That person's body is going into the grave just like
all of us will.  However, their soul, the real person, is either
in God's heaven, or the Devil's hell now..  Perhaps when
finally I am put in a hole and covered with dirt - I might
even be way better off than who ever that WAS because,
 I am in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ himself.

God tells us about a certain rich man who died;
"... the rich man also died, and was buried:
And in hell he lift up his eyes, being
in torments,"
(Luke 16:22,23 KJV)

That particular man Jesus Christ was telling us
about did not gain a thing by being rich or well
liked or famous.  He still ended up in hell.  What
was his gain then?

God also said,
"And just as each person is destined to die
once and after that comes judgment,"
(Hebrews 9:27 NLT)

ARE YOU READY FOR THAT DAY?

TODAY'S QUOTE

Image courtesy of: www.Pixabaycom. 

“But God said to him, ‘You fool!  You will

die this very night.  Then who will get every-

thing you worked for?’   

Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly

wealth but not have a rich relationship with

God."
- Jesus Christ. (Luke 12:20,21 NLT)

WHAT IS YOUR VALUE?

It started of by my making the mistake of trying

to think.  You know, thinking is hard work and it

hurts to think.  That is why so few of us bother to

think.

But while thinking the thought went through my 

mind how I am not compassionate like God is.  I

want to be a help and kind to people etc.  But also

I tend to not want to be bothered.  [You are not that

way, I'll admit.]

Then when thinking of my lack of compassion, I

could just see some poor homeless person or a 

begger in their need.  You know, a cast off from

society or a parasite just getting in the way.

But, which is the most valuable or important?

A poor homeless person or perhaps a bagger?

Images courtesy of: www.Pixabay.com.   

Or an invalid totally incapable of taking care of 

him or her self.

Or perhaps a highly decorated person in an important

position?

Or, maybe even a successful business person

or investor?

Well, none.

We as people only see the outside of a person and that is

what helps us form our opinions.

But God looks at it differently.  Consider when God was

speaking to Samuel he said;

 "Do not look at his appearance or his stature,

because I have rejected him.  Man does not

see what the Lord sees, for man sees what is

visible, but the Lord sees the heart." 

(1Samuel 16:7 CSB)   

The truth of the matter is that in God's sight

that poor cast off person is just as valuable as

some one who is rich or perhaps famous.

Even the disciples of Jesus Christ fell into the

trap we do.  They began to argue among themselves

as to which one was the greatest.

He attempted to correct their thinking by pointing

out that the most important person in the Kingdom

of God was the one who was the youngest, like a

child, or the humble person, a servant.  And that

he himself [Jesus Christ] came as a servant to us.

"But God proves His own love for us in that

while we were still sinners Christ died for us!

(Romans 5:8 CSB)

Yes, we nothings are just as important to God

as a rich person or a celebrity.   Just as important

to God as a president or a king.

It is your heart that God treasures.  Not your

body, money or prestige.  Give him your whole

heart, strength and mind.  Then in truth you will

be away ahead of the rest of the world, even if

you are a nothing to everybody else.

TODAY'S PROMISE

"Poor is he who works with a negligent hand,

But the hand of the diligent makes rich.

He who gathers in summer is a son who acts wisely,

But he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts

shamefully."

(Proverbs 10:4,5 NASB)

TODAY'S PROMISE

"The sleep of the working man is pleasant,

whether he eats little or much:

but the full stomach of the rich man does not 

allow him to sleep."

(Ecclesiastes 5:12 NASB)

A SHORT MEDITATION

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"A faithful man will abound with blessings,

but he who hastens to be rich will not go

unpunished."

(Proverbs 28:20 RSV)

Years ago a man came into the shop in his pickup

for something.  I would guess that the man was in 

his "fifties", a mature man.

The man was a machinist by trade.  And he explained

to me that he always went to the area that paid the 

highest wages in his trade.

He told me his wife had gotten tired of moving all

the time, so she was not with him.  All so, that every 

thing he owned was in the pickup.

So much for top pay.

You see it in the news all the time just like I do.

Some sports figure or celebrity who was worth

millions is now bankrupt.

"A miserly man hastens after wealth,

and does not know that want will

come upon him."

(Proverbs 28:22 RSV)

"The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,

but every one who is hasty comes only to want."

(Provers 21:5 RSV)

O BOY. GOOD JUNK

Image courtesy of:www.Pixabay.com

Last week I was donating some time at Fort Rock 

Family Camp.  Most of my time there is in maintenance,

you know "fixing stuff".   I was at the shop working when

one of the children from a family helping came to me 

wanting help to build a whistle.  She had picked out a 

piece of scrap tubing.  All I had to do was help her make

into a whistle. [Ha, ha, ha.]

We needed a piece of material to make the "fipple block"

with.  So, I pointed her at the scrap pile.  It is "fair game"

for anybody to use.  So with the help of her two smaller 

brothers they begin to dig in the scrap pile.  And I went 

back about my business.

Can you imagine my surprise when I came back out and

found that Lydia and each of her brothers had laid out

about a wheelbarrow load of scrap steel and old parts

 for each one of them.  Good stuff they had found in 

the scrap pile.  Three wheelbarrows of stuff.

But, their mother would not let them take all that good 

stuff home with them.

Just like you and me.  We spend a life time of  piling up 

a lot of "good junk" that we cannot take with 

us when we die and leave this old world.

One day every one of us is going to stand before

God in judgement whether we like it or not.

Consider his opinion on all this good "stuff" we

gather up for our selves.

"There is great gain in godliness with contentment;

for we brought nothing into the world, and we

cannot take anything out of the world, but if we

have food and clothing, with these we shall be

content.  But those who desire to be rich fall into

temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and 

hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and 

destruction.  For the love of money is the root of

all evils; it is through this craving that some have

wandered away from the faith and pierce their 

hearts with many pangs."

(1 Timothy 6:6-10 RSV)

PATH TO POVERTY

Images courtesy of: www.Pixabay.com

"Being lazy will make you poor,

but hard work will make you rich."

(Proverbs 10:4 GNT)

"Work and you will earn a living;

if you sit around talking you will

be poor"

(Proverbs 14:23 GNT)



HE BLEW IT

(Images courtesy of:www.Pixabay.com)

You have seen it more often than myself.

Pro athletes, actors or a celebrity who were

worth millions blew it.  You know,

bankrupt, insolvent, ruined or became penniless.

They simply blew it.

Why?

Usually because they simply squandered

their resources, or made bad investments.

They threw away more money than most of 

us could ever hope to make in a life time.

BUT, you have something much more valuable that

the money they threw away.  Your very life.  The

life that God gave you.  Are you squandering it?

There was once a rich man who had really

pilled it up.

"But God said to him, 'You fool!  

This very night you will have to 

give up your life;  then who will

get all these things you have kept

for yourself?'"

"And Jesus concluded, 'This is how

it is with those who pile up riches for

themselves but are not rich in God's

sight." (Luke 12:20,21 GNT)

Another time there was a rich man who really lived it up.

But,

"The rich man died and was buried,

and in Hades, where he was in great

pain, he looked up......" (Luke 16:22,23 GNT)

The fact that we all want to over look is,

"Everyone must die once

and after that be judged

by God." (Hebrews 9:27 GNT)

Are you just blowing your life away?

Or getting rich toward God?

TRUE GIVING

"Jesus looked around and saw rich people

dropping their gifts in the Temple treasury,

and he also saw a very poor widow dropping

in two little copper coins.  He said, 'I tell you

that this poor widow put in more than all the 

others.  For the others offered their gifts from

what they had to spare of their riches; but she,

poor as she is, gave all she had to live on.'"

(Luke 21:1-4 TEV)

************************

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Updated King James Version.

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WHAT REALLY COUNTS

All my life I have wanted to be an expert at something.

Almost anything.  But I never made it.

After a long life (A few months shy of four score years.)

I realized that no mortals are experts at anything.

Some are only better guessers than others.

The only true expert at anything is God himself.

I was not endowed with a lot of strength.

Just sufficient for my task.  The gym might

have been a help.  But that just looks like paying

out good money to work up a sweat, and does

not put any bread on the table.

Riches are fickle and fleeting.

If you watch the news over a period of time

you will notice that riches do not satisfy, 

at least for very long.

So what does count????

God said,

"The wise should not boast of their wisdom,

nor the strong of their strength,

nor the rich of their wealth.

If any want to boast, 

they should boast that they know and understand me,

because my love is constant,

and I do what is just and right.

These are the things that please me."

(Jeremiah 9:23,24 TEV)

Consequently,

with God's help I want to spend the remainder of

my days becoming better acquainted with God.

That is what really counts.

LOVING MONEY

"If you love money, you will never be satisfied;
if you long to be rich, you will never get all you want,
It is useless.
The richer you are, the more mouths you have to feed.
All you gain is the knowledge that you are rich.
Workers may or may not have enough to eat,
but at least they can get a good night's sleep.
The rich, however, have so much that they 
stay awake worrying."
(Ecclesiastes 5:11, 12 TEV)

************************

Would you like a free download of

THE HOLY BIBLE

Go to the link below for a free

download of the

Updated King James Version.

www.oocities.org/updatedkjv