MONEY

Advice from the richest man who ever lived.

Solomon the king of Israel.

"Those who love money will never have

enough.  How meaningless to think that wealth

brings true happiness!  The more you have,

the more people come to help you spend it.  So

what good is wealth - except perhaps to watch

it slip through your fingers!"

(Ecclesiastes 5:10, 11 NLT)

If you think wealth will make you happy,

why did it not for these people who

all committed suicide.

[I did not fact check these people.  There

are too many.]

Robin Williams, 63 years old.

Marilyn Monroe, 36 years old.

Kurt Cobain, 27 years old.

Mindy McCready, 37 years old.

Jonathan Brandis, 27 years old.

Sawyer Weten, 19 years old.

Jovan Belcher, 25 years old.

Alexander McQueen, 40 years old.

Lucy Gordon, 28 years old.

Johnny Lewis, 26 years old.

Gia Allemand, 29 years old.

Dana Plato, 34 years old.

Chris Benoit, 40 years old.

L'Wren Scott, 49 years old.

Junior Seau, 43 years old.

Misty Upham, 32 years old.

Ernest Hemingway, 61 years old.

Hunter S. Thompson, 67 years old.

And the list goes on and on and on.

Wealth and fame simply did not keep

these people happy for more than a 

short period.  And it will not for 

you nor I either.

A LIFE OF FUTILITY

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A LIFE OF FUTILITY

 Have you ever felt that life was futile?

You know, a deadening routine.  Get up in the 

morning.  Go to work and come home tired

and go to bed.  Get up the next morning and 

go to work.  Come home tired and go to bed.

Get up the next morning...... you know the 

routine.

Solomon the wisest man that ever lived on 

the face of the earth observed this futility. 

This man accomplish or acquired everything

most of us could ever want or dream of.

Look at what he had to say about all the 

goods and accomplishments of his life.

 

"I said to myself, 'Come on, let's try pleasure,

Let's look for the 'good things' in life.'  But I

found that this too, was meaningless.  So I said,

Laughter is silly.  What good does it do to seek

pleasure?' After much thought, I decided to

cheer myself with wine.  And while still seeking

wisdom.  I clutched at foolishness.  In this way

I tried to experience the only happiness most

people find during their brief life in this world.

I also tried to find meaning by building

huge homes for myself and by planting beauty-

ful vineyards.  I made gardens and parks, fill-

ing them with all kinds of fruit trees.  I built

reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my

many flourishing groves.  I bought slaves, both

men and women, and others were born into my

household.  I also owned large herds and flocks,

more than any of the kings who had lived in

Jerusalem before me.  I collected great sums

of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings.

and provinces.  I hired wonderful singers, both

men and women, and had many beautiful con-

cubines.  I had everything a man could desire!

So I became greater than all who had lived

in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never

failed me.  Anything I wanted, I would take,

I denied myself no pleasure.  I even found

great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all

my labors.  But as I looked at everything I

had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all

so meaningless - like chasing the wind.  There

was nothing really worthwhile anywhere."

(Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 NLT)

   

So, what is the use?

He ends his writing with this advice.

"That's the whole story.  Here now is my final

conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands,

for this is everyone's duty, God will judge us

for everything we do, including every secret

thing, whether good or bad."  

(Ecclesiastes 12:13 NLT)

Then Jesus Christ said it another way.

"Beware! Guard against every form of greed.

Life is not measured by how much you own.

(Luke 12:15 NLT) 

Also;

"And what do you benefit if you gain the whole

world but lose your own soul?  Is anything

worth more than your soul?"  

(Matthew 16:26 NLT)

Then, God through the Apostle Pauls said;

"After all, we brought nothing with us

when we came into the world, and we

can't take anything with us when we

leave it." 

(1 Timothy 6:7 NLT)

Of course, you can waste your life anyway

you want.  You can chase after fame, fortune

and pleasure if you want.  But, you will loose

it all.

But, as for myself I choose to chase after or

serve Jesus Christ the vary creator of the universe

so that when I depart this life I can live  with him

forever.

HOW TO GIVE MORE THAN THE RICH

Over the years I have noticed a number of streets named after

specific individuals in this area.   When around the university 

I find more names on stadiums, buildings, gates etc. And when 

you go around the regional hospital there are even more

 buildings, named after people.

Yet most of these names mean absolutely nothing - to most people.

It might just as well be a number.  That is, unless you knew the person.  

Or you are from their area and generation.

What does it cost to get your name put up before the public that way?

Lot's and lot's and lot's of money.

All to no avail in time to come.

Want a reward that will last you forever?

"'Make certain you do not perform your religious duties in public

so that people will see what you do.  If you do these things publicly,

you will not have any reward from your Father in heaven.

'So when you give something to a needy person, do not make a big

show of it as the hypocrites do in the houses of worship and on the

streets.  They do it so that people will praise them.  I assure you,

they have already been paid in full.  But when you help a needy

person, do it in such a way that even your closest friend will not 

know about it.  Then it will be a private matter.  And your Father,

who sees what you do in private, will reward you.'"

(Matthew 6:1-4 TEV)

WHAT'S THE DONATION MOTIVATION? 

"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'".

(Luke21:1-4 TEV)

"'You can be sure that whoever gives even a drink of cold water

to one of the least of these my followers because he is my 

follower, will certainly receive a reward.'"

(Matthew 10:42 TEV)

"The greatest humbug in the world is the idea

that money can make a man happy.  I never 

had any satisfaction with mine until I began to

do good with it."

C. Pratt

FAME

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                                           FAME

Fame.  Ah! yes.  Fame.  Something so many are striving for.
Around here it appears it costs lots and lots of money to get
things named after you so you can be remembered for ever.

Last night while driving home I went over a section of road
"named" after a famous local personality.  It brought to mind
an incident from a few years ago.

When I moved into this area in 1973 this man was a well
know business leader.  I only knew of him from advertising
for his business at that time.  But did not know him.

As happens sometimes, he went into politics for some reason
or other.  And as I was working in an luxury auto dealership
I eventually met the man.  In fact I met and talked to him a
number of times over the years.  Perhaps time is forgiving,
but contrary to most politicians all I remember is liking the
guy.

I do not know how far his fame has spread.  But this section
of road - well, O.K. it's a tunnel - was named after him for
his work with the state.  All so, one of the local cities has a
park named after him. [Only the hospital and the bill collectors
remember me.]  I think that he is way ahead of most of us on
this fame thing.

The last time I met him he was out of politics and retired, the
best I know.  He had come into the dealership to get something
or other done to his car.  Now you know politicians, they cannot
just pick up a book and read like real people, while they wait.
They have to go around talking to people.

What was almost funny, if it had not been so pathetic, was watching
him go around the lobby and the show room looking for folks to
talk with.  It was like nobody even knew him, or even wanted to
talk to him. Here was a real live famous person and know one even
seemed to recognized him.  Perhaps it was just a bad day.

After watching this for a while I got to feeling so bad for him that
I went over greeted him, and talked with him for a while.  It
seemed to brighten him up.

So much for FAME.  It does not last long.

"De not be afraid when one becomes rich,
When the glory of his house increased;
For when he dies he shall carry nothing away;
His glory shall not descend after him."
(Psalms 49:16,17 NKJV)