Are You Hooked on Giving?

Deuteronomy 16:17 (NIV) 

Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you.

Dr. Mar Aprem of the ancient Chaldean Orthodox Church of the East in India, sometimes tells a funny story about when a member of the church won a lottery worth 100,000 rupees. His wife went to the bishop and told him that she was afraid to tell this glad news to her husband because he had a heart problem and any sudden excitement could cause a heart attack.

The bishop offered to break the news gently to her husband. He visited the house and asked the man, "Wouldn't it be a good thing if you won 1,000 rupees in the lottery?" The man replied that he still would have to work to support his family.

"What about 10,000 rupees?" the bishop asked. The man still showed no excitement, so the bishop carefully raised the amount to 50,000 and finally to 100,000 rupees.

"If I got 100,000 rupees, I would give half of it to you, your Excellency," the man replied.

The bishop had a heart attack, and the man called an ambulance.

We can get excited about winning and getting. But have you learned how fun it is to give? Engineering and machinery genius R. G. LeTourneau discovered the joy of generosity. Besides establishing a private school, he reportedly gave 90 percent of his income to worthwhile causes, while living on the remaining ten percent. He became hooked on the fun of giving!

Of course, money is not the only commodity that is fun to give. Give some time, give your expertise, give a smile or give your love. You can never run out of something worthwhile to give. Giving is fun. And there is no stopping those who discover it!

Dear Lord, Thank You for all that You have given to us. Help us have the heart to give unto others so that we may be a blessing to them and show Your love. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

Where is Your Trust?

Proverbs 23:5 (NIV)

Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone,

    for they will surely sprout wings

    and fly off to the sky like an eagle.

In 1988, William "Buddy" Post of Oil City, Pennsylvania, won $16.2 million in the Pennsylvania Lottery. The jackpot was to be paid to Buddy over a period of twenty-five years. Even before the first check arrived, Post's landlady sued, claiming she owned part of the winning ticket. The courts awarded her one-third of the proceeds. Meanwhile, Post and various relatives opened a bar, a used-car lot and other businesses, using the promise of lottery proceeds to come as capital. All the businesses failed. In 1993, his brother was convicted of attempting to kill Buddy and his wife in hopes of inheriting the lottery money. Post's sixth wife left him and filed for divorce, and Buddy was ordered to pay her $40,000 a year in support. In 1996, after falling $500,000 in debt, he filed for bankruptcy. "Money didn't change me," insists Post, a 58-year-old former carnival worker and cook. "It changed people around me that I knew, that I thought cared a little bit about me. But they only cared about the money." "I'm just going to stay at home and mind my p's and q's," he said. "Money draws flies."

There is no trust in money, it is fleeting and it does not bring us security. But trust in Christ brings eternal peace and security. 

Where is your trust?

Dear Lord, thank You that we can trust in You. Help us seek after Your will today that we may bring honor to You in all we say and do? In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

Are You Focused on Your Eternal Reward?

1 Peter 1:3-5 (NIV)

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

What would you do if you won a large sum of money? Now if you are like me I am sure you dreamed about what you would do with millions of dollars.

Have you ever wondered what happened to those who did win the lottery? Here are a few examples as reported by *Richard O'Connor: Ken Proxmire was a machinist when he won $1 million in the Michigan lottery. He moved to California , went into the car business with his brothers and within five years, filed for bankruptcy. Willie Hurt of Lansing , Michigan won $3.1 million in 1989; two years later he was broke and charged with murder. Missourian Janite Lee won $18 million in 1993; eight years later she filed for bankruptcy and had $700 left to her name. William Post won $16.2 million in the Pennsylvania lottery in 1988 but now lives totally on his Social Security ($450 a month). Evelyn Adams of New Jersey won the state lottery not once, but twice (’85, ’86). Her winnings totaled $5.4 million dollars. In 2004 the money was all gone and she was living in a trailer! Adams is quoted as saying, "I won the American dream, but I lost it, too." Post said, "I wish it never happened. It was a total nightmare." Another winner stated, "It was NOT the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow."

As we see, winning – especially winning the lottery – isn’t everything!

Jesus said, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your TREASURE is, there your HEART will be also" (Matthew 6:19-21).

Why not store up treasures on earth? Because Jesus warned us that earthly treasures are subject to rust, decay, and theft. In fact, this WORLD and ALL of its possessions will one day be GONE (2 Peter 3:10)!

But, again quoting Richard O’Connor: "if your HEART is in heaven, you’ll never be heart broken, because your TREASURES will never grow old, they’ll never fade away, and no thief can steal them from you" (see also 1 Peter 1:3-5; Revelation 21).

An ETERNAL inheritance awaits the faithful child of God....

To become a child of God, one must: believe in Jesus, God’s Son (Acts 16:30-31), repent of sin (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized (immersed) in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). Then, the child of God must continue to live faithfully to the Heavenly Father (1 John 1:7; Revelation 2:10).

Winning isn’t everything when it comes to the material things of this earth. Several lottery winners have proven that! Winning IS everything when it comes to the ETERNAL reward of Heaven! Christ WON the victory in His death, burial, and resurrection. WE must align ourselves with Him in order to enjoy His reward!

Dear Lord, thank You that You won the victory over death. Our prayer today is that we would focus on the eternal reward in heaven rather than the things of this Earth. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.