Why worry?

Luke 12:22 (ESV)

And he said to his disciples, Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.

Jesus tells a parable to show that it’s foolish to think our security is in our wealth—or in anything besides God. The story is often called the parable of the rich fool.

Jesus called the man in this parable a fool because he was not thankful for the harvest he received. Instead the man was more concerned about his lack of storage space. He thought that as long as he had possessions, he had it made.

But do riches guarantee security and a happy life? By not being rich toward God, the rich man was in the worst kind of poverty. He was a fool.

Jesus then encourages us not to worry. He says, “Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!” We are children of God. Does it make any sense for God’s children to worry about what they will eat or drink? “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?”

Here’s the bottom line. Jesus tells us to invest wisely. Jesus says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” We must live for God first, trusting in him absolutely. We must throw away our worries and seek God first, rather than ourselves.

Dear Lord, forgive us for not putting your kingdom before our own wants. Please guide us to do Your will, as You provide us with all that we could ever need. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Treasure discovered totally unexpectedly

Isaiah 33:6 (ESV)

And he will be the stability of your times,

    abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;

    the fear of the Lord is Zion's treasure.

It was 1986, in the midst of a three year drought, when two brothers who lived in a kibbutz near the Sea of Galilee made an incredible discovery. As these two fishermen monitored their equipment on the lake, they noticed something glistening in the sun covered in mud. It was a fishing boat. Upon deeper examination, archaeologists determined that these two brothers had discovered an ancient boat from the time of Jesus. It's was called the "Jesus boat" and is now located in a museum next to the Sea of Galilee.

Hidden under water for centuries, the only reason it was discovered was that the severe drought had lowered the lake surface so drastically; so that even when no one was looking for it -- this treasure was discovered totally unexpectedly.

You may have noticed -- it's becoming more and more spiritually dry in this world and sometimes I wonder, will anything good ever come out of this mess? Yet I think the same thing can happen for us as happened to those two fishermen. When things get low, and dry, and sparse, suddenly when we least expect it, God can reveal treasure that we couldn't see or know about because everything was abundantly okay. Maybe it's a friendship that blossoms because of the pressure or need ... or, maybe just a new and deeper insight into the Lord's own sufferings; or maybe a new spiritual gift of encouragement ... there are many possibilities, and I think we ought to be looking for them, though they might appear when we least expect it.

Dear Lord, help us no matter the situation that we look for the positive things.  Help our eyes be open to the spiritual encouragement that You have for us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Where is your treasure?

Proverbs 23:4-5 (ESV)

4 Do not toil to acquire wealth;

    be discerning enough to desist.

5 When your eyes light on it, it is gone,

    for suddenly it sprouts wings,

    flying like an eagle toward heaven.

How can a town of 15,000 people disappear within 3 years? Is that even possible?

Here is a story of a city named Pithole.  Quite unusual, isn't it? I can't even imagine who would like to live in a town with such a name, but exist it did, in 1865, in the midst of the Alleghany National Forest in North-Eastern Pennsylvania.

It all started with the discovery of oil, precious oil. Not for automobile fuel, as cars didn't exist back then, but oil that could be used to light homes. Soon thousands of people, all seeking a get-rich-quick scheme, moved to Pithole.

The town was quickly built up to cater to the needs of 15,000 people. Hotels (over fifty of them!), shops, banks, bars, drug stores and even a post office, a theater, and a prison quickly appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. And even more were planning to move there, all in the name of the almighty buck!

However nothing lasts forever and that oil ran out quickly. Without oil, the town couldn't sustain itself, and within three years, Pithole was little more than a ghost town, with only a few die-hards who were persistent enough to try to coax oil from those dry fields.

In 1878 the land that had once been valued at two million dollars was sold to Venango County Commissioners for the meager sum of $4.37. There are no buildings remaining on the town site now, and nature has completely taken over the exploits of men. Only relics of the past still remains, like rusting machinery.

The same thing can happen to any of us. Some of us think that credit cards are the answer to all of our problems: I am rich! But sooner or later we will have to pay it all back, with hefty interest.

There is no security in earthly possessions. This is why Jesus encouraged all of us: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matt 6:19-21)

Dear Lord, help us have our eyes on the treasures of heaven. Help our focus not be on the treasures of this earth but instead how we can use them to further Your Gospel. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.  

Where is Your Treasure?

Luke 12:34 (NIV)

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

A teacher in Canada was dirt poor one day, and the next, he was a millionaire. Although he hadn't planned on becoming rich, he did. Living from check to check, at the end of the month having barely enough funds to purchase food, he decided one day to purchase a lottery ticket. Just for fun. He forgot all about it, until 2 months later he discovered he had won an 8 digit sum of money.

Everything changed for him that day, a day he wished had never occurred.

First it was the media and stalkers he had to avoid. His private life became public, and everybody wanted a share of his story. Then the scam artists managed to get his credit card number, followed by myriad of charities who begged him to sustain their endeavors. His email inbox maxed out and his phone became swamped with text messages, all requests from people asking for money to pay their loans.

What hurt him the most of all was that his very own colleagues, his closest friends, all turned on him. They wanted him to pay off their credit-card bills as well as any other loans they may have had. They were adamant about it, and soon his board email inbox was maxed out as well. Pressure became so toxic that although he loved teaching, he had to resign.

He never wanted that money. In fact he lives now as a simple man. No one around him would even guess he is rich. He set up scholarship funds at the university he graduated at, designed to help people in economic need attain their university diplomas.

I wonder who is more blessed: the rich or the poor? Is it really worth our effort of even trying to become rich? Being rich doesn't provide for everything.  In fact the more goods we have on earth, the more worries we have as well. How can we even make sure who truly is our friend in such circumstances?

Where is your treasure stored up?

Dear Lord, we thank You for what you give us. We pray that we would always use it in a manner that is pleasing to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Where is Your Treasure?

Proverbs 13:7 (NIV)

“One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.”

The oil boom in Oil Creek was feverish. Men went out to make a fortune, and nothing would stop them from becoming rich! And they never gave a second thought to the environment. After all, did it really matter that gushing wells covered the ground with a black mire of oil and mud? Was it worth worrying that there weren't enough empty wooden barrels to catch the oil, so it leaked freely into ponds? Who cared anyway about the smoke from the burning gas that clung to the little mining towns, or the oil spills that at times even burned up the creek! They would be rich!

When, after just fifteen years, the oil ran out, these same people left the dilapidated mining towns and the ruined environment behind. They had taken all of the valley’s vast natural resources, leaving nothing but emptiness, pollution, and desolation behind.

Where those who pretended to be rich satisfied after their endeavors? Most of them spent their hard-earned, polluted stash within a year, and many left the region penniless.

Riches don’t last! Just ask most lottery winners!

That devastated land healed itself over time. Little by little, plants began to grow again, and pollution-tolerant weeds took hold in bare fields. Naturally, they all died in the fall of each year, and in their decay, they enriched the soil, readying it for other less-hardy plants, and later, even trees. As soon as the plants were once again thriving, the wildlife returned, and the present-day valley is not only beautiful and fertile, but once again rich with wildlife.

There are still remnants from the greedy prospectors, however. Upstream at Boughton, Pennsylvania, sulfuric acid became leached into the ground, making it impossible, even now, for plants to develop.

This reminds us of the story of the rich young ruler (See Matt 19:16-26). When he left Jesus, he had a mile-long face. We also know that riches will never procure us happiness. Possessions are fleeting, and for those who hold on to their monetary kingdoms, their worries vastly surpass their earthly goods!

Truly we are the ones who are rich, as we will inherit a place in paradise, where we will enjoy the full extent of the presence of the One who makes us abundantly rich! And there aren't even any harmful effects on the environment!

“Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?” (James 2:5 NIV) Being truly rich is relative to your point of view. There is earthly richness, which flees like shadows, and there is divine richness, which fills our hearts.

Are your treasures stored up in heaven?

Dear Lord we pray today that we wouldn't focus on the treasures of this world but that we would focus on the things of heaven. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Where is Your Treasure?

Matthew 6:19-21 (New International Version)

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Amanda Reece hired a former high school classmate, Bob Kitts, for a remodeling project in her 83-year-old home near Lake Erie in Ohio. As Kitts was tearing out the bathroom walls in the home, he discovered two green metal lockboxes suspended inside a wall below the medicine chest. Inside the boxes were white envelopes with the return address for “P. Dunne News Agency.” Inside the envelopes was $182,000 in Depression-era currency. Patrick Dunne, a wealthy businessman, apparently hid the money in the wall during the difficult time period of the Depression.

What was done with the money?

Kitts and Reece couldn’t agree on how to split the money. Reece offered 10 percent; Kitts wanted 40 percent.

One month after the money was reported in the local newspaper, descendants of Patrick Dunne filed a lawsuit for their share of the find. The courts ruled that twenty-one of Dunne’s descendants will each receive a small share. By then there was little left to claim.

Reece testified in a deposition that she spent about $14,000 on a trip to Hawaii and had sold some of the rare late 1920s bills. She also said that about $60,000 was stolen from a shoebox in her closet but she never reported the theft to police. Kitts said Reece accused him of stealing the money and left several threatening phone messages.

Reece also declared that she was considering bankruptcy and that a bank recently foreclosed on one of her properties.

From the events surrounding the discover of this “hidden treasure,” it is no wonder that the details of the story were revealed in an Associated Press article entitled, “Cash Found in Ohio House’s Walls Becomes Nightmare.”

The words of Jesus address the situation: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on EARTH, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19). Paul’s inspired commentary also seems fitting: “For the love of money is the root of all evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greed, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10).

Instead of laying up treasures on earth where thieves steal and greedy people fight over fleeting treasures, Jesus said we should: “lay up for yourselves treasures in HEAVEN” (Matthew 6:20). These heavenly treasures are the REAL treasures. But they are hidden from the view of those who focus only on EARTHLY treasures.

Sin disqualifies us from receiving those treasures... but Jesus died on the cross so that we might have the forgiveness of our sins (Ephesians 1:7) and eternal “treasures” in heaven (1 Peter 1:3-5).


EARTHLY treasures are fleeting and often mixed with strife! Why not focus on lasting, ETERNAL treasures that come only through a relationship with Christ.

Dear Lord we thank You for our reward in Heaven. We pray that we will not focus on the things of this Earth but I the things of You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Where is the Treasure of Your Church?

1 John 2:10 (New International Version)

Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.

In the mid-200's AD, Lawrence was a deacon in Rome. He was martyred in 258 A.D. The St. Lawrence River and more than 250 churches in England are named for him. Lawrence served under Pope Sixtus II who was arrested and martyred under the persecution of the Roman Emperor Valerian.

As deacon in Rome, Lawrence was charged with the responsibility for the material goods of the Church, and the distribution of alms to the poor. Before his death, Sextus' captors demanded, "Where is the treasure of the church?" The Pope would not tell, and they tortured him to death. He never did tell, but in his agony and pain, Pope Sextus somehow mentioned the name of Archdeacon Lawrence. They took Lawrence captive.

"Where is the treasure of the Church?" They demanded, threatening with the same fate that came to the Pope.

Lawrence replied, "Governor, I cannot get it for you instantaneously; but if you give me three days, I will give you the treasure."

The Governor agreed. Lawrence left. Three days later he walked into the Governor's courtyard followed by a great flood of people.

The Governor walked out onto his balcony and said, "Where is the treasure of your church?"

Lawrence stepped forward, and pointed to the crowd that accompanied him -- the lame, the blind, the deaf, the nobodies of society -- and said, "Here are the treasures of the Christian church."

The treasures of this life are the same as those in heaven, other people. Today in prayer, thank the Lord for those people He has brought in your life and treasure them above any earthly thing.

"We don't live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other. And I tell you that the time will soon come when, if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish." - J. B. Priestly

Dear Lord we thank You that we all work together to be the body of Christ. We pray today that we would work together to serve. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Junk?

Matthew 6:19-21 (New International Version)

¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

For twenty-five years Fred Schwartzwalder's hobby had been collecting rocks. Weekend after weekend he had roamed the Rockies, bringing home new samples for his collection. After his basement was filled to capacity he started building a rock cairn in his backyard, which grew larger and larger with each passing year.

Then came 1950 and the growing public interest in radioactive minerals. Amateur geologist Schwartzwalder bought a Geiger counter for $100, after months of hard saving from his earnings as a high school janitor.

"The day he brought his counter home," says "Time" magazine, "he poked it around his backyard rock pile. Immediately, the Geiger counter began to jitter excitedly, but when Fred located the radioactive rock and dug it out, he could not remember where he had found it. For three months he retraced his steps through the hills until at last, on a Sunday afternoon, he discovered the spot where he had broken off the sample from an outcropping on Indian Head Mountain."

That was a memorable afternoon. The Geiger counter went wild and the happy explorer felt sure he had found a major source of uranium. He had. After many difficulties he managed to transport several tons of the ore to the government processing plant in Salt Lake City. Three weeks later he learned from the AEC that he had hit upon "one of the most significant hydrothermal-type deposits" in the United States.

Schwartzwalder's uranium has already brought him $125,000 (this was in 1955) , with prospects of millions more. That long-forgotten rock in his back yard has made him wealthy beyond his wildest dreams.

It is amazing what riches are sometimes found close at hand. It is said that the first diamond of the famous Kimberly mines was picked up outside somebody's home and thought to be a pebble. And nobody needs a Geiger counter to lead him to the greatest treasure of all--the Holy Bible.

Through this Book men are led to the Rock of Ages, the Source of power immeasurable and wealth incalculable--yet free for all. Fortunate indeed are those who discover this guide to eternal riches in their home.

Dear Lord we thank you for the treasure we have in Your Bible. We pray that we would use the tool You gave us in a way that we would grow to be the person You would have for us to be. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Lessons in a Lunch Bag.

Matthew 6:19-24 (New International Version)



19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.


(A true story of Robert Fulghum and his 7-year-old daughter Molly) It was Molly's job to hand her father his brown paper lunch bag each morning before he headed off to work. One morning, in addition to his usual lunch bag, Molly handed him a second paper bag. This one was worn and held together with duct tape, staples, and paper clips.


"Why two bags" Fulghum asked.


"The other is something else," Molly answered.


"What's in it?"


"Just some stuff. Take it with you."


Not wanting to hold court over the matter, Fulghum stuffed both sacks into his briefcase, kissed Molly and rushed off. At midday, while hurriedly scarfing down his real lunch, he tore open Molly's bag and shook out the contents: two hair ribbons, three small stones, a plastic dinosaur, a pencil stub, a tiny sea shell, two animal crackers, a marble, a used lipstick, a small doll, two chocolate kisses, and 13 pennies.


Fulghum smiled, finished eating, and swept the desk clean - into the wastebasket - leftover lunch, Molly's junk and all.


That evening, Molly ran up behind him as he read the newspaper. "Where's my bag?"


"What bag?"


"You know, the one I gave you this morning."


"I left it at the office. Why?"


"I forgot to put this note in it," she said. "And, besides, those are my things in the sack, Daddy, the ones I really like - I thought you might like to play with them, but now I want them back. You didn't lose the bag, did you, Daddy?"


"Oh, no," he said, lying. "I just forgot to bring it home. I'll bring it tomorrow."


While Molly hugged her father's neck, he unfolded the note that had not made it into the sack: "I love you, Daddy."


Molly had given him her treasures. All that a 7-year-old held dear. Love in a paper sack, and he missed it - not only missed it, but had thrown it in the wastebasket. So back he went to the office. Just ahead of the night janitor, he picked up the wastebasket and poured the contents on his desk.


After washing the mustard off the dinosaurs and spraying the whole thing with breath-freshener to kill the smell of onions, he carefully smoothed out the wadded ball of brown paper, put the treasures inside and carried it home gingerly, like an injured kitten. The bag didn't look so good, but the stuff was all there and that's what counted.


After dinner, he asked Molly to tell him about the stuff in the sack. It took a long time to tell. Everything had a story or a memory or was attached to dreams and imaginary friends. Fairies had brought some of the things. He had given her the chocolate kisses, and she had kept them for when she needed them.


"Sometimes I think of all the times in this sweet life," Fulghum concludes the story, "when I must have missed the affection I was being given. A friend calls this 'standing knee deep in the river and dying of thirst'." We should all remember that it's not the destination that counts in life - - it's the journey.


Dear Lord we pray that we wouldn’t take the things of life as junk, but as treasures from you. Help to treasure each moment and person. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Where is Your Treasue?

Some people today dream of winning the Publishers Clearing House, but in Jesus' time people dreamed of finding treasure buried in a field or at least discovering a precious stone lying in the road. Commerce and banking were not as sophisticated as they are today. There were no offshore banks in the grand Caymans; no unnumbered accounts in Switzerland. So people who wanted to secure their wealth buried it in the ground. It gained no interest, but at least it was secure. Unfortunately, some of these people died before reclaiming their wealth. So there it lay just waiting for someone to discover it.

Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is like that. It is like treasure hidden in a field which someone stumbled upon. In order to secure his new found wealth, the lucky finder hid the treasure all over again in that same field. Then joyfully he took everything he had and sold it to buy the field. Then the treasure was his.

Are you willing to give up the mundane to claim the great treasure of God's kingdom?

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

-Matthew 13:44

Dear Lord, God of all kingdoms, may we not let the things we have get in the way of living in your kingdom. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Where is your treasure

When all the clutter is stripped away, what is your real hope? When you push aside the diplomas, awards, accolades, and honors, what is the basis of your significance? Only One endures forever! Only God guarantees that our life is significant. Only our Savior can provide for us a place where our valuables won't decay and aren't stolen and won't rot. So let's not place our treasures or our hopes in anyone but the LORD.

In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness.— Psalm 31:1

Dear Lord, thank you for allowing me to place my hope, my future, and my significance in your hands. Give me the courage and the confidence to know that you will not let me be put to shame, but that you will share with me your righteousness on that day I stand in your presence. In Jesus' name. Amen.