In 1 Timothy 6:7 we read something that I believe we all too often forget. “For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” Think about those words for just a minute! Someone once said that they had never seen a hearse with a luggage rack on it, neither have I and I used to work at a funeral home!
Does that mean that we should not be concerned about having a job or being a productive part of society? Well, no that is not what it means at all! Of course God expects us to work and support ourselves. In fact, in 1 Thessalonians 3:10 we find these words, “For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat.”(NRSV) Notice it is directed at those who are unwilling not those who are unable! We are expected to work if we are able but we are not expected to make money the center of our lives. The point that Paul is making to Timothy (and to you and me today) is that the material things we gain here are not the most significant thing in our lives or at least they should not be. However, we do live in a material world. Back some time ago, Madonna recorded a song that lays this out so well. In her hit “Material Girl,” she says this about boys: “They can beg and they can plead but they can't see the light, that's right, that's right, 'Cause the boy with the cold hard cash is always Mister Right. 'Cause we are living in a material world, and I am a material girl.” I have news for her – the boy with the cold hard cash may very well NOT be mister right! Living in a right relationship with Jesus Christ is much more important than having cold hard cash, even in a material world. We fill our lives with so much “stuff” that often times we lose track of what is really important. Maybe that is the reason that, as Jesus was teaching his disciples how to pray he taught them to ask for daily bread and not enough bread for the week or month! Think about that. Just because we live in a material world does not mean we have to become material people. There is still room right here to be the spiritual beings God wants us to be. In fact, our very soul depends, not on how much money we have in the bank, but whether or not we have claimed Jesus as our personal savior and that we are in a right relationship with him. If you don’t know for sure where you stand, find out before it is too late! Remember, you can’t take it with you – not even one penny! Amen. 10/18/2016 06:21:38 am
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This blog consists of reflections written by the minister each week for the Sunday bulletin. We hope that you enjoy the musings! Archives
January 2020
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