A really apropos theme in Sunday's sermon that really pertains to the world today! Have you ever heard the saying "Money talks"? "He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income. This is also vanity." Ecclesiastes 5:10. Does money really talk? Money is something everyone always have an affection for. There are 16 parables in the Bible that talk about money. Why do we think that if we have enough money we will have stability? The only stable thing we can put our feet on is the Rock of Jesus Christ. In chapter 5, James was speaking to people who are facing doom because of their love of things of this world. He was talking to those who misplace their trust in material things and not in people. Who was talking to people who used possessions to show love to people. He was talking to unbelievers who had oppressed Christians. He wanted to give a warning to everyone who had misused possessions. He wanted to give hope to those who were oppressed. He told them to be patient because Jesus was coming back.This is especially true now during this season of uncertainty. What happens to those who misplace their trust in possessions and money? "Your riches will rot and your garments will be moth eaten. You gold and silver will be corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire". James 5:2-3. Never sneer at or ridicule Jesus as the Pharisees did in Luke 16:14-25. We must be sure that we are on the same level as God on this issue. everything is reversed in the afterlife - read Luke 16:19-30. There will be a time when we wil have to answer how we lived our lives on earth. We cannot ignore God's promise or His salvation. Don't wait until it is too late to share the joy of salvation with your family and friends. The way to salvation is accepting Jesus in this life. We have more security in God that the things of this world. Humbly place your trust in God who will take care of you. Use your money and possessions to bless others and point them to God. Invest in a life that is truly life. Look beyond this world to a greater life. Where are you placing your trust today?
Saturday was another day of cutting and splitting wood. It was a good day weather wise, not too hot, but we were all tired and sweaty when we finished picking up all the wood Our son-in-law had to make two trips home with a truck and trailer load of wood. We just unloaded it in his yard and will work on it slowly!! Another daughter ( whose yard we were cleaning up) prepared a evening meal for us, as well as provided us with cold drinks during the day.
another beautiful rain day.
Two more naughty ladies of the Bible-
Rachel -the woman who wanted it all. Rachael, the most beloved wife of Jacob, had love, wealth, a promising marriage in front of her. But Rachel did not have any children. In her mind, having children would be her goal of having it all. From the first moment Jacob saw Rachel he loved her, and she became his choice as a wife. But while she alone was in the heart of her lover, “the real choice was not Jacob’s but God’s, and for the first place God had chosen Rachel’s sister, Leah.” In his second marriage, Rachel only received half of Jacob, the other half had been given to her rival sister. Rachel told her husband,” Give me children or die”. Poor, childless Rachel was not forgotten by the Lord for He remembered her and opened her womb. She gave birth to a son. The grateful mother became a prophetess for she called her baby Joseph, which means, “The Lord shall add to me another son”. She then had Benjamin. We now come to a feature peculiar of Rachel as a mother. Hers is the first recorded instance in the Bible of death in childbirth, as Rachel ended up dying after the birth of her second son. The one thing she believed would bring her fulfillment (having children) ultimately cost her her life. Don’t be a woman so desperate for what you believe will make you fulfilled that you miss the blessings that are right in front of you.
Delilah – the woman who didn’t care who she hurt. Delilah was a beautiful Philistine woman that Samson fell in love with. She pretended to be in love with Samson in order to sell him out and get rich. The rulers in Philistine came to Delilah and offered her money if she found out what made Samson so strong. She tried to trick Samson many times but he did not tell her the truth. Delilah asked Samson continually about his strength and bugged him so much that he finally told her the secret to his strength - that he got his strength in his hair. That evening as Samson slept, Delilah cut his hair and called in the Philistines. The Philistine men were able to capture Samson. They barged in, gouged his eyes out and took him to prison in Gaza. Maybe she liked the idea of being the person who could get or hear about some information that no one else knew. We know some people today like this. Or maybe she lost her morals when tempted by the promises of riches. Some women will do anything to get the scoop and repeat it, no matter who gets hurt. Don’t be like Delilah.
Hope you are enjoying reading about these ladies!!!
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