MORE VALUABLE THAN FINE GOLD
WISDOM FROM GOD’S WORD IS MORE VALUABLE THAN FINE GOLD!
Proverbs 22:1 (NIV)
1 “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.”
Please know that everything in this world is temporary. We came into this world with nothing and we leave with nothing. Many people spend their entire lives trying to acquire things that offer momentary satisfaction and they have made no plans for eternity. There is nothing wrong with having a healthy bank account in this life but even more important is having our accounts established in heaven. Only what is done for Christ will last.
Treasures in Heaven
Luke 6:20-24 (NIV)
19″Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22″The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24″No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”
Do Not Worry
Matthew 6:25-34 (NIV)
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
NOTE: To seek first the Kingdom of God is to seek God’s way of doing things.
The Parable of the Rich Fool
Luke 12:13-21 (NIV)
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. 14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops. 18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! l This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”
Everyone should work at whatever God has given that person to do. God has set up such wonderful principles for people to follow. For example, if a person begins an exercise program lifting five pound weights that person will get five pound results. If that person begins to lift ten pounds he or she will get ten pound results, and so on. This same rule works in every area of our lives. If we exercise our education muscles such as reading, writing, doing math, etc., we will grow in these areas. And if we exercise spiritual principles according to God’s Word we will grow in the things of God. By that same token if a person exercises in witch craft or some other area of spiritual darkness that person will grow in his or her wickedness.
In the following God uses examples of both nature and man to teach us the importance and benefits of working hard and being persistent as well as the disastrous results of laziness.
Proverbs 6:6-11 NIV
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard; o consider its ways and be wise! 7 It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, :8yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. 9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest
11 and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.
Proverbs 24:30-34 (NIV)
30 I went past the field of the sluggard, past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment; 31 thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. 32 I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: 33 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest :34 and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.
Jesus loves you.