The Poor Can Give

Bible Reading:  Mark 12:38-44

Key Verse: Verse 41 – “And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.”

Key Words: how the people cast money into the treasury  

Jesus also saw people’s motives in giving. He beheld how the people gave (12:41). See that little word how. He was not so interested in what they gave as in how they gave. He was seeing some things that nobody else could see. He was looking at the motives of their hearts. He was concerned about why this widow did what she did. Jesus is concerned about why you do what you do. 

In verses 43 and 44, we see three things Jesus said. 

First, he talked about her liberality in verse 43. Jesus called his disciples to him and pointed that widow out. He wanted them to perceive the liberality of her gift. “This poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury.” On human scales that was not true, but God weighs things on another set of scales. Furthermore, millions of dollars have been given because of this woman’s example. Jesus noted the liberality of her gift. 

Then he talked about her sacrificiality in verse 44a, “They did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in.” They gave out of their plenty; she gave out of her poverty. For her it was a sacrifice to give. When she gave those two mites, she gave everything she had. She didn’t have anything left. She gave sacrificially. What is important in the matter of giving is not how much you give but how much you have left. 

Then he talked about the totality of her gift in verse 44b. Jesus said, “She has given ‘even all her living.’” She had not one thin penny to buy bread for the next day. 

Those other people had plenty to fall back on. They had plenty for a rainy day. She didn’t have one thing. She cast herself totally on the mercy and faithfulness of God. 

This Jesus, who complimented the widow for giving her all literally, gave His all on Calvary’s cross for us. The question is: What will we give?

 

                                                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

✞ We all can give, even the poor.

Rich In Talents

Bible Reading:  Matthew 25:1-28

Key Verse: Verse 25 – “And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.”

Key Words: hid thy talent in the earth

The word talent means gold or metal. It means in our language money. The unwise servant buried his money rather than investing it for his master’s gain. The principle is clear: we should invest money for God’s gain, not hide money for selfish reasons. Where we spend our money and how we use it tells a lot about our character and relationship with God. 

Godfrey Davis, who wrote a biography about the Duke of Wellington, said, “I found an old account ledger that showed how the Duke spent his money. It was a far better clue to what he thought was really important than the reading of his letters or speeches.” 

How we handle money reveals much about the depth of our commitment to Christ. That’s why Jesus often talked about money. One-sixth of the gospels, including one out of every three parables, touches on stewardship. Jesus wasn’t a fundraiser. He dealt with money matters because money matters. For some of us, though, it matters too much. 

Remember, it’s the love of money that is the root of all evil. 

He who doesn’t put God first with his finances is pulling your leg when he sings, “Oh, how I love Jesus.”

 

                                                                                                Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

✞Remember, the joy of God is worth more than the joy of gold.

Workaholism And Riches

Bible Reading:  Ecclesiastes 2:1-11

Key Verse: Verse 4   – “I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards:”

Key Words: I made me great works

Notice all that Solomon worked for: housing, plants, vineyards, gardens, orchards, trees, pools, servants, maidens, great possessions, silver, gold...then he says in verse 9, “So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem” but he closes out the thought by saying in verse 11, “...and there was no profit under the sun.”

 

Wayne Oates, a long-time professor at Southern Seminary, introduced the world to “workaholism.” It was a word he coined in a 1968 article for Pastoral Psychology. A more recent discussion of the subject helps to further define the different types of workaholics. 

• Identity Workaholic: work defines your life, so your best energy is spent there. 
• The Perfectionist: long hours are required to make every task flawless. 
• Approval Seeker: work piles up because you fear saying “no” to others’ request for your time and energy. 
• Situational Workaholic: long hours are perceived as only a temporary situation that will soon pass – there is always another situation looming, though. 
• The Escapist: work provides an escape from painful relationships or other problems. But it’s the last workaholic that I think sums up best both Solomon’s and the world we live in that includes “most” born-again believers and that is... 
• The Materialist: an insatiable desire for possessions drives you to increase your workload. 

Workaholism has many faces, and we may be guilty of hiding behind one or more of them. 

Larry Burkett once said, “Focusing on material things is the greatest danger we face. What makes it so normal today is that virtually everyone in America is doing it.” 

 I trust today that God will give you victory over materialism.

                                                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

✞ Honestly evaluate your life to see if you are caught up in this materialistic jungle of loving things. You can tell by asking and honestly answering the following: 1. Do you get more excited about the things of the world or the things of God? 2. Do you give your tithe and offerings faithfully or do you use them for other things? 3. Do you get more excited about getting things or giving to God? 

Now you know. The question is: what are you going to do about it?

Poor In Character

Bible Reading: Matthew 27:1-10

Key Verse: Verse 3 – “Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,”

Key Words: the thirty pieces of silver

There are two things that one gives up when they fall in love with riches. First, they give up integrity; and secondly, they give up character. 

What’s the most outrageous thing you would do for $10,000 cash? That’s the question posed recently by Chicago radio station WKOX, which attracted responses from more than 6,000 full-tilt crazies. 

The eventual winner: Jay Gwaltney of Zionsville, Indiana, who consumed an 11-foot birch sapling – leaves, roots, bark and all. For the event, he donned a tux and dined at a table set elegantly with china, sterling, candles and a rose vase. 

Armed with pruning shears, the Indiana State University sophomore began chomping from the top of the tree and worked his way, branch by branch, to the roots. His only condiment: French dressing for the massive birch-leaf salad. The culinary feat took eighteen hours over a period of three days. 

When it was all over, Gwaltney complained of an upset stomach. Evidently the bark was worse than his bite. 

Some people will do anything for money. Now, if you think what Jay Gwaltney did is outrageous, think about what Judas did. He betrayed the Son of God for thirty pieces of silver. (The silver was probably a shekel or a dram which is equal to a penny – so for thirty cents Judas betrayed Jesus.) 

Now, Judas is not the only one who was outrageous. Think of those who refuse to give to God’s work in order to enjoy the pleasures of this world; or think of those who put money before worshipping God on the Lord’s Day. Let’s face it, there are those who do some pretty outrageous things because of their desire for “money.” Surely you’re not one of those, are you?

 

                                                                                                Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞ Remember, when you desire more, you will always lose character.

The Joy Of Riches

Bible Reading: Luke 6:27-45

Key Verse: Verse 38 - “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”

Key Words: give and it shall be given unto you

Stephen Olford relates the following story in his book, The Grace of Giving. “My father served the Lord for thirty years in Angola, West Africa. Throughout that whole period he was never on salary. In fact, he had no guarantee from one month to another that financial support would be forthcoming. But, thank God he never lacked! He not only maintained the overhead costs of a missionary program, but he also brought up his family which included three boys. In later years when he returned home, he discovered people all over who had sacrificed greatly to support his work. In almost every case, these people had been blessed by his ministry but had chosen to remain anonymous. If these people had been weary in well doing, what would have happened to a lonely missionary and his family in the heart of Africa?” 

I believe prayer is us pouring our heart out to God. Giving is letting God pour out His heart to others through us. 

Supposing today were your last day on earth, the last mile of your journey you’ve trod. After all of your struggles, how much are you worth? How much could you take home to God? 

Don’t count on possessions, your silver and gold, for tomorrow you leave them behind. And all that is yours to have and to hold, are the blessings you’ve given – keep that in mind. 

 Just what have you done on your journey along, that was really and truly worthwhile?  Do you feel you’ve done good and returned it for wrong,  could you look o’er your life with a smile?

                                                                                                     Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

✞ Memorize the following: What I’ve tried to keep, I’ve lost; but what I have given to God, I still possess.

Remember The Poor

Bible Reading: Galatians 2:1-10

Key Verse: Verse 10 – “Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.”

Key Words: remember the poor

In Galatians, chapter 2, there is a disagreement between Paul and Peter. Peter wanted only to help the poor who were Jews; Paul wanted to help both Jews and Gentiles who were poor. They, like many church and business meetings, had a great discussion which ended in them being in agreement about helping the poor, but nothing was ever done about it. Sounds like a lot of meetings we attend, doesn’t it? 

Some years ago I had two ladies of our church come by and see me after visitation. They were both in tears. That night they had visited a dear lady who had no money, no food, and was about to be evicted from her apartment. They wanted to collect money from the congregation for this dear lady. I suggested that was not the answer, but that getting her a job was the answer. I simply said, “We can give her a fish and feed her for a day; or we can teach her to fish and feed her for the rest of her days.” Needless to say, they were unhappy with my answer, and thought I was being unkind. 

This brings us back to the words of the Apostle Paul: remember the poor. The word remember means to take under consideration. Why are they poor? Is it because they refuse to work, or is it because of unbearable hardships that have come their way? 

 As a pastor, I promise to always remember the poor; and by God’s grace, I will strive to do what is best for them and for God’s glory.

                                                                                    Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞ Remember the poor.

Things Better Than Riches

Bible Reading: Proverbs 17:1-9

Key Verse: Verse 1 – “Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife.”

Key Words: Better is a dry morsel

Let me give you my interpretation of Proverbs 17:1, “You are better off with a few dry crackers with peace in your home than a freezer full of meat with strife in the home.” 

In a survey done by the Barna group more people who said they consider themselves rich had strife in their home than those who said they were not rich. 

E. Stanley Jones, in his book Growing Spiritually, talks about a fictional person who lived out a fantasy life. All he had to do was think of it and (poof!) it happened. 

So this man, in a moment of time, sticks his hands in his pockets and leans back and imagines a mansion and (poof!) he has a 15-bedroom mansion, three stories with servants instantly available to wait upon his every need. 

Why, a place like that needs several fine cars. So he again closes his eyes and imagines the driveway full of the finest wheels money can buy. And (poof!) there are several of the best vehicles instantly brought before his mind’s eye. He is free to drive them himself or sit way back in the limousine with that mafia glass wrapped around the rear, and have the chauffeur drive him wherever he wishes. 

There’s no other place to travel so he comes back home and wishes for a sumptuous meal and (poof!) there’s a meal in front of him with all of its mouthwatering aromas and beauty – which he eats alone. And yet...there was something more he needed to find happiness. 

Finally, he grows so terribly bored and unchallenged that he whispers to one of the attendants, “I want to get out of this. I want to create some things again. I’d rather be in hell than be here.” To which one of the servants replies quietly, “Where do you think you are?” 

When you live for things, you are in hell! What a shame!

 

                                                                                                Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:  

✞ Take the advice of hymn-writer B. B. McKinney and be "Satisfied with Jesus.”

Richness Is A Matter Of Perspective

Bible Reading: John 14:1-14

Key Verse: Verse  2 – “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”

Key Words: In my father’s house are many mansions

Through the annals of time theologians have debated the meaning of the word mansions. Some define the word as “a room;” others define it as a “huge palace.” The word itself simply means a residence. 

Some years ago I got an education on a proper perspective of richness through the word “mansion.” Years ago I lived in Salt Lake City, Utah. While on visitation I visited a family in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains. They lived in a private, gated house with a 12-car garage, theatre room, play room, game room, exercise room to say nothing of the bedrooms and living quarters. As I left I said, “Now, that’s a mansion!” Some time later we had a college student from South America in our home. You could see that he wanted to ask me a question but could not find either the words or the courage to ask. Finally, though, he looked at me as we sat in our three-bedroom, two-bath, 2-car garage house and said, “Pastor, how can you afford this mansion?” Now, I never considered our house a mansion. The house, to me, in Salt Lake City was a mansion – but not my house. 

The story doesn’t end there. Some time later his sister visited him in college, went to his dorm, and saw his room with all of its modern technology, looked at her brother and said, “This is a mansion!” 

You see, being rich is a matter of perspective. So let me ask you, “How rich are you...not in material possessions but in Christ?” You see, that’s really the only richness that matters.

                                                                                                    Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

✞ Evaluate what you would have if you lost all your earthly possessions.

Poor In Spirit

Bible Reading:  Matthew 5:1-12

Key Verse: Verse  3  – “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Key Words: Blessed are the poor in spirit

In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount the first beatitude that Jesus gives His followers is in regard to their spirit, not their purse. “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” 

Now, that raises an interesting question, how poor in spirit are you? The word poor means to be in great need; but the real key to being poor in spirit is that I realize I can’t meet that need...only God can. Most of us reading this devotional have never really genuinely reached the place where we acknowledge just how poor we really are. 

I recently heard about a man who needed $50. He said, “I’ll work for it” which is admirable; but later the same man needed $500. He said, “I’ll borrow it from momma.” Later he needed $5,000. He said, “I’ll see if the bank will loan it to me.” 

Later he needed $50,000 and said, “I’ll put a second mortgage on the house.” Then he found out that he needed $500,000. Throwing his hands up in the air, the man cried out, “I’ll never be able to get $500,000. Lord, please help me!” That day he acknowledged he was poor. Now, he was poor when he needed $50 but wouldn’t admit it. It took God bringing him to a place where he had nowhere else to go before he would confess he was poor. 

The point is simply that no matter who you are, no matter how much you have...all of us need to cry out daily to God. “Lord, I’m poor in spirit. I can’t meet my spiritual needs. Only you can do that. Lord, help me!!” Only then are you genuinely poor in spirit.

 

                                                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞ Acknowledge that without God you can do nothing; but with God all things are possible.

He Didn't Understand

Bible Reading:  Luke 15:25-32

Key Verse: Verse 31 – “And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.”

Key Words: all that I have is thine

 

I would venture to say that just about everyone reading this devotion knows the story of the prodigal son, but we often forget about the elder brother. When the prodigal returns to his father, he recovers five things from his father: 1) a kiss (love); 2) a robe (royalty); 3) a ring (ownership); 4) shoes (protection); and 5) he was given a party. 

When his older brother heard of all this; he was jealous and refused to attend.  His father went and found him, and the elder brother then shows his ignorance when he said, “I have been faithful to you, and you’ve never thrown me a party.” You see, the elder brother failed to understand that while his younger brother had received a kiss, a robe, a ring, some shoes, and even a party that he would one day inherit “everything” (verse 31...”all that I have is thine”). 

The following conversation was heard between an old farmer in the country and the new pastor. 

“Do you belong to the Christian family?” asked the minister. 

“No, they live two farms down,” replied the farmer. 

“No, no, I mean are you lost?” 

“Lost? Why, I’ve lived here thirty years.” 

“I mean are you ready for the Judgment Day?” 

“When is it?” asked the farmer. 

“Well, it could be today or tomorrow.” 

“Well,” said the farmer, “when you find out for sure when it is, you let me know. My wife will probably want to go both days.” 

Now, the moral of the story is simple. When we fail to see what the father has done for us, we will make a fool of ourselves. Now you don’t want to do that, do you?

 

                                                                                                Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞ Don’t focus on what you don’t have; focus on what you do have.

The Question Is?

 Bible Reading: II Corinthians 5:1-10

Key Verse: Verse 10 – “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”

Key Words: For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ

The question is not, “Am I rich or poor?” The question is, “Am I living for God’s glory? Am I using the riches of God to reach others for Christ?” If I’m poor the question is, “Am I so deep into depression and bitterness that others can’t see Christ living in me?” So the question is not, “How much do I have?” but “How have I used all I have?” 

Like the stewards in Luke 19, one day we will stand and give an account, not of how much we had but of how we spent what we had! None of us as believers can escape the judgment seat of Christ. 

The following is taken from the Paul Harvey’s “what it’s worth” department. 

Gary Tindle was in a California courtroom charged with robbery. He asked and got from Judge Armando Rodriquez permission to go to the bathroom. While the bathroom door was guarded – Mr. Tindle climbed up onto the plumbing and opened a panel in the ceiling. 

Sure enough, a dropped ceiling with space between. He climbed up – and into the crawlspace – and headed south. He’d gone thirty-some feet when the ceiling panels broke from under him and dropped him to the floor... 

Right back in Judge Rodriquez’s courtroom. 

Today, let us each determine not to be haughty if we have or disheartened because of what we lack; but let us determine to live for God’s glory!

 

                                                                                                Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞ Use what you have for God.

Looking For Riches

 Bible Reading: II Timothy 4:1-10

Key Verse: Verse  10 – “For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.”

Key Words: For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world

You find Demas mentioned only three times in the Scripture.  

1. In Philemon, verse 24, Paul calls him a fellow-laborer. 
2. In Colossians 4:14, Paul just simply says of Demas that he greets you. 
3. In II Timothy 4:10, Demas has left Paul and God’s service because of his love for the things of the world. 

The story of Demas reminds me of a newspaper article I read recently about a man who kept his eyes on the earthly. 

A young man once found a five-dollar bill in the street. From that time on, he never lifted his eyes when walking. In the course of years, he accumulated 29,516 buttons, 54,172 pins, 12 cents, a bent back, and a miserly disposition. He lost the glory of the sunlight, the sheen of the stars, the smiles of friends, tree blossoms in the spring, the blue skies, and the entire joy of living. 

Many people today look to this earth for satisfaction, pleasure, wealth, and happiness rather than looking to Jesus Christ for happiness. 

A man walked down a street in Atlanta and came to a furrier shop. He stopped to look at a leopard skin that had been made into a coat. He gazed at the fur and thought about the price. “O cat,” he said, “you were better off before you were worth so much.” 

So it is with so many today!!

 

                                                                                                    Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞ You were worth a whole lot more when you served God faithfully. I encourage you today who are living for the riches of this world, come home.

God Ain't Dead

Bible Reading:  Philippians 4:13-23

Key Verse: Verse 19 – “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

Key Words: But my God shall supply all your need

God is omniscient. That means He knows all about me. God is omnipresent. That means He is always with me. God is omnipotent. That means God will protect and provide for me. 

Since God is omniscient, that means He knows everything I am going through. 

Since God is omnipresent, that means He is with me when I go through the trials of life. Since God is omnipotent, that means that while I’m going through what I’m going through, God could deliver me if He so chose to, but if God chooses not to deliver me from my “poverty” that doesn’t mean God is dead. 

I am not a connoisseur of great art, but from time to time a painting or picture will really speak a clear, strong message to me. Some time ago I saw a picture of an old burned-out mountain shack. All that remained was the chimney...the charred debris of what had been that family’s sole possession. In front of this destroyed home stood an old grandfather-looking man dressed only in his underclothes with a small boy clutching a pair of patched overalls. It was evident that the child was crying. Beneath the picture were the words which the artist felt the old man was speaking to the boy. They were simple words, yet they presented a profound theology and philosophy of life. Those words were, “Hush child, God ain’t dead!” 

That vivid picture of that burned-out mountain shack, that old man, the weeping child, and those words “God ain’t dead” keep returning to my mind. Instead of it being a reminder of the despair of life, it has come to be a reminder of hope! I need reminders that there is hope in this world. In the midst of all of life’s troubles and failures, I need mental pictures to remind me that all is not lost as long as God is alive and in control of His world. 

Today, if you are experiencing financial difficulties and feel as though you are poor, remember God ain’t dead!

 

                                                                                                    Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:  

✞If God ain’t dead and He ain’t…then all is well. 

Living For Riches

Bible Reading: I Timothy 6:9-16

Key Verse: Verse 9 – “But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.”

Key Words: But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare

It is not that those who fall into a snare are rich; it is that they desire to be rich. 

As you read this devotion, you could begin to think that I am opposed to riches, but that would not be true at all. We need those who have the blessings of God’s riches on their lives to carry out the work of God financially. The problem is that so many today are living and laboring in order to be rich; and that is the rebuke we find in our text, “But they that will be rich fall... .” 

An old rabbinic tale records the concern of a man of God for a young friend who was becoming worldly and materialistic. The rabbi invited him into his study and led him to the window. “What do you see?” he asked. There was a playground next door. “I see children playing.” Then the rabbi took a little hand mirror out of his pocket and held it before the visitor’s face. “Tell me what you see now.” “I see myself,” he said, wondering what was going on. “Isn’t it strange,” the rabbi asked, “that when a little silver gets between yourself and others, you see only yourself?” 

 How true!

                                                                                                Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:  

✞ Remove the material things that stand between you and God.

He Who Makes Himself Poor

Bible Reading: Proverbs 13:1-9

Key Verse: Verse 7 – “There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.”

Key Words: there is that maketh himself poor

Have you ever known someone who turns his back on the world’s riches in order to serve the Lord? Many believe that the Old Testament prophet Elijah was such a man; but he understood that without righteousness in the land, no one will have riches. Then he stood against Ahab and Jezebel and literally made himself poor in order to stand for righteousness. How contrary to today’s world! 

When I was in college, one of the first professors I met was a middle-aged man. He and I became good friends, and over time we found out more and more about each other. To my amazement, I found out that he had left a job in the Northeast where he was a scientist for a large corporation. At the time (1973) he was making just under a six-figure salary. That was a lot of money back then. I then inquired as to why he would leave so much behind him to go into full-time Christian service. I’ll never forget his answer, “What is more valuable than the souls of men?” 

David Livingstone once said, “I place no value on anything I have or may possess, except in relation to the kingdom of God. If anything will advance the interests of the kingdom, it shall be given away or kept, only as by giving or keeping it I shall most promote the glory of Him to whom I owe all my hopes in time and eternity.” 

There are those who make themselves poor in this world’s goods in order that others may have the true riches of Christ.

 

                                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞ Remember the words of Martin Luther, “I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.”

The Rich And The Poor

Bible Reading: Proverbs 22:1-16

Key Verse: Verse 2 – “The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all.”

Key Words: The rich and the poor meet together

The word meet in verse two carries the idea of coming into contact with. Every county, city, and yes, even every church has both their rich and their poor. But there is a second point we must not forget, and that is that the Lord is the Maker of them all. The word make in the broadest sense means to accomplish His will. As hard as it may be to understand, God made the rich, rich not so they can have but so they can do His will. God made the poor, poor for the same reason. There is no one group better than the other one; we are all here to do God’s will, and all are accountable for what we have and how we use it. The problem with the rich is many of them believe they are rich because of their greatness rather than God’s greatness; and the problem with the poor is they believe they are poor because they are oppressed by the rich rather than the poor letting God use them for His glory. 

The standard by which we measure who is rich and who is poor is flawed. We measure by possessions, money, and various other standards; but the true standard for who is rich and who is poor should be as follows. 

We should measure richness, not by the material things we possess, but by the things we possess that money cannot buy – that’s true riches. 

So many who believe they are rich are really poor, and many who think they are poor are really rich. Which are you-based upon the things you possess which money cannot buy?

 

                                                                                                                Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞ Make sure your standard of judging riches versus being poor is correct.

Poor Rich Man

Bible Reading: Revelation 3:11-22

Key Verse: Verse 17 – “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:”

Key Words: knowest not that thou art...poor

Just as there are many who believe they are poor but in truth have great riches, there are others who think they are rich and are truly poor. 

We are all consumed with something. Some are consumed with possessions other than money; still others are consumed with religion. But only those who are rich in Christ are truly rich. All other forms of riches will eventually consume you and destroy you. 

Nathan Castens writes: Four royal brothers decided each to master a special ability. Time went by, and the brothers met to reveal what they had learned. 

“I have mastered a science,” said the first, “by which I can take but a bone of some creature and create the flesh that goes with it.” 

“I,” said the second, “know how to grow that creature's skin and hair if there is flesh on its bones.” 

The third said, “I am able to create its limbs if I have flesh, the skin, and the hair.” 

“And I,” concluded the fourth, “know how to give life to that creature if its form is complete.” 

Thereupon the brothers went into the jungle to find a bone so they could demonstrate their specialties. As fate would have it, the bone they found was a lion's. One added flesh to the bone, the second grew hide and hair, the third completed it with matching limbs, and the fourth gave the lion life. Shaking its mane, the ferocious beast arose and jumped on his creators. He killed them all and vanished contentedly into the jungle. 

 The moral of the story is that if you are living for that which one day will consume you, you are indeed a poor rich man.

                                                                                                    Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞ Put into practice the old saying, “Only what’s done for Christ will last.”