Saturday Silly-December 12, 2020

Boy, I don’t know about you all, but I believe that studio apartments have gotten so small, you may as well just rent a closet somewhere. I went with a friend to look at a furnished studio apartment recently. When we opened the door, I felt like we were walking into a closet. My friend said, “It’s not too cramped; I think I can manage this.” (She’s a little flighty, and doesn’t think things through sometimes) I thought to myself, “Oh, yeah? You’ve only been in here three minutes. Spend a whole day in it.” The apartment manager said all the furniture in it was brand new, and encouraged my friend to try out the easy chair. My friend kicked off her shoes so she wouldn’t mess up the upholstery, and settled herself in the chair. She flipped the lever and reclined the chair, and this loud voice came from next door. It said, “Oh, my God! Will you get your feet out of my lap, please?! And go change your socks!” She jumped up out of that chair so fast. She decided not to take that studio apartment…and I’m still laughing!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

You Cannot Serve Both

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to ask ourselves whether we are serving God, or serving money/riches. Mammon, it is called in the Bible.

As I read the message, I recalled a conversation I had recently, about someone being refused a meal because they wouldn’t give up their personal information and register. They were told the reason was that if they didn’t register, the church couldn’t get paid for the meal by the government. Jesus tells us, in Matt. 6:24, that we cannot serve both God and money. Either we will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. This is very true. We prove it. I don’t think there’s a Christian that hasn’t experienced this conflict in one way or another. And, the love of money will definitely cause conflict in your life. With it comes debt, deceit, stress, all kinds of stumbling blocks.

Some of us who have held down two, and sometimes three jobs, just to make ends meet, know what a cruel Lord money can be. Work, work, work; and there’s still nothing left over, and still no chance of getting ahead. Some of us have fallen into the prestige and power trap. We sold ourselves to the “up and coming crowd;” the “Haves.” Some of us got caught up in the money trap because we tried to replace our self respect and/or dignity with stuff, stuff, and more stuff. We have to be very careful with our attitudes about money/mammon, because mammon is a very sneaky adversary. I say that, because the spirit behind it and the world’s ideas of wealth, are at work for the powers, principalities, and hosts of spiritual wickedness in the heavens. In reality, it is only sidewalk. It’s what the streets in Heaven are paved with.

Solomon said that money answers everything. It does. It pays the rent, puts food on the table, fills the car with gas, etc. But, money is to serve us; not vice versa. Keeping our attitudes about it in line with God’s Word, and practicing good stewardship/management, are the keys to staying free of bondage to it. There’s also that checklist of things like pride, fear, greed, and the like, to reckon with. We can easily fall into the money trap by way of these.

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Money, Honey

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that we are not to value money the way the world does. We are to seek first, last, and always, the Kingdom of Heaven. “…and all these things will be added unto you,” the scripture says.

The message bids us us to get away from money values altogether. I think a better way to put it would be to say: Get away from valuing money altogether. When I read that statement, I think of guys and their power tools, their cars, and stuff like that. They almost worship them, don’t they? Yeah, women do too. I still drool every time I see a Lamborghini Countach. We have to be careful not to let money rule over our senses and good judgment. Money isn’t to be our master or god.

Unfortunately, money does answer everything, doesn’t it? Yes, it pays the rent and bills, living expenses, etc. But money, unless it is used according to God’s will and purposes, and for the sake of God’s glory, is actually just stuff under our feet that trips us up. By that, I mean that it’s like rocks, pot-holes, brambles, etc. Rocks get in your shoes and make your feet sore. I hit a pot hole once, and thought I’d ripped the oil pan right off the car. Brambles and burrs stick to your clothes and scratch your legs up. See the hassles?

But when we use money according to God’s purposes-which are pavement, provisions, preparations, and presents…oh, the places we can go, the things we can do, the peace, power, and pleasantness of life we can provide. Handling our money responsibly is part of God’s plan. It’s part of good stewardship. Good stewardship includes tithing and benevolence, planning for the future -we are to leave an inheritance for even our children’s children, and advancing the Kingdom of Heaven-making sure the Gospel is preached in all the corners of the Earth.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu