What's for Supper?

Judging by the magazines that seem to be the most popular and the TV programs that permeate the airwaves it would appear we have a fascination with the lifestyles of the rich and famous.  As a matter of fact a few years ago there was a TV show dedicated to that very subject.   As we all know the lifestyles of the rich and famous can be quite intriguing.  The cars they drive are amazing, the homes they live in boggle the mind.  The fences they build to protect their stuff are intimidating.   I  must admit I enjoy seeing how the “other half”  (the half I’m not in) lives.    But a beautiful homes and nice things really only tell us one thing.  They tell us that these people make a lot of money.   The life style of the rich and famous is usually a tour where we get to see their "stuff".  But if you've ever done the tour of Beverly Hills all you really see are the vine covered fences that keep us away from the people who own the "stuff".  While we may sometimes admire the things rich and famous people have, once you get behind the fence and see the personal lives of some of these people the fascination often ends.  It becomes more of a spectacle, like seeing a car wreck.  It’s horrible to watch but you can’t turn away.  So we buy the magazines and watch the shows which keep us informed of the latest break up, drug overdose or jail sentence and think to ourselves "if I had all that money that wouldn't happen to me.  If God would just give me a chance I'd prove it." 

Yes, there are many rich people with wonderful marriages and loving families.  But these people will tell you themselves, if they are honest,  their families are not strong because they have a lot of money.  Money can buy a lot of things but it cannot buy wisdom, a good marriage or a loving family.  

Proverbs 17:1  “Better is a dry morsel with quietness, Than a house full of feasting with strife.” 

Better is a dry morsel with quietness.  This will never become a the plot for a TV show. They will not be selling tickets to see this house.  This home will not need a fence around it to keep the paparazzi out.  But the people inside would not trade what they have for anything they see in the house full of feasting.They have quietness.  They have contentment, they love and care for one another.   They have learned that the quality of our lives is determined by the quality of our relationships.  They have found something money can’t buy.  

• It is caring not cash that makes a house a home.
• It is wisdom not wealth that makes a house a home.
• It is forgiveness not finances that makes a house a home.
• It is the time we spend with our children not the things we buy for our children that makes a house a home.

Bottom line - it is Christ that makes the difference.  Christ gives us all we need to have a home where there is quietness, joy, and contentment.  All these are found in a personal relationship with Him.  How sad that so many families have sacrificed the important for the trivial. They have traded quietness for strife because they have believed a lie. Life does consist in the abundance of the things we possess. Our kids will not be happy unless they have more stuff.  That is a lie.  Our children need us not the things we can buy for them.  I don't know if there are any stats to back this up but I would dare say there are many families sitting down today to a feast, who would trade it all for a "dry morsel with quietness", trade it for a meaningful relationship with their spouse, or their children. 

If we know Christ we have all the wisdom, strength, and love to turn our house into a home that the kids will want to be part of and always want to come home to.  Certainly it is not a sin to be rich.  If you have been blessed by God financially, be generous, be thankful, be wise and do not set your heart on riches and remember this...  

• It is faith not a feast that makes a house a home.     

It's better to have a dry morsel with quietness than feasting with strife.  Are you choosing the better of the two?   What's it like around your table?

Proverbs 22:1-2

  

"What's for Lunch?"

When I was growing up in school I always looked forward to lunchtime. Lunchtime in first grade was never just about eating - it was about seeing what everyone brought in their lunch box and then seeing what you had in yours so you could trade to get something you "really" liked. I always pitied the kid whose health conscious mother packed broccoli and dip and rice cakes for dessert. In the first grade you can’t trade broccoli and dip for anything, as a matter of fact in the first grade you can’t even give it away. Lunch is special for little boys, they like to eat. So when you see a young lad giving away (not trading) his lunch, something special is going on.

There is story in the Gospels we all know. Story about a boy (we don’t know his name) who went to hear a famous preacher named Jesus. He had to travel a ways to hear him, he preached for a long time, so long people started to get hungry around supper time. However, there were no fast food restaurants in that day, and they were a long way from town. Some men (the disciples) started to mingle among the crowd asking people if they had any food. All they were able to discover was a young lad who had five loaves and two fish. The young lad brought them to Jesus and gave them to him. I’ll be honest. If I had been that young boy, the story would have been about four loaves and one fish. I would have stuffed one loaf and one fish in my pocket “just in case”. The young lad did not trade his lunch, I’ll give you this if you give me that. He just gave it away. The boy did not look at the the size of the problem (huge) he looked at what he had in his hand (small) and he gave it to Jesus and Jesus did something awesome. The thing that strikes me about this story is the unselfish generosity of a young boy and the compassion, and power of Jesus Christ as he takes what is given him and feeds the whole crowd until they were filled.

Generosity is tough. Generosity is tough because it touches the thing closest to our heart. Money.

Money means security. Money means safety. Money means comfort. Money means power. Money means influence. Money means success. Money means we have a refuge. Money means the kids will be looked after. Money means we will be taken care of when we are old. All of these things battle in our hearts for supremacy every day. “Where your treasure is there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21

For most people in our culture money is their god. Money is there protector. Giving away money is giving away our security, our safety, our power etc. But for the believer money should be none of those things. God is our security, safety our refuge. We are free to give because God has promised to take care of us. As we know Jesus taught a lot about money and Proverbs speaks about it as well. One passage is in chapter 11.

One gives freely, yet grows all the richer;
another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,
and one who waters will himself be watered.
The people curse him who holds back grain,
but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it.
(Proverbs 11:24-26 ESV)

These verses tell about one who “gives freely” one who “brings blessing” one who “waters” and one who is willing to sell much needed grain instead of hoarding it for a better price or a “rainy day”. I think these verses along with many others demonstrate the blessing of generosity. They demonstrate that you cannot out give God. The one who gives will blessed, they will be taken care of.

we've all heard the saying “a fool and his money are soon parted”. Certainly fools do foolish things with their money. Throw it away on frivolous and pointless things. Fools withhold what they should give, (just in case). Fools have money as their god, they are a slave of money, money is their master. Fools store up for themselves money, build bigger barns to store all their stuff. Jesus says you fool, life does not consist in the abundance of the things we possess. Luke 12:15-21

So if “a fool and his money are soon parted”. Then it must be true that a wise person will hold onto his money as tight as he can. But that is not what scripture teaches.

Wise people do not throw their money away.
Wise people know their security is not in their bank account.
Wise people know God blesses that we might be a blessing to others.
Wise people bring what they have to God and say “this belongs to you do with it as you see fit”.
Wise people see a need and, if able, help to meet that need.
Wise people have God seated on the throne of their heart.

Where is my treasure? Who or what has my heart? If you would have been in the crowd that day as the disciples were looking for food and you had a lunch would you have stepped forward or run away and eaten it in secret? 2 Corinthians 9:6-12 Proverbs 3:9-10 Proverbs 3:27-28

What's in your lunch bag? Give wisely, give generously, give cheerfully, give thankfully. “The one who waters will himself be watered.”