The Best Things in Life are...
i think the most often misquoted bible verse is "the love of money is the root of a mulititde of evisl"
not the "multitude of evils part"...the kjv does say "all evil", and they mean the same thing.
it's the first part...the way i most often encounter this verse is "money is the root of all evil"...not "the love of money"; and there is a big difference between the two.
we need money, there is no getting around it. we have to have a place to live, a car to drive, and food to eat. we need clothes, haircuts, and shoeshines. our kids need toys, tv and a swimming pool...oh, wait a minute.
this is where the problem seeps in...in the sliver, small gap between what we need and what we want. our wants reach into that space with their arms and STRETCH! it out till we are living far beyond our means.
most people don't start out loving money, they just kind of slide into it, like going around a slippery winter curve...you don't realize your are going out of control until you are out of control, and then it's just a matter of hoping for the best...
the writer of hebrews writes something very similar to what paul wrote to timothy.
"keep your lives free from the love of money, and be satisfied with what you have. God has said, 'I will never leave you; I will never forsake you.' so we can be sure when we say, 'i will not be afraid, because the Lord is my helper. what can people do to me?'" (13:5-6)
keep your lives free...like keeping your garden free of weeds. how do you do it? vigilance. weed spray (if you choose), going out and hoeing it ever day or two...keeping track of it...enlisting the kids help...teaching them how to do it...being responsible...
it's hard work. gardening...and keeping ourselves free from the love of money.
our culture breeds discontent. every commercial has, built right into it, the message "you don't have enough, you need more". every advertisment fuels our desire for what we don't have. every tv show implies that life should be easier (and, if we have "this" it would be!!!!).
so, what's the remedy?
believing God's promise. in Him, we have enough. in Him, we are content. in Him, we are safe. in Him, we are blessed. in Him. in Him. in Him.
apart from Him...we are, indeed, destitute. empty. poor. needy. unwell.
we have to spend some time contemplating such things...reminding our selves of the great riches we are possessors of in Christ!
you are rich.
not the "multitude of evils part"...the kjv does say "all evil", and they mean the same thing.
it's the first part...the way i most often encounter this verse is "money is the root of all evil"...not "the love of money"; and there is a big difference between the two.
we need money, there is no getting around it. we have to have a place to live, a car to drive, and food to eat. we need clothes, haircuts, and shoeshines. our kids need toys, tv and a swimming pool...oh, wait a minute.
this is where the problem seeps in...in the sliver, small gap between what we need and what we want. our wants reach into that space with their arms and STRETCH! it out till we are living far beyond our means.
most people don't start out loving money, they just kind of slide into it, like going around a slippery winter curve...you don't realize your are going out of control until you are out of control, and then it's just a matter of hoping for the best...
the writer of hebrews writes something very similar to what paul wrote to timothy.
"keep your lives free from the love of money, and be satisfied with what you have. God has said, 'I will never leave you; I will never forsake you.' so we can be sure when we say, 'i will not be afraid, because the Lord is my helper. what can people do to me?'" (13:5-6)
keep your lives free...like keeping your garden free of weeds. how do you do it? vigilance. weed spray (if you choose), going out and hoeing it ever day or two...keeping track of it...enlisting the kids help...teaching them how to do it...being responsible...
it's hard work. gardening...and keeping ourselves free from the love of money.
our culture breeds discontent. every commercial has, built right into it, the message "you don't have enough, you need more". every advertisment fuels our desire for what we don't have. every tv show implies that life should be easier (and, if we have "this" it would be!!!!).
so, what's the remedy?
believing God's promise. in Him, we have enough. in Him, we are content. in Him, we are safe. in Him, we are blessed. in Him. in Him. in Him.
apart from Him...we are, indeed, destitute. empty. poor. needy. unwell.
we have to spend some time contemplating such things...reminding our selves of the great riches we are possessors of in Christ!
you are rich.
posted by PMike. | 06:52
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