Saving for a rainy day is supported by the principles of God’s word. Just look at the example of the young man who got his inheritance and wasted it on partying (Luke 15:11-13). Had he not done so, money would have been left for him to live on (Luke 15:14-17). In Proverbs 21:20, the Bible teaches that wise men will have money in their accounts, while foolish men will blow it. Epheshians 4:28 teaches that men should work and have surplus funds to help those in need. Matthew 25:27 teaches that the lazyservant could have put his Master’s money in the bank were it could have gained interest.
Jesus taught that we should "count the cost" before doing anything, and that certainly can be applied to the use of money. Money isn't something that we should be in love with because it can't be taken with us at death (Matt. 6:19-21; 1 Timothy 6:7-10; Job 1:21; Psalm 49:15-20). But that doesn't mean that we should waste our money today and not be able to pay the rent tomorrow (Ecclesiastes 11:1-2). This is great advice from the Bible, so think before you spend. Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. Many say, “I forgive, but I don’t forget.” Well, this so called forgiveness isn’t of any profit to anyone, and it’s certainly not the way the Lord forgives. God is willing to forgive anyone who will repent and ask His forgiveness (Isaiah 1:10–20; Acts 2:38). After that, God doesn’t keep the sin of man still on the books and neither will He bring it up again in the future.
When God forgives, He forgets, and so should men (Hebrews 10:17). Yet, we still see those who hold grudges and refuse to give second chances to those who seek forgiveness. None can be forgiven of their trespasses if they refuse the same courtesy to others (Matthew 6:12; Matt. 18:21–35; James 2:13; Ephesians 4:31–32). We best get rid of all those grudges and start forgiving because the mercy we refuse to show today, will be denied us tomorrow (Galatians 6:7; Proverbs 11:5; Numbers 32:23; Prov. 26:27; Daniel 6:24). Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. There is only right or wrong when discussing a matter. One person can be right and the other wrong, or both could be wrong, but no way can two different view points be right. For example, if the Bible teaches that a person will be lost in Hell for failing to repent (Luke 13:3), the conclusion is that anyone who believes a different point of view is wrong. If the Bible teaches that homosexuality is a sin, then any different view is wrong (Romans 1:26–32; Matthew 19:4–6; 1 Timothy 1:8–10). If a person teaches that any church will do, and the Bible teaches that Jesus built one church, then the opposite view is wrong (Matthew 16:18; Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 1:22–23).
Many in the religious world call for unity in diversity, rather than asking people to give up man-made doctrines and to become united behind what the Bible teaches (Mark 7:7; Proverbs 14:12; Matt. 15:12–14; 1 Corinthians 1:10; Eph. 5:11; Galatians 1:8–10; Philippians 3:16). Further evidence of only being right or wrong can be seen from what will take place at the judgment seat of Christ. People will go to Heaven or they will go to Hell with no middle ground (Matt. 25:31–46; John 5:28–29). Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. When a bottle of liquid has a skull and crossbones on it, one should be smart enough not to drink it. If one notices the sign "slippery when wet," one should be smart enough not to speed that way. If the shark tank has "no hands allowed," one should be smart enough not to put a hand in there.
The point of all this is that we wish people would learn without having to suffer the consequences of being hard headed. A man may know the risk of picking up hookers but not learn his lesson until he is arrested or is a victim of a transmitted sexual disease (Proverbs 5:11-13). If the word is out, "Don't send text messages while driving," man should learn from those words and not from having an accident. In Luke 15:11-32, we read of a young man who demanded his inheritance and wasted it after moving far away. This young guy didn't listen to anything until he was broke, alone, and sitting among the pigs, desiring the slop they ate. Likewise, the word of the Lord warns men, but are we listening? (Prov. 1:20-33; Prov. 22:3). Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. |