Luke 12:33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
Oh Friends, can you believe it’s October already? The days are moving by so quickly that we can’t afford to waste even a single one. We have to get up and get going about out Heavenly Father’s business, for none of us knows how much longer we have on this fickle earth. And don’t think about failure either, for as Elbert Hubbard says; ‘There is no failure except in no longer trying.’ And that’s the gospel truth my Friends. Whatever happens, we’ve always got to continue trying. If one thing doesn’t work, then find a new goal, perhaps a more realistic one, but till the day we die, we ought not to stop trying, to stop learning, to stop doing God’s will. And if it’s a dream God’s put in out hearts, then we know for certain sure it will come true. We just have to trust Him, and keep on working at it as best we can. When He’s ready, He’ll bring it to fruition. And what does Today’s Bit have to do with all that eh? Well let’s see. Jesus said to, ‘Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.’ The whole situation arose after a man in the crowd asked Jesus to mediate in a dispute with his brother over their earthly inheritance. And Jesus never fails to surprise, for He answers somewhat out of character: ‘Man who made me a judge or a divider over you? And he said unto them, Take heed of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.’ (Luke 12:14-15) That’s another gospel truth my people, which sadly too many of us refuse to accept, so we erroneously continue striving to accumulate earthly wealth. But then Jesus, in His inimitable style, told the parable of the rich man that was called home the same day he decided to build bigger and better storehouses for his rapidly increasing earthly wealth. God called him a fool for concentrating on his earthly possessions. And Jesus added; ‘So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.’ (Luke 12:21) Friends, this brings us to the world vision of success and failure: The world considers us successful when we amass much earthly possessions, or rise to powerful positions. And basically nothing is wrong with being wealthy or powerful, but it’s all in the way we look at them and use them. Wealth and power for their own sakes are a definite no-no in Jesus’ agenda. Granted, if we don’t have money, or the means of making some, then life can become rather difficult. But even on that score of care and anxiety, Jesus was adamant, saying; ‘Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, neither for the body, what ye shall put on. The life is more than meat and the body more than raiment.’ (Luke 12:22-23) And so it is Friends. Although we need food to nourish our bodies and clothes to keep them warm, providing the necessities of life should not be the sole or entire focus of our lives. For as Jesus pointed out, the birds and the flowers neither sow nor spin, yet the birds eat and the flowers are more regally dressed than Solomon in all his finery. ‘If then God so clothe the grass, which is today in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?’ (Luke 12:28) He’s saying that we shouldn’t be worried about food and clothes, don’t be overly anxious about our day to day problems, cause our Father in heaven knows what we need and will provide them. ‘But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.’ (Luke 12:31-32) Oh what a heart-warming reassurance my people! ‘Fear not little flock;’ It’s so touching, so sentimental, that as true believers we have to take it to heart. If we do the Father’s work, then He’ll suitably compensate us. And isn’t that what any normal, caring father would do? So Jesus continues: ‘Sell that ye have and give alms;’ Now that might be a bit rough to do literally in today’s world, although believers in the early church did so to a certain extent. ‘And all that believed were together, and had all things common. And sold their possessions and goods, and parted (distributed) them to all men, as everyman had need.’ (Acts 2:44-45) See also Acts 4:31-37 for a fuller account of communal sharing. That worked for those believers, but when Jesus told the rich, young ruler who asked about attaining eternal life; ‘If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.’ (Mat.19:21) The poor fellow went away sad, because he was very wealthy. In today’s world though, everybody selling everything and living communally most likely won’t work. But the whole point of Jesus’ exhortation is about our focus; whether our earthly concerns are more important than our heavenly treasures. If we are true believers then we should be more concerned with storing up treasure in heaven than on earth. We need to remember though, that what we have on earth doesn’t really belong to us, we’re just stewards of God’s earthly goods, and we are duty bound to handle them wisely and also share with the less fortunate. ‘But rather give alms of such things as ye have;’ (Luke 11:41) Yes my people, in the long run it’s essential to ‘provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.’ Oh Friends, we can’t take the earthly treasure with us when we die, thieves can also steal it on earth, and eventually most of it will decay. But the treasures we store up in heaven are both secure and indestructible. As Bruh Paul told Timothy: ‘Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute (give), willing to communicate (share), Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.’ (1 Tim.6:17-19) Oh Friends, please, let’s all heed that most excellent advice. Much LOVE!…heaven’s banks pay the highest interest…
Oh Friends, can you believe it’s October already? The days are moving by so quickly that we can’t afford to waste even a single one. We have to get up and get going about out Heavenly Father’s business, for none of us knows how much longer we have on this fickle earth. And don’t think about failure either, for as Elbert Hubbard says; ‘There is no failure except in no longer trying.’ And that’s the gospel truth my Friends. Whatever happens, we’ve always got to continue trying. If one thing doesn’t work, then find a new goal, perhaps a more realistic one, but till the day we die, we ought not to stop trying, to stop learning, to stop doing God’s will. And if it’s a dream God’s put in out hearts, then we know for certain sure it will come true. We just have to trust Him, and keep on working at it as best we can. When He’s ready, He’ll bring it to fruition. And what does Today’s Bit have to do with all that eh? Well let’s see. Jesus said to, ‘Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.’ The whole situation arose after a man in the crowd asked Jesus to mediate in a dispute with his brother over their earthly inheritance. And Jesus never fails to surprise, for He answers somewhat out of character: ‘Man who made me a judge or a divider over you? And he said unto them, Take heed of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.’ (Luke 12:14-15) That’s another gospel truth my people, which sadly too many of us refuse to accept, so we erroneously continue striving to accumulate earthly wealth. But then Jesus, in His inimitable style, told the parable of the rich man that was called home the same day he decided to build bigger and better storehouses for his rapidly increasing earthly wealth. God called him a fool for concentrating on his earthly possessions. And Jesus added; ‘So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.’ (Luke 12:21) Friends, this brings us to the world vision of success and failure: The world considers us successful when we amass much earthly possessions, or rise to powerful positions. And basically nothing is wrong with being wealthy or powerful, but it’s all in the way we look at them and use them. Wealth and power for their own sakes are a definite no-no in Jesus’ agenda. Granted, if we don’t have money, or the means of making some, then life can become rather difficult. But even on that score of care and anxiety, Jesus was adamant, saying; ‘Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, neither for the body, what ye shall put on. The life is more than meat and the body more than raiment.’ (Luke 12:22-23) And so it is Friends. Although we need food to nourish our bodies and clothes to keep them warm, providing the necessities of life should not be the sole or entire focus of our lives. For as Jesus pointed out, the birds and the flowers neither sow nor spin, yet the birds eat and the flowers are more regally dressed than Solomon in all his finery. ‘If then God so clothe the grass, which is today in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?’ (Luke 12:28) He’s saying that we shouldn’t be worried about food and clothes, don’t be overly anxious about our day to day problems, cause our Father in heaven knows what we need and will provide them. ‘But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.’ (Luke 12:31-32) Oh what a heart-warming reassurance my people! ‘Fear not little flock;’ It’s so touching, so sentimental, that as true believers we have to take it to heart. If we do the Father’s work, then He’ll suitably compensate us. And isn’t that what any normal, caring father would do? So Jesus continues: ‘Sell that ye have and give alms;’ Now that might be a bit rough to do literally in today’s world, although believers in the early church did so to a certain extent. ‘And all that believed were together, and had all things common. And sold their possessions and goods, and parted (distributed) them to all men, as everyman had need.’ (Acts 2:44-45) See also Acts 4:31-37 for a fuller account of communal sharing. That worked for those believers, but when Jesus told the rich, young ruler who asked about attaining eternal life; ‘If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.’ (Mat.19:21) The poor fellow went away sad, because he was very wealthy. In today’s world though, everybody selling everything and living communally most likely won’t work. But the whole point of Jesus’ exhortation is about our focus; whether our earthly concerns are more important than our heavenly treasures. If we are true believers then we should be more concerned with storing up treasure in heaven than on earth. We need to remember though, that what we have on earth doesn’t really belong to us, we’re just stewards of God’s earthly goods, and we are duty bound to handle them wisely and also share with the less fortunate. ‘But rather give alms of such things as ye have;’ (Luke 11:41) Yes my people, in the long run it’s essential to ‘provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.’ Oh Friends, we can’t take the earthly treasure with us when we die, thieves can also steal it on earth, and eventually most of it will decay. But the treasures we store up in heaven are both secure and indestructible. As Bruh Paul told Timothy: ‘Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute (give), willing to communicate (share), Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.’ (1 Tim.6:17-19) Oh Friends, please, let’s all heed that most excellent advice. Much LOVE!…heaven’s banks pay the highest interest…
SCRIP-BITS 