We have been talking about current events in our Sunday School Class, then looking at scripture to see what the Bible says about the event.
Pope Francis has suspended German Bishop Frantz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, nicknamed the "Bishop of Bling" until his lavish living style can be investigated. He was the Bishop of Limburg in Germany. Now he faces the prospect of seeing his lavish mansion turned into a refuge center or soup kitchen to feed the homeless.
Some of his big-ticket expenditures are reported to be $475,000 spent on walk-in-closets and a $20,000 bathtub.
I couldn't decide whether this was all about power, greed or just about ME.
It certainly should cause us to look at our own lives and see how we may be wasting our money on our own desires instead of furthering the work of our God and our church.
It's all about Me! This message is declared by so many men and women today that it could be the motto of our modern world - a challenging world that is destructively self-centered.
Oviously understanding that no one is perfect and probably would not make 100 per cent if tested on the following attributes: To be helpful, courteous, kind, constructive, sincere; or to serve, give, and listen to advice . We should be open-minded enough to talk with others, family and friends. This will enable the important decisions to be made jointly and not solely by us.
The question we should ask: Is it really all about Me?
For followers of Christ however the answer is clear ; it is not all about ME , it's all about Jesus Christ and others. A selfish person will have a hard time finding the golden key to happiness. The power is not in us but through us, and that power comes from the one God and Father of all.
" And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature." Luke 8:14
"But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. . For it is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs," I Timothy 6:9,10
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Monday, November 4, 2013
Boasting or Modesty
Sometimes the commercials are more interesting than the programs. One such commercial is about two men obviously boasting about their surgeries.
We all know people who boast about their home, car, boat, vacations, jewelry. You get the point.
Sometimes boasting or bragging can backfire...as in this story: A very wealthy lady was showing her new maid all the rooms in her fabulous home and the wall-to-wall furniture. As she continued boasting she said to her maid: "This dining room suite goes all the way back to Louis, the Fourteenth. The maid replied: "Well lady, you don't have nothing on me. My whole living room suite goes back to Sears & and Roebuck on the thirteenth.
Modesty (humility) is not a weak and timid quality, it must however be carefully distinguished from a weak spirit.
Even though boasting (pride) is one of the seven deadly sins, there is such a thing as a honest pride and self-respect.
Old Sayings:
The empty vessel makes the greatest sound. (Shakespeare)
Never cackle until the egg is laid.
The bigger a man's head gets, the easier it is to fill his shoes.
"We sure shook that bridge," the mouse said to the elephant after
the had crossed the bridge.
If you wish people to speak well of you, then do not speak of yourself.
The more humble a person is before God, the more he will be exalted.
"The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility goes before honor." Proverbs 15:33 RSV
We all know people who boast about their home, car, boat, vacations, jewelry. You get the point.
Sometimes boasting or bragging can backfire...as in this story: A very wealthy lady was showing her new maid all the rooms in her fabulous home and the wall-to-wall furniture. As she continued boasting she said to her maid: "This dining room suite goes all the way back to Louis, the Fourteenth. The maid replied: "Well lady, you don't have nothing on me. My whole living room suite goes back to Sears & and Roebuck on the thirteenth.
Modesty (humility) is not a weak and timid quality, it must however be carefully distinguished from a weak spirit.
Even though boasting (pride) is one of the seven deadly sins, there is such a thing as a honest pride and self-respect.
Old Sayings:
The empty vessel makes the greatest sound. (Shakespeare)
Never cackle until the egg is laid.
The bigger a man's head gets, the easier it is to fill his shoes.
"We sure shook that bridge," the mouse said to the elephant after
the had crossed the bridge.
If you wish people to speak well of you, then do not speak of yourself.
The more humble a person is before God, the more he will be exalted.
"The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility goes before honor." Proverbs 15:33 RSV
Tough Times
I read this recently and thought it appropriate to include following my last blog. French writer Alexis de Tocqueville, after visiting America in 1831, said: "I sought for the greatness of the United States in her commodious harbors, her simple rivers, her fertile fields, and boundless forest system, and it was not there. I looked for it in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution and it was not there. Not until I went in the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great!"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
