"Ohh, hap-py day-ay!" She's going for the high note!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Nothing heavy tonight because my brain, and body, are fried. From natural causes, of course.
My week has been filled with three activities: work, bonfire preparation, and mom's garage sale/Romania fund-raiser preparation. I have nothing left to give...to anything.
I was hoping to use the sale as a way to get rid of alot of my stuff so I wouldn't have to move it when I sell the house. But that didn't quite work out because I haven't had enough time to sift through all my junk. But I did manage to get some cool guy stuff into the sale so it won't be all blouses and doilies. And lots of people have donated their I-don't-want-its so it should turn out pretty good.
The bonfire will be fun and I have spent three nights gathering firewood in the hopes that the fire won't burn out in an hour. If it rains, then I'm going to throw firewood out along the highway all the way home. By the way, Heather and Virginia, do we have a contingency plan in case of rain? I'm eating s'mores rain or shine, so pre-heat the oven just in case.
Work has been extremely physical this week, and it's a week when I didn't have much physique to give it. Oh well, whadda ya do?
-------------------------------------------------------
Here's a Scripture that I've been meditating on for a few days. I've read it for years but something struck me differently this week. I've always understood it to be strictly about money.
"One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."
The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed Him. And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God." --Luke 16:10-15
The context of this passage, and the previous verses, is about the place of wealth and money in our lives. Being a context-oriented kind of guy, that's how I've always read it. But the "true riches" part started me thinking today. I think Jesus is talking in monetary terms because that's how the Pharisees thought; it was their mindset. And we do need to be taught about the proper perspective we should have regarding money.
But when He talks about the true riches, He speaks of things far beyond the importance of money. He's using the example of earthly riches to make a spiritual point regarding eternal riches.
Like the Pharisees, we justify ourselves before men. Whether it's about money or some other form of idolatry, we are either faithful to God and His commands, or we are faithful to the things of the world. We cannot serve God and money, or self, or people, or drugs, or sex, or glory, or yaddah, yaddah, yaddah.
What things do we exalt? What things do we hold up among men as symbols of our independence and self-acquired glory and self-righteousness that are an abomination to God? What people do we try to please so much and hold as idols in our hearts that are detestable to God?
The encouraging part of this is that Jesus says we cannot serve God and _____.
He doesn't say we should not, or suggest that we try harder to serve only one, He says we can't. That means that we can serve one, faithfully. We can be entrusted with true riches and He longs to bestow such riches on us. He's looking for our faithful hearts.
Have a great Thursday, y'all.
