Financial Lessons from Ants

No copyright infringement intended

Proverbs 6:6-8 provided a clear illustration of how ants work together, “Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.”

I found this interesting article from BeingFrugal.net (http://beingfrugal.net/christian-perspective-lessons-from-the-ant/), where the author explained in detail the ant’s way of life,

The ants are balanced. They eat what they need today. They eat enough to get them through the winter. But they don’t eat too much. If they didn’t eat enough today, they’d die. If they gorged themselves on too much food, they’d explode. They find the perfect balance and this is what financial health is all about with God’s wisdom like the ants.

In other words, keeping the present secured while preparing for the future is what the ants are expert at doing. Unfortunately, people usually engaged themselves into two extremes: forgetting the future because of preoccupation with the present and a future-oriented direction without considering the present. Here’s what the author of BeingFrugal.net observed, “If we live too much for the future, we risk not appreciating the present. If we work too much, we miss out on our children’s lives.” Our life was given by God to maximize its full potential and to discover God’s plan for our lives without being immersed in finding ways and means to stay afloat. What’s more, our life is too short not to enjoy the fruit of our labors with our family, which interestingly was the main reason for doing so. Thus, keep in mind that when your time is set to spend time with your family; it may become too late because the time passed by due to busyness with accumulating wealth.

What are some strategies towards a balanced financial health that we can learn from the ants? First, watch out against the snare of greed (1 Timothy 6:9-11). Merriam-Webster dictionary provided this definition for greed: “a selfish and excessive desire for more of something (as money) than is needed.” In biblehub.com, the Greek word for “greed” is “pleonektés” which means “one desirous of having more and describes an individual who became “covetous or avaricious; one desirous of having more.” Also, one of the Ten Commandments is against covetousness or greediness. Remember, there’s nothing wrong with having more, the difference comes in with wanting more without contentment and this is where greediness dwells.

Next, implement a detailed budget system. The writer Luke described what it means to calculate,

For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish” (Luke 14:28-30).

After settling everything, aspire to become debt-free. Proverbs 22:7b stated, “…the borrower is the slave of the lender.” Aside from having what I call “necessary debts” like mortgages and car loans, keep everything else in control especially credit cards. Living within our means will surely help in this matter.  W. Graham Scroggie, an English pastor and writer said, “There are two ways in which a Christian may view his money--"How much of my money shall I use for God?" or "How much of God's money shall I use for myself?”

Afterward, live within your means and invest wisely. How? It begins with honoring God first with everything we own. Proverbs 3:9-10 emphasized, “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” St. Augustine in reflecting what Jesus said declared,  “Where your pleasure is, there is your treasure; where your treasure is, there is your heart; where your heart is, there is your happiness.”

I believe that there are more strategies out there but highlighting some of them here aligned closely to how the ants lived their life of freedom from potential problems of greediness. That’s why; consider the ants carefully that if God mentioned them and their lifestyle in the Scriptures, we must take notice for our benefit towards financial health and security. Remember that the wisdom of the ants is transferable to our situation and today. Therefore, what do we have to loose when we consider them?

Let’s talk again!

Genuine Friendship: Qualities to Discover

No copyright infringement intended

A British publication once offered a prize for the best definition of a friend. Among the thousands of answers received were the following:

• "One who multiplies joys, divides grief, and whose honesty is inviolable."
• "One who understands our silence."
• "A volume of sympathy bound in cloth."
• "A watch that beats true for all time and never runs down."

The winning definition read: "A friend is the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out" (Bits & Pieces, July, 1991).

What characterizes genuine friendship? Proverbs 17:17 emphasized, “A friend loveth at all times.” There is an excellent illustration in the Scriptures of what how Proverbs described in the life of David and Jonathan. First, they honor one another when Jonathan gave David his military clothes to recognize David’s calling from God (1 Samuel 18:4). He wasn’t envious being the next in line to his father’s throne but yielded for his friend’s sake and followed God’s will. Second, they were loyal in defense of one another especially after King Saul ordered David killed. Jonathan defended David to his father and reminded him of his faithfulness to him in the past, including killing Goliath (1 Samuel 19:1-3). Finally, they freely express their emotions with one another as more than friends but brothers to protect one another no matter what (1 Samuel 20).

In David and Jonathan’s friendship, the Scripture provided additional guidelines for developing genuine friendships. There must be a covenant of love made: “Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul” (1 Samuel 18:3). There must be a strong bond that exists: “But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24b). Lastly, there must be a sense of sacrifice willing to pay for one another: “Greater love has no man than this that a man lay down his life for friends” (John 15:13). Most importantly, somebody declared, “Everyone hears what you say. Friends listen to what you say. Best friends listen to what you don’t say.”

Here’s something I found from The Youth's Evangelist on how to cement friendship:

• Take your friends as you find them —do not try to remove the motes you see in their eyes.
• Use the Golden Rule always.
• Do not talk about your "peeves."
• Remember that sincere and appreciative letters establish a pathway to the heart of a friend.
• Be a loyal, faithful friend. Remember that "none can be called deformed but unkind."
• Remember that souls are greater than vocabularies, so try to read the overtones in the written and spoken words of your friends.
• Cultivate a sense of humor.
• Do not expect the impossible; a wood thrush and a yardstick have little in common.
• Do not keep "tab" on the affairs of your friend.
•  Do not usurp your friend: be glad that he has other friends besides you.
• Never force a confidence, nor betray one reposed in you.
• Share your blessings with your friends.
• Don't be supersensitive. You would not willingly hurt a friend, so give your friend credit for having the same feeling toward you.
• Remember that to have a friend you must be one.
• Remember that a friend is one before whom you may think aloud, who understands your silences. 

At the end of the day, it would take two or more people fully determined to enter into genuine friendship with all the necessary ingredients of strengthening their relationship. However, given the inclination of individuals towards a letdown, the only secure relationship is one that endures no matter what because somebody said, “Prosperity begets friends, adversity proves them.” Knowing this fact, we should not be dissuaded in pursuing meaningful relationships as much as possible. People may fail us, but it is what makes every friendship becomes worthwhile. Never giving up on people must become the slogan to engage in because friendship is an investment of time, patience, sacrifice, and life.

If you are looking for an ideal friendship that you can enter with a guarantee of genuineness and faithfulness,  it can only be found in Jesus. He did the first half what it takes to develop a genuine friendship when He died on the cross for our sins. He is waiting for you to make the next move. Now, what would stop you from making Him, not just a friend but a Saviour as well? Come on and ask Him to come into your life. 

Let’s talk again!

In Dealing with Enemies

No copyright infringement intended

Somebody said, “One of the greatest and most beautiful things man can do is to reconcile, and make friends, those who are enemies. Both Martin Luther and John Bunyan brought their great lives to a close in an attempt to reconcile men: Luther, two brothers; Bunyan, a father and a son. Likewise, if we may say it, the greatest and the most beautiful act of God is his working out a plan of reconciliation of man with God by the precious blood of Christ.”[1]

The Scriptures provided a clear pattern in dealing with our enemies, “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For you will heap burning coals on his head, And the LORD will reward you” (Proverbs 25:21-22). Another stated, “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles” (Proverbs 24:17). In the New Testament, Jesus said, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). Paul emphasized, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” “On the contrary, "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:19-21). What do these verses mean? Albert Schweitzer, a French-German theologian, provided this simple explanation, “Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.” However, Abraham Lincoln offered a brilliant perspective in dealing with his enemies, "Do I not destroy my enemies by making them my friends?"

Here are five godly ways to deal with an enemy according to Simone Williams shared in an article called The Praying Woman.com:[2]

1.     Avoid the conflict –Paul says in Romans 12:18: “If it is possible, as much as it depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” In other words – as Christians, we should avoid conflict once we can. The Bible says in Ephesians 4:26: “be angry and sin not“.

2.     Do not hold a grudge. In Ephesians 4:31, it says: “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outbursts, and blasphemies, with all malice, be taken away from you.“ Instead, follow Benson’s Commentary; “Conquer your enemies with kindness and patience, which is the most glorious victory.”

3.     Do not try to get back at the person. We are not God! His word is clear in Romans 12:17,19:“Repay no one evil for evil. Commend what is honest in the sight of all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to God’s wrath, for it is written: “Vengeance is Mine. I will repay,” says the Lord”. Stop playing God and leave it alone. 

4.     Continue doing good to/for that person. Proverbs 25:21 says: ”If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for you will heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord will reward you.” Barnes' Notes on the Bible described how it is done, “Show them the loveliness of a better spirit; the power of kindness and benevolence; the value of an amiable, Christian attitude. So doing, you may disarm them of their rage, and be the means of bringing them to better minds.”

5.     Take the matter to God. The Bible says in Philippians 4:6-7:“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus“. When we take it to God, He will give us the grace to endure. He will give us the grace to do the four things (among others) mentioned above. He will give us the grace to continue shining for Him in the midst of enormous pressure.

Finally, we can learn from Nelson Mandela’s principle in dealing with enemies, “If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.”[3]

Let’s talk again!

---

[1] Reconciliation Sermon Illustrations. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.moreillustrations.com/Illustrations/reconciliation.html

[2] Simone Williams, Five Godly Ways to Deal With Your Enemies - The Praying. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://theprayingwoman.com/2015/05/26/five-godly-ways-to-deal-with-an-enemy/

[3] ?If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to ... (n.d.). Retrieved from https://prezi.com/ol0gzzf5owdp/if-you-want-to-make-peace-with-your-enemy-you-hav

The Reality of God's Forgiveness

James Newton shared, a story about Thomas A. Edison: They were working on a crazy contraption called a "light bulb" and it took a whole team of men 24 straight hours to put just one together. The story goes that when Edison was finished with one light bulb, he gave it to a young boy helper, who nervously carried it up the stairs. Step by step he cautiously watched his hands, obviously frightened of dropping such a priceless piece of work. You've probably guessed what happened by now; the poor young fellow dropped the bulb at the top of the stairs. It took the entire team of men twenty-four more hours to make another bulb. Finally, tired and ready for a break, Edison was ready to have his bulb carried up the stairs. He gave it to the same young boy who dropped the first one. That's true

No copyright infringement intended

forgiveness.

Luke recorded an excellent illustration of the depth and breadth of God’s forgiveness. He recorded, “Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.” “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly” (Luke 7:39-50, NIV).

The focus of the narrative was about a religious leader’s prejudice against a woman he called a “sinner.” With his remark, Jesus shared a parable to demonstrate the right attitude towards others. Moreover, it would expose the value and reality of God’s basis for forgiveness. Afterward, Jesus asked him a question and having understood the simple mathematical logic presented, his reply was affirmed. As Luke alluded,  “The debtor who loved the most was the one to whom most had been forgiven” (Luke 7:42). It was through this simple yet powerful story that hammered a sharp lesson for us to remember. It is because of God’s great love for us that we become "kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another."

Our imperfections must keep us anchored on God’s mercy and grace towards us as John Chervokas illustrated this truth this way: “Opaquing fluid is the magical liquid that covers over your errors, your typos, your unfortunate slip-ups. You brush on the liquid and start all over again--hopefully this time with no unfortunate slip-ups. Opaquing fluid is forgiveness, an obliteration of a goof with no telltale traces that the goof happened at all.” From this beautiful gadget, it exemplified the reality of God's forgiveness for humanity to learn. We need to be reminded that Jesus did it on the cross of Calvary when He asked God to forgive those that crucified Him. Would there be a worst situation than what Jesus went through? He died for our sins and forgave others so that we can do the same to those that offended us. Thus, through His forgiveness, our hearts will be flooded to forgive others as well. Roy Smith emphasized, “The art of forgiving is a spiritual grace every Christian should develop and because Jesus forgives, we must also forgive others.”

What are we waiting for? God’s forgiveness can become a powerful weapon in a vindictive-filled world. Furthermore, it is what would heal hearts chained and imprisoned by the anguish of lack of forgiveness. Unfortunately, our stubbornness and pride becomes a hindrance to release any level of forgiveness. However, when we seek God’s help, He is more than willing to flood us with the ability to do so. When we surrender to Him, He will set us free to release others and set us free in the process. Life is too short to carry any baggage filled with unforgiveness. Jesus said it best, “ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29).

Let’s talk again!

What is the Gospel Message?

No copyright infringement intended

The Gospel message contains the most important message that everyone must hear and the apostle Paul provided the nucleus in 1 Corinthians 15:3, “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.” It is an essential message to be heard and proclaimed because “the strongest argument for the Gospel of Christ is the personal testimony of someone whose life has been changed by it” (Source Unknown). Proclaiming the Gospel is “to tell the good news, to tell thoroughly all the truth of the gospel, holding back nothing, but declaring 'the whole counsel of God” (Alfred Gibbs).

Also, there are four Greek words used in the New Testament to translate the word `preach' that Alfred Gibbs shared:

·      Kerusso—to proclaim, to herald. This is used of the public proclamation of the Gospel. (Matt. 11. 1; Mark 1. 4; 3. 14; 16. 20; Rom. 10. 15, etc.)

·      Euaggelizo—to tell good news. From this word are derived our terms—'evangel', 'evangelist', 'evangelize'. (Matt. 11. 5; Luke 4. 18; 7. 22; 1 Cor. 1. 17; Gal. 1. 8; Heb. 4. 2, etc.)

·      Kataggello—to tell thoroughly. (Acts 4. 2; 13. 38; 15. 36; Col. 1. 28)

·      Laleo—to talk. (Mark 2. 2; Acts 11. 19; 14. 25, etc.)

The common idea boils down to intentionally engaging people to seek an audience. Thus, it is essential that preachers must focus its message on the centrality of Christ and no one else. Somebody shared that when St. Bernard preached on one Sabbath, all the scholars came forward to praise him. The next Sabbath he preached Christ and all the sinners came up to thank him. In this example, every preacher must remember a simple motto and that is, “to be worthy of the thanks of sinners, not the praise of men, is the ambition of the true minister.”

Proclaiming the Gospel message is contained in this powerful statement: “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.” Looking at it closely, it begins by acknowledging that, “Christ died.” Ed Stetzer explained, “Jesus took the wrath of God for me, and he died. His body was placed in a tomb, and on the third day he came back from the dead, never to die again.” Before Jesus breathed His last, He shouted, “It is finished” to signify a new beginning (John 19:30). Next, it spoke of the reason for His death: “Christ died for our sins.” It is where Jesus became “the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). Ed Stetzer provided an incisive description: “The substitutionary atonement is at the heart of the gospel. This is where we see and understand the great love that God has for us, that the Son would allow the Father to place our sins on him and punish him in our place.”

Finally, it revealed the basis of His death: “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.” The Gospel message was woven from the tapestry of Old Testament promises and fulfilled in the New Testament to the last letter as Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17-18).

When we share this statement of great importance, we open the door of opportunity for people to discover God’s love. Paul told Timothy, “Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10). It is our task to tell people about what Christ did and then let God do His work in their lives through the Holy Spirit’s power. Remember that our objective as servants of Christ in reaching people is to proclaim, “by this gospel you are saved.” In doing so, we align ourselves to what Paul told the Corinthian church, “We are therefore Christ's ambassadors” (2 Corinthians 5:2). Therefore, in putting everything in perspective, let’s consider what Oswald J. Smith highlighted, “The world does not need sermons; it needs a message.” God’s message must be proclaimed faithfully “in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2).

Let’s talk again!

Sources:

Preaching Sermon Illustrations. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://moreillustrations.com/Illustrations/preaching%202.html

Preaching Sermon Illustrations. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://moreillustrations.com/Illustrations/preaching%201.html

Stetzer, E. (2015). What is the Gospel? A Look at 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. Christianity Today. Retrieved from http://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2015/june/what-is-gospel.html