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We should never believe the lie that society portrays that having material
possessions will bring peace, happiness and fulfillment. That is a falsity
that many of us have fallen prey to because we see the “rich and beautiful”
carry the facade of happiness and we fall into the trap that if we had the
same material things, we too will be just as happy. We must remember that
the enemy's primary objective is to deceive. The devil tries to convince
humanity that wealth and stature is the only way that true peace and
contentment can be realized, but the Bible says that peace can only come
from God who fills the hearts of those who diligently seek Him. (1 Tim. 6:6-10)
We are to enjoy the simple blessings that life brings such as spending time
with friends and loved ones, giving and receiving handmade gifts, reading
stories that will be remembered long after they are read, and simply
enjoying one another as God has intended from the beginning of creation.
We will soon find that love is worth more than the greatest of possessions
and will be kept in the heart far longer than any single thing that the
world tries to portray as ideal. (Colossians 3:8-10) (1 John 4:18)
I hope you are blessed by today's message to see that it is the simple
things in life that bring the most joy and are kept closest to the heart.
HARRY’S SHOE BOX
Dr. Mack Craig tells the story of a man he knew several years ago named
Harry. Harry was an elderly gentleman when they got acquainted. His family
had immigrated to the United States from Russia prior to World War I to
escape the harassment and persecution being suffered by the Jewish
population there.
Harry enjoyed conversation, and he came to trust Mack. One day he asked a
favor. “I need somebody to go through my things with me,” he said. Their
paths crossed with some frequency, and the request was made again and again.
Having put Harry off as long as he reasonably could about a task he didn't
really yearn to perform, Mack finally agreed to help. He went to Harry's
place with a secret fear that he might be in for hours of sorting through
countless keepsakes accumulated over more than eight decades of living. So
he was a bit taken aback when Harry brought out a single shoe box.
In the box were the following items: a picture of Harry's mother, his
wife's death certificate, two picture postcards written to Harry by a
cousin over 30 years before, and two yellowed newspaper clippings about
projects that involved work done by Harry's building demolition company.
No gold or precious stones. No stock certificates. No award certificates or
diplomas. Just simple mementos of life as Harry had experienced it.
So what are you putting in your shoe box? Oh, maybe you don't actually have
one. Perhaps you use a desk drawer or scrap book. Or maybe you're just
filing some things away in your heart. But you know what goes there. Though
no one else would regard them as treasures, they are the keepsakes of your
life.
Among other things, the old cigar box I got from my Dad's store has Santa
letters from our kids, hand-made birthday coupons from my son, and a photo
of my father's grave. They don't have value to anyone else. But you
probably don't want to get me started telling you how important they are
to me.
Harry's shoe box told the essential facts. Life ultimately reduces to those
we have loved and who have loved us. And all of us want to feel good about
what we've done with the time God gives us to spend on Planet Earth.
It's hard to value things properly when you're caught up in the hustle and
bustle of the daily grind. As you go about your duties this week, think
about Harry. And let his story remind you what ultimately will matter most
about your own life.
By Rubel Shelly
Read and meditate on these scriptures:
Isaiah 26:3-4 “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on
Thee: because he trusteth in Thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in
the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.”
Romans 8:31-32 “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us,
who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him
up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”
Jeremiah 29:11-13 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith
the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go and pray unto Me, and I will
hearken unto you. And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search
for Me with all your heart.”
1 Timothy 6:6-8 “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we
brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing
out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.”
All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible.
Today’s Selected Poem: AWESOME CREATOR
Click here to read --- http://www.godswork.org/enpoem150.htm
Today’s Selected Testimony: HE WANTED ME
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony88.htm
In Christ’s Service,
Dwayne Savaya
Gods Work Ministry |
