According to you, which is the ONE THING NEEDFUL today?
Is it :
1)WEALTH /MONEY ?
2)POWER /PRESTIGE?
3)POPULARITY/FAME?
4)RECOGNITION /APPLAUSE?
5)APPROVAL /ACCEPTANCE?
6)PLEASURE/HAPPINESS?
7)LOVE /FAMILY?
To answer our quiz, let’s look at a man who had all the things in our list and yet ended his life.
The following is a news excerpt from BBC:
To answer our quiz, let’s look at a man who had all the things in our list and yet ended his life.
The following is a news excerpt from BBC:
RICHEST PERSON EVER TO COMMIT SUICIDE WAS WORTH BILLIONS OF DOLLARS:
- Dr Adolf Merckle, 75 of Germany was one of the richest people in the world, ranked number 94 by Forbes in 2008 at USD9.2 billion.(WEALTH/MONEY)
- His family business controlled a number of German companies, including pharmaceutical company Ratiopharm and cement maker Heidelberg Cement.(POWER/PRESTIGE)
- He had 100,000 employees and boasted an annual sale of USD41 billion. (POPULARITY/FAME)
- He was awarded his country’s highest award, the Bundesverdienstkreuz, in 2005. (APPLAUSE/RECOGNITION)
- He was said to enjoy skiing and mountain climbing. (PLEASURE/HAPPINESS)
- He had a wife and 4 children. (LOVE & FAMILY)
- So it seems he had achieved everything a man could ever hope for in life. Then why did he end his life?
- He became severely depressed when his business empire ran into trouble in the ongoing global economic crisis: losing more than half a billion US dollars in 2008 due to “wrong-way bets on Volkswagen shares.”
- He killed himself on 5th January 2009 when he apparently allowed himself to be run over by a train. His body was found on the tracks about 7.30 pm, only 300 meters from his house. A suicide note was found, its contents not revealed.
- Source: link : The BBC, 6th Jan
I hope to discuss about each of the 7 points in my subsequent posts.Today, let us see in detail the first one:
IS THE ONE THING NEEDFUL WEALTH/MONEY?
It is true that we need money for our daily expenses and to pay our bills and to lead a decent life. Money in itself is not evil but when we make it our God, then it becomes dangerous. This is well explained in Mathew 6:24:"No one can serve two masters. 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 both God and Money.
It is easy to get caught up in the snares and comforts of riches and lose sight of what is really needful. That is why Jesus tells the Rich Young Ruler (who was a righteous man in every other way):"If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when the young man heard that, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Ever wondered what was it that had such a hold on him as to make him willing to walk away from eternal life? It was the love of money. As we live in a consumer-driven society, the love of money can hold us back too. Advertisements constantly inform us of "needs" we did not even know we had. It is difficult to maintain a proper balance while under such an assault. That is what Jesus meant in Mathew 19:24: “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
Jesus tells us The Parable of the Rich Fool in Luke 12:13-21. It is beautifully expressed in the following verse:
The Parable of the Rich Fool
But what would he do with all that grain?
"I have no place to store my crops."
I filled my barns all the way to their tops.
I'll tear them down and build ones bigger
And then retire while I still have vigor
I'll take life easy and bask by the pool
But God said to him, "You are a fool!
Tonight you'll die, you'll go on the shelf
Then who will get what you prepared for yourself?"
So it will be for those who hoard
Things for themselves but not for the Lord
- Anonymous
Moral of the Story: Money is for our Need, not for our Greed.
It is good to always remember that we are stewards of whatever God has given us (our time, money, talents, jobs, children, loved ones, church, life etc) and hence are answerable to Him about how we use/look after them.
James 1:17: “Every good gift and perfect gift is from the Father up above.”
God can take back His gifts at any time so we should always be mindful of the Giver and not of the Gift alone!
Is Money the Answer to All Our Problems? On a more humorous note...
WHAT IS TITHE & WHY SHOULD WE?
It is a command of the Lord to Tithe. Tithing means to honor God by offering 1/10th of our Income to Him. This means if we make 100 Rs, we give tithes of 10 Rs.Is that so much to give to the God who gave us the job, talents, health and life to work and earn that money?
God asks us to test Him in this matter.
Malachi 3:10-11 “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it……” says the LORD Almighty.
Malachi 3:10-11 “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it……” says the LORD Almighty.
Luke 6:38 : “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Thus let us focus on the one needful thing and that is to care for our soul. To see that our heart is right with God and to sit and learn the Word at the feet of Jesus just like Mary did. For even though we gain the whole world, what will it benefit us if we lose our soul?(Mathew 16:26)
It is a warning loud and clear: It’s not the many things we do, even in the name of Christian Ministry that will secure our place in heaven. Rather, we need to seek His will every day, every hour, every moment to ensure that our lives are a pleasing sacrifice, holy and acceptable to Him.
Let this be our prayer and mission in life. “Whatever else I may do or not do , gain or not gain in this life, I will surely do the one thing needful.”
Have a blessed week!
Take care, God bless,
Sparky Laurie
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