From: Suryadi W Is It Just a Money Issue? by: Burk Parsons
Several years after my father's death in 1992 I found an old shoebox among my father's belongings. Among the various items in the shoebox, I came across a stack of letters that my father had written just prior to his death. As I began to read the first letter I quickly realized he had written them to me but that he never had the opportunity to give them to me because his cancer consumed his body more quickly than the oncologist had expected. In one of the letters, my father wrote, "Learn to live with a little less." I have never forgotten that admonition, and having often wondered what made my father's generation different from my own, I have come to the following conclusions: My father's generation knew what it was to live with a little less. My generation always seems to "need" just a little more. My father's generation asked this question of God, family, neighbor, and country: "How can I serve you with my time, money, and resources?" My generation asks, "How can you serve me with your time, money, and resources?" My father's generation was a generation of honorable, principled, and hard-working men and women who felt truly blessed by God to be alive, to have the health to give of themselves to others, and to be fortunate enough to give of their time, money, and resources so that future generations could prosper. My generation is consumed with consumption. It is the generation of entitlement, instant gratification, and expediency. My generation has no understanding of what our fathers and forefathers fought for, what they sacrificed, and how much they gave of their time, money, and resources. This is not just an issue about money but about how we worship God as stewards of all that He has entrusted to us as we live before His face each and every day. Nevertheless, we must never forget that it is the love of money that is "a root of all kinds of evils" (1 Tim. 6:10). In his book Respectable Sins, Jerry Bridges, one from among my father's generation, writes, "If money wins out in our lives, it is not God but we who lose. Ultimately, God does not need our money. If we spend it on ourselves, it is we who become spiritual paupers" (p. 169). ================================================= From: Bayo Afolaranmi Dearly Beloved, BLESSED TO BLESS OTHERS "The LORD had said to Abram, 'Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.' So Abram left, as the LORD had told him..." (Genesis 12:1-4 NIV). My New Year prayer wishes to people in the lists of my Internet ministry was based on the promises that God gave Abraham when He called him to leave his native country to a land that He would show him. Let me also base my first message for the year on the promises. The promises are basically promises of blessings. God promised to make the name of Abraham great. This promise was fulfilled in the lives and nation of the people of Israel, the Jews. Even till today, these people and their nation are still great. God promised to bless Abraham. This blessing was in many ramifications. However, he would be blessed to be a blessing to other people. He would be a channel of God's blessings to other people. In fact, another related promise is that all peoples on earth will be blessed through Abraham. Although, many people and nations were blessed through Abraham and his descendants, undoubtedly, this later promise was fulfilled through Jesus Christ who came as the Seed of Abraham (see Galatians 3:16). The life of Abraham was indeed a blessing to people that he came in contact with. He willingly took Lot with him when he was leaving his people, and Lot became a great man through Abraham. Even when Lot seemingly cheated him and paid dearly for it, he went out to rescue him from his captors. Abraham was a blessing to the king of Sodom when he refused to claim the plunder. He was such a blessing that he was a blessing to angels unknowingly through his unreserved hospitality (see Genesis 18; Hebrews 13:2). The promises to Abraham seem to be unconditional, but it is evident that they would have not been fulfilled if Abraham decided to be indifferent to the initial command of God to leave his country and his relatives. His obedience to the call of God is pivotal to his blessing and being a blessing to other people. Do want to be blessed this year? Be ready to obey God and be a blessing to other people. He will make you a channel of His blessings to other people if your make yourself available to Him. You will be blessed to bless to other people this year in Jesus' name. Amen. In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). ============================================== From: Bayo Afolaranmi Dearly Beloved, GOD MIGHT HAVE DONE IT! "Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear" (Isaiah 65:24 NIV). "Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognised Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, "Peter is at the door!' 'You're out of your mind,' they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, 'It must be his angel.' But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished" (Acts 12:13-16 NIV). As my seven-year-old adopted son was leading us in a prayer during our family morning devotion recently, he made mention of a prayer point that amused me, but at the same time made me to ponder on our attitude to God when we are unknowingly asking for what He has already given us. My son said inter alia, "Lord, let Daddy return safely from his journey." He was referring to a journey that I made some days before that day. Undoubtedly, the family had been praying for my safe journey when I was away on the journey. However, this boy had forgotten that I had returned safely from the journey a day before he said the prayer. The answer to his prayer was with him at that prayer session! Some believers in the early church had similar experience in Acts 12. King Herod was persecuting the Christians. He killed James, the brother of John. When he saw that the Jews were pleased by action, he went ahead to arrest Peter and put him in prison with the intention of killing him after the Jewish feast. However, the Christians prayed fervently for Peter. God did answer their prayer and miraculously rescued Peter from the prison. Peter went straight to the place where he knew the brethren would be gathering praying for him. When he knocked the door, on recognizing his voice, the joy that the girl that came to open the door had did not let her open the door. She went back to inform the others but they said in total ignorance and unbelief that she was out of her mind. They did not realize that God had done what they were asking Him to do. On many occasions, we also act like that innocent boy and the Jerusalem brethren: we continue to ask God for what He has done for us. Only if we can have faith and be vigilant, God has answered most of our prayers. I believe that the promise of Isaiah 65:24 is also for this generation. As this year is running to an end, what have you been asking God that you think He has not done for you? Have you ever looked attentively around you to see whether God has answered your prayer? Who knows, He might have done it! In His service, Visit http://inspirationaldailyquotes.blogspot.com/ for updated daily inspiring quotes from the Holy Bible and other notable Christians. God bless you! Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). +234 805 515 9591 +234 816 304 5450 http://www.thewordthruthenet.org/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spiritualdigest2003/ http://www.facebook.com/bayo.afolaranmi I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. FOR TO ME, TO LIVE IS CHRIST AND TO DIE IS GAIN (Philippians 1:20-21, NIV).
