Ecclesiastes 12:10

  For a rather obscure figure, the New Testament mentions Balaam a lot.   Jude 1:11, 2 nd Peter 2:15-16, and Revelation 2:14 all make mention of the prophet son of Beor, yet not in a good way. He is held up as the example of what not to be. His desire for wealth causes him to accept what was clearly wrong. It took a dumb donkey to make him see the error of his ways. And even then, he still used his influence to drive the people of God into error, all for his own gain. “ They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness .” --2 nd Peter 2:15-16   Maybe it does because his type is still common. Even in the early church, we see those more concerned about their pocketbook than the Good Book. Teachers who will say whatever as long as it fills their bank account. People who convince themselves that evil isn’t ...

  Is it wrong to want something? I guess it depends on what we want.   The Greek language had a word ‘ orego ’ that meant “to stretch oneself out in order to touch or grasp something, often used metaphorically to denote a strong desire or aspiration for something”. Paul uses this word in 1st Timothy as a good thing (to be an elder 3:1) and a bad thing (longing for money 6:10).   Our desires oftentimes define who we are. They motivate us to action. They are the focus of our minds and actions.  And they can be both good and bad.  Sometimes we want something better and we run over people to get it. Sometimes, we want something better so we will strive to improve ourselves.  Sometimes we see people with nothing they want and we envy them. Other people will see with no desire and we pity them.  We need to desire good things. Be willing to work to get them. Care enough to try.  We need to not desire bad things. Be willing to forgo o...

  This year I’m not asking for much. We’re going to tone things back. Just get me a nice pair of socks. You know the fancy kind with lots of patterns. Maybe more than one set. And it would be nice if I got a sweater as well. Oh, I could use some accessories for my truck. A new side rail, seat covers, bed liner… it might just be easier to get a new truck. A recliner might be nice. One of those movie theater ones with the electronic adjustment with the cup holder and the place to charge your phone. Well if I got a place to charge the phone, I might need a new phone as well.  But not the newest model, I’m not greedy.   Ah, the creep of materialism. Maybe we notice more this time of year but it’s a struggle we all face. In a country as blessed as ours, it’s sad that it never seems like enough. We constantly want and get more stuff, thinking it will bring us joy. And it does… for a bit. Then we see something else, someone gets something better and the pulls start over...

There is an old joke about a man who was determined to take it all with him. So before his death, he converted his entire estate to gold and found a contraption that would transport it all with him to the afterlife. Somehow he arrived at the pearly gates trying to drag in his suitcase full of gold. The angel at the gates stopped him since he had never seen someone with luggage. After some thought and investigation, he let the man pass.  His entrance caused quite a stir, so his higher ups called the angel up to see why he had let the man in.  He responded; "Well, I didn’t think it would be such a big deal, if he wants to haul around a suitcase full of road pavement, who was I to stop him. "    You know, earthly wealth will be absolutely meaningless in the life to come .  Proverbs 11:4 tells us:   “ Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death. ”    No matter how much treasure we amass it's not going to be ...

There is an old story about a young man that bought a horse from farmer.  He paid the farmer one hundred dollars and agreed to come by the next day to pick up his new horse.  The next day as he drove up the farmer said, 'Sorry son, but I have some bad news, the horse died.'  The young man replied, 'well, then just give me my money back’.  The farmer said, 'Can't do that. I went and spent it already’.  The young man exclaimed, ‘What am I going to do with a dead horse!’  The old farmer felt for the young man and said, ‘Here is what you should do, go into town and tell all the folks you are having a raffle for a horse.  If you can sale a hundred and one tickets at a dollar a piece you can get your money back.’  ‘Why a hundred and one tickets?’ the young man asked quizzically.  ‘Well,’ the farmer explained, ‘the guys who wins the raffle is going to be pretty upset that the horse is dead, you will have to give him his dollar back’  ...

Elvis Presley is still making a lot of money for a guy that died thirty years ago. He recently reclaimed the No. 1 spot on Forbes list of Top-Earning Dead Celebrities earning $49 million this year. He is not alone however. Comic artist Charles M. Schulz made $35 Million and the physicist Albert Einstein made $18 million, more than he made in his lifetime. They make this money from royalties and license deals for their image. This concept shouldn’t shock us. The Bible tells us that. In Revelation 14:13 we read, “ Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!'  "Yes," says the Spirit, "so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them ."  Even when we are no longer alive what we have done will live on. It makes us wonder about the things we are struggling for in this life. Do the things we focus on have eternal significance?  All the money these dead celebrities made is worthless to them now. We need to head the words of Jesus in Ma...

  The Swiss watchmaker Romain Jerome introduced the "Day&Night" watch, which unfortunately does not provide a reading of the hour or the minute. Though it retails for about $300,000, it tells only whether it is "day" or "night". CEO Yvan Arpa said studies show that two-thirds of rich people "don't use their watch to tell what time it is" anyway. Anyone can buy a watch that tells time, he added, but only a "truly discerning customer" can buy one that doesn't.    Sound a little suspect doesn’t it. It does seem the more we have the more we lose connection with what is really important. Jesus told the parable of one such man in Luke 12:16-21. He thought that if he had enough his life was secure but, in reality he was about to face judgment. Our world seems to have the same problem. The “truly discerning” have enough that they don’t think they need things like Jesus or his church. They somehow believe they are above such common i...

  In Ronald Reagan’s early autobiography Where Is the Rest of Me, he told the story about when he was acting in the film Storm Front . The plot of the film revolved around a murder committed by the Ku Klux Klan and was expect to cause controversy because of its negative view of the Klan. To make matters worse, it was to be filmed in an area that was rumored to be a hot bed of Klan activity. The crew was understandably nervous about some kind of incident. All was quite until, during a three AM shoot,  a local slid up to Reagan and whispered, "I hear this movie is about the Klan. I’m with the local outfit." Reagan was ready to yell for help when the next line stopped him cold. The man followed up with, “If you guys need to rent any robes let me know.” It is amazing how the chance to make a buck can change someone’s thinking.    The Bible warns us against that kind of person in 1st  Timothy 6:5, “ men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that god...