“A man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.”– Luke 12:15

“I have all, and abound.”– Phi 4:18.

LET US never forget this wonderful assertion, that life consists not in what we possess, but in what we are; not in goods, but in goodness; not in things, but qualities. “How much was he worth?” we ask when a man dies, and we expect an answer in the amount that stood to his credit, and on which his estate must pay death duties. Yet surely a man is worth only the love, humility, generosity, and sweet reasonableness which characterize him. Take away some people’s wealth, and, as in the case of the rich man of whom our Lord speaks in His parable, you have nothing left; but take away all things from St. John or St. Paul, from St. Francis or Augustine, or Wesley, and you have an abundance left which makes them the millionaires of all time! “Poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing all things.”

The rich man in the parable made three foolish mistakes. First, he treated his wealth as though it were absolutely his own. There is no suggestion that he had made it wrongfully. His wealth had evidently accrued as the gift of prolific harvests, and was certainly due to the goodness of the Creator, on whose co-operation the results of husbandry evidently depend. But to lift up grateful eyes in thankful acknowledgment to God seems never to have occurred to him! Are we not all too prone to magnify our own shrewdness and aptitude, and to exclude God when we make up our accounts for the year.

Second, he thought that the best receptacle for his overplus was in barns, and forgot that there were multitudes of poor and needy souls around. When we begin to accumulate more than we need for our use, or the provision for our families, we should consider, not further investments, but the pressing need of others.

Third, he thought that goods could stay the hunger of the soul How often has the heart of man or woman been surfeited with goods and remained unsatisfied? Let us give, expecting nothing again, with full measure, pressed down, and running over; give, not only money, but love and tenderness and human sympathy; give as one who is always receiving from the boundless resources of God.—

Help us, O God, to set our affections on things above, not on things on earth, for nothing beneath these skies can satisfy the hearts which Thou hast made for Thyself. AMEN.–By F. B. Meyer

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth—- Eph. 6:14

Many of us learned to spell the Bible before we could read it because of a simple song learned in Vacation Bible School or Sunday school: “The B-I-B-L-E. Yes, that’s the book for me.” Though childish in nature, that song gives us truth for a lifetime.

First, it teaches that the Bible is a book for me, providing what I need to be “wise unto salvation” (2 Timothy 3:15 NIV). It tells me of creation, redemption, pardon, peace, purpose, and eternal life. In other words, it tells of Jesus.

Second, it teaches us to take our stand on the Word of God as a basis for lifelong wisdom. When we stand on the truth of Scripture, we’re on solid ground, not quicksand, and we have a foundation for life.

Third, we must “stand alone” on God’s Word. That has a double meaning: We stand only on God’s Word, and we must sometimes take our stand alone because no one else will join us. If you’re standing alone today, don’t be discouraged. Just sing and read the B-I-B-L-E.

The B-I-B-L-E. Yes, that’s the book for me. I stand alone on the Word of God, the B-I-B-L-E.
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Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.–Col. 1:29

Reflecting on the hardships of our forefathers forces me to think about the importance of being willing to do the hard things–a rare trait today. Sadly the dreams of many are never translated into deeds. They are like Joseph II, of Austria, who left instructions for this epitaph to be inscribed on his tomb– ” Here lies a monarch who, with the best intentions, never carried out a single plan”.

J. R. Miller wrote,”There are too many people who try to shirk the hard things. They want to get along as easily as possible. They have ambition of a certain sort—but it is ambition to have the victory without the battle; to get the gold without digging for it. They would like to be learned and wise—but they do not care to toil in study, and “burn the midnight oil,” as they must do—if they would realize their desire. They wish to have plenty of money—but they hope to get it from some generous relative as an inheritance, or to have some wealthy person endow them. They have no thought of working hard year after year, toiling and saving as people have to do—to earn for themselves, with their own hands, the fortune of their dreams. They may have a certain longing to be noble and Christlike, with a character that will command respect and confidence—but they have not the spirit of self-denial and of earnest moral purpose, which alone can produce such a character.”

Then he added, “We should not forget, that no one ever did anything of great value in this world—without cost. A quaint old proverb says, “One cannot have an omelet—without breaking eggs!” If we would do anything really worth while, that will be a blessing in the world—we must put into it not merely easy efforts, languid sympathies, conventional good wishes, and courtesies that cost nothing. We must put into it thought, time, patience, self-denial, sleepless nights, exhausting toil.”

The Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning– James 1:17

I have spoken much about how things have changed since I was a boy. Sadly I haven’t spoken nearly enough about the fact that God is ever the same. Think about that as you read these words:

The only thing constant in this world is change. Fashions change; people change; governments change; even the earth’s topography changes over time.

But God does not change; He is immutable. Although He is a person, He reminds us that He is not a human and therefore does not change His mind as humans do (Numbers 23:19).

It is this unique attribute of God that inspired David to compare God to a rock (mountain); He is stable, solid, reliable, firm, immovable. David asks the rhetorical question, “Who is God, save the Lord? and who is a rock, save our God?” (2 Samuel 22:32).

It is also this remarkable, eternally-the-same nature of God which God Himself showcases in the proper name by which He describes Himself to Moses: “I am that I am” (Exodus 3:14). God has always been, is now, and will always be the same. Therefore He is the great “I AM” — not “I was” or “I will be”, but from eternity past to eternity future, God says, “I AM”.

James points us to this invariableness of God in order to comfort and encourage us. The God Who never changes will always make good on His promises. Nothing will get in His way, He will never need to reconsider.

This includes the wonderful work of salvation that He has begun in you, believer! He that has begun a good work in you will continue it to the end (Philippians 1:6).–From,”A Good Thing”