Jerry McNeer HILLSIDE HELPS-“…Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” (Luke 12:15) In this modern culture competition is the name of the game. We see it everywhere in sports, retail sales, manufacturing, transportation, real estate, universities, hospitals, doctors, insurance companies, and even funeral homes. My grandfather said a little competition is good. He once told me you can put one pig in a pen and feed it for months and it will not grow, but if you put two pigs in the same pen, they both grow, and at a face pace. What’s the difference? With only one, the pace was different; take it easy and eat slow, since there was no pressure. But, with two it is a different world. The pace picks up, greed sets in, and each has to step up the pace in order to get enough to eat. There is a sense of competition for survival and, in a frenzy, each eat everything they can while they can. The outcome is amazing; both pigs grow and are fattened for the eventual slaughter. We don’t have to look long to find a lot of the same things happening among people. No, I am not talking about the buffet line at a Ryan’s at lunch time. Although, there could be some similarities, I choose to move on. There is in the human heart an insatiable desire for reward and recognition, wealth and riches; each measured in things owned, possessed, or controlled. The standard of success is not a good marriage, happy family, or a long-term commitment to a career. Instead our world measures true success by what’s under the carport, in the house, at the lake, or in the bank. It is sad indeed to see the amount of time and money spent on things that wear out, fade, break or burn up. Jesus warned us about this. “Beware of covetousness”. This means to avoid getting caught up in the rat race of spending money we don’t have to try and impress people we don’t like. Wealth and material blessing comes from God and we will all be held accountable about the way we used or abused them in during our time on this earth. Covetousness is all about desiring more than we need and allowing that desire to take our focus off the Lord and on the things. In the process, long hours of work take fathers and mothers away from their children, leaving the responsibility of nurturing and teaching to a daycare or a school teacher. The time parents and children spend together is gradually becoming less and less. In the rush to succeed and gain more the marriage and family become secondary. Jesus went on to say why we need to beware and avoid covetousness, “for a man’s (woman’s) life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he (she)possesseth.” It is not how much you have, but how you achieve those things and what you do with the things achieved. Most of all, we must avoid getting caught up in competition with everybody else in how big a house we can build and car or truck we can purchase, if this puts us in a financial bind that forces us to work longer hours and keeps us away from our family. At the end of life, all we thought we owned we find out we never really owned at all. All the toys grownups collect won’t fit in a casket or funeral procession. At death, all we had now belongs to someone else. It will be too late to go back and realign priorities and make time for your family. I encourage you to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness….(understanding that) all these things shall be added unto you. When God is first, He will help you to achieve the most important things in life according to His will and purpose. Love you all. (Bro Jerry) PLEASE SHAREJerry McNeer HILLSIDE HELPS-“…Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” (Luke 12:15) In this modern culture competition is the name of the game. We see it everywhere in sports, retail sales, manufacturing, transportation, real estate, universities, hospitals, doctors, insurance companies, and even funeral homes. My grandfather said a little competition is good. He once told me you can put one pig in a pen and feed it for months and it will not grow, but if you put two pigs in the same pen, they both grow, and at a face pace. What’s the difference? With only one, the pace was different; take it easy and eat slow, since there was no pressure. But, with two it is a different world. The pace picks up, greed sets in, and each has to step up the pace in order to get enough to eat. There is a sense of competition for survival and, in a frenzy, each eat everything they can while they can. The outcome is amazing; both pigs grow and are fattened for the eventual slaughter. We don’t have to look long to find a lot of the same things happening among people. No, I am not talking about the buffet line at a Ryan’s at lunch time. Although, there could be some similarities, I choose to move on. There is in the human heart an insatiable desire for reward and recognition, wealth and riches; each measured in things owned, possessed, or controlled. The standard of success is not a good marriage, happy family, or a long-term commitment to a career. Instead our world measures true success by what’s under the carport, in the house, at the lake, or in the bank. It is sad indeed to see the amount of time and money spent on things that wear out, fade, break or burn up. Jesus warned us about this. “Beware of covetousness”. This means to avoid getting caught up in the rat race of spending money we don’t have to try and impress people we don’t like. Wealth and material blessing comes from God and we will all be held accountable about the way we used or abused them in during our time on this earth. Covetousness is all about desiring more than we need and allowing that desire to take our focus off the Lord and on the things. In the process, long hours of work take fathers and mothers away from their children, leaving the responsibility of nurturing and teaching to a daycare or a school teacher. The time parents and children spend together is gradually becoming less and less. In the rush to succeed and gain more the marriage and family become secondary. Jesus went on to say why we need to beware and avoid covetousness, “for a man’s (woman’s) life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he (she)possesseth.” It is not how much you have, but how you achieve those things and what you do with the things achieved. Most of all, we must avoid getting caught up in competition with everybody else in how big a house we can build and car or truck we can purchase, if this puts us in a financial bind that forces us to work longer hours and keeps us away from our family. At the end of life, all we thought we owned we find out we never really owned at all. All the toys grownups collect won’t fit in a casket or funeral procession. At death, all we had now belongs to someone else. It will be too late to go back and realign priorities and make time for your family. I encourage you to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness….(understanding that) all these things shall be added unto you. When God is first, He will help you to achieve the most important things in life according to His will and purpose. Love you all. (Bro Jerry) PLEASE SHARE
Posted on: Fri, 02 Aug 2013 21:34:18 +0000
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