Sermons About Time
Love, Mercy, Justice Part 9 - a message on giving
One of the lessons that should be learned from the economic crisis of 2008 is that the line between those in financial need and those that are not is pretty blurry. As home after home are foreclosed on, it is time to be honest with ourselves. Just because a person can afford to live in $300,000 home, does not mean that they are either doing well financially or that they have made good financial decisions. In fact, the person living in a $500 a month apartment struggling to make ends meet might actually be better off financially than many in upscale suburban neighborhoods. The main difference is that the folks in the nice communities get to walk the fine line of financial ruin in nicer accommodations. Unfortunately, it is easy to dismiss folks who file for bankruptcy or are mired in credit card debt because the temptation is to think they are just getting what they deserved. The thought, "If they had made smart decisions with their money, they wouldn't be in this mess," is easy to think. There is a sense of justice in many people's thoughts and speech that says, "Well, that's what you get if you aren't smart with your money." Now, our temptation if we are no where close to losing our house and if we don't have any credit card debt (or if we are even some where in between) is to look down on folks who make poor financial decisions. And I would say if that is the case, we need to be very careful of falling into the sin of self-righteousness. Yes, we need to obey and be fiscally responsible, but God always judges us on the heart behind our obedience. So, even though we are doing fine financially, we need to ask the question, "What is the heart motive?" Are you financially conservative and responsible because you want to be generous towards God and His kingdom or is financial conservatism just the smartest way to live the lifestyle that you want to live and the added bonus is getting to feel spiritually AND financially superior?
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Living Without Regret
Everything looks different from Christ's perspective. One view we seldom remember is that one day, everyone will stand before Him to be judged. How might that fact change how we live today?
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Redeeming The Time
Are we redeeming the time? Or are we making the best use of our time because as Paul says... the days are evil?
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Act to the Future
Even though an uncertain future can drive us to fear and worry, the Teacher of Ecclesiastes challenges to remain diligent in the present. In light of Jesus, this principle calls us to a renewed faithfulness in sowing the seeds of truth, grace, and love, trusting God for the future.
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Winners and Wisdom
When difficult times come, God reminds us that the "race is not to the swift, or the battle to the strong". But the man or woman who walks in wisdom, in Christ who is our wisdom, will be ready to face life's challenges for the glory of God.
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