| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month; “Great thoughts from great Christians” Our Bible verse for today: “And my God will supply all of your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Trust God and be content” Linda and I were once Amway distributors. Don’t judge, you have skeletons in your closet too. Yes, we once sold Amway. We never got rich from it but it did pay for our youngest child’s braces. We were associated with a group of Christian Amway distributors who were very much into prosperity theology. They were convinced we were all supposed to become fabulously wealthy for Jesus. We had a leader who did become wealthy from it. He lived in a big lakefront home, drove a Rolls Royce, and wore expensive suits and a Rolex watch. He loved the phrase “conspicuous consumption”. He used it frequently and with relish. He said it slow and drew out the syllables, sometimes practically salivating. In his world, conspicuous consumption was a good thing, something to be sought after and indulged in. The more the better. Linda and I didn’t last long in that setting. We did make a little money and we did pay for the braces, but then we got out. One of the reasons we got out is because we realized how unbiblical that all-consuming preoccupation with money and possessions was. It’s the exact opposite of the attitude displayed by another wealthy Christian man, but one who had it right. His name was J.C. Penny. We all know J.C. Penny’s is a major U.S. department store. And most of us probably know that J.C. Penny was the founder of that chain and that he was one of the richest men in his day in the early 1920s. What you may not know is that during the Great Depression most of his business ventures failed and he lost almost everything. His wife had died, his businesses failed, and he was depressed to the point of suicide. But one night, sitting in the back row of a chapel at a rescue mission in the Bowery in New York City, Penny heard the hymn “God Will Take Care of You”. The words resonated deep in his heart and he realized that if he would simply cast all his cares on Jesus, strive to honor Him with His life, and then accept with gratitude whatever the Lord chose to give him, he would be okay. Penny wrote, “I had permitted the idea of the power of money to possess me.” And it had nearly killed him – it almost moved him to take his own life. J.C. Penny got right with Jesus, he rebuilt his business, and he spent the rest of his life using his wealth to bless others and to finance many Christian rescue missions, orphanages, hospitals, schools, and a wide variety of other ministry efforts. But despite the great wealth he had regained he lived modestly, and he was happy and content doing so. Trusting God and learning to be content is an important factor when it comes to living the Christian life well, so we’ll return to this thought tomorrow. In the meantime, know that God loves you, He is aware of your circumstances, and you can trust Him to take care of you. God bless, Pastor Jim |
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