Sometimes people can get so caught up with their own personal dramas, that they take offense at something that wasn't meant to be hurtful. It is as if they have some masochistic tendency. But it isn't that they are trying to be hurt, it is just that they are so use to getting their rear ends kissed, so to speak, that they lose the real meaning to another persons intentions.

God made us who we are in his image. He did it out of love. He didn't do it as some cruel joke that we have to live with throughout our lives. He gave us life so that we could take the common sense that he gave us, to make decisions.

We are here, on this earth, I believe to make a difference in other people's lives. God did not make us selfish, we make ourselves selfish. We have become pampered in our way of thinking and as such have fallen short of the grace of God. He gave us life so that we could make others feel his grace, not just to feel it by ourselves. That which He has given must be shared. Otherwise it withers and dies and we are left with the ashes of our minds.

But if we share his love and give freely of that love, we will be given back that love, more than we thought possible.

I have heard it said that being rich is not good, but yet we read in the Bible of Prophets that had great wealth because they were blessed by God. They tried to live lives to glorify Gods love, and were richly rewarded. Just read about Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and Joseph. These men had great wealth of land and cattle, but yet they were not shunned by God, they were loved by Him.

If wealth is made by evil desire and criminal behavior, that is not of God, because it does nothing to glorify Him. But what if a man receives great wealth while praising God? Does that make Him evil because He has money? I think not.

I think we have to think of it in another perspective. How can we become blessed? When we are blessed, we are given wealth in one form or another. Otherwise we would not be blessed. A happy marriage can give us wealth merely by inspiration. If a man marries and is inspired by his wife and writes a bestseller and makes a lot of money, is that bad?

I sometimes wonder if the people that think that great wealth is sinful, are the ones that are jealous because they do not have it. Sometimes the ones that complain about others being wealthy are also wealthy themselves, but maybe not as wealthy as the ones they envy. They envy that person, because the person that envy's another worked very hard to get what they wanted, and the other person who has more must have gotten it the evil way. Or so they think.

It reminds me of a parable that Jesus taught. You may have heard of it. It was about a landowner that gave a days pay to someone who worked an hour which was the same amount that he gave to the person who worked all day.

Matthew 20:9-16 "And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius. 10 "And when those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; and they also received each one a denarius. 11 "And when they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, 12 saying,' These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.' 13 "But he answered and said to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 'Take what is yours and go your way, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 'Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?' 16 "Thus the last shall be first, and the first last." NASB

The landowner gave the men that worked a small amount of time just as much as those that worked all day. Does that mean that what the landowner did was wrong? No it means that the landowner paid each man what he wanted to and what was agreed upon.

Greed comes in all shapes and sizes. It comes in jealousy, and envy. "Keeping up with the Joneses" is another situation that people get into all the time. But just because somebody got more marbles than you did does not make them a bad person. It could have been that the were blessed.

If you are rich, do not let the short-sightedness of others get you down. And those of you who are not rich, let not your hearts not be burdened by the wealth of others. Think instead of the contribution you can make to society. Think of how you can be blessed by Gods love in the things that you do. Let Him bless you in ways you may never have known possible. Do not look at others wealth with lust, put your attention on God and the wealth of His love will be unsurpassed.

Prayer: Dear Lord, sometimes we are weak and we let the thoughts of other people lives take our attention away from that which should be important and that is with your love. Help us in these times to weigh our greed and your love and realize that the weight of your love is far greater than all the wealth of the world. Do not let us go astray and to try to do better than someone else and let us not judge others for what they have. Instead distract us from greed and lust for others wealth and lead us towards your love and your grace, and give us the common sense to know the difference. We thank you for all your many blessings. Amen.

Benediction: Now, Lord, Bless us in our daily lives. Help us to smell the roses whenever possible, to shine our light on those less fortunate than us, and lead us in the path we should go. For you are the light that keeps our path well lit. Help us to follow it, until we meet you, in a land where milk and honey abound, a place where our most wonderful dreams are fulfilled. Amen.

Hi, my name is Bryan, a messenger of hope who would love to hear from you. God Bless.

© 2006 Bryan Hill