Historical Posts
If I Had Only Known
“If I had only known then what I know now, what a difference it would have made.”
Now eighty, and life quickly passing him by, he could see how wrong he had been. If he had only known then. Hindsight is always twenty/twenty.
He had been a moral man, a good provider, and fairly active in his community, but his driving ambition had been to make money, to be successful. He was. Everything he touched seemed to prosper. But, it took its toll. If he had only known the true toll. With each success came greater responsibilities, increased demands on his time and energy, and always the desire to do even better. His family, his church, and even his health were sacrificed in the name of success.
Now he was successful. He had more money than he could ever hope to spend in his few remaining years, but somehow it mattered little. His wife had died years earlier, some say from a broken heart. All she had wanted was a loving home and family, but that had not been enough for him. He wanted to give her everything. He did. He gave her every “thing,” but he was always too busy to give himself. The children were married and had kids of their own. They seldom came around unless they needed something. What few friends he had were there because of what he had, not what he was. He was a lonely, dejected old man. He had everything! He had nothing! If he had only known then.
Solomon wrote, “There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches” (Proverbs 13:7). Real wealth cannot be measured in dollars and cents. A man who leaves God out of his life is poor, no matter how much he may accumulate.
Jesus once asked, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul” (Matthew 16:26)?
Don’t be one who says, “if I had only known.” Don’t wait until it’s too late to get your priorities straight.
Salvation: Hear - Believe - Repent - Confess - Be Baptized - Live Faithfully
Content by Roger Rush
Visit Roger at the 6th and Washington Street Church of Christ in Marietta OH.
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Chasing The Wind
Does life have meaning? Can we find hope and happiness? Are we just chasing the wind?
The book of Ecclesiastes is one of the most interesting in the Old Testament.
Some think it offers a somewhat skeptical and pessimistic view of life, but, in fact, it gives a poignant refutation of materialism.
“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). Wealth, wisdom, power, pleasure and fame are all fleeting. Solomon, generally thought to be the author, observed: “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 2:10-11).
Ecclesiastes offers the attitude of one looking at life from a purely materialistic point of view.
It portrays the hopelessness of those who trust in wealth, power, pleasure and knowledge. They are chasing the wind. Experience teaches that rich or poor, wise or foolish, great or small, all must die. That being true, Solomon lamented: “So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 2:17-18).
Maybe you’ve felt the same sense of futility the author of Ecclesiastes experienced.
If you have, don’t despair! There is hope. Having tried it all, Solomon concluded that man’s whole duty was “to fear God and keep his commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Wisdom, knowledge and happiness come to those who put Him first, but to those who don’t life remains meaningless, an exercise of chasing the wind (Ecclesiastes 2:25-26). A man may chase the wind, but he will never capture it.
Is there meaning to life? Is there hope? Can man find happiness?
Yes! But not in material pursuits! There is no lasting satisfaction or joy in a life apart from God. The struggle is futile until He comes into the picture. You may be rich, powerful and famous, but if you leave God out of your life it will all have been for nothing. You will have spent your life chasing the wind!
Would you like to experience the joy and peace of being in Christ?
Salvation: Hear - Believe - Repent - Confess - Be Baptized - Live Faithfully
Content by Roger Rush
Visit Roger at the 6th and Washington Street Church of Christ in Marietta OH.
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Beware of Things
“And he said unto them, 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).
The story is sometimes told of a country boy who was invited by a very wealthy uncle to visit New York City. It was the first time the young man had ever been away from his home in the hills and he was filled with wonder. He spent his first day window shopping on Fifth Avenue.
That evening his uncle asked him what he thought of the “Big Apple.” The boy hesitated a moment and then said, “Well, uncle, I never saw so many things in all my life that I could so easily do without!”
Has it ever occurred to us that much of what we want we could just as easily do without? This week’s necessity is destined for next week’s garage sale. Things just don’t satisfy. (How many video games are lying around unused in homes all over this country today?)
The Bible offers some sobering thoughts regarding the things that are really important. Jesus asked, “…and what is a man profited if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or, what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). Paul wrote, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (1 Timothy 6:6-7).
The important question is not
“How much do you have?”
but
“How do you use what you have?”
We do not mean to suggest that there is anything inherently wrong with having things. We do, however, want to remind ourselves that things can never provide true happiness.
Our most urgent need is to know and obey Jesus Christ. No know and obey Jesus Christ. No one is truly rich who has left Jesus out of his life, and no one is truly who has made a place in his heart for the Lord.
— Roger
Content by Roger Rush
Visit Roger at the 6th and Washington Street Church of Christ in Marietta OH.
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Trust in the Lord
Trust involves confidence and reliance
The motto on our money reads: “In God We Trust,” but do we? Trust involves confidence and reliance. Quite honestly, for many, the motto would be more accurate if it read, “In Thee (money) We Trust.”
Materialism is a roadblock
Materialism has been and continues to be one of the greatest roadblocks to spiritual growth and maturity. Jesus had more to say regarding this sin than any other. In the Sermon on the Mount He said: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also…No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:19-21, 24).
The love of money
The apostle Paul offered a similar warning: “Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (1 Timothy 6:6-10). Money is not inherently evil, but the love of money is!
Set your hopes on God
The apostle went on to say: “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:17-19).
Money is not the true measure of a man
It never has been, and it never will be. Thus, Jesus warned: “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15).
Men are fallible, not always dependable
Men also have a tendency to place their confidence in other men, only to be greatly disappointed. Because men are fallible, they are not always dependable. God, on the other hand, will never let us down. This led the Psalmist to observe: “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in men. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes” (Psalm 118:8-9).
Trust Him
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil” (Proverbs 3:5-7). We must put our trust in HIM, and HE will never let us down!
Content by Roger Rush
Visit Roger at the 6th and Washington Street Church of Christ in Marietta OH.
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