Material vs. Spiritual

"'The silver is mine and the gold is mine', declares the Lord Almighty."     - Haggai 2:8 (NIV)

Isn't it ironic (dontcha think?) that man works so ardently to own his own a home and a shiny car, when, try as hard as we may, what we so-called "own" is not really ours anyway!

"What?" you say, "How can that be?"

Here is the scoop.

Everything which God created, from the silver, diamonds, furs and gold, our Heavenly Father owns. For that matter, we owe our very life, not just to our parents, but to the Savior Himself, for without His divine intervention mankind would not even exist.

You see, you and I are not on this planet to make a name for ourselves in the business world, or to gather all the material items we can afford, nor even to eat, drink and be merry. Certainly, God wishes our ultimate joy and happiness, but our greater purpose is to worship God and love one another.

Again you say, "What? How can I worship God when I can't even see Him?"

Everything we do and say is a testament of our faith in God. Either our deeds will glorify Him, or bring Him shame.

"Yes, but is it realistic to expect us to also love one another," you then say, "I mean, are we to also love those who murder, steal and rob us of our freedom?"

Love can take many shapes and forms. Certainly, love can be warm and mushy, and consist of hugs, kisses and kind words, but love also stands for truth and justice. The truth CAN be spoken in love, and although truth may sometimes sting, that pang may save someone's soul.

The next time you are thinking about keeping up with the Joneses, and worrying about how to get your next raise so you can buy that great vacation home in Hawaii, think of this little story and then ask, "What can I do to better glorify God?"

[ by: Melanie Schurr, Copyright © 1998, (www.angelfire.com/mi/melschurr) -- from 'Daily Wisdom' ]