Monday, August 29, 2016

Hey! What Do You Think you Are Worth?

 “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind” (Phil. 2:1-2).  “You have been bought and paid for by Christ, so you belong to him—be free now from all these earthly prides and fears”. (1 Corinthians 7:23)

Hey Gang:  You have been bought and paid for by Christ.  You belong to Jesus.  How much does that make you worth? God says not only are you accepted; you're valuable.  O, I am not talking about what your bottom line is in worldly assets.  People who were wealthy yesterday by world standards have lost all in the devastating floods and fires that have plagued our land in recent weeks.
There is the story of the rich young ruler, actually he was the land lord of several tenement houses in the slums of one of our larger cities. He made big bucks on the backs of the least fortunate.  His story was surfaced when a small child was bitten by rats and died.  The inspectors learned that he had not invested one dime into making their lives more bearable, by repairing even the very needed items in each apartment that we would call necessities.
The media took the man to the cleaners and called him everything that is the book and few things that are not there.  But, in investigating for her story, a reporter did some interviewing of residents in the tenement and, down in the corner apartment of one of tenements, she found an elderly lady that was known throughout the tenement simply as ‘Grandma’.  
She, the reporter, was absolutely amazed that everyone in that tenement gained hope and encouragement from this little old lady who lived in the corner apartment in level one.  Now, if I were to ask you, “In God’s eyes, who was the person of value to Him, the wealthy tenement owner or the little old lady who did not have two pennies to rub together?”
Let’s take a side trip and put some meat on that question.  In John 15:13 we read, Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends”.  In Luke 6:38 we are admonished to Give, and it will be given to you.  They will pour into your lap a good measure -  pressed down, shaken together, and running over.  For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return
In Matthew the twenty fifth chapter we read the words of Yeshua, “The King will say to those on His right, “Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world “What is that kingdom?  Jesus, on the cross, said to the thief who repented, “Today you will be with me in paradise”.  Jesus in another place gave the criteria for His blessing: “I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in (like the old grandma in the corner apartment of level one) and when naked you clothed Me.”
What say you? Jesus closed this teaching by saying,Truly I say to you to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the last of them, you did it to Me.” (vs. 40).
So, my friends, who do you believe will receive the blessings of the Father, the rich old tenement owner or the grandma in the corner apartment down on the first levelWe are forbidden to judge“But by their fruits we will know them” (Matt. 7:16).
Blessings,
Gramps

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