Nobody Can Wear Two Pairs of Shoes at Once<\/b><\/p>\n
Over the past 15 years, a New Jersey businessman has anonymously given away more than $600 million to universities, medical centers, and other beneficiaries. When a legal complication forced him to reveal his identity, he explained his generosity by saying, \u201cNobody can wear two pairs of shoes at one time. I simply decided I had enough money.\u201d<\/p>\n
A friend of the donor described him as a man who doesn\u2019t own a house or a car, flies economy class, wears a $15 watch, and \u201cdidn\u2019t want his money to crush him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Our Daily Bread, November 16, 1998<\/p>\n
Rich Kids<\/b><\/p>\n
Demographers and attorneys tell us that something dramatic is about to happen to the baby-boomer generation, which is now approaching fifty years of age. They will soon inherit more than $10.4 trillion as their parents pass from the scene. It will be the greatest transfer of wealth in the history of the world. The question is, how will they handle this sudden affluence?<\/p>\n
There may be a clue in a sociological study reported in a book by John Sedgwick called Rich Kids. The author made an extensive investigation of those who inherit large trust funds. He concluded that sudden wealth can be dangerous. For some, not having to work can lead to irresponsible living and addictive behavior, such as gambling and alcoholism. Money can also tear marriages to threads. Finally, absolutely nothing will divide siblings quicker than money, setting up fights over family businesses and resentment of those designated to run them.<\/p>\n
There are exceptions to these negative consequences, of course. Some people handle wealth and power gracefully. But it is a risky passage at best and one that requires a great deal of maturity and self-control. At the least, wealthy parents should ask themselves some important questions, especially if their heirs are young. Should they remove the very challenges that helped Mom and Dad succeed in the early days\u2014the obligation to work hard, live frugally, save, build, and produce by the sweat of their brows? And even if their sons and daughters are able to handle a generous inheritance, how will their grandchildren and future generations respond?<\/p>\n
I know my views on this subject are unconventional. One of the reasons people work hard is so their children and future heirs won\u2019t have to. They love their kids and want to make things easier for them. Even so, giving a large trust fund to those who don\u2019t earn it should be done only with the greatest care and preparation.<\/p>\n
It takes a steady hand to hold a full cup!<\/p>\n
Dr. James Dobson, Coming Home, Timeless Wisdom for Families, (Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton; 1998), pp. 56-57<\/p>\n
Wealthy People in the New Testament<\/b><\/p>\n
Most of Jesus\u2019 followers were not wealthy, but a few notable ones, like Joseph of Arimathea (v. 57), were. We can learn a great deal from the wealthy people recorded in the New Testament, about the dangers and the disciplines of money.<\/p>\n
Person<\/p>\n
What They Did With Their Wealth<\/p>\n
Lessons to Be Learned<\/p>\n
Zacchaeus the tax collector (Luke 19:1-10)<\/p>\n
Before faith, cheated citizens and abused the poor. After faith, repented and made restitution.<\/p>\n
(1) Ill gotten gain must be repaid. (2) God saves and changes us\u2014all the way down to our pocketbooks.<\/p>\n
Joseph of Arimathea (Matt. 27:56\u201361; Mark 15:42\u201346; Luke 23:50\u201353)<\/p>\n
Pre-paid his own funeral Sonated his tomb for the burial of Jesus<\/p>\n
(3) Forsaking treasures on earth for the kingdom will be rewarded<\/p>\n
Women supporters of Christ (Luke 8:3; 23:55\u201324:10; Mark 15:40; 16:1)<\/p>\n
Supported Jesus\u2019 work Assisted in His burial (probably donated expensive perfume).<\/p>\n
(4) Generosity characterizes those who follow Jesus.<\/p>\n
Roman centurion who believed. (Matt. 8:5\u201313; Luke 7:5)<\/p>\n
Showed kindness toward the Jews. Paid for the building of a synagogue. Showed compassion for his ill servant.<\/p>\n
(5) When we love people it shows in the things we do and the projects we support.<\/p>\n
Rich young ruler (Matt. 19:16\u201330; Mark 10:17\u201331; Luke 18:18\u201330<\/p>\n
Unwilling to part with his wealth when tested by Jesus<\/p>\n
(6) Those who cling to wealth have difficulty getting into the kingdom. (7) Righteousness cannot be earned, but must be received as a gift. (8) \u201cMany who are first will be last, and the last first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Philemon (Philemon 1)<\/p>\n
Owned slaves and other property. Forgave a runaway slave, both morally and financially.<\/p>\n
Joseph, called Barnabas (Acts 4:36\u201337)<\/p>\n
Sold land and gave the proceeds to believers.<\/p>\n
(10) Partnership in the Gospel may mean putting your money where believers hurt.<\/p>\n
Ananias & Sapphira (Acts 5:1\u201311)<\/p>\n
Sold land and tried to deceive the church about the proceeds to gain a reputation<\/p>\n
(11) God is not fooled by gracious appearances but sees the heart and acts accordingly.<\/p>\n
Rich Christians written about by James (James 2)<\/p>\n
Exploited the tendency of some to cater to them because of their wealth. Dragged other believers into court and slandered Jesus\u2019 name.<\/p>\n
(12) God favors those who are rich in faith; they will inherit the kingdom.<\/p>\n
Lydia (Acts 16:13\u201315, 40)<\/p>\n
Hosted the first church in Europe in her home.<\/p>\n
(13) We should use our resources and homes to accomplish God\u2019s purposes.<\/p>\n
Cornelius the Centurion (Acts 10:1\u201348)<\/p>\n
Generous to the poor. Sought out Peter concerning the faith.<\/p>\n
(14) Fear of God should prompt us to admit our own need for a Savior.<\/p>\n
The Ethiopian Treasurer (Acts 8:26\u201340<\/p>\n
Nurtured his belief in God by traveling to Jerusalem. Invited Philip to explain more about the faith.<\/p>\n
(15) Stewardship of money and study of Scriptures go hand in hand\u2014as do business trips and worship services.<\/p>\n
Simon the Sorcerer (Acts 8:9\u201325)<\/p>\n
Longed for spiritual power and thought it could be bought and sold.<\/p>\n
(16) The gifts of God cannot be bought.<\/p>\n
Your checkbook is a diary of your values. God calls believers to be compassionate, merciful, and just to all. Does your checkbook reflect such values? Does it show a pattern of godly concern for people?<\/p>\n
The Word in Life Study Bible, New Testament Edition, (Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville; 1993), p. 118<\/p>\n
God\u2019s Preferential Option for the Poor<\/b><\/p>\n
Catholic scholars coined the phrase \u201cGod\u2019s preferential option for the poor\u201d to describe a phenomenon they found throughout both the Old and New Testaments: God\u2019s partiality toward the poor and the disadvantaged. Why would God single out the poor for special attention over any other group? I used to wonder. What makes the poor deserving of God\u2019s concern? I received help on this issue from a writer names Monika Hellwig, who lists the following \u201cadvantages\u201d to being poor:<\/p>\n
1. The poor know they are in urgent need of redemption.<\/p>\n
2. The poor know not only their dependence on God and on powerful people but also their interdependence with one another.<\/p>\n
3. The poor rest their security not on things but on people.<\/p>\n
4. The poor have no exaggerated sense of their own importance, and no exaggerated need of privacy.<\/p>\n
5. The poor expect little from competition and much from cooperation.<\/p>\n
6. The poor can distinguish between necessities and luxuries.<\/p>\n
7. The poor can wait, because they have acquired a kind of dogged patience born of acknowledged dependence.<\/p>\n
8. The fears of the poor are more realistic and less exaggerated, because they already know that one can survive great suffering and want.<\/p>\n
9. When the poor have the Gospel preached to them, it sounds like good news and not like a threat or a scolding.<\/p>\n
10. The poor can respond to the call of the Gospel with a certain abandonment and uncomplicated totality because they have so little to lose and are ready for anything.<\/p>\n
In summary, through no choice of their own\u2014they may urgently wish otherwise\u2014poor people find themselves in a posture that befits the grace of God. In their state of neediness, dependence, and dissatisfaction with life, they may welcome God\u2019s free gift of love.<\/p>\n
As an exercise I went back over Monika Hellwig\u2019s list, substituting the word \u201crich\u201d for \u201cpoor,\u201d and changing each sentence to its opposite. \u201cThe rich do not know they are in urgent need of redemption….The rich rest their security not on people but on things….\u201d (Jesus did something similar in Luke\u2019s version of the Beatitudes, but that portion gets much less attention: \u201cBut woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort….\u201d).<\/p>\n
Next, I tried something far more threatening: I substituted the word \u201cI.\u201d Reviewing each of the ten statements, I asked myself if my own attitudes more resembled those of the poor or of the rich. Do I easily acknowledge my needs? Do I readily depend on God and on other people? Where does my security rest? Am I more likely to compete or cooperate? Can I distinguish between necessities and luxuries? Am I patient? Do the Beatitudes sound to me like good news or like a scolding?<\/p>\n
As I did this exercise I began to realize why so many saints voluntarily submit to the discipline of poverty. Dependence, humility, simplicity, cooperation, and a sense of abandon are qualities greatly prized in the spiritual life, but extremely elusive for people who live in comfort. There may be other ways to God but, oh, they are hard\u2014as hard as a camel squeezing through the eye of a needle. In the Great Reversal of God\u2019s kingdom, prosperous saints are very rare.<\/p>\n
I do not believe the poor to be more virtuous than anyone else (though I have found them more compassionate and often more generous), but they are less likely to pretend to be virtuous. They have not the arrogance of the middle class, who can skillfully disguise their problems under a facade of self-righteousness. They are more naturally dependent, because they have no choice; they must depend on others simply to survive.<\/p>\n
I now view the Beatitudes not as patronizing slogans, but as profound insights into the mystery of human existence. God\u2019s kingdom turns the tables upside down. The poor, the hungry, the mourners, and the oppressed truly are blessed. Not because of their miserable states, of course\u2014Jesus spent much of his life trying to remedy those miseries. Rather, they are blessed because of an innate advantage they hold over those more comfortable and self-sufficient. People who are rich, successful, and beautiful may well go through life relying on their natural gifts. People who lack such natural advantages, hence underqualified for success in the kingdom of this world, just might turn to God in their time of need.<\/p>\n
Human beings do not readily admit desperation. When they do, the kingdom of heaven draws near.<\/p>\n
Christianity Today, November 13, 1995, p. 52<\/p>\n
If I Were Rich<\/b><\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve ever heard someone vow, \u201cIf I were rich, I\u2019d give away most of my money,\u201d don\u2019t bank on it. The stats show that people with higher incomes give away a smaller percentage of their wealth.<\/p>\n
Income<\/b><\/p>\n
Percent Given Away<\/b><\/p>\n
Under $10,000. <\/p>\n
3.6%<\/p>\n
$10-19,999.<\/p>\n
3.4%<\/p>\n
$20-29,999.<\/p>\n
2.5%<\/p>\n
$30-39,999<\/p>\n
1.8%<\/p>\n
$40-49,999…<\/p>\n
2.3%<\/p>\n
$50-74,999<\/p>\n
2.0%<\/p>\n
$75-99,999..<\/p>\n
1.9%<\/p>\n
$100,000 and above.<\/p>\n
2.5%<\/p>\n
Ron Blue, Storm Shelter, Thomas Nelson Publ., quoted in New Man, March\/April, 1995, p. 16<\/p>\n
Impressionist Techniques<\/b><\/p>\n
Vincent Van Gogh first began to experiment with impressionist techniques during his Parisian period, the time from 1886 until 1888. \u201cLast year,\u201d the Dutch artist wrote to his sister in 1887, \u201cI painted almost nothing but flowers to accustom myself to colors other than gray, namely pink, soft or vivid green, light blue, violet, yellow, orange, beautiful red.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last week, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam announced that it had authenticated a previously unknown work of the painter\u2019s from the Parisian period. Purchased at a French flea market after World War II by a Swiss family and kept in their attic, Still Life (Vase With Flowers) is expected to fetch millions of dollars at auction.<\/p>\n
U.S. News & World Report, December 19, 1994, p. 19<\/p>\n
The Most Miserly People of All Time<\/b><\/p>\n
John G. Wendel and his sisters were some of the most miserly people of all time. Although they had received a huge inheritance from their parents, they spent very little of it and did all they could to keep their wealth for themselves.<\/p>\n
John was able to influence five of his six sisters never to marry, and they lived in the same house in New York City for 50 years. When the last sister died in 1931, her estate was valued at more than $100 million. Her only dress was one that she had made herself, and she had worn it for 25 years.<\/p>\n
The Wendels had such a compulsion to hold on to their possessions that they lived like paupers. Even worse, they were like the kind of person Jesus referred to \u201cwho lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God\u201d (Luke 12:21).<\/p>\n
Daily Walk, June 2, 1993<\/p>\n
Three Simple Rules to Become Rich<\/b><\/p>\n
John D. Rockefeller\u2019s three simple rules for anyone who wants to become rich:<\/p>\n
1. Go to work early.<\/p>\n
2. Stay at work late.<\/p>\n
3. Find oil.<\/p>\n
Source unknown<\/p>\n
How Rich Is Rich?<\/b><\/p>\n
How rich is rich? According to a survey of people who ought to know, the answer is $1 million to $5 million in assets. Investment managers Neuberger & Bergman sponsored the survey of people who stand to give or receive inheritances (median household assets: $500,000). Paradoxically, 55% of those whose assets ranged from $1 million to $5 million don\u2019t consider themselves wealthy.<\/p>\n
USA Today, 11\u201311-91, D1<\/p>\n
Resource<\/b><\/p>\n
\u2022 P. Brand, Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, p. 61. If the world were shrunk down to a community of 1000…<\/p>\n
Rich Young Ruler<\/b><\/p>\n
Dear Lord, I have been re-reading the record of the Rich Young Ruler and his obviously wrong choice. But it has set me thinking.<\/p>\n
No matter how much wealth he had, he could not\u2014 ride in a car. have any surgery, turn on a light, buy penicillin, hear a pipe organ, watch TV, wash dishes in running water, type a letter, mow a lawn, fly in an airplane, sleep on an innerspring mattress, or talk on the phone, If he was rich, then what am I?<\/p>\n
Source unknown<\/p>\n
Material <\/p>\n
From the standpoint of material wealth, Americans have difficulty realizing how rich we are. Going through a little mental exercise suggested by Robert Heilbroner can help us to count our blessings, however. Imagine doing the following, and you will see how daily life is for as many as a billion people in the world.<\/p>\n
1. Take out all the furniture in your home except for one table and a couple of chairs. Use blanket and pads for beds.<\/p>\n
2. Take away all of your clothing except for your oldest dress or suit, shirt or blouse. Leave only one pair of shoes.<\/p>\n
3. Empty the pantry and the refrigerator except for a small bag of flour, some sugar and salt, a few potatoes, some onions, and a dish of dried beans.<\/p>\n
4. Dismantle the bathroom, shut off the running water, and remove all the electrical wiring in your house.<\/p>\n
5. Take away the house itself and move the family into the toolshed.<\/p>\n
6. Place your \u201chouse\u2019 in a shantytown.<\/p>\n
7. Cancel all subscriptions to newspapers, magazines, and book clubs. This is no great loss because now none of you can read anyway.<\/p>\n
8. Leave only one radio for the whole shantytown.<\/p>\n
9. Move the nearest hospital or clinic ten miles away and put a midwife in charge instead of a doctor.<\/p>\n
10. Throw away your bankbooks, stock certificates, pension plans, and insurance policies. Leave the family a cash hoard of ten dollars.<\/p>\n
11. Give the head of the family a few acres to cultivate on which he can raise a few hundred dollars of cash crops, of which one third will go to the landlord and one tenth to the money lenders.<\/p>\n
12. Lop off twenty-five or more years in life expectancy. By comparison how rich we are! And with our wealth comes responsibility to use it wisely, not to be wasteful, and to help others. Think on these things.<\/p>\n
Steve Williams<\/p>\n
Gold at Sutter\u2019s Mill<\/b><\/p>\n
Perhaps the most famous gold strike in American history occurred in January 1848 when a man named John Marshall found gold at Sutter\u2019s Mill in northern California. The find set off a gold rush that reached a frenzied pitch and even attracted prospectors from Europe\u2014but it ruined Marshall and John Stutter, the man who owned the land where gold lay for the taking. Sutter\u2019s land was overrun by gold seekers, his cattle were stolen, and he was driven into bankruptcy. Marshall died drunken and penniless.<\/p>\n
Today in the Word, June, 1990, p. 16<\/p>\n
Quotes<\/b><\/p>\n
\u2022 If thou art rich, thou art poor, for like an ass whose back with ingots bows, thou bearest thy heavy riches but a journey, and death unloads thee. – William Shakespeare<\/p>\n
\u2022 The difference between playing the stock market and the horses is that one of the horses must win. – Joey Adams<\/p>\n
\u2022 Measure wealth not by the things you have, but by the things you have for which you would not take money. – Anonymous<\/p>\n
\u2022 Measure wealth not by the things you have, but by the things you have for which you would not take money. – A man\u2019s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. Luke 12:15 – God\u2019s Little Instruction Book for Men, (Honor Books, Tulsa, OK; 1996), p. 37<\/p>\n
\u2022 Men will spend their health getting wealth; then gladly pay all they have earned to get health back. – People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction Timothy 6:9 NIV – God\u2019s Little Instruction Book for Men, (Honor Books, Tulsa, OK; 1996), p. 19<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Nobody Can Wear Two Pairs of Shoes at Once Over the past 15 years, a New Jersey businessman has anonymously given away more than $600 million to universities, medical centers, and other beneficiaries. When a legal complication forced him to reveal his identity, he explained his generosity by saying, \u201cNobody can wear two pairs of … Continue reading “Wealth”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1260","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1260"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1260\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}