Suddenly Rich. What Have We Learned? Tell It to God. Update.

Suddenly Rich

“It has been said that a person is never tested or tried more than at the moment they receive an excessive fortune.

Joshua Ness/Unsplash

Can we remain humble, generous, genuine, sincere and God-fearing when all of our wants are met?

One of the known troubles that crop up in the lives of children is when their inheritance is meted out, especially if it is large. The giver’s motive may have been fairness, but in the minds of recipients, the definition of fairness may be different. When a will is read, trouble often springs up among the children. Some have kept track of the lives of people who win large amounts of money in a lottery, and in a large number of those cases, trouble enters their lives along with the wealth.

There are good reasons that Jesus told people that it was very difficult for a wealthy person to enter into God’s Kingdom (Matthew 19:22-24). It seems even more difficult if that wealth has come suddenly and unexpectedly. That is where the great test of character takes place. Temptations of all sorts present themselves and attitudes of those we once thought of as friends also can change. Can we remain humble, generous, genuine, sincere and God-fearing when all of our wants are met? Will we succumb to the pleasures that life offers or seems to offer? Have we developed the good character and self-control that will allow us to handle the fortune wisely? That is the test that comes to all who experience sudden gain. Better to build righteous character before tests come your way.” From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/blogs/this-is-the-way/suddenly-rich

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What Have We Learned?

“Millions of Americans are going through financial difficulties. What changes can we make to our money habits?      

Transcript of YouTube: https://youtu.be/rA6z5viT5S0

[Darris McNeely] “Have you received your check yet? I have. Talking about the check that the government has been sending out, the United States government, during this pandemic crisis, this massive government bailout where virtually all Americans are getting some form of check to help them through this time as they’ve lost their jobs. I looked at my bank account a few days ago and there it was. So I know a lot of people will be benefited by that. They’ve lost jobs, they’ve been furloughed short hours and expenses keep mounting up and it’ll be a bit of a help for a lot of people, but I think that it brings us to a question and that is a larger question that we’re all asking, what have we learned during this time of pandemic, the quarantine, and all that we have been through?

Financially, I think there’s a big lesson for us all to learn in terms of preparation. I read an article in “The Wall Street Journal” this week that said that up to a half of all Americans do not have adequate savings to get them through even a short time without work for whatever reason and that is being highlighted during this massive economic shutdown has taken place. So the government has done its part and it will help, but it will, in the long run, not be quite what a paycheck will be for a number of reasons.

But here’s the lesson. What have we learned? Many lessons, but financially we need to prepare. We need to plan ahead. Most financial experts will say that a person should have anywhere from four to six months of living expenses in cash saved back for a time like this. Now, that may be difficult for a lot of people to have, I recognize, but the only way to even begin to get there is to start putting money back and to prepare. I hope that all of us will examine our habits coming out of this.

There’s a proverb in Proverbs 21:17 that may help us to kind of point in this direction. It says, “He who loves pleasure will be a poor man. He who loves wine and oil will not be rich.” Now, there’s a lot packed into that particular verse. We all like to have a movie out, go to a concert, spend on a nice trip or whatever it might be, but if we do that without laying aside money, in a sense paying ourselves first, then poverty is going to be there, especially when something unexpected happens. To love wine and oil by itself is not wrong, but if we spend on luxuries, on pleasures without first taking care of ourselves, paying ourselves, laying some money back and planning for the future like this, then it says that we will not be rich and it does speak to being prepared for a time like this.

So what have we learned? Well, I hope that we learn financially to prepare for tough times and to begin to defer certain ratifications, certain other needs that we might think are needs and may not be and begin to prepare financially for the next crisis that might come once we get through this one.” From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-daily/what-have-we-learned

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Tell It to God

“Life buffets us in various ways and it seems to help when we tell others about our troubles.

road trip with raj/Unsplash

It is good to take our sorrows to God in prayer.

Others may comfort us and sit with us as we sorrow, but in the end we must find our own way out of the sorrow we may carry. Everyone else has their own share of difficulty in their lives. James said to confess our troubles to one another because the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man helps a lot (James 5:16). There is much truth in that statement. However, it is also true that if we are always first to blurt out our needs, our woes and our sorrows, then people will grow uncomfortable and no longer want to talk with us.

The better way is hidden in the words of James. Since the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much, we can become that man for ourselves. It is good to go to our friends and ask for prayers when we need them, but we also need to give others hope and sunshine in their lives. There are enough clouds for everyone. It is good to hold back our clouds of sorrow, let the sun shine for the benefit of others, and take our sorrows to God in prayer.” From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/blogs/this-is-the-way/tell-it-to-god

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Update.

Maybe you have seen it too, that people are starting to venture out to the stores and church a lot more?  The stores have gone to great lengths to keep their customers separated, making some aisles one way, and marking 6’ spaces all over the place.  But that does seem to be increasing the rate of infections from this corona virus. The first day at Dollar General no one was wearing a mask, but by the second day people had realized that they had better be careful and more were seen wearing them.  I am going to wear my mask when I am around a lot of people. After all, I wouldn’t drive without my seatbelt !!

My rescue cat, Casper, a cloud-point Siamese, is doing better now that he has been on antibiotics for a week.  His fur is starting to look better and the red spots by his ears are clearing up. He actually likes to play for a while after his meals, tossing and chasing little play mice, running after tennis balls, and then he stretches out on the couch for a long (stretched out) nap.

We did the Zoom thing again for the Bible study, and for the second week, my neighbor and I drove over there and participated right there in the church, watching the others on Zoom. Some live quite a distance away, so Zoom was easier for them, but we live less than a mile away. There were more actually in attendance this week. It was easier to see and hear this week because we added my former kitchen TV and HDMI cables to the little laptop that they were using.  It was great to get out and be with those folks on the Sabbath day.