DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR FRIDAY JULY 1:
WORD OF WISDOM
Be kind, because everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.
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DAILY DEVOTION
This is a lengthy, but GREAT read from MountainWings:
The Issue of Money
==========================
Shortage of money is the number one common factor in the hundreds of prayer
requests that we receive each week at MountainWings.com.
If money is not the central issue, a money shortage is usually present in
both marriage difficulties and health problems.
A sizable percentage of MountainWings' readers deal with money shortage
issues.
Some think it doesn't belong in an inspirational email but let your money
get tight and get an unexpected check and see if that doesn't inspire you.
I want to address the issue of money as briefly as I can.
For a few, my experience may shed a new light on your situation.
Some may have a radically different opinion, that is expected; but for many,
this will help change your view and possibly your approach to your money
situation.
I deal with more money shortage situations than most people simply by virtue
of being a Pastor of a church and a businessman.
People come to me, both for advice and money in both the church and business
worlds.
Hopefully the eight principles below will help someone reading
MountainWings.
Principle #1 - Hardly anyone has enough money.
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At a recent meeting in my company, some thought I was bragging when I said
that I had enough money. I was absolutely serious.
I have always had enough money, but I have not always made a lot of money.
When I earned less than minimum wage, I had enough money.
When I earned minimum wage, I had enough money.
I have enough money now.
Someone asked the multi-billionaire John D. Rockefeller the question of "How
much money is enough?"
His answer was, "One more dollar than I have."
He therefore, would never have enough, no matter how many billions he had.
I have seen people earn more than double what they were earning in the
previous year and they still did not have enough money.
Money is one of those things where unless the spirit gets right, you never
have enough. Having enough money is primarily a matter of spirit, not
amount, understand this.
Principle #2 - You are rich when you have enough.
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Don't be like Rockefeller or else you will forever be dissatisfied.
Often our change from poor to rich is more spiritual than financial.
It is why Paul could say if you have food and clothing then you should be
content.
Perhaps we should realize that instead of struggling so hard to get more
that we should simply want less. The problem with wanting more is that it
never stops, and most find that even when they get "the stuff," it's not
what they thought in terms of real contentment.
Jesus said:
a. The Kingdom of God is within
b. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle
than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Everyone wants the kingdom, yet everyone also wants to be rich.
I preached a sermon called, "The Roughest Verse in the Bible."
It was concerning this basic principle. You can listen to it on WMA (best)
http://www.theonlineword.com/s/5125.wma
MP3 http://www.theonlineword.com/mp3/5125.mp3
Just maybe, for many of you, you have enough already.
Principle #3 - Neither The New Testament of the Bible or any of the
teachings of Jesus promise nor promote material wealth.
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Some will argue against this to an extreme, but I have looked for it over
and over in the New Testament of the Bible. It simply is not there unless
you take a scripture and twist it to mean what it really didn't say or you
must make speculations about things that aren't written in scripture.
No words in the New Testament promote wealth when looked at in context.
NONE!
"What about when Jesus told the disciples where to fish and they had the
great haul of fish?" you ask.
Read what they did with the increase after they got it. The disciples ate
from the fish then left the fish to follow Jesus.
When you read exactly what they did, the pattern becomes clear.
We can sometimes be masters at making scripture say what it never meant
because it is what people want to hear and it often justifies our own
agenda.
Jesus NEVER pointed us towards material wealth; he did quite the opposite
when you read what he actually said.
Many passages plainly point you away from riches but none plainly point you
towards it, not in the New Testament.
And no, the verse, "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest
prosper and be in health," is not talking about riches.
Paul said in 1 Timothy 6:8, that if you have food and clothing you should be
content. I thought about that verse as I was alone one day. I had a BIG
problem with it then, and I still struggle to fully understand and accept
it.
"What about shelter?" I thought.
How in the world does God expect you to be content with no house?
That just didn't make any sense to me.
So I asked God in a quiet moment, "How can a person be content with no
house?" God answered me and though I didn't like the answer, the minute I
heard it, I recognized the truth of it.
The answer was, "Did my son have a house?"
"Whoa!"
Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the
Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
(Mat 8:20 NIV)
Not only are we not happy with food and clothing, we often aren't happy even
in medium or large houses. We want mansions and guess what? Given enough
time, we often aren't happy in those either.
Principle #4 - Rich and poor are relative terms.
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I went to the Amazon jungle. I wanted to see the rain forest before man
destroyed it. The children in the jungle were excited to see an ink pen.
We trekked through the jungle all day with a native guide.
He said our hike would culminate by visiting the rich man's house.
I was expecting a huge mansion overlooking the river. When we got to his
house, it indeed sat on a hill, but it was hardly a mansion. It was more
like a shack on a hill. His house was distinguished by the fact that it had
a generator. The rich man had electricity. When the rest of the village
was dark, he had light, therefore everyone in the village considered him
"The Rich Man."
I learned a great lesson from that. He had no indoor plumbing, no air
conditioning, no marble counters or carpeted floors. His house would not
even meet minimum building codes in the poorest neighborhoods in America.
However, he had electricity when everyone else was in the dark, therefore he
was rich.
In many parts of the world, what we consider poverty is considered great
wealth. We have so much food in America that eating too much causes
America's biggest health problems.
Principle #5 - Happiness is not dependent on money.
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The Amazon jungle was perhaps the poorest area that I have ever visited.
There was no industry. The huts did not even have doors. Yet, in the midst
of what many would consider extreme poverty by American standards, again I
saw something.
The people were quite happy.
The ability to sense spirit is something God gave me long ago.
When I sold newspapers as a boy through many of the neighborhoods in
Atlanta, the minute people opened the door, I could sense whether the house
was happy or sad.
I sold newspapers in the richest and poorest of neighborhoods.
Both had their share of happy and sad homes.
The guide told us as we walked through the village with the doorless huts,
"We marry around 13 or 14."
"13 or 14?" I repeated, amazed at such a young marrying age.
"What is the divorce rate?" I asked.
"Less than 5%," he replied.
Again I saw that material possessions don't guarantee happiness.
We have relatively huge wealth along with a relatively huge divorce rate.
Principle #6 - One American family has contributed to more financial
disaster than any other.
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The Joneses.
Because we often try to keep up with the Joneses, it strains our finances to
the limit and beyond. My father, often quoted, "If your outgo exceeds your
income then your upkeep will become your downfall."
Too often we live way above our means. I have always had enough money
because I have always kept my expenses well below my income.
Whether you earn millions or minimum wage, the principle applies.
Years ago my wife began selling a nutritional system.
The system had a cassette tape explaining it. She went throughout several
Atlanta upper income neighborhoods putting the tapes in mailboxes.
She only selected the fancy houses as she only had a limited number of
tapes.
Six people responded wanting the system. The system cost $100.
Of the six people who responded, not ONE had $100. Each had a story of why
they had to wait until payday or could only pay a part now but none had
$100.
"How could that be?" my wife asked. "I specifically only put these tapes in
BIG houses. They all had two fancy cars and
$200,000 plus houses. How could their finances be so tight that they don't
have $100?" she kept asking me.
Because they lived next to The Joneses,
who lived next to The Joneses, who lived next to The Joneses, who lived next
to ...
Principle #7 - Lack of a budget.
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At the church, I have a financial expert teach a class each month. It is a
six-part series that we repeat each six months.
It teaches people how to manage their money. We often tell people in the
church to give 10% of their money to the church, but we give them no
knowledge on how to manage the other 90%.
People came to me with testimonies about how the class changed their
financial lives. The first thing the expert did was to have everyone create
a budget.
NO ONE had a budget. No one could say exactly how much they were spending.
Sure, they all knew what the rent or mortgage was, but it was often the
"other" stuff that sunk them. No one could tell you with any degree of
accuracy exactly what they were spending as a total.
The expert told the story of how one lady had come to him for a loan. She
wanted to buy a car. She was going to pay for the car by the week at one of
those "pay by the week" places.
She got angry at him when he would not lend her the money.
He had her to do a budget. When she did, she was shocked to see that the
weekly payments plus what she was spending on other stuff added up to more
than what she was earning. If he had loaned her the money for the down
payment on the car, it would have been sure financial disaster.
WRITE IT DOWN exactly how much you spend each month on EVERYTHING. You may
be surprised. Just something as simple as a two pack a day cigarette habit
is $200.00 per month.
Principle #8 - Learn the principle of giving.
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I cannot logically explain this, but I know it is true. It is no accident
that the U.S. is the most prosperous country on the face of the earth, but
we also give more than any other country on earth.
Yes, I know the U.S. has flaws but that doesn't change the principle or the
result. We benefit from our benevolence; we suffer for our malice.
God spoke a Word of Wisdom to me personally concerning money.
"Anything beyond sufficiency is insignificant."
It has taken me a long time to understand that but the longer I live, the
more convinced I am of that truth.
Money is similar to food. You need it; if you run short, it gets very
uncomfortable and even unhealthy. Yet excess consumption has great dangers.
Having excess food is wonderful if you do the right thing. The problem is
not in having the excess; the excess is a blessing. The challenge is in
doing the right thing with the excess.
Even the Old Testament of the Bible listed lack of both money and food as a
curse and its abundance a blessing. The problem was that it wasn't long
after the abundance that the people became corrupt. It is very hard to keep
abundance in balance.
That's why Jesus said it was HARD for a rich man to enter the kingdom of
God.
Money has always been and always will be an issue.
It traps most in this world; it even traps most of us preachers.
"No servant can serve two masters. 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 both God and Money."
The Pharisees, (ministers and priests) who loved money, heard all this and
were sneering at Jesus. He said to them, "You are the ones who justify
yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts.
What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight.
(Luke 16:13-15 NIV)
The messages of this week have presented you with the principles for
abundance and some guidance for using the abundance.
I wrote an issue on what God specifically spoke to me concerning how to
handle the blessing of money.
Click here to read it http://www.mountainwings.com/past/3249.htm
Remember that a golden chain binds just as tight as an iron one.
~A MountainWings Original~
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DAILY BIBLE READING
Psalm 136-140Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
136 Praise the Lord because he is good.
His faithful love will last forever.
2
Praise the God of gods!
His faithful love will last forever.
3
Praise the Lord of lords!
His faithful love will last forever.
4
Praise him who alone does wonderful miracles!
His faithful love will last forever.
5
Praise the one who used wisdom to make the skies!
His faithful love will last forever.
6
He spread the land over the sea.
His faithful love will last forever.
7
He made the great lights.
His faithful love will last forever.
8
He made the sun to rule the day.
His faithful love will last forever.
9
He made the moon and stars to rule the night.
His faithful love will last forever.
10
He killed the firstborn males in Egypt, both men and animals.
His faithful love will last forever.
11
He took Israel out of Egypt.
His faithful love will last forever.
12
He used his powerful arms and strong hands.
His faithful love will last forever.
13
He split the Red Sea into two parts.
His faithful love will last forever.
14
He led Israel through the sea.
His faithful love will last forever.
15
He drowned Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea.
His faithful love will last forever.
16
He led his people through the desert.
His faithful love will last forever.
17
He defeated powerful kings.
His faithful love will last forever.
18
He defeated strong kings.
His faithful love will last forever.
19
He defeated Sihon king of the Amorites.
His faithful love will last forever.
20
He defeated Og king of Bashan.
His faithful love will last forever.
21
He gave their land to Israel.
His faithful love will last forever.
22
He gave it as a gift to Israel, his servant.
His faithful love will last forever.
23
He remembered us when we were defeated.
His faithful love will last forever.
24
He saved us from our enemies.
His faithful love will last forever.
25
He provides food for all living things.
His faithful love will last forever.
26
Praise the God of heaven!
His faithful love will last forever.
137 We sat by the rivers in Babylon
and cried as we remembered Zion.
2
We hung our harps nearby, there on the willow trees.[a]
3
There in Babylon, those who captured us told us to sing.
Our enemies told us to entertain them.
They said, "Sing us one of your songs about Zion."
4
But we cannot sing the Lord's songs
in a foreign country!
5
Jerusalem, if I ever forget you,
may I never play a song again.
6
If I fail to remember you,
may I never sing again.
I will always remember Jerusalem
as my greatest joy!
7
Lord, be sure to punish the Edomites for what they did
when Jerusalem was captured.
They shouted, "Destroy its buildings!
Pull them down to the ground!"
8
Babylon, you will be destroyed!
Bless the one who pays you back for what you did to us.
9
Bless the one who grabs your babies
and smashes them against a rock.
A song of David.
138 Lord, I praise you with all my heart.
I sing songs of praise to you before the gods.
2
I bow down toward your holy Temple,
and I praise your name for your love and loyalty.
You are famous,
and doing what you promised will make you even more famous!
3
When I called to you for help,
you answered me and gave me strength.
4
Lord, all the kings on earth will praise you
when they hear what you say.
5
They will sing about what the Lord has done,
because the glory of the Lord is very great.
6
The Lord has the highest place above all others,
but he still cares for the humble.
Even from there, so high above,
he knows what the proud do.
7
If I am in trouble, you keep me alive.
If my enemies are angry, you save me from them.
8
Lord, I know you will do what you have promised.
Lord, your faithful love will last forever.
You are the one who made us, so don't leave us!
To the director: A praise song of David.
139 Lord, you have tested me,
so you know all about me.
2
You know when I sit down and when I get up.
You know my thoughts from far away.
3
You know where I go and where I lie down.
You know everything I do.
4
Lord, you know what I want to say,
even before the words leave my mouth.
5
You are all around me-in front of me and behind me.
I feel your hand on my shoulder.
6
I am amazed at what you know;
it is too much for me to understand.
7
Your Spirit is everywhere I go.
I cannot escape your presence.
8
If I go up to heaven, you will be there.
If I go down to the place of death, you will be there.
9
If I go east where the sun rises
or go to live in the west beyond the sea,
10
even there you will take my hand and lead me.
Your strong right hand will protect me.
11
Suppose I wanted to hide from you and said,
"Surely the darkness will hide me.
The day will change to night and cover me."
12
Even the darkness is not dark to you.
The night is as bright as the day.
Darkness and light are the same.
13
You formed the way I think and feel.[b]
You put me together in my mother's womb.
14
I praise you because you made me in such a wonderful way.
I know how amazing that was!
15
You could see my bones grow as my body took shape,
hidden in my mother's womb.[c]
16
You could see my body grow each passing day.[d]
You listed all my parts, and not one of them was missing.
17
Your thoughts are beyond my understanding.[e]
They cannot be measured!
18
If I could count them, they would be more than all the grains of sand.
But when I finished, I would have just begun.[f]
19
You murderers, get away from me!
God, kill those wicked people-
20
those who say bad things about you.
Your enemies use your name falsely.[g]
21
Lord, I hate those who hate you.
I hate those who are against you.
22
I hate them completely!
Your enemies are also my enemies.
23
God, examine me and know my mind.
Test me and know all my worries.
24
Make sure that I am not going the wrong way.[h]
Lead me on the path that has always been right.[i]
To the director: A praise song of David.
140 Lord, save me from people who are evil.
Protect me from those who are cruel,
2
from those who plan to do evil
and always cause trouble.
3
Their words are as harmful as the fangs of a snake,
as deadly as its venom. Selah
4
Lord, save me from the wicked!
Protect me from these cruel people who plan to hurt me.
5
These proud people are trying to trap me.
They spread nets to catch me;
they set traps in my path. Selah
6
Lord, you are my God.
Lord, listen to my prayer.
7
My Lord God, you are the powerful one who saves me.
You protect my head in battle.
8
Lord, don't let the wicked have what they want.
Don't let their plans succeed. Selah
9
My enemies are planning trouble for me.
Lord, make that trouble fall on them.
10
Pour burning coals on their heads.
Throw them into the fire.
Throw them into pits they can never escape.
11
Don't let those cruel liars enjoy success here.
Let disaster hunt them down.
12
I know the Lord will provide justice for the poor
and will defend the helpless.
13
Those who do what is right will praise your name;
those who are honest will live in your presence.
Footnotes:
a.Psalm 137:2 These instruments were used to praise God in the Temple in
Jerusalem. Since it was destroyed, the people had no reason to play the
songs.
b.Psalm 139:13 the way I think and feel Literally, "my kidneys," which were
thought to be the center of emotions.
c.Psalm 139:15 mother's womb Literally, "deepest parts of the earth,"
meaning a place we know nothing about.
d.Psalm 139:16 You . day Or "You watched me every day."
e.Psalm 139:17 beyond my understanding Or "precious to me."
f.Psalm 139:18 I . begun Or "I would still be with you."
g.Psalm 139:20 Your enemies . falsely The Hebrew text here is hard to
understand.
h.Psalm 139:24 Make sure . way Or "See that I don't worship idols."
i.Psalm 139:24 Lead me . right Or "Guide me on the ancient path."
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
Copyright C 2006 by Bible League International
