TRUE RICHES ARE NOT WHAT THE WORLD SEES! ~ Yesterday, driving home from
showing property to Dory's client, she and I were discussing our
relative wealth. This stemmed from someone commenting to her this week,
"Why are some real estate brokers quite wealthy - while others are not so wealthy?"
I reminded her of something I have often shared. In my nearly 50 years in the computer industry, I have worked with a number of people who have become quite rich materially. You may know some of their names: Bill Gates and Paul Allen, who later started a small company named Microsoft. Paul Terrell, who founded the Byte Shop computer store chain. And there were a number of others who have done quite well, materially.
So, when folks ask me why, when I knew and worked with all those people - did they become materially wealthy, while I did not? I merely, and quite sincerely, tell them, "Today, I am exactly where God wants me to be."
"Bill, do you really believe that God wants you to be poor - while all of these other folks with whom you have worked - are wealthy?"
My response, "What do you call wealth?"
Like the man in the graphic below (posted by a Friend on Facebook), I have the greatest wealth a person in this mortal life can attain - eternal life in Christ, eternal salvation. What more could anyone ask?
And in addition to the promise of eternal life in the presence of God - over 25 years ago God gave me a Christian writing ministry, a ministry where I can share His Word, His Gospel, with people all over the world through my writing. Wow! What a bonus gift!
Actually, God has given each and every Christian believer a ministry. It is called the Great Commission and to paraphrase, it tells us to, "Go, make disciples, baptize them, TEACH them. . . Be His witnesses in ALL the world" (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8, Mark 16:15).
If you have not yet discovered your ministry, ask Him to show your ministry to you. Not all believers will be another Billy Graham or Chuck Smith; many of us will simply be those ushers who welcome folks at our worship service, or those talented hands which prepare the food for our fellowships, those hands which clean the sanctuary after the service. There are so many ways to serve God and our fellow man.
And, many of us may simply be those Christian believers who, when we meet a stranger, will merely smile and say, "God bless you."
Who knows, one day you may meet that person who was a stranger, but is now a brother or sister, in heaven and he/she will say, "Thank you for the smile and the blessing you gave me. I needed it that day. It lifted my spirits that day and allowed me to seek the Lord."
In 2 Timothy 4:5, God, through the apostle Paul, admonishes us, "But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." So, you see, just like the man in the graphic below - I am quite wealthy! And, if you are a believer, SO ARE YOU!
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
I reminded her of something I have often shared. In my nearly 50 years in the computer industry, I have worked with a number of people who have become quite rich materially. You may know some of their names: Bill Gates and Paul Allen, who later started a small company named Microsoft. Paul Terrell, who founded the Byte Shop computer store chain. And there were a number of others who have done quite well, materially.
So, when folks ask me why, when I knew and worked with all those people - did they become materially wealthy, while I did not? I merely, and quite sincerely, tell them, "Today, I am exactly where God wants me to be."
"Bill, do you really believe that God wants you to be poor - while all of these other folks with whom you have worked - are wealthy?"
My response, "What do you call wealth?"
Like the man in the graphic below (posted by a Friend on Facebook), I have the greatest wealth a person in this mortal life can attain - eternal life in Christ, eternal salvation. What more could anyone ask?
And in addition to the promise of eternal life in the presence of God - over 25 years ago God gave me a Christian writing ministry, a ministry where I can share His Word, His Gospel, with people all over the world through my writing. Wow! What a bonus gift!
Actually, God has given each and every Christian believer a ministry. It is called the Great Commission and to paraphrase, it tells us to, "Go, make disciples, baptize them, TEACH them. . . Be His witnesses in ALL the world" (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8, Mark 16:15).
If you have not yet discovered your ministry, ask Him to show your ministry to you. Not all believers will be another Billy Graham or Chuck Smith; many of us will simply be those ushers who welcome folks at our worship service, or those talented hands which prepare the food for our fellowships, those hands which clean the sanctuary after the service. There are so many ways to serve God and our fellow man.
And, many of us may simply be those Christian believers who, when we meet a stranger, will merely smile and say, "God bless you."
Who knows, one day you may meet that person who was a stranger, but is now a brother or sister, in heaven and he/she will say, "Thank you for the smile and the blessing you gave me. I needed it that day. It lifted my spirits that day and allowed me to seek the Lord."
In 2 Timothy 4:5, God, through the apostle Paul, admonishes us, "But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." So, you see, just like the man in the graphic below - I am quite wealthy! And, if you are a believer, SO ARE YOU!
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
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