Last week we talked about the subject of money. It’s a topic that many of us can use more insight on…no doubt. So when I received a note from a colleague, I figured it was probably something I should share with everyone:
“It’s not about now is it? The Lord must be amazed to see how earthly minded we are. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addresses those things people conclude life is about. It reminds me of the old board game, Life. You amass fame, love, and wealth. The person with the highest total of these three wins the game. If you are low on love, just get more wealth. Jesus is trying to tell us that the real experience of life is about something else. Here on this earth, treasure comes and goes. If you are the wealthiest of men you may find yourself penniless by a governmental change. A turn in the financial markets may obliterate your fortune. Wealth here is certainly transitory at best. A hearse is never followed by a moving van. The Pharaohs tried that, and today their treasure sits in museums, a testimony to their folly.”
Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV) says:
“19Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
What a mistake to live for only the present. For those of us who are believers, life is not only about the moment, but about glorifying God and enjoying Him forever. Focusing on fame and fortune means our heart is set on the wrong thing. It means our faith is all but nonexistent and our vision is set on the passing things of this world. On what is our heart set? What are we living for? What do we spend our time doing?
Jesus does not speak to condemn us, but to awaken us to our true condition. When we see that our faith is so limited, and that we’re living for this world, it is a call to turn our focus to the eternal. May our treasure be found in Christ.
One of the perks of working for the Pizza Ranch Restaurant Support Center is that we get to eat food every so often. A few weeks ago, we had an opportunity to judge entries into our Great Ranch Cook Off. For this contest, employees and managers from our restaurants send in their own recipes for items. The entries get narrowed down based on recipes, then the top 8 get made, and the office staff get to choose their 3 favorites. Our Culinary Director, Nancy Jordahl, had an idea. Rather than just allowing the office staff to just eat, she charged admission. All items donated would be given to a local non-profit called The Bridge. The Bridge helps local women and children in need of transitional housing and assistance. As a team, we raised over $170 and 3 large boxes of goods for this group. Thank you Nancy for organizing this, and thanks to all at the Restaurant Support Center for donating to a good cause.
I’m a firm believer that food nourishes not only the body, but also the soul.
Your mission this week is to share your food with someone. This could mean making cookies for a neighbor or a shut in. It could be inviting someone over for dinner that would otherwise eat alone. It could just mean calling an old friend you haven’t seen for a while and going out for lunch. Take time this week to share food (and your heart) with someone around you.
Devotions today is on the topic of money. A subject that captivates our attention so often. Money can be, and is, such a major issue in our lives. Sometimes way too major. It’s no accident then that Scripture speaks of this subject so often. In our passage today, Paul was actually telling Timothy that it becomes a god for many. I’ve personally had to learn some tough lessons because I didn’t first seek the wisdom already provided in the Bible. These lessons are ongoing for all of us…no doubt.
It really comes down to what’s at the center of our life. If money, the desire for money, or the desire for gain is at the center of our life….then there will be negative consequences. If God is at the center of our life…our life will be full, our life will be blessed, and we’ll enjoy true riches. It’s really that simple. The question is…where are you and I on this topic?
Along with this, one does not have to be rich, to be putting money at the center. Many people who worship wealth aren’t even rich according to the worlds standards. Many of us struggle with money because we’re under the illusion that wealth will solve all our problems. It won’t.
1 Timothy 6: 9-10 says: “9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
On Sunday, May 5th, the town of Brandon, SD, held their 47th annual Loyalty Day Parade. The parade was not only led by a US Navy veteran and longtime resident of Brandon, but also featured the Brandon Pizza Ranch as the Loyalty Day Business of the Year. The Brandon Pizza Ranch, which opened in 1988, has been a pioneer, so to speak, in the Pizza Ranch chain in many ways. It was the first location to have a basketball court, and the first location to offer a daily buffet and out-of-town delivery. The Brandon Pizza Ranch also boasts they have the most seats in their restaurant in the chain: 424 seats.
Choosing the Brandon Pizza Ranch as the Business of the Year was a unanimous choice. They are a family favorite in the community, and they do so much for the community and for veterans. Thank you, Brandon Pizza Ranch, for the impact you’ve made. Congratulations on your award!
Webster defines it as “generous and friendly treatment of visitors and guests.”
It is usually pretty easy to show hospitality to friends or to those with whom we are familiar. But if you are like me, I often find it difficult to show hospitality to those I do not know.
The Bible addresses hospitality as a concern for those who are oppressed; care for orphans and the poor; love for the stranger.
Make it your goal this week to show hospitality to someone who most needs it.
- Someone who today needs reinforcement in the battle against loneliness
- Someone who needs to be asked out or asked in because they are alone
- Someone who seems to be on the outside
- Someone new who is different from you
God works through hospitality. And it can be as simple as taking someone out for a cup of coffee and listening to their story.
Last week we talked about the subject of money. It’s a topic that many of us can use more insight on…no doubt. So when I received a note from a colleague, I figured it was probably something I should share with everyone:
Subscribe via RSS Feed
Subscribe via Email
Follow Us on Twitter
Like us on Facebook
View us on YouTube
Visit us on LinkedIn