Grosey's Messages

Family Wisdom About Wealth Psalm 49        1 Timothy 6

MONOPOLY...Our first family fight..I was the Master of Monopoly in my family. I usually swept the table and won every time.  I cleaned up on Mayfair!    Lorelle and I had out first game a few weeks after getting married.  It was also our last game. It ended in tears. " I didn't know you were so mean!" 

It caused me to reeaxamine my heart about wealth.  Was I secretly a grasping covetous person?

Everyone here this  morning is rich. I don't care where you live or what you drive or how much money you have (or lack) in retirement funds, or even how much you owe. You're rich. You may feel poor, but that's only because you are comparing yourself to people who have a lot more than you have. Let me suggest you compare yourself instead with the hundreds of thousands of squatters who inhabit the largest slum in the world in Nairobi Kenya.  Or the one in Manila, homes built of scraps from the dump, sewage flowing openly in the dirt ruts that serve as streets, food scavenged from the garbage cans of the middle class.

What I'm suggesting is something you already know–wealth is a very relative thing. Therefore, whenever we read in the Scripture some exhortation about wealth, we must be very careful not to discard it too quickly on the basis that it doesn't apply to us because we're just middle class.

Psalm 49:1-5 Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me,   6 those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches?   7 Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life,  8 for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice,   9 that he should live on forever and never see the pit.  10 For he sees that even the wise die;  the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others.   11 Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they called lands by their own names.   12 Man in his pomp will not remain;  he is like the beasts that perish.   13 This is the path of those who have foolish confidence; yet after them people approve of their boasts. — Selah  14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; death shall be their shepherd, and the upright shall rule over them in the morning.  Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell.   15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. — Selah  16 Be not afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases.  17  For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him.  18 For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed—and though you get praise when you do well for yourself—  19 his soul will go to the generation of his fathers, who will never again see light.  20  Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.

Probably in family life, the greatest problem  is conveying a right sense about the issue of money.  Even in Christian homes, money can still be a major problem, both for them that have not, and for them that have.

View What You Have the Right Way

The prosperity of the godless was one of the great "enigmas of life" to the pious Jew, and it demanded a solution. Jeremiah wrestled with it when he dared to complain to God, "You are

 always righteous, O LORD, when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?"

(Jeremiah 12:1). Asaph also wrestled with the prosperity of the wicked in Psalm 73:1-5:

Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;    I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant    when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills.

Jeremiah and Asaph are concerned principally with the prosperity of the wicked. But what about the prosperity of those who are not particularly wicked–just too busy for God? Strangely, that is an issue that may cause us even more struggles. Here's why.

Psalm 49 is addressed to the righteous who are struggling with envy and jealousy toward those who are rich. At heart most of us in the West, even those of us who profess faith in Christ, are essentially materialistic. That is, we think more readily in terms of the material things we see rather than the spiritual realities we cannot see, and we have a strong inclination to trust wealth and what we can accomplish with it. Trust in riches is a persistent and universal problem. This Psalm was written to address it and to help us avoid the pitfalls associated with it.

There is a stark contrast between the present benefits and the ultimate liabilities of those who trust in riches. I think the best way to get a handle on this is to separate what the Psalmist tells us about wealth into two categories: the benefits and the liabilities. He doesn't try to tell us that wealth is worthless–we know better than that. But he does stress that benefits now need to be considered against the backdrop of liabilities later.

What are some of the present benefits of worldly wealth?

1. Prestige         The rich person's name is preserved. (11) A person's name is his most cherished possession. Meet someone at church who remembers your name the second time you are introduced and your estimation of that person increases exponentially. In many cultures fathers long for a son to carry on their name. Companies are named after their founders, buildings after their benefactors, ministries after their leaders.

The rich clearly have an inside track on preserving their names. Verse 11 speaks of how they tend to name lands after themselves. And not just lands, but also cars, foundations, universities, parks, etc. Just think of some of the names that have been preserved because of great wealth: Rockefeller Plaza, Carnegie Hall, Ford cars, Vanderbilt University, Hearst Castle, the Trump Towers, Busch Stadium. You will probably never find your own name (or mine) on a building or park.

Or a suburb, like Grose Vale, or Grose Wold, or….  Oh comeone.. its not named after me.  Who would want the name Grose anyway?  Why? Because we're too humble, right? No, because we're not rich! That's one of the present benefits of worldly wealth.

Position    Skill results in advancement and wider range of blessings

Proverbs 22:29 Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men.

2. Popularity   Hard work also results in authority and greater responsibility

Proverbs 12:24 Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor.

That's my interpretation of what the Psalmist is saying in verse 13 when he speaks of the rich man's followers who approve his sayings. There's no doubt whatever that the rich of this world have followers. Wealth attracts hangers-on like T.V. cameras attract politicians. I caught a program some time ago about the paparazzi who have created an entire industry of following movies stars around twenty-four hours a day–hoping to get a picture of them walking from their car into a store. Unbelievable. You and I have to go to a studio and pay to get somebody to take our picture. Granted, that attention is not all pleasant, but I definitely think most of the rich and famous prefer it to being ignored. But what is really amazing is how the rich are quoted. They are constantly being interviewed by the press, and they can speak on subjects of which they have no knowledge, and yet people will treat them like prophets–just because they're rich.

3. Possessions  The rich person own mansions and is able to add to them continually.

Downton Abby..  The staff alone to keep it operating costs $2 million a year. Obscene, you're thinking. Right? But let's be fair. There's not a one of us who wouldn't enjoy visiting these homes or even living in them, so long as we didn't have to pay the electric bill or do the windows. These homes are a benefit that is significant. One final present advantage of the rich mentioned by the Psalmist is this:

Pleasures   Desires are fulfilled  Proverbs 13:4 The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.

4. Praise   The rich person enjoys the praise of men. (18) See the parenthesis in verse 18— "men do praise you when you prosper." If you want to be noticed, if you want to be praised, if you want to be valued in this society, getting rich is the surest and quickest way. It's quicker than intelligence, quicker than good looks (if you're rich enough, you can be ugly and still very popular), and a whole lot quicker than godliness.

 Praise    A hard worker will be praised and rewarded    The virtuous wife:   Proverbs 31:13-18 She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. 14 She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. 15 She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls Proverbs 31:31 Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.       Those are some of the present benefits of worldly wealth. But that is not the whole story. The Psalmist also describes some of wealth's liabilities.

What are some of the ultimate liabilities of worldly wealth?

1. It generates self-confidence and pride. (6) Verse 6 speaks of "those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches." Of course, not every rich person trusts in his wealth, but the fact is indisputable that great wealth has a tendency to make us self-confident rather than God-confident. After all, you don't need to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread," if you're a billionaire or even a millionaire. Nor is every rich man full of pride, though one doesn't have to meet too many Donald Trumps to come to the conclusion that boastfulness is uniquely tempting for the filthy rich.

2. It cannot purchase exemption from death. (7, 8) Wealth can buy a lot of things.

Money can buy:      A bed but not sleep;  Books but not understanding;

Food but not an appetite;   Fashion but not beauty;

Admirers but not friends;      Toys but not enjoyment;

A house but not a home;      Medicine but not health;

Luxuries but not culture;        Fun but not happiness;           Religion but not salvation.

One of the most important things money cannot buy is exemption from death. Look at verses 7, 8 again: "No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him–the ransom for a life is costly (it really means priceless), no payment is ever enough–that he should live on forever and not see decay." Oh, it may be that a rich person can purchase better health care than the average person and thus, humanly speaking at least, prolong his life a little. But the fundamental position of Scripture is that our days are numbered by God before they start (Psalm 139:16), and no doctor can ultimately change that. It is patently obvious from mortality statistics that the rich as a class do not live any longer than the rest of us. Actually the opposite is probably the case.

3. Its owner must surrender his wealth when he dies. (10) The point of verse 10 seems to be that everyone–wise and foolish alike–dies and leaves his wealth to others. "How much did he leave?" is often the question when a person dies, but the answer is always the same, "Everything." But not only must we surrender it at death; we also lose all control of it. No matter how much effort a person expends in setting up wills and trusts, sometimes an estate goes to relatives who were purposely left out, and sometimes it ends up benefiting causes that the owner hated.

4. The only permanent piece of real estate a man can own is his own grave. (11)

Verse 11 is profound: "Their tombs will remain their houses forever, their dwellings for endless generations, though they had named lands after themselves." The rich may leave huge estates in their names, but the day after they die and for the rest of time, the only piece of real estate that belongs to them is a little plot approximately four feet by eight feet by six feet deep.

What a contrast between the present state and the ultimate state of those who trust in riches!

Here in this life they have name recognition, people treat them like royalty, they enjoy princely mansions, and they are praised by other people. But none of that will count for anything when the bell rings.

Proverbs 11:4 (ESV) Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.

Proverbs 11:28 (ESV) Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.

Psalm 49:12-14  "But man, despite his riches, does not endure; he is like the beasts that perish. This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings. Selah. Like sheep they are destined for the grave, and death will feed on them. The upright will rule over them in the morning; their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions."

This issue of eternity is pretty basic.  But the Bible says this life is not all that there is. God says that "in the morning" the books will be balanced. The power and prerogatives of wealth are all temporary. (12) Verse 12: "But man, despite his riches, does not endure."

2. Get What You Have the Right Way

1. Be Purposely Productive  

Genesis 2:15 (ESV) The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.                     What should characterize a Christian's work?

The ant is held out as a role model for us.  One of the most amazing creatures God ever made.  Ants never sleep; There are over one million ants for every single human being on earth!! Ants can lift over fifty times their body weight with their mouths, akin to you or I lifting a car.  All ants live in communities… colonies.  The largest ant colony ever found was located in Italy and northern Spain, and it stretched a total of 3600 miles, containing millions of nests and billions of ants.

Every ant has a specific function:  i) Soldier ants protect the rest of the colony from enemies  ii) Harvester ants store seeds for use as food; some of these ants chew the seeds and turn them into a kind of ant bread; others take out wet seeds to dry them in the sun iii) Weaver ants use their larvae, which produce silk thread to sew together leaves for shelters iv) Carpenter ants hollow out tree stumps for use as nests. v) Slave maker ants raid other ant colonies and carry off larvae; these slave ants then grow up to do the work of the colony

1. Initiative    Proverbs 6:6 (ESV) Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.

Proverbs 30:25 (ESV) the ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer;

Colossians 3:23 (ESV) Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,  24 (ESV) knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

2. Quality     Proverbs 6:7 (ESV) Without having any chief, officer, or ruler,  8  she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.

3. Energy  Proverbs 6:9  How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep?

Proverbs 26:13 The sluggard says, "There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!" 14 As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed. 15  The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth.  16  The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly.

4. Satisfaction  Proverbs 6:10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, 11  and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.

Proverbs 13:4  The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.

Work your fields and avoid fantasies           Proverbs 28:19 He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.

Application: get-rich-quick schemes… "impressions of the Holy Spirit"…

2.Be Earnestly Productive

Proverbs 13:11 (ESV) Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.      Proverbs 10:4 Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.

Proverbs 20:21 (ESV) An inheritance gained hastily in the beginning will not be blessed in the end.

Proverbs 23:4 (ESV) Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist.

Proverbs 24:27 Finish your outdoor work and get your fields ready; after that, build your house.

Ecclesiastes 10:10 If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success.

3.Be Honestly Productive. Proverbs 21:6 (ESV) The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death.

Proverbs 16:11 Honest scales and balances are from the LORD; all the weights in the bag are of his making.

Proverbs 14:23 All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

3. Use What You Have the Right Way

Proverbs 3:9 (ESV) Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce;

Proverbs 3:10 (ESV) then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.

Proverbs 11:24 (ESV) One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.

Proverbs 19:17 (ESV) Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his deed.

Matthew 6:33 (ESV) But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

The problem is not riches; it is riches without understanding. (20) Psalm 49:20: "A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish." Please understand this morning that Psalm 49 is not attacking wealth. Wealth no more makes a man wicked than poverty makes a man good. Riches can be a great blessing, and for some it is. I have known some relatively wealthy people who were extremely generous givers with servant attitudes and a heart for God. By using their gift of giving they became a great blessing to many, and to the Lord. There is not a word in this Psalm that disparages the godly rich who receive their wealth honestly, employ it righteously and generously, and even enjoy it humbly. But our Psalm does attack the attitude of self-sufficiency and the practice of conspicuous consumption so often associated with riches.

In Glen Innes the guy who lived next to the church was known as an old miser.  He had tirned power and water off at his house so not to pay bills. And all his houses, had become so run down that only rats lived in them.   One day the guys  in the church tried to clean up his house for him, and found some rats skinned in the fridge (no power remember) ready to cook.  His heart had become so calloused towards others he had no friends and no relationships. Just .. rats.. Money had got a hold of his head and his heart and separated him from everyone and everything. It was the saddest of existences of anyone I have every met.. Until he came to know the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus changed a hard calloused materialistic heart to someone prepared for eternity.

Don't be so foolish. Relax your grip on perishing treasures, don't be overawed by the wealth of others, place your hand in the hand of the One who died to save you from your sin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

C. Some Practical Wisdom on Work

IV. The Blessings and Purpose of Leisure

A. Rest Displayed and Commanded by God

Genesis 2:2-3 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

Exodus 20:8-11 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work

B. Rest "Sweet" to a Man of Wisdom

Proverbs 3:21-24 My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight… 24 when you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

C. BUT Too Much Sweetness Can Be Destructive

1. A command to eat honey

Proverbs 24:13 Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.

An ascetic life of harsh sternness is detrimental to the soul… so also a life of endless toil with no earthly blessings.  God WANTS us to enjoy the blessings of this life… but in MODERATION

All the blessings of life.  BCP.

2. A command not to OVEREAT honey

Proverbs 25:16 If you find honey, eat just enough-- too much of it, and you will vomit.

Proverbs 25:27 It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to seek one's own honor.

3. The danger of overeating… even the blessings become curses

Proverbs 27:7 He who is full loathes honey, but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet.

4. Proverbs on honey… literal, but MOSTLY SYMBOLIC!!

a. "Honey" represents blessings from God not essential to life

b. Leisure, recreation, entertainment, relaxation are all "honey"

c. The problem comes with OVERINDULGENCE

d. This is the whole problem with our present generation

i) It's not enough to have food… we have to eat to the level of gluttony

ii) It's not enough to have recreation… we have to play to the level of the frantic addict

iii) It's not enough to have a weekend, or a vacation in some pretty place… we become idolators and LIVE for the weekend and the vacation and HATE work

iv) It's not enough to watch a ballgame… we have to have cable stations that feed us sports 24-7!!!

v) All of this is HONEY consumed too much until we vomit!!

5. So it is damaging to LOVE PLEASURE

Proverbs 21:17 He who loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and oil will never be rich.

So… life should be a wise balance of diligent hard work and occasional rest and leisure…

To highlight this, and to show the danger of addiction to leisure, we have the SLUGGARD

V. The Shame and Destruction of Laziness

A. Introducing… the Sluggard!

1. He loves to sleep…

Proverbs 6:9-11 How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest-- 11 and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.

Proverbs 26:14 As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed.

2. He is filled with desires, dreams, and aspirations… but nothing ever comes of it, because he is completely UNWILLING TO WORK to make any of it happen.

Proverbs 13:4 The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.

Proverbs 21:25 The sluggard's craving will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work.

3. The sluggard is constantly making excuses for his laziness… even if the excuses are ridiculous

Proverbs 22:13 The sluggard says, "There is a lion outside!" or, "I will be murdered in the streets!"

4. The level of the laziness can reach ridiculous, epic proportions

Proverbs 26:15 The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.

Just picture this man, still living at home with his parents at age forty, sleepy from his afternoon nap, turning to his mommy who has cooked him another home-cooked meal, asking her if she'll cut up his food and feed it to him!! That's how pathetic and disgusting laziness can become.

5. The sluggard creates immense frustrations for all who rely on him.

Proverbs 10:26 As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is a sluggard to those who send him.

You're standing around a campfire; the wood you used is green, sappy, pine logs… the fire is extremely smoky… and it seems no matter where you stand, the wind changes direction to blow the smoke right into your eyes… it stings, it blinds you, it is extremely annoying. That's what it's like to send a sluggard to do anything!

A boss chooses an employee to bring some drawings to a vendor for manufacture… the vendor says if he can get the drawings by ten in the morning, he can turn the parts around by 4:00 that afternoon; the young man takes the drawings, gets in the company truck, and drives off… but little did the boss know that the man was a SLUGGARD!!! As soon as he drives off the lot, he goes over to his favourite  coffee shop… he reasons that he won't get a coffee break like the rest of the guys, so he grabs the opportunity; an hour later, the man shows up at the vendor with the drawings… but the vendor is the best in the state, constantly busy… he had assumed when he didn't get the drawings right away the company had changed its mind and didn't need the parts ASAP after all… the drawings get put in a stack along with all the other parts needing to be made… at 4:30, the boss calls the vendor and asks where the parts are… the resulting conversation is frustrating for BOTH parties… and all because the messenger was a SLUGGARD.

6. The sluggard misses opportunities and makes excuses about it

Proverbs 20:4 A sluggard does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing.

Amazing… when it was time to plow, he wasn't there… perhaps he was asleep; plowing time is a window of opportunity, and that window closes at a certain point Even more amazing… he still looks for a harvest, even though he missed the planting season by a month or more.

So it goes in the life of the sluggard… "A day late and a dollar short"

And always blaming someone else for his own laziness… ultimately even blaming the Lord:

"How could you let something like this happen to me?"

Proverbs 19:3 A man's own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the LORD.

7. The sluggard starts projects, but doesn't finish them:

Proverbs 12:27 A sluggard does not roast his prey, but the precious possession of a man is diligence.

8. Basically, the sluggard fights his laziness at every turn in the road, and therefore he leads a very difficult life despite the fact that every decision he makes is motivated by EASE and COMFORT for himself

Proverbs 15:19 The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway.

This is a man who can't find his passport when he wants to travel; who puts off calling his roommate from college when he heard that his father had died… and as a result loses some of his relationship with him. This is a man who buys a white dress shirt because he can't find his other one, and he needs it today… then finds the other one a week later.

Every single issue of his life is made difficult because of his IMMENSE LAZINESS… the fact that he NEVER denies his flesh for one moment, blocks his whole life in every way He procrastinates … He burns relationships… He burns opportunities… He is frustrated, bitter, listless, immobile.

Basically he is a SLAVE to his own sense of comfort and ease.

9. Yet for all of this, he still has a HIGH OPINION of himself

Proverbs 26:16 The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly.

B. The Results of Laziness: A Shameful Display

Proverbs 24:30-34 I went past the field of the sluggard, past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment; 31 thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. 32 I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: 33 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest-- 34 and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.

C. So What's Wrong with a Little Sleep?

1. Many warnings against sleep

Proverbs 6:9-11 How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest-- 11 and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.

Proverbs 10:5 He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.

Proverbs 19:15 Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless man goes hungry.

2. Sleep in some cases is seen to be a BLESSING from God.

Psalm 127:2 [the Lord] grants sleep to those he loves.

Ecclesiastes 5:12 The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much.

3. Jesus Himself fell asleep in a storm… so sleep itself is not evil.

4. The real issue: LOVE of sleep   "oh bed I love the well!" 

Proverbs 20:13 Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare.

D. Summary: A Sluggard is someone who gluts himself on rest, leisure, pleasure, comfort… the result is an ever-increasing addiction to these things, and a shameful resistance to any hard work… his life is OVERGROWN WITH WEEDS.

VI. Application s

A. Rest in the Finished Work of Christ on the Cross.

1. Workaholism makes too much of our own labours.

2. Our own works can never pay for our sins… it is dust in the wind

3. The only ETERNAL value of our work is in Christ "Only one life, 'twill soon be past… only what's done for Christ will last."

B. Live for the Grand Overarching Work of the Kingdom of God "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you as well." 1 Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

C. Learn the Practical Lessons of Proverbs

1. Daily life is to be filled mostly with productive labor

2. Study these proverbs to learn these lessons

3. Don't despise the menial tasks of the day… a life worth living is made up of garbage taken out, bills paid on time, lawns mowed, gardens weeded, socks repaired, shirts ironed, thank you notes written, cars washed, groceries bought, meals cooked, children bathed and put to bed, etc.

4. Don't despise this hard working life

D. Beware the Recreation Crazed Culture we Live in

E. Teach your Children to Labor… not be Addicted to Recreation!!!

F. Don't Procrastinate or like a Sluggard… Do Today's Tasks Today

 

"Monopoly? It all goes back in the box." Jon said, "What do you mean? This is the greatest day of my life!"