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Matt. 6:19-21 - "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. NASU
How do we make sense then of what Jesus said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,…" If we don't store up treasures on earth how will we ever retire? What Jesus is trying to teach His disciples is NOT TO TRUST in our riches or wealth. The reason we don't want to trust in them is because of what can happen to them. They can be destroyed by moths or rust can corrode the buried coins and yes they can even be stolen from us. Look what just happened to everyone's 401k's because of the collapsing of the stock market. Look what is happening to your cash as inflation is at an all time high.
We are permitted to be wise like an ant but we are directed to NOT TO TRUST in our wealth. We are to trust in GOD.
Guess what God can do the same thing. He can give you a breakdown of where your heart is by how you spend your time and money. Where your heart is that is where your treasures will be and vice-versa. So choose wisely my friend. Think About This: There are two ways of being rich. One is to have all you want and the other is to be satisfied with what you have. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word
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1 Thes. 5:18 - "…in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." NASU
Tomorrow is the day that has been set aside for us to give thanks for all the blessings we have been given by God. I am sure we do not wait until this one day of the year to give thanks.
When people say to me they want the "Will of God" to be done in their lives I say to them be "thankful" and you will be doing the Will of God. They always get this strange look on their face and say, "I am thankful, but you know, I really want to do the Will of God." I tell them, according to the Apostle Paul, if you are "thankful" in everything you will be doing the Will of God.
Instead of me answering that question since I have never had one of my children die I quote a man who was familiar with the death of a child. In fact, he lost 10 children in one disastrous day. Job's wife even wanted him to curse God for what had happened to their family. Job 2:9-10 - Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!" But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips. NASU Job had lost his 10 children, all his animals, his herds or in other words, his wealth, but Job's ATTITUDE guides his BEHAVIOR. He didn't sin by saying things that he would later regret. Job wasn't "thankful" for the death of his children or the loss of his wealth, but his attitude was he would accept good from God, and now that adversity had come into his life he would accept it as well. Many times in life we have to accept things that we don't like.
We must wait upon the Lord and in time once the pain has decreased some we will start to allow God to give us the answers to the trials we face. Job's attitude guided his behavior. The scripture says, "In all of this Job did not sin with his lips." In other words, he didn't curse God and ask to die.
If you do a little inspection of your life you will find you have more to give thanks for than you might realize. Develop an attitude of thankfulness and you will never regret it. Think About This: It isn't what you have in your pocket that makes you thankful, but what you have in your heart. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word 1 Sam. 17:37 - And David said, "The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." NASU
He now proclaims very emphatically his belief in God and God will deliver him from Goliath. I am pretty sure we all know the story's outcome. David goes out and he defeats Goliath, but it all started with David's faith in God's deliverance and protection.
King Saul becomes jealous of David and tries unsuccessfully to kill him. One night as David was being hunted by King Saul David sneaks into Saul's camp while the king was sleeping and stole his spear and water jug. Once he is safely outside the camp he yells and wakes up the king and his men. He lets Saul know if he had wanted to he could have killed him minutes ago. The reason David didn't kill the king was he highly valued his life. He finishes his communication with the king by saying, "…so may my life be highly valued in the sight of the Lord, and may He deliver me from all distress." It has been years since David killed Goliath and he is still displaying his faith and trust in God here in his communication with king Saul when he says, "and may He (The Lord) deliver me from all distress."
1 Sam. 27:1 - Then David said to himself, "Now I will perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines. Saul then will despair of searching for me anymore in all the territory of Israel and I will escape from his hand." Really! Are you kidding me? Is this the same David that went after Goliath, killed him because he knew God would deliver him, and now he is afraid of King Saul? What is going on in David's life? David was losing his trust in God's protection and starting to fear for the safety of his life. He had grown weary from the trials of life. He forgot God had Samuel anoint him as the next king after Saul. This is a clear sign your faith is faltering when you are losing your trust in God's protection and you're forgetting His promises. What is the solution to this problem? The solution is doing what David did when going to fight Goliath remember what God has already done for you. David remembered the victories over the lion and the bear. David needed to remind himself of all the victories he had with God's help. You and I must remember the victories God has already given us and He will deliver us as He has done in the past. God is FAITHFUL. We must continue to read His Word and in so doing strengthen our faith. Think About This: God promises a safe landing but not a calm voyage. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Gen. 5: 3-5 - When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth. 4 Then the days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he had other sons and daughters. 5 So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died. NASU
Adam's son Seth is listed next, then Enosh, then Kenan, then Mahalalel and as we read we will find it ends with Noah and his three sons Shem, Ham and Japheth.
Charlie was the father of Marlene, Elaine and Faye and he lived 98 years and died, If we were writing his obituary like the Bible did that is pretty much all it would say. BUT, this is not the Bible this is Serago's Pump Ups and being the owner I get to write whatever I want.
Charlie believed in education and graduated in 1943 from David Anderson HS. He would next serve in the US Navy during WWII. Protecting America was important to him. Once back home from the war Charlie would go to work for Ohio Edison for the next 39 years of his life.
A book could be written about all of the life lessons Charlie taught all the boys on that team. One of the greatest lessons he taught all of us was everybody has a bad day. We were playing a team that had a really good pitcher, but on this day he didn't have his best stuff. We were really hitting his pitches and scoring runs this day. The bad thing for the pitcher was his dad was the assistant coach. This dad screamed at and belittled his son in front of everyone. Charlie guaranteed us we never would be treated like that and we never were. He also emphasized the point that we all have bad days you accept them and move on to the next one. You don't let one bad day define you. I could list a lot lessons like treat everyone with respect even your opponents. When you come to the ballpark you give it your best, be ready to play, but just giving it your best doesn't guarantee you will always get on base or win the game. It is okay to steal in baseball (the bases) but not in life. Charlie was the type of coach every kid should have in life. The one moment I remember most about Charlie was when he came up to me, kneeled down while I was in the batting circle and he very calmly looked me in the eyes and said, "We need you on base." Wow! What a motivational speech that was. I was needed. I did get on base and got a smack on the butt from my coach and these words "you know what to do next". Yeah, I knew it was time to steal second base. Charlie was the constant encourager.
Thanks Charlie. You were a lot of things to a lot of people but to me you will always be my best coach EVER. Think About This: When God measures a man, He puts the tape around his heart not his head. Charlie had a huge heart. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word John 1:19-23 - This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ." They asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" And he said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." Then they said to him, "Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?" He said, "I am A VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, 'MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD,' … NASU
John the Baptist knew who he was and if you want to have a better life I highly recommend this pathway for a better life. Know who you are. John wasn't the Christ nor was he Elijah or any of the other prophets. He was completely satisfied with being the "Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness." Don't try to be anyone else. Just be yourself and the best way to be yourself is by knowing who you are.
Maybe you heard: "You will never amount to anything, or You don't have a lick of sense do you? or Why can't you be like …?" It has been said, "It is easier to build up a child, than repair an adult. Choose your words wisely." I read about Steven Spielberg's life and found one part rather amusing. He applied and was denied entrance twice into the prestigious film school at USC. He later applies and is accepted at Cal State University in Long Beach. He graduates from CSU and goes on to direct some of the movie industries' biggest blockbusters. What I found really amusing is in 1994 USC gave him an honorary doctorate degree. The same school that said in essence: "You are not good enough to attend here." gave him an honorary doctorate.
He was given a goal to accomplish and this is what motivated him. What is your goal? The greatest blessing you can give yourself is a goal. So, what is your goal? Let me ask you this one question, "Who Are You?" You must answer this question. You need to tell yourself in very positive affirmations who you are. It is imperative that you have a positive mental attitude about yourself. Now go and do great things for the Lord, yourself and others. Think About These: It is your Attitude not your Aptitude that determines your Altitude. Some people entertain ideas; others put them to work. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word |
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