Thoughts

(Brad) In getting rid of our “stuff” we have been trying to decide what to do with it – sell it, give it to Goodwill or some other nonprofit organization, or simply give it away. At first my thinking was we could sell it but that would be very difficult and time consuming. My next thought was we could donate it to a nonprofit organization for which we could get a tax deduction. This would provide us with some money to put in savings to help pay for our son’s last year of college or be there for other needs that may arise. This seems reasonable, logical, and the smart thing to do. We would have some extra money for the unknown that may occur in the future. The giving away option didn’t seem a “good idea” because we would get no money for our emergency fund.

Also, we could sell our cars. Put the money into an account to buy a car for our kids in case one of their cars dies. Another reasonable, logical, smart thing to do. Don’t you think. Yea, me too.
Talking with Cindy we were discussing some people we know with needs and she starts listing all the stuff we can give these people including our cars. What??? What is she thinking??? Let’s be reasonable. Let’s be balanced about this. Think this through.

In Luke 12:22-34 Jesus goes through this long discussion with those following Him explaining we shouldn’t worry about what we will eat, where we will live, or what we will wear. Our priority should be to put God’s Kingdom first and God will take care of meeting our needs. Jesus then ends this discussion by saying “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

I don’t know about you but I think Jesus probably meant what He said. So I guess we will be giving most of our stuff away and trust God to provide for us when we have an unexpected need. Gotta stop reading that “Bible”. It’s really messing up my “balanced, logical, reasonable life.”

Besides I learned today that I’m rich and you probably are too. Did you know that if you make $37,000 or more a year you are in the top 4% of all wage earners in the world? If you make at least $45,000 a year you are in the top 1% of all wage earners in the world. Should we feel guilty about this? I don’t think so. We should feel grateful that God is allowing us to manage so much of His resources.