The old preacher was dying. He sent a message for his doctor and his lawyer, both church members, to come to his home. When they arrived, they were ushered up to his bedroom. As they entered the room the preacher held out his hands and motioned for them to sit, one on each side of his bed.
The preacher grasped their hands, sighed contentedly, smiled and stared at the ceiling. For a time, no one said anything. Both the doctor and lawyer were touched and flattered that the preacher would ask them to be with him during his final moments. They were also puzzled; the preacher had never given them any indication that he particularly liked either of them. They both remembered his many long, uncomfortable sermons about greed, covetousness and sinful behavior that made them squirm in their seats.
Finally, the doctor said, “Preacher, why did you ask us to come?” The old preacher mustered up his strength, then said weakly, “Jesus died between two thieves…and that’s how I want to go.”
We’re all going somewhere. Do you know where?
Tags: greed, heaven, humor
It was the first day back to school after Christmas vacation and the teacher was not ready for school and was not overly prepared. She used a good bit of the morning by going around the room and asking each child to tell how he or she spent Christmas.
The first boy said, “Well, we are Catholics and we went to midnight Mass and came home and went right to bed. The next morning we had a big breakfast and sat around the Christmas tree and opened all our presents.”
The second child then told her experience. “We are United Methodists but we did about the same thing. We went to the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service and came home and went to bed We had a big Christmas breakfast and then opened all our presents.”
The third child then said, “Well, we aren’t Christians. But we did have a big breakfast and opened presents around the tree. Then we all got into the car and went downtown to my dad’s department store. He showed us all the empty shelves. He showed us all the money. Then we made a circle around the cash register, joined hands, and sang, ‘What a friend we have in Jesus’.”
Tags: Christmas, greed
In 1991, quite a stir was caused when James Peterson released his book, The Day America Told the Truth: What People Really Believe About Everything That Really Matters. He posed a question that really caught everyone’s eye: “What are you honestly willing to do for ten million dollars?” Here are his incredible results:
25% of Americans would abandon their family.
23% would become a prostitute for a week.
16% would renounce their citizenship.
7% would kill a stranger.
4% would have a sex change operation.
What would you do for ten million dollars?
Tags: greed
Have you ever heard someone say, “The grass looks greener on the other side of the fence”? Of course, we know that means that what someone else has looks better until we get there. It also says that the beholder is not satisfied with where he is, but must always look for greener grass elsewhere.
I’ve known men who were always looking for better women, always searching for the better job, never content with what God has given them. I’ve also known women who were never content with their house or car, always hopping from church to church, always searching for greener grass. They thought the grass was greener on the other side until they got there.
Someone once said, “If you think that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, it is probably because you are not properly caring for the grass on your own side.”
My Bible says, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have” (Hebrews 13:5a).
Tags: coveting, greed, money