TRUSTING WITHIN SELF? WHAT SHALL I DO?
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
TRUST OURSELVES? WHAT SHALL I DO? CONSIDER RICH PAUPERS?
I read many years ago about a man. The man’s law firm had been very successful and made him millions of dollars. He was known in the political circles of his day. He was a friend to governors and community leaders. He and his beautiful wife built a huge mansion on a high hill and when people drove by they were very impressed. The bankers in the area knew him when he walked into the banks. He had fancy cars, Cadillacs, Mercedes, Corvettes, customized vans, all stored in huge garages behind his house. He and his wife had the best of everything. One day the lawyer’s beloved wife passed away and life was forever changed. The man had tasted success in every arena of life. But now he was getting older and he withdrew from society and became a hermit. He very rarely left the mansion on the hill. He seemed to have everything and yet he seemed to have nothing. He never talked to anyone and he never answered his phone. His nest egg of wealth grew and grew. He seldom was seen in town. The lawyer lost weight and became very frail. He was so concerned someone would steal his money or take advantage of him. So he lived an isolated life.
One terrible windy, cold and snowy day his next door neighbor and his wife were talking that there were no tracks in the snow and they were worried about the old man. So they called the local police for a wellness check. The old man never answered his phone so they dispatched two officers to the mansion. There was no response to the door bell and knocking. The officers looked in the windows and saw no signs of life. So they broke out a small window and went in to
search for the man. They found no food in the kitchen and the water pipes were frozen. After a brief search they found the frozen body of the old man under many blankets laying on top of the gas floor furnace. The man’s body was under the blankets. There was an investigation as to why the rich man froze to death.
The furnace was in good working order. The thermostat was turned as low as it would go. The propane gas tank was almost full. After much research it was recorded the man did not want to burn the expensive gas, so he lay on top of the furnace and let the heat from the pilot of the furnace and all the blankets covered him to keep him warm. The pilot was still burning, just the temperatures were so cold that the small flame and blankets could not keep him warm.
His bank saving accounts were maxed out at all the area banks. The man had everything. He was known by all the VIP’s. YET HE LIVED AS A PAUPER. HIS WEALTH WAS USELESS. HE DIED LIKE A POOR STREET PERSON UNDER A BRIDGE.
He had no family, no friends --- HE HAD EVERYTHING, YET HE HAD NOTHING… A POOR, POOR RICH MAN.
He could have helped the local churches and never missed a penny of his great wealth? He could have helped missions? He could have invested in education? HE DIED AS A POOR PAUPER? His deposits were worthless? His gloom and distrust made him a prisoner in his own home.
WHAT IS A PAUPER? WHO IS THE POOREST PERSON YOU KNOW?
PAUPER: A very poor person. A person that is destitute of means except derived from charity.
I WOULD SAY ONE OF THE POOREST PEOPLE ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH IS A PERSON THAT HAS NO HOPE.
Life has crushed them and destroyed not just their dream but their dreaming ability.
HE THOUGHT WITHIN HIMSELF…
WHAT AM I GOING TO DO? THEN WHOSE SHALL THOSE THINGS BE?
WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO ME? FOR WHAT SHALL I BE REMEMBERED?
What is covetousness? A feeling of strong desire for something you do not have that many others have.
Craving for possessions--- COLD HEARTEDNESS?
Luke 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. 16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
LET US CONSIDE THE REAL LESSONS OF POOR RICH PEOPLE? WHAT DOES THINKING WITHIN YOURSELF ACCOMPLISH?
1. TAKE HEED.
2. 2. BEWARE
3. ABUNDANCE OF POSSESSIONS
4. HAS PLENTIFUL
5. THOUGHT WITHIN HIMSELF
6. WHAT SHALL I DO?
7. I HAVE NO ROOM…
8. THIS I WILL DO…
9. PULL DOWN BARNS
10. BUILD GREATER…
11. MY FRUITS, MY GOODS…
12. SOUL YOU HAVE MUUCH GOODS LAID UP…
13. TAKE IT EASY…
14. EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRYREQUIRED OF THEE…
15. THEN, WHOSE SHALL YOUR STUFF BE…
16. LAYING UP YOUR TREASURE…
17. NOT RICH TOWARD GOD…
LET US GET REAL? CONSIDER: VALID CONCLUSIONS?
CAN WE FIND INVALID CONCLUSIONS WHEN WE TRUST IN OURSELVES?
VALID: reasonable, fair, acceptable, well grounded, justifiable, logical, sound.
INVALID: no foundation, no truth, not logical…
I cannot go to work?
Proverbs 22:13 The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.
The excuse of a lazy person is very real to them.
This man lives in Jerusalem, he needs to go to work. But he cannot go to work?
Why? A lion might just happen to be out there? If there is a lion out there, the lion might just see me? If the lion were to see me, the lion might eat me? Therefore I have a JUSTIFIABLE EXCUSE?
I CAN’T GO TO WORK!
HOW EASY MIGHT IT BE TO TRUST IN OURSELVES?
WE MIGHT ACCEPT THE VISIBLE, EXTERNAL NORM AND FORGET GOD’S LAW AND GOD’S ETERNAL NORMS.
We can RE-DEFINE THE RULES and thus think because everyone else might agree, this will be ACCEPTABLE TO GOD. Thus we establish a new NORM?
We can get to the point that we TRUST OURSELVES and our society’s re-definition.
Luke 18:9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are,extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
TRUST SELF?
THUS PRAY WITHIN SELF…???
WE MUST CONSIDER VALID THINKING AND INVALID THINKING?
WHAT IS THE BASIS FOR OUR THINKING? IS IT POSSIBLE TO REDUCE TRUTH TO WHAT I THINK?
CAN WE BECOME WHITEWASHED GRAVES?
Matthew 23:25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
LET US CONSIDER THE VALIDITY OF WHITE WASHED AND WASHED WHITE?
TO WHITE-WASH ONE JUST COVERS UP WHAT IS THERE.
OUR PRIORITY SYSTEM MUST FOCUS ON THE GOAL AND DREAM FORWARD…
MY FRIEND WE MUST FINISH THIS COURSE.
2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
Jude 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
WAKE UP ONE DAY? TAKE HEED: LLET US MAKE SURE TO FINISH OUR RACE.
Colossians 4:17 And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it.
Colossians 4:17 (MSG) And, oh, yes, tell Archippus, "Do your best in the job you received from the Master. Do your very best."
CONCLUSION: DID YOU KNOW, YOU JUST DON’T WAKE UP ONE DAY AND SAY TO YOURSELF: SELF, I THINK I WILL BE A SCHOOL TEACHER TODAY?
Well, I just woke up and I thought within myself, I think I will be a NASCAR DRIVER and go to the race track and jump into a million dollar car?
How about, I will say to myself: Hey, me, I think I will be a LAWYER, so you go to the courthouse and tell the judge, I am a lawyer?
I know… I will say to myself: I WOKE UP THIS MORNING AND DECIDED I REALLY WANT TO BE A DOCTOR. So you say: SELF, go to the operating room and do a transplant?
Never, can we forget to accomplish good goals, we must BE PREPARED.
Ready? Ready for what? Ready for anything? Our decisions require time, effort and a due process.
You don’t just wake up at 65 and say: I WILL RETIRE? You must invest wisely. MOST OF LIFE IS NOT SUCCESSFULLY ACCOMPLISHED WITHIN OURSELVES.
There are coming two days you can not avoid: DEATH and then THE JUDGMENT, when we shall give an account of our choices and decisions. The judgment will be by standards above our opinions and what we think within ourselves. BE READY FOR IN SUCH AN HOUR YOU THINK NOT.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
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