The Game Of Life

“The Game Of Life”

Intro

Every one of us, who are here today, are obviously alive. And although that’s true, each one of us are living our lives in very different ways. Some of us are simply going along with whatever comes our way & we call that “life.” But on the other hand, some of us are taking things much more seriously & we’re making things happen rather than waiting for things to happen to us!

Lewis Grizzard once said, “Life is like a dog-sled team. If you ain’t the lead dog, the scenery never changes.”

John Lennon once said, “Life is what happens while you’re making other plans.”

A husband & wife were celebrating their thirtieth wedding anniversary & their sixtieth birthdays at the same time. After all of the guests left & they were cleaning the kitchen a genie suddenly appeared. He told them that they both had one wish & the wife quickly spoke up & said, “I want to travel the world!” Immediately she was holding plane tickets, boat tickets, taxi transfers & a fistful of cash. Her husband then said, “I wish I was married to a woman thirty years younger than me!” And immediately he was ninety years old!

1. The Myth of Life

In the game of LIFE, that many of us have played, the rules imply that life is all about the accumulation of money, possessions & stuff. In fact, the rules actually say that the object of the game is to “collect money & LIFE tiles & have the highest dollar amount at the end of game.”

Money can buy a house, but it can’t buy a home. Money can buy a bed, but it can’t buy you any sleep. Money can buy a clock, but it can’t buy you more time. Money can buy food, but it can’t buy you an appetite. Money isn’t everything! Therefore, if you have too much money, please send it to me!

Luke 12:15 NKJV says, “Jesus said to them, ‘Beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.’”

Luke 12:15 Good News Bible says, “Jesus said, ‘Watch out and guard yourselves from every kind of greed; because a person’s true life is not made up of the things he owns, no matter how rich he may be.’”

Luke 12:15 The Living Bible says, “Jesus said, ‘Beware! Don’t always be wishing for what you don’t have. For real life and real living are not related to how rich we are.’”

Jesus made it clear when He said that true life, real life does not depend on the amount of stuff you have!

Most of us learn how to handle our finances from our parents, by reading books, by attending financial seminars or from a financial advisor that a friend recommended. Unfortunately, the last place some of us would ever think to look for wisdom in handling our finances is the Bible. But, the reality is that the Bible has over 2,350 verses that deal with money, possessions & stewardship.

Luke 16:8 Speaking about money, Jesus said, “The children of this world are wiser than the children of light.”

Jesus taught more about money, possessions & stewardship than He taught about heaven, hell, faith, grace or any other subject other than love. In fact, 2/3 of His parables addressed the subjects of money, possessions & stewardship.

Ecclesiastes 5:10-11 The Living Bible says, 10“He who loves money will never have enough. The foolishness of thinking that wealth brings happiness! 11The more you have, the more you spend, right up to the limits of your income. So what is the advantage of wealth except perhaps to watch it as it runs through your fingers!”

Bob & Frank crashed their private plane on a deserted island & both survived. Bob ran all over the island to see if they had any chance of survival. When he returned, he rushed up to Frank & screamed, “This island is uninhabited, there’s no food & there’s no water! We’re going to die!” Frank leaned back against the plane, folded his arms, & said, “We’re not going to die. I make $250,000 a week.” Bob grabbed him & said, “There’s no food, no water & we’re going to die!” Frank said, “We’re not going to do! I make $250,000 every week!” Bob said, “I’m telling you we’re doomed! There’s no one else on this island, there’s no food & there’s no water! We’re going to die!” Frank calmly said, “Don’t make me say this again. I make $250,000 a week & I tithe. I promise you, my pastor will find us before Sunday!”

Matthew 6:21 Contemporary English Version says, “Your heart will always be where your treasure is.”

God moves things to us so He can move things through us. He wants us to be a river of His blessings & not a reservoir.