FIRST
FIRST
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:28-34)
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This is a lesson on priorities.
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We need two things for our earthly bodies to survive: (1) We need something to eat. (2) We need something to protect us from the weather.
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We should, however, give priority to our soul. Our soul, of course, is more important than our bodies! “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26)
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We must therefore give a priority to our soul! We must “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” believing that God will give us what we need to take care of our earthly bodies. •
“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24)
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The choice is clear! We either trust God Who is Spirit, or we trust money that is physical! •
If we trust God we will seek Him first and give Him the top priority in out life. We will love Him with “all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength” (Mark 12:30).
PAUL’S INSPIRED ADVICE TO TIMOTHY
“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1 Timothy 6:6-10)
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Timothy was a young man whom Paul considered his true son in the faith (1 Timothy 1:2). •
If Timothy had “food” and “clothing” he should be content! If he wanted to get rich he was exposing himself to a trap of the devil! The quest for money can lead us to “many foolish and harmful desires”.
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We brought nothing into the world when we were born, and we will take nothing from the earth when we die.
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Please note that “money” is not the root of all kinds of evil. It is the “love of money” that is the root of all kinds of evil.
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It is not wrong to “have” money. “Remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.” (Deuteronomy 8:18).
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It is, however, wrong to “trust” in money (Proverbs 11:28; Mark 10:24).
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Mary the mother of John Mark was apparently a rich woman with a large house and a servant (Acts 12:12-13). She did not sell her house as other did (Acts 4:34-37). Instead she dedicated her house to the Lord and invited “many” to assemble there and pray.
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Money given in the name of the Lord is not lost, it is sent to our own bank account in heaven: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)
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The way we invest our worldly wealth can provide for us eternal rewards (Luke 16:9).
LEARNING LESSONS FROM LOT
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Lot was the son of Haran and the nephew of Abram (Genesis 11:31). Lot traveled with Abram to Canaan and they brought with them “all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran.” (Genesis 12:4-5)
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Both Abram and Lot were rich! “Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. And quarreling arose between Abram’s herders and Lot’s. And the Canaanites and Perizzites we also living in the land at that time.” (Genesis 13:5-7)
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Abram gave Lot a choice: “So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives. Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.” (Genesis 13:8-9)
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Lot chose to seek first earthly riches: “Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. Now the people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord.” (Genesis 13:10-13)
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So Lot took all of his wealth, possessions, flocks, herds, and servants and “pitched his tents toward Sodom.”
THE SINS OF SODOM
Yes! The city of Sodom was guilty of sexual sins. Paul made reference to their kind of life style in his letter to Rome: “God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.” (Romans 1:26-27)
But this was not their only sin. Among their many other sins Ezekiel confronted Jerusalem with her detestable practice of oppressing the poor. In doing so he compared Jerusalem to Sodom. Their life styles were so similar that he called Sodom their “sister”: “‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the
poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.” (Ezekiel 16:49-50).
Please consider: “He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to the rich – both come to poverty.” (Proverbs 22:16)
Remember! “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” (1 Timothy 6:9)
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After Lot separated from Abram he “pitched his tent toward Sodom (Genesis 12:12). •
Soon, however, Lot was living in Sodom sitting in the gateway of the city (Genesis 19:1). •
It was customary for the elders of the city to gather at the gate of the city and conduct business (Ruth 4:1-12). Lot was apparently one of the leaders in Sodom.
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When God destroyed Sodom “he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men. For that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard.” (2 Peter 2:7-8) •
Remember! There were not even ten righteous people in Sodom (Genesis 18:32).
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The devil set a trap for Lot, but God sent angels to deliver him out of that that trap (Genesis 19:1).
LOT’S RICHES
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Remember! Jesus warned about laying up treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal (Matthew 6:19). This is what had happened to Lot! His riches were stolen!
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Four kings from the east came and “The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away. They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions since he was living in Sodom.” (Genesis 14:11-12)
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“A man who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshkol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram. When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.” (Genesis 14:13-16)
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Even though Lot and his possessions were rescued, his “ownership” of his earthly possessions was only temporary. When God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah Lot lost all of his earthly possessions.
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Our “ownership” of earthly possessions is also only temporary.
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When we die we will leave all of our earthly possessions behind us!
REMEMBER LOT’S WIFE
When Jesus comes again our earthly possessions will have absolutely no value. It will be like it was in the days of Noah. Everyone outside of the ark died and their earthly possessions were completely destroyed. Those inside of the ark did not have room for earthly possessions.
Jesus explained His second coming with these words: “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.” (Genesis 17:26-36)
Many women are mentioned in the Bible but we are only commanded to remember one. We are to “Remember Lot’s wife.”
Here is her story: “With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished.”When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them. As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!” But Lot said to them, “No, my lords, please! Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can’t flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I’ll die. Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it—it is very small, isn’t it? Then my life will be spared.” He said to him, “Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. But flee there quickly, because I cannot do anything until you reach it.” (That is why the town was called Zoar.) By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens. Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.” (Genesis 19:15-26)
There is an old story about the man who asked a woman to marry him. He told her she was the most beautiful woman in the world and promised that that she would only marry him he would be the happiest man in the world and always be true to her. She replied: “Why would you make such promises to me? My sister is much more beautiful than I am and she is standing right behind you.” When the man quickly turned around he was shocked to see one of ugliest women he had ever seen. He turned back and said: “You lied to me. Your sister is not beautiful”. She replied: “And you lied to me. If you really loved me like you said you did, you would not have turned around and looked.”
Salvation involves keeping your eyes on Jesus! When Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness salvation depended upon looking at that serpent (Numbers 21:8-9). When Peter kept his
eyes on Jesus he could walk on the water. When he took his eyes off Jesus he began to sink (Matthew 14:29-30). Jesus warned: “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)
We are not told why Lot’s wife looked back. We can imagine, however, that it involved her earthly wealth. As we have said, even before moving to Sodom Lot was rich and owned many flocks, herds, and tents (Genesis 13:5). In Sodom, however, Lot’s wife lived in a house (Genesis 19:2). This was obviously more comfortable than a tent. She still had servants who cared for their flocks and herds and undoubtedly also had servants who also cleaned her house and cooked her food. Perhaps she had expensive furniture, clothing, and jewelry. Regardless, however, against the specific warning of the angels, she looked back and died. Her body was not buried by man, but left on top of the ground where it became a pillar of salt.
THE WARNING OF JESUS IS APPROPRIATE! REMEMBER LOT’S WIFE!
REMEMBER ALSO HETTY GREEN
Hetty Green is another woman we need to remember. Hetty was born November 21, 1834, and died July 3, 1916. At the time of her death she was the richest and most detested woman in America. She is listed in The Guinness Book of World Records as the “World’s Greatest Miser.” This is a British reference book published annually. It lists world records of human achievements and extremes in the natural world. It was the brain child of Sir Hugh Beaver and was co-founded in London in 1955 by twin brothers, Norris and Ross McWhirter.
The Green family fortune began in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1624 with one black cow. By the time Hetty was born, however, the family’s wealth had grown to a six million dollar estate. Her father, known as Edward “Black Hawk” Robinson, sat her on his knees and taught her how to read the stock market reports when she was only five years old. Hetty’s shrewd investing as an adult grew the fortune to over $100,000,000. (This would equivalent to $2.7 billion in today’s currency)
In 1865 Hetty’s aunt Sylvia passed away leaving a two million dollar estate. Hetty was involved in a lengthy legal battle seeking to get her hands on the money. Apparently Hetty was not always honest and was accused of forging signatures on her deceased aunt’s will. Hetty was married on July 11, 1867 and she and her new husband fled to London to avoid being charged for forgery. Her husband was a 44 year old millionaire named Edward Henry Green. They lived in the Langham Hotel and their two children were born in London. Her son Ned was born August 23, 1868, and her daughter Sylvia was born January 7, 1871. The family returned to America in October 1873.
Here are some things about Hetty that earned her the honor of being the World’s Greatest Miser.
- She saved money on food by eating crackers and cold oatmeal.
- She also saved money by not using hot water.
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She spent almost nothing on clothes. She owned only one dress at a time. She wore the same dress until it was completely worn out.
- Because her dress was black she became known as the “Witch of Wall Street.”
- Some say that she also did not change her underwear until they wore out.
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In spite of her vast fortune when her son Ned had an infected leg she searched in vain for a free clinic to treat him. She waited so long to have her son treated that his leg had to be amputated.
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She lived the last 20 years of her life with a painful hernia because she refused to spend $150 on surgery. She relieved the pain by placing a stick over the hernia and binding it to her body with rags.
- She once searched half the night trying to find a 2 cent postage stamp she has lost.
- She carried all of her files and documents in two large bags to keep from hiring a secretary.
- She slept with a chain of bank-deposit keys around her waist and a gun tied to her hand.
- How much did she leave when she died? SHE LEFT IT ALL!
- Money is a good servant, but a poor master!
- The “love of money” is the root of all kinds of evil!
GOD IS A JEALOUS GOD!
HE LOVES US SO MUCH THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON TO SAVE US!
HE HAS PROMISED THAT IF WE SEEK HIM FIRST HE WILL CARE FOR ALL OUR NEEDS!
WHEN WE DIE WE WILL LEAVE ALL OF OUR EARTHLY POSSESSIONS BEHIND!
DEATH, HOWEVER, WILL NOT SEPARATE US FROM JESUS!
JESUS WILL NEVER LEAVE US OR FORSAKE US!
LET US SEEK HIM FIRST!