“The United States has just 5 percent of the world’s population but consumes 30 percent of the world’s resources.”

A thought by Darren Whitehead, Jon Tyson and Bill Hybels, (2011-07-19) from their book, Rumors of God: Experience the Kind of Faith You´ve Only Heard About (p. 29). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

I am reading the Gospel of Matthew right now in the Message paraphrase. There are some things Jesus says in chapter 10 that speak to this situation.

Jesus says, “Be content – please.” That would help wouldn’t it? We maybe wouldn’t need to consume so much. We could maybe give some that we have to those who really need.

He also says, “Don’t think that I have come to make life cozy.” But isn’t that what life is all about? I mean I work so that I will be cozy. I need that comfortable house, that comfortable chair, that comfortable bed. Isn't that what life is all about? I wonder..

Here’s another one. “If you don’t go all the way with me, through thick or thin, you don’t deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself.” But that is my first concern. I need to take care of me and mine. Isn’t that my responsibility? He then says, “But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me.”

Somehow we need to see life from His perspective. We don’t think so but we who live in the USA really do have it good. Our poverty level is way about the rest of the world. There is a reason why people do everything they can to get to the USA. But our good life has a responsibility attached to it. God doesn’t give to us for us. He gives to us so we can give.

He also said in this chapter, “You have been treated generously, so live generously.”

Are you a Christ-follower? Then are you giving like it?

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“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle? Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...

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“Sometimes we think we’re stuck simply because things are hard.”

A thought by Matt Perman, from his book, How to Get Unstuck (p. 52). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the That is a possible trap for many, isn’t it? Matt says, “But if you’re continuing to make progress and aren’t experiencing huge snags, you’re not stuck. Rather, you’re in a dip. “A dip is a temporary hard slog that you will get through if you keep pushing and don’t give up. And pushing through the hard slog is actually the fastest route to the destination. In these cases, you will be especially tempted to bail. Be discerning and able to identify that you’re in a legitimate dip and you’re not a failure.” Matt says another trap to be careful of, “Some people are stuck and don’t know it.” He goes on, “Everything can be going your way, going smoothly, and going quickly. Everything feels and seems wonderful. Yet... you are still headed toward a dead end, a form of getting stuck, if you are leaving God out of t...

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