Love of money..

Hey. I just woke up about an hour ago after a 4 hour nap... waaahh, enak ya!! (translation: ohh nice aye!). Thought I should update now coz otherwise I won't have anymore time. My exams are next week and I feel unprepared.. even though I studied all day yesterday. So I'll be busy this week. Getting kinda nervous because HSC starts in a few weeks. But.. guess it's a comfort to me that no matter what happens, God is in control and he has everything planned. But.. I'm still gonna give it my best, coz if I don't then I'll feel like well... I haven't given it my best. If I try my best and still don't get into the course I want.. then it's just God's plan aye.

The talk at One Way was really good today. We had a guest speaker, Tim Hu (dunno how to spell it). He just finished his PHD so technically, you could call him Dr Hu (pronounced like "who") now. Yes ha ha very funny. Anyway, he was a really good speaker; spoke faithfully, was funny, and straightforward. The talk was about Money! Passage was from Luke 12:13-34.

Here's a short summary. Real interesting stuff guys.. please have a read.

It's all about the dough..
- Why do so many people long for money and wealth? Because it makes us feel secure and in control

Out of control
- Nevertheless, money does NOT give us independence from God, because it's not us that are in control of our lives, but God. In verse 20 it says, "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'". Can we stop ourselves from dying? No. So.. does having money actually give us control?
- In fact.. we can't even control the very thing that we think gives us control. When we lose our lives, we lose our money too.
- The Almight Dollar isn't so almight after all.

Addicted to money
- Australia is a pretty well off country compared to like Ethiopia and Yuganda and what have you. You'd think that with all the luxuries that life here brings, we'd be happy. But are we ever really happy? Are we ever really content? If you're honest with yourself, you'll realise that you're never satisfied with the things you buy. Our happiness only lasts between the time of purchase, and the next advertisement. True isn't it.
- The trap of money does not give us freedom, it does not give us control, but instead it binds us and enslaves us.
- If you ask people that take drugs whether they feel "free" they'll of course say yes. But are they really? Does being under the control of heroin make u free?

True riches
- Read 1 Timothy 6:6-10. How true is that!
- It is our heart that produces evil. It's our desires.
- God is the giver of life, so if we want to find life, if we want to truly live, then we should seek Him, the great life giver.
- Jesus tells us in verse 31 to seek first God's kingdom, and He will provide for us. Seeking his kingdom in this context is to seek Jesus; to trust him, to recognise his rule in our lives, and to live under his rule.
- So.. if you are Jesus follower then, "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.
- But there's also great comfort for us in verse 32-34:
"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
- Isn't it great.. to know that even though we will never be satisfied in this life... we will be in the next!


Mmmz that's all I have time for.. bye for now..