"Another Day"

"And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and dove, and the changers of money sitting:" (John 2:13-14 KJV) 

  "Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; of whom the world was not worthy: they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect." (Hebrews 11:35-40 KJV)

  I hate to say this, but I have always been ashamed of myself for not having chosen a different path. After I had been released from jail, I was pretty far in debt to the man that I worked for; something to the tune of about $8,000 or so: $5,000 plus for my lawyer, and another couple grand for the house my wife and son were staying in. He kept my job open, gave me books to study and sharpen my mind for when I came back to work, and even gave me encouraging advise on hitting the ground running. 

  If I did not see it coming, it was because I was focused upon my family; planning what was best for my wife, and for the longer journey ahead. I spent less than a year paying him back, while also keeping up with my bills; on what was about $600 a week, I gave $60 to the church, $200 to my boss, and made due with the rest. When I was almost free from what I owed, he sold me his truck; another $3,000 was tacked on; but it was only a matter of a couple of months and I had it all under control.

  It was then I discovered that I liked what I did. Not only did I like it, but I put all that I had into being the very best at it; working 12 hour days, Monday through Friday; making the weekends strictly for spending time with my wife and son; by the end of 1982, everything I owed had all been paid off. I should have stopped right there and felt the freedom of not owing anyone; but it almost felt as though I needed debt to motivate me and keeping pushing forward. 

  I hope someone out there is taking this in; because if you are able to understand this, it is what some might refer to as an addiction. I was called a workaholic by some, and a wiz-kid by others; but it never really dawned on me that my life was being motivated by money. Having been influenced by highly motivated people in sales, I decided that sales was what I was best suited for; and there I went, setting goals and outselling all those around me, by a lot. 

  This is not just a thing that happens to those in the world; it also happens a lot to those that are in service to the Lord. Whatever you do and wherever you might be working, if you start focusing on the money, then the money becomes your focus! It really does not matter how you make it, but when your making it increases, so does your lifestyle and the choices you make about living. Before you know it, you are stuck in another world; living in something that comes with comfort and satisfaction of having things and the freedom to do whatever makes you happy.

  Can you see what I am saying? It is not really all that mysterious, because we just like to feel we are the one who is driving the car; the, Jesus is my copilot, type of lifestyle...

""Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."" (Matthew 6:19-21 KJV)