Be Happy When Others Prosper courtesy photobucket.com |
When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; when the
wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.
Psalm 35:27:
27. Let them shout for joy
and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; And let them say continually,
"Let the LORD be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His
servant."
Although everyone is called
to be generous, you should be especially so if you are wealthy. Do not be embarrassed by your wealth, but
remember it is NOT your money. As a good steward, use it to
bless others.
(1 Timothy 6:17-19). Command those who are rich ... to do good, to be
rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they
will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so
that they may take hold of the life that is truly life
Years ago, we had a new
Pastor at our church and he drove a Cadillac automobile. He told us the story of how God gave him this
luxurious car.
Needing an automobile, he was scanning the want ads
in the local paper when he saw a car advertised for ONE dollar. Answering the ad, he found a wife who was
very unhappy with her husband.
He was divorcing her and in the settlement he was to receive the money from the sale of his beautiful Cadillac. For spite the wife was selling his prize possession for one dollar.
He was divorcing her and in the settlement he was to receive the money from the sale of his beautiful Cadillac. For spite the wife was selling his prize possession for one dollar.
Quickly our pastor gave her the dollar bill and she signed over the papers to him.
I was always happy to see him
drive to church in his lovely car.
No one in our church
begrudged our Pastor for enjoying his awesome automobile.
I know of some ministers who
live in very nice homes, and use their profits from book sales to pay for their
life style and do not take money from the church or ministry for luxuies.
We must be careful NOT to judge ministers who enjoy nice things.
Before we judge
another Christian, it would be good to hear the other side of the story.
3 comments:
Christians are often very generous people, like C.S. Lewis and Rick Warren and many of us sitting in the pews too. I agree with you.
I love the perspective, Hazel. It takes a mature person in Christ to be genuinely happy for the prosperity of others... and a great reminder that we have all we need in Him and He never fails to supply our provision.
What an amazing story of God's provision for your pastor. It made me chuckle. Poor unsuspecting husband though!
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