George Washington Truett was a preacher in Dallas for 47 years. He once visited a wealthy West Texas rancher and had dinner in his huge ranch home. After dinner, the rancher took Dr. Truett up to a veranda on top of his house, and lit up a big cigar. The sun was setting, and if you've ever been to West Texas , you know you can see a long way out there. The man pointed to the south toward some oil rigs and said, "I own everything in that direction as far as you can see." He pointed east toward some cotton fields and said, "And I own everything in that direction, too." He pointed north toward a huge herd of cattle and bragged, "And, preacher, I own everything as far as you can see in that direction." He turned to the west, and said, "And I own everything you can see in that direction, except the sun, of course."
Dr. Truett turned to the man and pointed straight up the sky and said, "And how much do you own in that direction?"
It's a sobering question for all of us. We are surrounded constantly by the "things" of this world, and it is so easy to think that these "things" are the things that matter most -- a nice car, a nice home, nice clothes (and don't forget all the necessary electronic gadgets!). And so, if we're not careful, we may seek to accumulate more and more, without regard to our relationship with God. As the rich fool discovered in Luke 12, we will all one day be forced to recognize that the material things we have accumulated have no eternal value.
Jesus said, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21)
How much do you own in that direction?
Have a great day!
Alan Smith
Daily Smile:
There was a man driving a pickup truck down a country road, when suddenly he was broad sided by a trailer truck. Some time went by, and the case got to court. The defense attorney said to the plaintiff, "How can you be suing my client now when you told a trooper after the accident that you felt fine?"
The man replied, "Well sir, it was like this. We was drivin' down the road, mindin' our own business, when a big trailer truck came out of nowhere and creamed us. When I came to, I was in the ditch, and a trooper was pullin' up with his car. He looked at the hogs, and they was 'most dead, so he shot 'em. Then he looked at my dog, and he was hurt real bad, so he shot him. Then he came over to me and he said, 'How you feeling?'" "I said, I never felt better in my life."
In The News:
| Britain's Girl Guides Drop Oath to God
For more than 100 years, Britain's Girl Guides -- the equivalent of
American Girl Scouts -- took an oath to "love God and serve the
King/Queen." But on Wednesday the movement announced it would scrap its
oath to God in an attempt to broaden its appeal and attract children
from secular, nonbelieving families, the Religion News Service reports.
The controversial shake-up is seen by some as the biggest in the Girl
Guides' history. Beginning in September, all new members who make the
promise to be good and useful citizens will pledge an oath to "be true
to myself and develop my beliefs" and "to serve my Queen (Elizabeth II)
and my country." Andrea Minichiello Williams, CEO of Christian Concern,
says the decision to remove God from the oath of loyalty is wrong.
"These values have their roots in a Christian outlook," she said.
"Taking 'God' out of the promise denies the history and foundations of
the movement without offering anything in its place, with the result
that the organization will lose its distinctive ethos and end up meaning
nothing." But Chief Guide Gill Slocombe said the new promise was
decided after a consultation involving nearly 44,000 people. She said
the reference to God sometimes "discouraged some girls and volunteers
from joining," adding that the new wording would help the organization
"reach out to girls and women who might not have considered guiding
before, so that even more girls can benefit from everything guiding can
offer." The Girl Guides in Australia dropped their allegiance to God and
the Queen last year, agreeing to be true to themselves and their
communities instead. Girl Scouts in the United States promise to "to
serve God and my country," as do the Boy Scouts of America.
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Egyptian Christian Leader Calls for Prayer Before Protests, Rallies
An Egyptian Christian leader has issued an urgent call for worldwide
prayers concerning potential explosive rallies both for and against the
presidency of Mohammed Morsi, Open Doors USA
reports. "We Christians of Egypt who love our country and seek God's
redemption for every soul are urging our dear brothers and sisters in
the extended body of Christ all over the world to lift up our country
before the throne and to create together a shield of prayers to stand
against the great evil that is threatening to fall on Egypt in the
coming days," writes "Michael," a Christian leader. In response to the
call for nationwide protests against President Morsi, planned to take
place June 30, multitudes of Egyptians rejecting Morsi and his Muslim
Brotherhood regime are planning to go to the streets in every city, town
and village in rebellion one year after Morsi was sworn into office.
The "Rebel" opposition movement -- through an army of volunteers -- has
reportedly collected 15 million forms signed by Egyptians who have
proclaimed their rejection of Morsi and his regime. In return, the
Muslim Brotherhood has claimed to have collected millions of signatures
to support Morsi as the legally elected president, and has called its
followers to fill all major squares of Egypt on June 28, two days before
the Rebel protest day. There are also reports that large demonstrations
from other Islamic groups are planned for Friday, June 21.
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Exodus International to Shut Down; Ministry President Apologizes to Gay Community
Exodus International, the 37-year-old ministry devoted to helping
people deal with unwanted same-sex attraction, plans to shut down, the
Christian Post reports.
According to a press release, the Exodus board of directors unanimously
voted to shut down the ministry after a year of prayer and dialogue.
Local groups that were affiliated with the ministry will continue,
though they will no longer be under the umbrella of Exodus. "We're not
negating the ways God used Exodus to positively affect thousands of
people, but a new generation of Christians is looking for change -- and
they want to be heard," Exodus board member Tony Moore said. "Exodus is
an institution in the conservative Christian world, but we've ceased to
be a living, breathing organism," said Alan Chambers, the ministry's
president. "For quite some time we've been imprisoned in a worldview
that's neither honoring toward our fellow human beings, nor biblical.
... From a Judeo-Christian perspective, gay, straight or otherwise,
we're all prodigal sons and daughters. Exodus International is the
prodigal's older brother, trying to impose its will on God's promises,
and make judgments on who's worthy of His Kingdom. God is calling us to
be the Father -- to welcome everyone, to love unhindered." The
announcement was made just one day after Chambers issued an apology to
the gay community for the "trauma" he and the organization might have
caused them. Exodus formerly promoted the idea that same-sex attraction
could be reduced or eliminated through reparative therapy, a type of
therapy that involves prayer and counseling. For years, many have
decried reparative therapy as harmful, and last year Exodus
disassociated itself with the practice in order to focus on a
discipleship model of ministry.
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