BBD 03.21.17 How to be Happy (Classic)

#1 · March 21, 2017, 10:24 am

Quote from Forum Archives on March 21, 2017, 10:24 am
Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

Classic from 2009

Burning Bush Devotional

21 March 2017

How to
be Happy

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. The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye
is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your
whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is
darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters; for either
he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one
and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. - Matthew 6:19-24 NKJV.

Mark Dreier is not as well-known as Bernie Madoff and his fraudulent schemes
were not as far reaching, but they were devastating to all those they touched.
Dreier's schemes only reached into the hundreds of millions, whereas Madoff's
were in the billions of dollars. However, they are both in prison now where
hopefully they are no longer destroying the lives of the people around them.
Dreier is serving 20 years in prison for his fraud. Why did Dreier do it?
When asked he said, “I thought it would make me happy.” Of
course that's what so many people in this world think, “If
only I had more money, I would be happy.”

Then there are those who have decided to live without money. You can do a
search on Google for “living without money” and find them. There are
thousands of them, and they have dropped out of modern society as we know it.
Daniel Suelo is one of those “living without money.” Nine years ago
Daniel simply stopped using money and started living in a cave, literally. Daniel uses a
public library computer to write a blog at zerocurrency.blogspot.com and he
says about money, “When I lived with money, I was always
lacking. Money represents lack. Money represents things in the past (debt) and
things in the future (credit), but money never represents what is present.”

There are extreme views about money with Dreier and Madoff representing one
extreme, and Suelo representing the other extreme. Of course, both views are
incorrect if we want to live effectively as Christians. Money is not, in and of
itself, evil. The apostle Paul does not condemn money as being evil in his
epistle to Timothy instead he says, “…the love of money is a root of
all kinds of evil… (1 Timothy 6:10).”

Money is a tool which can be used for good, or it can be used for evil. All of
the material things that we have in this life actually belongs to God and have
been given to us by God. We are stewards of God; we are responsible for the
proper use of what we have been given to further the Kingdom of God (Matthew
25:14-30).

The way to happiness in this life is to stop being “doubled
minded (James 4:8)” by trying to serve two masters as Jesus
says, “You cannot serve God and mammon.” Stop
trying to gain the world, and at the same time to live for God, because it is
not possible to do. Let go of the world and the things of this world, and begin
to serve only God. As Paul says to Timothy and to us, “But you, O
man of God, flee these things (the love of
money) and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.
Fight the good fight of faith… (1 Timothy 6:11-12a).” Then you
will have “godliness with contentment” which is “great gain
(1 Timothy 6:6).”

Copyright © 2009 - 2017. Ed
Wrather. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On
June 8, 1998 the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.
Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of those
first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to
prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the
Burning Bush websites:

www.theburningbush.net

www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites are celebrating
18 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the Burning Bush
Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more than 14,000
subscribers across the world.

The Addictions Kit - Biblical Help for Addictions by Ed Wrather is now
available for download from Amazon. The Addictions Kit provides practical Biblical steps to defeat
your addiction that actually work.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VIYLNLM

The New Pastor's Training Manual is available for download on Amazon. Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PJ8UTGS If you prefer a paper copy of the book you can order it from
the Burning Bush website at http://bit.ly/1uXDBnk

Books now available at the Burning Bush website:

New Pastor's
Training Manual

Biblical Help
for Overcoming Substance Abuse

Biblical Help
for Overcoming Sexual Addictions In Times of
Trouble - Devotionals to Encourage and Strengthen You (Also available for
download on Amazon.)

You can leave comments/feedback
about the devotionals at www.theburningbush.net.

There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top right hand corner of all of the pages.

Check out the Scripture Index being constructed for the
Devotionals at the Burning Bush website. The Links are in about the middle of
the home page. Topics for each devotional are now being added to the Index.

Please continue to pray for
healing for Pastor Shane Hall (Shane is scheduled for another surgery today.), Michelle
Abetz, Brad, Damon D. & wife, Beverly (Jeanie’s sister), Lexi McCalip, Gary
Kirk, and Jeanie.

Please pray for an end to the
racial hatred in the USA and that it will be replaced with peace and love. Many
prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page.
You can also post your prayer requests there (Of course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me. My
prayer focus is now that God will give me opportunities to preach. As the
apostle Paul says, “…woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”).

You can contact Ed Wrather at
theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com View LinkedIn profile with
endorsements at http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92988105

If you enjoy the devotional
please recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank
email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/DevotionalArchive.html.

You can help support this
ministry by using this link: www.paypal.me/EdWrather

Devotion vs Devotional: We do our
devotions, we read devotionals.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo devotional group by
sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group (Because of time
constraints the devotional is only being sent now in html format) by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by
sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

--

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org

Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

Classic from 2009

Burning Bush Devotional

21 March 2017

How to
be Happy

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. The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye
is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your
whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is
darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters; for either
he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one
and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. - Matthew 6:19-24 NKJV.

Mark Dreier is not as well-known as Bernie Madoff and his fraudulent schemes
were not as far reaching, but they were devastating to all those they touched.
Dreier's schemes only reached into the hundreds of millions, whereas Madoff's
were in the billions of dollars. However, they are both in prison now where
hopefully they are no longer destroying the lives of the people around them.
Dreier is serving 20 years in prison for his fraud. Why did Dreier do it?
When asked he said, “I thought it would make me happy.” Of
course that's what so many people in this world think, “If
only I had more money, I would be happy.”

Then there are those who have decided to live without money. You can do a
search on Google for “living without money” and find them. There are
thousands of them, and they have dropped out of modern society as we know it.
Daniel Suelo is one of those “living without money.” Nine years ago
Daniel simply stopped using money and started living in a cave, literally. Daniel uses a
public library computer to write a blog at zerocurrency.blogspot.com and he
says about money, “When I lived with money, I was always
lacking. Money represents lack. Money represents things in the past (debt) and
things in the future (credit), but money never represents what is present.”

There are extreme views about money with Dreier and Madoff representing one
extreme, and Suelo representing the other extreme. Of course, both views are
incorrect if we want to live effectively as Christians. Money is not, in and of
itself, evil. The apostle Paul does not condemn money as being evil in his
epistle to Timothy instead he says, “…the love of money is a root of
all kinds of evil… (1 Timothy 6:10).”

Money is a tool which can be used for good, or it can be used for evil. All of
the material things that we have in this life actually belongs to God and have
been given to us by God. We are stewards of God; we are responsible for the
proper use of what we have been given to further the Kingdom of God (Matthew
25:14-30).

The way to happiness in this life is to stop being “doubled
minded (James 4:8)” by trying to serve two masters as Jesus
says, “You cannot serve God and mammon.” Stop
trying to gain the world, and at the same time to live for God, because it is
not possible to do. Let go of the world and the things of this world, and begin
to serve only God. As Paul says to Timothy and to us, “But you, O
man of God, flee these things (the love of
money) and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.
Fight the good fight of faith… (1 Timothy 6:11-12a).” Then you
will have “godliness with contentment” which is “great gain
(1 Timothy 6:6).”

Copyright © 2009 - 2017. Ed
Wrather. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On
June 8, 1998 the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.
Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of those
first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to
prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the
Burning Bush websites:

http://www.theburningbush.net

http://www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites are celebrating
18 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the Burning Bush
Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more than 14,000
subscribers across the world.

The Addictions Kit - Biblical Help for Addictions by Ed Wrather is now
available for download from Amazon. The Addictions Kit provides practical Biblical steps to defeat
your addiction that actually work.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VIYLNLM

The New Pastor's Training Manual is available for download on Amazon. Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PJ8UTGS If you prefer a paper copy of the book you can order it from
the Burning Bush website at http://bit.ly/1uXDBnk

Books now available at the Burning Bush website:

New Pastor's
Training Manual

Biblical Help
for Overcoming Substance Abuse

Biblical Help
for Overcoming Sexual Addictions In Times of
Trouble - Devotionals to Encourage and Strengthen You (Also available for
download on Amazon.)

You can leave comments/feedback
about the devotionals at http://www.theburningbush.net.

There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top right hand corner of all of the pages.

Check out the Scripture Index being constructed for the
Devotionals at the Burning Bush website. The Links are in about the middle of
the home page. Topics for each devotional are now being added to the Index.

Please continue to pray for
healing for Pastor Shane Hall (Shane is scheduled for another surgery today.), Michelle
Abetz, Brad, Damon D. & wife, Beverly (Jeanie’s sister), Lexi McCalip, Gary
Kirk, and Jeanie.

Please pray for an end to the
racial hatred in the USA and that it will be replaced with peace and love. Many
prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page.
You can also post your prayer requests there (Of course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me. My
prayer focus is now that God will give me opportunities to preach. As the
apostle Paul says, “…woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”).

You can contact Ed Wrather at
theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com View LinkedIn profile with
endorsements at http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92988105

If you enjoy the devotional
please recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank
email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/DevotionalArchive.html.

You can help support this
ministry by using this link: http://www.paypal.me/EdWrather

Devotion vs Devotional: We do our
devotions, we read devotionals.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo devotional group by
sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group (Because of time
constraints the devotional is only being sent now in html format) by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by
sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org