Manure is good for a garden. You can spread it around the garden and the plants will thrive from this nutrient rich dung.

I heard a pastor give the analogy of manure and money. He said that if you leave manure in a pile, it really stinks, but if you spread it around, it helps out the plants and living things in the ground grow. So it is with money. If we hold onto money, it’s of no good to anyone, but if we spread it around, others can prosper from it as well.

I can attest to the fact that in the past, when I have had money and used it for my own benefit, and didn’t give to others, my life stalled. It wasn’t going anywhere, and I didn’t realize that the money that I get as a paycheck is not my money. God loans it to me to use.

As a single mom, I used to lose sleep over money, worrying if I had enough to pay the bills. It wasn’t that I didn’t make much money, because I had a good salary. It’s what I did with the money that was the problem. I kept it to myself. I bought what I wanted. Of course I provided for my kids, but I was very selfish with whatever was left over.

As I grew in my Christian walk, I started realizing that I am very fortunate. Once I started giving to others, my life started changing. I can remember living in Oklahoma, and had the lowest paying salary I had ever had in my career, but the money was always there at the end of the month. I kept my bills paid and family fed. What was different? I was giving to the church; my money, my time.

God knows your heart. If you’re holding onto money for your own pleasures, be very careful. In the book of Mark, Jesus asks the man to go sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor. The man went away sad and Jesus goes on to tell that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Are you holding onto your money so tight that it’s starting to stink? Pay it forward; give to others; share your time with those in need.

Don’t be stinky, or stingy.

Mark 10:21-22 - “Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.”

Property manager.

I’ve never been a property manager, but they have their work cut out for them.  I can’t imagine having property, and people are relying on me when they have problems. Sounds like it would be a pain.  It does have benefits though.  If you had several properties to lease, you could make a lot of money.  But, is it worth the complaining tenants?

Did you know that as a Christian, we are property managers?  Our property is our body.  God gave us this one body to use while we’re here on earth.  That means that we are to care for it physically, emotionally and spiritually.  

There are so many things being thrown at us in this area.  You’ll see commercials on tv about cheeseburgers, decadent cakes and cookies, etc.  Smoking and alcohol ads are everywhere, and our youth are being exposed at an early age.  

Keeping your body healthy is a 24/7 job.  The temptations are out there, in our face every day.  God knows this, and if you ask, He will help you overcome these harmful addictions that can cripple our bodies.

How about you? How are you treating your property that God gave you?  

I’m looking forward to a new body some day, a heavenly body that God promises to those who have gave their life to Him.  

I’m not a perfect property manager of my body, but I do try to take care of what he gave me, and the areas where I struggle, I ask for his help.  He’s never let me down.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 - “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”

In 2018, I went a whole year without buying any clothing of any kind. I didn’t miss the shopping, and never needed any clothing that I didn’t already have. It goes to show you I already had enough clothes in my closet to wear. I admit, in my 20’s and 30’s, I kept buying clothes, even though I already had enough.

Clothes do wear out, but rarely do we keep them that long. We give the used clothing away (which is a good thing), and buy more new things we think we need.

Did you know that this earth is wearing out as we speak? We’re not taking care of what we have. Our natural resources are dwindling, and what we do have, we’re polluting and replacing God’s green earth with cement and other man-made structures.

It says in Isaiah that one day the heavens will vanish like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a garment. All mankind will die like flies.

But, there is good news in all this, and that’s, our salvation will last forever.

Don’t put your trust and money in the things of this world, as one day it will all be but a vapor of smoke.

Trust God, who makes old things new.

Isaiah 51:6 - “Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever,
my righteousness will never fail.”

I’ve had my fair share of moving. It’s a pain; packing, loading, unloading, unpacking, etc. One thing that is consistent each time I move is filling out a change of address form. A necessary step in moving. Had I not filled one out, all my mail would be sent to my old address.

Most don’t like to think about it, but one day everyone will move on from this world to a final destination.

If you ask some people where they plan to spend eternity, they will say, “I hope in Heaven,” or “I’m afraid I’m headed to hell.” This is no laughing matter. Whether you believe in God or not, we were all born and we will all die some day.

You have a choice in this matter. If you’re still breathing and haven’t accepted Christ as your savior, you can change that today.

Just think, this one decision could change your eternal address forever.

None of us know what tomorrow may bring. Sleep good tonight knowing that if tomorrow is an eternal moving day for you, that you can rest in the promise that God will take you home to Heaven.

Luke 16:22-23 - “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.”

The first thing I can remember owning was a car. It wasn’t much of a car, (1970ish) Ford Maverick, but it was rightfully mine. I had the title; mom helped me pay the insurance so I was legally allowed to drive the car on the road. I did end up selling it a few years later. The weirdest thing about that car was it took more oil than gas to go on a long road trip. Lol.

We can also take ownership in our job, our position or status in the community.

As a Christian, what is fueling your faith? In order to grow as a Christian, you need to own your faith, by motivation or experiences from God.

You can’t become a Christian because your mom and dad went to church, or because it’s a tradition in your family. Once you give your life to Christ, you can’t lost it just because you sinned. If that were the case, we would have all lost our salvation after day 1.

If you do sin, recognize it and ask God to forgive you; He will. It’s called mercy.

For many that become a Christian in their teens, they do ok, stumble along, until they leave for college or leave home and eventually they drift; quit going to church altogether.

Owning your faith comes from a lifetime of choices to follow God, for yourself. Not because it’s tradition or it’s what your parents did.

Seek God, alone. Spend time with Him. Let Him know that He is Lord of your life.

Own it!

Romans 12:2 - “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Did you know that both salt and light change the environment where they exist? They both have properties which affect things around them. Salt gives taste to bland foods; light gives substance to a dark room.

But what happens when both of these lose their power? If salt loses its taste, it’s no good for any flavoring. If a light bulb goes out, it has to be thrown out and replaced.

God speaks of both salt and light in the Bible. As Christians, we are to be the light of the world; a bright energy force in this dark and depressing world.

We need to be deliberate in seeking the lost.

This doesn’t mean that we have to bring out our Bible and start preaching a sermon to the lost person in the airport.

When Jesus taught, He often taught among the uneducated people. He told stories, parables that they could easily relate to.

Our faithfulness should be evident to those we meet. Onlookers should be drawn by the light that comes from us.

Be an influence everywhere you go and when they ask you why you seem so radiant and happy, you can tell them the good news of Jesus, and how He changed your life.

Be the change the world is looking for.

Matthew 5:13-16 - “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Derailment is described as ‘the obstruction of a process by diverting it from its intended course.’

We’ve all heard of trains derailing, going off the track; most times crashing. I’ve always wondered what would have caused this 1000 pound structure roll right off the track. Could it be something as small as a tree limb or metal pipe? I’ve read where it could be caused by hitting another object, like a vehicle, or mechanical failure of the track, or even an operational error. Whatever the cause, it usually ends in a catastrophe.

I can relate this to the Christian walk. We can start out on our Christian journey on fire for God. We’re excited to do His work; reading the bible every night and joining small groups. Then, what happens? You’ll see them slowly drift away; methodically going off course from where they started.

What about you? Have you ever had a derailment in your walk with God? Did it suddenly appear to you that things don’t feel right, and you need to get back on track? I’ve been there. Most of my early adult life I was just cruising along, thinking I was doing what God wanted me to do. In reality, I didn’t even include God in most of those years. I thought I could just go to church here and there, pray when I needed Him and be a good person.

This is not living the Christian life. This is existing with no substance. This is putting everything and everyone in your life first, and God second. Wow, I can’t believe I fooled myself.

Stop running from life, serving yourself, just trying to get by. The turning point for me was when I acknowledged God, and let Him lead. It was a gradual process and I learned many things, the hard way.

My train is on track now. I’m loving life, serving God and others and never looking back.

Watch out for those flying objects that Satan sends to throw you off your feet. Trust God, ALWAYS.

Hebrews 12:1-2 - “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross,scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

I hate it when I hear someone respond to the question about being born, with: “I’m pretty sure I was an accident.”

God doesn’t make accidents. Everything He does is His will, whether you believe this or not.

Probably the hardest thing to accept is hardship, physical disabilities, or broken relationships.

Did you know that these aren’t accidents either. Now I’m not saying that God causes accidents or hardships in our lives. Remember Job in the bible? Satan may throw a wrench in your life plan, and God may allow it, but God also promises that He will help us through it.

If you ignore God and try to muddle through it on your own, it could end up disastrous.

But, if you acknowledge God, tell Him you trust Him, even though you don’t understand, He’ll help you through. He’ll get you to the other side.

None of us are an accident. God knew the plan for our life even before we were born.

Accept what happens to you; know God is with you and realize your potential through Him.

Jeremiah 1:5 - “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”