ALL THAT MATTERS – MANNA’S GUIDE
LIVE FOR WHAT MATTERS! THE MANNA
‘I must leave…everything I have gained.’ Ecclesiastes 2:18,19 NLT
IF YOU work harder you can earn more money, but you can’t earn more time. To coin a popular song, ‘Time may be money, but your money won’t buy time. There’s a story about a man who worked the late shift at a factory, who walked home in the wee hours. One night he took a shortcut through the cemetery. Failing to notice the new grave that had lust been dug in the centre of his path, he fell into it.
ALL THAT MATTERS – MANNA’S GUIDE
After several unsuccessful attempts to get out. he decided to relax until morning when someone was around to help him. As he sat in the corner of the grave half asleep, a fellow traveller who had overindulged at the bar stumbled in beside him. Desperate to get out, the drunk started yelling and clawing frantically at the sides. At that point our hero reached out, touched him gently on the leg, and said, ‘it’s no use, friend, I’ve tried. LIVE FOR WHAT MATTERS! THE MANNAALL THAT MATTERS – MANNA’S GUIDE
You’ll never get out of here. Not surprisingly – he did! He jumped out! A periodic visit to the local cemetery might help you re-evaluate and reprioritise your life! For example, it might encourage you to stop and ask yourself what you’re really living for. Solomon had an ‘aha moment’ like that: ‘For though I do my work with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, I must leave everything I gain to people who haven’t worked for it’ (paraphrased). ALL THAT MATTERS – MANNA’S GUIDE
A rut is simply a grave with the ends kicked out. Don’t just make a living: get out of your rut and make a difference. Don’t just leave an inheritance; leave a legacy that will enrich the lives of those who follow you.
YOU CAN HAVE PEACE AND PROSPERITY
‘Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you.’ Job 22:21 NIV
TODAY WE don’t just have regular stress, we’ve got cyber stress. Emails multiply like rabbits. Turn your mobile phone off for even a couple of hours, and when you turn it back on, it has gained ten pounds from the influx of recent voice mails. Then we have hyper stress. Go to the supermarket and see how much small talk you get from the cashier whose speed and efficiency is being tracked by computer as he or she electronically scans your groceries, calls out your total, and digitally sweeps you out the door. ALL THAT MATTERS – MANNA’S GUIDE
In a five-year study of three thousand salaried and hourly employees, 88 per cent said they work ‘very hard’ Sixty-eight per cent said they worked ‘very fast. SIXty per cent said they ‘still don’t get all their work done’. And 71 per cent said they felt ‘used up’. Even church leaders aren’t immune. Almost half eventually resign, and when asked why, 80 per cent cited the negative effect of pastoral ministry on their family lives.
So what’s the solution to our stress? Peace! And where can you find peace? The Bible tells us, ‘Submit to God and be at peace with him, in this way prosperity will come to you. Here’s how it works: when you know that God loves and accepts you unconditionally, it sets you free to do the same for yourself.
As a result, you’re no longer driven by a need for acceptance, acquisition, and achievement. Yes, when you live by the principles clearly laid down in the Bible, you can have peace and prosperity!
Because the way God prescribes a living and His intended results for us is different from how we will get results if we only lived for ourselves?
LIVE FOR WHAT MATTERS! THE MANNA
ALL THAT MATTERS – MANNA’S GUIDE
