Neighborhood Ministries

Value of Possessions-There is an old saying that “He who dies with the most toys wins.” If you don’t believe that there is a god and we are just the product of a series of fortunate accidents, then there is no purpose to life. One day, we were born and one day we will die. That will be the end. However, many feel that if you can accumulate enough money, enough possessions, or enough fame, you can live on in the things you leave behind. The problem is that when you die, the money and possessions go to someone else and people eventually forget you unless you make a really big dent in history.

We often feel that once we own something, it belongs to us, and we can do what we want with it subject to local laws. According to civil law in America, possession is nine tenths of the law. Whoever possesses something is responsible for it. How you got it determines what your responsibility is. If you made or manufactured it, it belongs to you until you sell it or give it to someone and you will be responsible if it causes damage to something or injures someone. You may own a race car but if you drag race it on the city streets, you can be arrested. If you give it away or sell it, it becomes the legal possession of the person who receives it and they are free to do with it what they want, subject to local laws, and they will be responsible if it causes damages to something or injures someone. If you loan it to someone, they are responsible for it and anything that happens to it until they return it to you, though you will retain some liability as the owner (the other one tenth of the law). If someone has an accident with it, you may be held partially responsible for the damages.  If you did not get it legally, you are guilty of theft if you stole it or at least possession of stolen goods if someone else stole it and gave it to you. Some become so obsessed with obtaining possessions that they bury themselves in work and often neglect their health and their family,

God does not view possessions in that way. Those who know God will see possessions in a whole different way than those who do not. Since God made everything, it belongs to Him. When He made man, He gave man the task of subduing the earth and exercising dominion over everything that He had created. God did not give man ownership of everything. He merely appointed man as a steward over it to tame it and to manage it. God reminds man that everything belongs to Him. God illustrated that when He established the Sabbatical and the day of Jubilee (see the lessons on Christian Celebrations).

Value of Work  God showed His view of the importance of work in Genesis. It says, that God put them in the garden to dress it and keep it. It wasn’t just a free ride where thtey were to sit around eating fruit and vegetables. They were responsible for caring for everything that God created. When God blessed them , He stated that they were to go out and subdue the earth and to exercise dominion over everything that He had created. Indeed, God created a desire in everyone to be needed, as well as being wanted. We feel better when we are helping others and when we are paying our own way.  On the other hand, we normally feel bad about being a burden on someone else. Often we develop our identity based on the work we do and how we view it. Often, the type work we do defines who we are to others. In addition, we value what we work for. If we are given something and lose it, it is a small loss but often quickly forgotten. If however, we work hard for a long time and save up for sometime, when it is lost, we feel it much more deeply because of what it cost us.

Value of You-God not only values life, He values us as individuals. Our value comes from Him. We are valuable because we are God’s creation. He created man a little lower than the angels, to be an overseer over all creation. Nothing in creation is more important than man. Everything in creation was made for man. God said He created every herb, every tree, every beast, and everything else that He created, for man. However, God didn’t just want a bunch of overseers, He wanted us as individuals. He created everyone of us as a unique individual. God didn’t want just a bunch of people, He wants you and me. He wants to preserve life because when someone dies, that is a loss of someone He created. All the other values come from the fact that He values us and wants what is best for us.

If we don’t know that God loves us and wants us, our perception of ourself comes from those around us. If we don’t know that God cares about us and we are important to Him, our only value comes from what we perceive is our value to others. If others treat us as if we are important, we will feel important, but it is a fragile thing as people can turn on us suddenly. If people just see us as old or crippled and ignore us or look down on us, we internalize it and it becomes a downward spiral.

Third Sunday in Lent March 17, 2022-Temptation-Matt.4:1-11. Once we become Christians, we often feel like we are in a spiritual wilderness and are tempted to give in to peer pressure or choose the easy way out. Jesus hadn’t eaten for forty days so that He might spend the time in prayer, seeking direction for His ministry. He could easily have made bread from the stones, but He did not. He knew that finding direction for His work was more important than satisfying His appetite. We should be just as deliberate in seeking His will for our lives. It is often helpful to find a spiritual adviser, someone who is mature in the faith to guide you, however these days it is difficult because there are few who seek the Lord. The church often looks to those with financial and business abilities to run the church and neglect the spiritual leadership they need.