Two Sacks of Money

Suppose there were two enormously large sacks of money on two sides of a room. One sack was filled with $1 bills. The other sack was filled with $1,000 bills. And supposing you were given a small basket, and told you had only 60 seconds to fill your basket with as much money as you could…
… which sack would you choose to take from?!

Money is a very temporary object, as it is here one day and gone the next. Jail cells are filled with people who once had great wealth. Life, also, is short. The Scriptures liken it unto a vapor, a flower, and a single day. So, friend, which would be the wiser use of our ‘day’ on earth? To gather up as much as we can from the low-dollar self-serving worldly sack, or to reach into God’s Will, and attain that which will last all eternity!?

That said, allow me to act as your CPA (Certified Public Accountant) and let’s review your assets in this matter. In short, “How successful are you at leading souls to Jesus?!” Take a piece of paper and write down how many years it has been since you first found Christ. Now, below that number, please write down the total number of people who have placed their trust and hope for Heaven in Christ because of your witnessing/testimony.
If the top number is larger than the bottom number… you need what I am about to say. If the bottom number is much larger than the top, you already know what I am about to say.

Here’s the secret to becoming a fruitful Christian:
“This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightiest war a good warfare; Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:” -- I Timothy 1:18-19

Young Timothy had a Greek, unsaved father. His mother was a Christian, and took great care to teach her child, Timothy, the scriptures. Paul reminds Timothy, (In the book aptly named 1 Timothy.) That God gives us TWO UNIQUE WEAPONS to being an effective Christian witness.

1.) Faith. Without FAITH it is impossible to please God. We like to SAY we have faith, but in truth… it takes faith the size of a mustard seed to move a mountain. Have you re-arranged any mountainous terrain lately? No? Since you lack even the most rudimentary level of terraforming, mayhaps your faith is SMALLER than even a grain of mustard seed! LOL!

Actually, your problem may very well lie in the book of James.
“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew my thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith BY my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils ALSO believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” -- James 2:17-20 [emphasis added]

Sadly, many Christians believe that since they are saved, there is no need to live a separated life. Their THEOLOGY (How they view God and His Commandments/Laws) are based on their MORALITY (Their comfortable and preferred lifestyle.) Paul reminds Timothy that the scriptures taught to him in his childhood would be the ‘ammo’ for fighting a good warfare. Christian friend, if you do not spend time thinking on scriptures, and meditating upon God’s precepts, you are trying to fight a war with no ammo… and those wars tend to be short ones!

Your faith becomes as DEAD in the eyes of those you are trying to witness to if it contains no works. God DOES see the heart, but man is stuck seeing the OUTSIDE. What are the works that establish our faith in man’s eyes? Knowing and keeping God’s precepts and principles! Forgiveness. Love thy neighbor. Love thine enemies. Bless them that curse you. Go the second mile. Care for the widows and fatherless. Turn the other cheek.
… you KNOW most of them. But KNOWING and DOING are two very different things. It only takes faith to trust Christ as Savior, and be saved! But it takes faith + works to convince others.

2.) A Good Conscience. Let’s build a sling shot. (You remember those from childhood, right?) We must find a ‘Y’ shaped stick, and then we need a pebble. And what else….!? Oh! And we must not forget the thing that sends the pebble flying! What works best for that? STRING? Tape? How about a USB cable?!
No. A pebble will not go far without proper energy transfer method. (Throwing always works.) Rubber bands will work, yes, but a piece of bungee cord is the absolute BEST!

A Christian armed with a Good Conscience is like using an elastic band to launch a pebble! It is what gives the words you say ‘Oomph!’ ... POWER!

The younger you are, the easier it is to maintain a clear conscience! When you make a huge blunder, or commit a terrible sin, you are in a wonderful position to use the Grace that God gives you to ask forgiveness and keep your slate clean with both God and man.
However, the older you get, the harder this becomes. Especially if we have neglected the necessary repairs from our youth. Why is it so hard to go to those we have wronged and apologized? No excuses. No cop-outs. No placing or sharing the blame.
Guilt is probably the all time GREATEST preventer of Christianity! It nullifies our words, and causes them to be meaningless and doubtful.

Foolish people attempt to balance their guilt with blame. Why is it that our actions and attitudes are always someone else’s fault? Why is it that the words we say in anger, or our actions-in-response are always someone else’s fault? WHY? Because we have guilt, and look to balance that guilt with blame. But to do this brings on depression, anger, bitterness towards self and others, discouragement, disorientation, and devastation.

A Wise Christian understands that it is better to balance GUILT with FORGIVENESS! If you mess up… when you fall… when you hurt others… when you lose your temper… when you fail to act in accordance to God’s Wise and True Preciepts… it is BETTER to humble yourself and ask for forgiveness.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrigheousness.” – I John 1:9

Keep things level and clean between God and Man. Go to those you have wronged in your past. Make those slates CLEAN. Apologize to those you have offended. Make restitution to those you have stolen from or cheated. Correct with honesty those to whom you have lied. Make amends with those whom you have fought with. Let everyone know that you are trying your best to be a TRUE Christian with a CLEAN conscience. While some may choose NOT to forgive you, at least God will know that you have honestly and truly tried.
And keep the slate clean by granting mercy and forgiveness to those who have wronged you.

As Christians, we are responsible for every thought we dwell on. (II Corinthians 10:5); every word we say (Matthew 12:36); every deed we do (II Corinthians 5:10); every attitude we display (I Peter 3:10); and every motive which drives our actions (Jeremiah 17:10)!!!

That’s BASIC human responsibility! How can we expect to be a happy, effective Christian if we choose to neglect our basic responsibilities and live a slave to the world’s philosophies!

Chose to grab from the sack of eternal treasures… Things you will be able to present to the Father on that judgment day. Live for HIM because He, alone, is Worthy. Live by FAITH… constantly attentive to God’s Word. And live by a Clean Conscience… faithful to those God has placed around you.

I part with this advice: “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works.” – Hebrews 10:24 Christ died for others... can we not live for others?

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I Have So Many Time Tomorrow

Overcome Procrastination Now.

"DELAYED AND PARTIAL OBEDIENCE IS DISOBEDIENCE."

People have procrastinated since biblical times. Jonah, God commanded him to tell the people of Nineveh that the place will be destroyed if they will not repent from there sins in 40 days time [Book of Jonah]. Moses used the excuse of being a slow talker and procrastinated when God called him to action [Exodus 3 & 4]. The prodigal son delayed going home and ended up eating pigs’ slop [Luke 15].

MANIANA is a Spanish word meaning TOMORROW and for Filipinos it is LATER or MAMAYA NA.  Something in common? The fact that both words means to delay an act.

Ever wonder why people push things aside to do later?

They’re afraid they’ll fail. It’s a real drain to their self-esteem to think that they might try something and not be good at it. So instead of immediately tackling project that feels overwhelming, they put it off on the chance that they may not succeed, and they don’t start at all.

They’re afraid they’ll succeed. Other times people think that if they do something –and do it well- that others will raise their expectations and want something even better the next time. If they put off trying, they don’t have to worry about improving success.

They don’t want to feel deprived. If a goal feels more like a punishment than a reward, a procrastinator will put off going forward. Take dieting for instance. If starting a new diet means giving up the things they love to eat, there’s not much incentive to watch what goes in their mouth.

They care too much about what others think. Caring too much about what friends will say or do can make it procrastinator put off crucial decisions. If they think their buds will disapprove, they’re likely to delay moving forward.

They’re afraid to try something new. Most people don’t like to change. They’d rather in their rut than set out in a new direction. Instead of admitting that the old way may not be the best way, they put off trying something different.

It’s not too late to break your procrastination habit. Here’s how you can do it.

Face you feelings. If fear has you tied up in knots, admit it’s a problem. If you rely too much of opinions, decide it make a change. If the thought of doing without something has you stalled, it’s time to look that problem in the eye. Acknowledge that your emotions are causing to put off going forward in life. Deal with the root of your procrastination problem.

Be honest with others. Ask family and friends to help you stop procrastinating. It’s lonely to tackle a project or make a lifestyle change by yourself. Ask people you trust to hole you accountable and cheer you on. Tell them that you want to accomplish, by what date, and ask them to check on you progress.

Try five. Anyone can do something for five minutes. Tell yourself that you’ll devote five minutes to whatever needs to be accomplished, and at least you will have started. Remember, well begun is halfway done.

Break it down. Big projects can be overwhelming. Sometimes it’s hard to even know where to start. If you’ve got a difficult task ahead, try coming up with a step-by-step plan to complete it. Looking at the baby steps involved –instead of the big picture of what needs to be accomplished- can make tackling the job less fearful.

Give yourself an incentive. It’s easier to make a good habit stick if there’s a reward attached. Tell yourself you can watch your favorite TV show after you finish your homework, or that you can IM your friends after you’ve finished the last page of your report.

Count the cost. Ever figure out how much time you waste when you put off something? It’s easy for that 15-minutes assignment to take hours to complete when you stop for a snack or go to the Web for research and end up surfing. Wasting time just prolongs the agony. Get on with it!

Take time to pray. Taking a minute to go to the Lord and ask for His help with your problem is always a good use of your time. Ask God to give you the strength you need to deal with any emotions that may be holding you back from solving this problems, and for the determination to solve it.


We all need to realize that procrastinating is just a waste of time, and time is much too precious to waste. Now never means later or tomorrow. Start a new life without procrastination. The clock is ticking. If you have something that you’re putting off, why not deal with it now? ●

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