Am I rich ?!?

"Then said Jesus to his disciples, I say to you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go trough an eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."
- Matt. 19, 23 - 24

In this situation Jesus was referring to wealth in the common sense.
He said it is not worthy to amass great possessions and collect tons of money.

Jesus never really owned something. To the world´s definition he was actually a poor man. But nevertheless he lived a fullfilled life.

So how should we handle money ?! And what is the proper definition of being rich ?!?

Actually you are rich when you have enough money to satisfy all your desires.

So there are two ways to be rich: You earn, inherit, borrow, beg, or steal enough money to meet all your desires; or, you cultivate a simple lifestyle of few desires; that way you always have enough money.

Jesus actually had the insight and discipline to choose the simple way. He knew the difference between needs and wants.

We have a few basic needs but endless wants. And if we put our full attention to God and every moment we live with Him, that makes us truly rich and happy. The secret of happiness, is not found in seeking more, but developing the capacity to enjoy less.

Take a look at the life of Jesus: His main concern was not money. His main concern was Love and Grace ! So let´s copy this kind of lifestyle and forget about getting rich in the common sense.

Alles Roger - Positiver deutscher Hip Hop

"Man kann die Zeit nicht zurückdrehen. Manche Dinge muss man hinnehmen. Man muss nach vorne sehen !"

"Nach vorne schaun !" heisst der Song von Roger (Blumentopf) und er hat es für einen Freund geschrieben, der ne Trennung hinter sich hatte und ziemlich unter Liebeskummer gelitten hat.

Diesen Song find ich deshalb so gut, weil man ihn eben nicht nur auf eine zerbrochene Beziehung anwenden kann bzw. sollte.

Ja, manche Dinge muss man eben hinnehmen, man muss nach vorne sehen !

Hinten haben wir schließlich keine Augen ;) !

Viel Freude mit dem Song:

Spirit in the Sky - Norman Greenbaum

When I die and they lay me to rest
Gonna go to the place that's the best
When I lay me down to die
Goin' up to the spirit in the sky
Goin' up to the spirit in the sky
That's where I'm gonna go when I die
When I die and they lay me to rest
Gonna go to the place that's the best

Prepare yourself you know it's a must
Gotta have a friend in Jesus
So you know that when you die
He's gonna recommend you
To the spirit in the sky
Gonna recommend you
To the spirit in the sky
That's where you're gonna go when you die
When you die and they lay you to rest
You're gonna go to the place that's the best

Never been a sinner I never sinned
I got a friend in Jesus
So you know that when I die
He's gonna set me up with
The spirit in the sky
Oh set me up with the spirit in the sky
That's where I'm gonna go when I die
When I die and they lay me to rest
I'm gonna go to the place that's the best
Go to the place that's the best

Praise the Lord and pass Him munition ! =)

Sing along with the Dixie Chicks:

Is your heart right ?!?

From the sermon "Unfulfilled dreams" by Martin Luther King


And this brings me to the basic point of the text. In the final analysis, God does not judge us by the seperate incidents or the seperate mistakes that we make, but by the total bent of our lives. In the final analysis God knows that his children are weak and they are frail. In the final analysis what God requires is that your heart is right.

Salvation isn´t reaching the destination of absolute morality, but it´s being in the process and on the right road.

Some weeks ago somebody was saying something to me about a person that I have great, magnificent respect for. And they were trying to say something that didn´t sound too good about his character, something he was doing.

And I said:
< Number one, I don´t believe it. But number two, even if he is, he´s a good man because his heart is right. >
And in the final analysis, God isn´t going to judge him by that little seperate mistake that he´s making, because the bent of his life is right.

And the question I want to raise this morning with you: Is your heart right ?
If your heart isn´t right, fix it up today; get God fix it up.
Get somebody to be able to say about you, "He may not have reached the highest height, he may not have realized all of his dreams, but he tried."

Isn´t that a wonderful thing for somebody to say about you: "He tried to be a good man. He tried to be a just man. He tried to be an honest man. His heart was in the right place."

And I can hear a voice saying, crying out through eternities:
"I accept you. You are a recipient of my grace because it was in your heart. And it is so well that it was within thine heart."


I don´t know this morning about you, but I can make a testimony. You don´t need to go out this morning saying that Martin Luther King is a saint. Oh, no. I want you to know this morning that I´m a sinner like all of God´s children.
But I want to be a good man !

Oh, this morning, if I can leave anything with you, let me urge you to be sure that you have a strong boat of faith. The winds are going to blow. The storms of disappointment are coming. It will be dark sometimes, and it will be dismal and trying, and tribulations will come.
But if you have faith in the God that I´m talking about this morning, it doesn´t matter.

And I say to you this morning: Yes, I´ve seen the lightning flash. I´ve heard the thunder roll. But I heard the voice of Jesus, saying still to fight on.
He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone !

And when you get this faith, you can walk with your feet solid to the ground and your head to the air, and you fear no man.