LifePoint LIVE

A good friend of mine sent me an article by Chuck Colson about what has taken place in the past 48 hours on Wall-street. How well that article goes with the message series we are calling “BE RICH”. Most of what I am going to say is based on his article (http://www.breakpoint.org/listingarticle.asp?ID=9289). Great article you may want to visit the site.

Needless to say if you have an IRA like I do, as I am sure some of you have or at least some kind of retirement plan, you could be shaken up. I have experienced those feelings and emotions in the past when things like this has happened.

But the fact remains that everything we are and everything we have, comes from God anyway. I’ve known that since I accepted Jesus as my Lord 28 years ago, and as I said this past week, because of my constant savings and my investings I have not, until recently, truly knew what it felt like to say with all my heart “Father give me this day my daily bread”. But now for the first time in my life I am able to do that realizing even my investments and savings are under His control. Now, when things go wrong, I turn to God, pray, trust Him, and feel an amazing peace.

And you know what else? Just as God created the bulls and the bears of this world he also has control of the bulls and the bears of Wall-street.

Anyway, I know that God doesn’t do anything in panic or as a knee-jerk reaction. This didn’t catch God off guard. He knew all this was going to happen long before it did. And I look back and realize all the other times He has taken care of me in difficult situations and I know He will do the same during these times, and so I am not going to panic or have a knee jerk reaction either.

And here is something else that I have discovered. It is even liberating to truly realize that I don’t have to know all there is about the market or investing in order for God to provide for me. He told me to be a good steward with possessions, invest wisely, give generously, and He will take care of the rest.

So while the world is going a little fickled, we actually have an opportunity to share Christ with the rest of the world. How? By showing the world how disciples of Christ handle tough times and in doing so just may be lead someone into a relationship with God.

(From Colson’s article) “So this is a time for steady nerves and keeping things in perspective. Take a look out your window. The sky is not falling.

Above all, remember this: God is on His throne. Maybe the “eat, drink, and be merry” attitude of Americans needed a little adjustment—as does the spiritually casual attitude of the Church.

The current troubles are not going to lead to the collapse of the American economy, the strongest in the world. But I do think God is telling us to sober up and get serious about what we believe and how we live.”

God Bless

Pastor Larry