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bjbj How may I serve? (Luke 12:13-21) Once, Jesus told this story: There was a rich man.
Then he got really wealthy because his land just produced a lot of good crops. Now the
question was: what was he going to do? He thought to himself, Hey, my barn is not big
enough. Alright then, I have to tear down my old barn and build bigger ones! Then I
will store all my grains and all my stuff. Then I'll have plenty for my retirement. And
I am just going to eat, drink and be happy." But in order to be truly happy, everyone must
have a purpose. There is more to life than just living. We can always grow and improve
ourselves. But he is not going to be opened to all that. Instead, he attached himself
to his sudden wealth, he was about to stop thinking about what he wants to do with his
life. What about his dream and his passion that is still within him? He was about to
live a life without any decent enthusiasm. So, while he was just thinking about all this
money, he felt God speaking to him, saying, You fool. You are about to die. And someone
who knows how to handle this wealth will get what you have prepared for yourself. And,
Jesus says, This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself or herself
but does not store up things for God." What can we learn from this story? Well, let me
point on two things. 1) First, if we want to eat, drink and be happy, like this man
in the story, we must give something back. To be happy you have to give something back.
To move forward, you have to give something back. Then, we become truly happy and fully
alive. Our happiness and greatness is determined by what we give to this world. 2) The
second lesson is this. Our thoughts are powerful thing. Our thoughts create reality. So, when
you shift your thought, you shift your world. We need to use our mind nicely. Remember the
man in the story. He was just thinking about having all for himself. But God was offended
by his thought, because his thought is going to be a reality. It turns out his thought
was a prayer. So, the Bible encourages us to think some good thoughts. It says, Think
about what is true, what is honorable, what is right, what is pure, what is lovely, what
is wonderful. Think about what is excellent or praiseworthy. Think about these things.
(Phil. 4:8) Your thought creates your life. Your life is a result of your thought. You
become what you think about all the time. Our thought even influences other people.
Does it ever happen to you? You think about calling someone. Then you receive a phone
call from him or her. Or you feel someone is looking at you. You turn around. Someone
is indeed looking at you. Or, suddenly you feel it is going to be a wonderful day. Then
you have a great day. Our thoughts and feelings create everything. So, think about something nice, something
beautiful. And send some good thoughts, wishes and prayers to your neighbors. Think about
what you truly want. Think about your purpose in life. Think about your dream. Think about
your personal calling. gd-c gd-c urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags time Hour Minute o:ls trans GSj* >%t: 3)'L
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