Fleeting?

(11.30.21– What I Possess! –Proverbs 23: 5)

My friend, may I ask you a question? What does the future hold? How much risk should I assume financially? What are the likely costs? What if I lose everything I have?

My friend, Life’s a story, welcome to This Passing Day.

I'm M. Clifford Brunner.

I like to input "pop-up's" into my calendar on a regular basis. One of these is an adage from Henry Van Dyke: "What you possess in the world will be found at the day of your death to belong to someone else, but what you ARE will be yours forever." Like most people, I need a constant reminder of the nature of the things that I possess and of those things that I merely care for. Unfortunately, human nature being what it is, it's only a matter of time before possessing and caring begun to compete. Things like my home, my land, my checkbook, and a long list of other important, caretaker items are constantly lobbying to move over to the "possessions" side of the ledger; they are more comfortable there since having seems far more secure than merely caring for. It isn't long before what I was merely care-taking is busy possessing me.

Here's a story: Over a 1,000 years ago Macarius was the founder of a monastic community. His wisdom was well known as can be seen in his advice to a disciple who once asked him how to begin to live in Christ. Macarius told him to go to the cemetery and first scold all the dead and then praise them. When he returned, Macarius asked what reply the dead had made to the reproof and the praise. "Nothing," the disciple answered. Macarius said, "Go then and learn neither to be moved by praise or flattery. If you die to the world and to yourself, you will begin to live in Christ." One day Macarius returned to his monastic cell and found a thief stealing the few possessions he owned. He reacted calmly and even helped the thief load his donkey with the objects from his cell. As the thief departed, Macarius said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."(Author unknown.)

Do your possessions possess you; perhaps the reason that you and I are constantly struggling with care-taking and possessing is because we have this innate fear that what we care for isn't safe unless we own it. In that sense we put what we have been given to care for into what we perceive to be the safest bank around: our own hearts. Yet, how insecure our heart can be. How often is it broken? How often has it led us astray? How often has it become bankrupt for a time when hard times come? The human heart is no safe bank; at best it is a holding area in need of daily emptying. Drop the words "my" and "mine" from your vocabulary when you're speaking of the things you care for. Choose to empty your heart every day of what possesses it. What you "are" is lasting. What you have will someday pass away.

We pray. Heavenly Father, how insecure our heart can be. How often it brakes and how often it leads us astray. Lord, how often our hearts can become bankrupt for a time when hard times come. It’s true our hearts are no safe bank; at best they are holding areas in need of a daily emptying. By Your Spirit, help us to drop the words "my" and "mine" from our vocabulary when we're speaking of the things we care for. May we choose to empty our hearts every day of what possesses them. What we "are" is lasting. What we have will someday pass away. In Jesus name we pray. Amen!

Therefore my friend, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry for itself; each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matt 6:34) This Passing Day. May this passing day honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and be a blessing to you and everyone you meet. Find a stranger and say hello. Don't let another day pass without your day blessing someone else.

If you have a special prayer request, please send your request to ”This Passing Day!”

<thispassingday@gmail.com> From Beech Springs, God bless you for Jesus sake.

Fleeting?

(11.30.21– What I Possess! –Proverbs 23: 5)

My friend, may I ask you a question? What does the future hold? How much risk should I assume financially? What are the likely costs? What if I lose everything I have?

My friend, Life’s a story, welcome to This Passing Day.

I'm M. Clifford Brunner.

I like to input "pop-up's" into my calendar on a regular basis. One of these is an adage from Henry Van Dyke: "What you possess in the world will be found at the day of your death to belong to someone else, but what you ARE will be yours forever." Like most people, I need a constant reminder of the nature of the things that I possess and of those things that I merely care for. Unfortunately, human nature being what it is, it's only a matter of time before possessing and caring begun to compete. Things like my home, my land, my checkbook, and a long list of other important, caretaker items are constantly lobbying to move over to the "possessions" side of the ledger; they are more comfortable there since having seems far more secure than merely caring for. It isn't long before what I was merely care-taking is busy possessing me.

Here's a story: Over a 1,000 years ago Macarius was the founder of a monastic community. His wisdom was well known as can be seen in his advice to a disciple who once asked him how to begin to live in Christ. Macarius told him to go to the cemetery and first scold all the dead and then praise them. When he returned, Macarius asked what reply the dead had made to the reproof and the praise. "Nothing," the disciple answered. Macarius said, "Go then and learn neither to be moved by praise or flattery. If you die to the world and to yourself, you will begin to live in Christ." One day Macarius returned to his monastic cell and found a thief stealing the few possessions he owned. He reacted calmly and even helped the thief load his donkey with the objects from his cell. As the thief departed, Macarius said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."(Author unknown.)

Do your possessions possess you; perhaps the reason that you and I are constantly struggling with care-taking and possessing is because we have this innate fear that what we care for isn't safe unless we own it. In that sense we put what we have been given to care for into what we perceive to be the safest bank around: our own hearts. Yet, how insecure our heart can be. How often is it broken? How often has it led us astray? How often has it become bankrupt for a time when hard times come? The human heart is no safe bank; at best it is a holding area in need of daily emptying. Drop the words "my" and "mine" from your vocabulary when you're speaking of the things you care for. Choose to empty your heart every day of what possesses it. What you "are" is lasting. What you have will someday pass away.

We pray. Heavenly Father, how insecure our heart can be. How often it brakes and how often it leads us astray. Lord, how often our hearts can become bankrupt for a time when hard times come. It’s true our hearts are no safe bank; at best they are holding areas in need of a daily emptying. By Your Spirit, help us to drop the words "my" and "mine" from our vocabulary when we're speaking of the things we care for. May we choose to empty our hearts every day of what possesses them. What we "are" is lasting. What we have will someday pass away. In Jesus name we pray. Amen!

Therefore my friend, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry for itself; each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matt 6:34) This Passing Day. May this passing day honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and be a blessing to you and everyone you meet. Find a stranger and say hello. Don't let another day pass without your day blessing someone else.

If you have a special prayer request, please send your request to ”This Passing Day!”

<thispassingday@gmail.com> From Beech Springs, God bless you for Jesus sake.