The Million Dollar Mattress

 An Israeli woman mistakenly threw away a mattress that had almost $1 million inside, setting off a frantic search through tons of garbage at a number of landfill sites. The woman threw out her elderly mother’s old mattress because she bought her a new mattress as a surprise. Her “surprise” quickly turned into a nightmare.

The next day, her elderly mother remembered she had hidden her life savings inside the old mattress. “I woke up in the morning screaming when it hit me what happened.” She went to look for the mattress, but it had already been hauled away by garbage collectors. The money was in U.S. dollars and Israeli shekels and “it was all my money in the world.”

Searches at three different landfill sites turned up nothing. Yitzhak Borba, the dump manager, said the mattress would be nearly impossible to find among the 2,500 tons of garbage that arrives at the site every day. The woman stashed the money in a mattress because of her “traumatic experiences with banks.” (Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals, Day 42).

During the Great Depression, many people stuffed money in their mattresses because they didn’t trust banks. Don’t put your trust in riches, whether it’s in banks, stocks, gold, or mattresses. “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God” (1 Tim. 6:17). 

Although IT IS wise to save money for the future, we should never put our trust in it because it can instantly disappear due to unforeseen circumstances. Stock markets crash. Banks fail. Thieves steal. You might even forget where you hid your money, like inside a mattress. Psalm 52:7-8 says, “Behold the man who did not depend on God for safety but trusted in the abundance of his riches…but as for me…I trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever.”  The Lord is the only security that you can trust.  www.makinglifecount.net

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The Photographer's One Fatal Mistake

In spring 1981, a young man flew to Alaska to photograph the scenery and wildlife in the wilderness. He carefully planned for everything he would need to make his adventure a success; photo equipment, 500 rolls of film, several firearms, and 1,400 pounds of provisions.

Every day he journaled in his diary about the scenery and wildlife he saw. What was his fatal mistake? No, he wasn’t eaten by a bear. It was something else. As the months passed, he realized he planned well to live in Alaska for a few months, but he had forgotten to make plans how to get out!

In August he wrote in his diary, “I think I should have used more foresight about arranging my departure. I’ll find out soon.” In November, his body was found in a valley over 200 miles from Fairbanks. An investigation revealed he failed to make plans to exit Alaska.

Jesus told a parable about a rich man who was so successful that he didn’t have room to store his abundant crops. He decided to tear down his barns and build bigger ones. He told himself, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry” (Luke 12:19). He wrongly assumed he would have many years to live.

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’” (Luke 12:20). God called him a fool because he thought he would live a long time, but he died that night and left everything behind for someone else. You can’t take it with you.

Many people are like that photographer—making many plans for this world but never preparing for their eternal destination in the next world. Have you used some foresight in arranging your departure? Here is how to do it.   www.makinglifecount.net

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The Story of Three Sponges

 Three sponges lay on the counter top. Although they all look the same, they aren’t. You can’t notice the difference between them until you squeeze them and see what comes out. You pick up the first sponge and squeeze it. Out comes dirty oil from the car. It’s been used to clean up a spot on the garage floor.

You pick up the second sponge and squeeze it. Out comes chocolate milk. It was used to clean up the mess from what the glass spilled on the dining room table.

You pick up the third sponge and squeeze it. Out comes clean water. It was used to clean up the water from the leaky faucet under the kitchen sink. All the sponges absorbed something different, and what came out told a story about where they had been.

Our minds are like those sponges. Whatever we put into our minds will come out once it is squeezed. What we dwell on in our minds, and what we watch with our eyes, is absorbed into the sponge. Jesus said, “Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is clear, your whole body is also filled with light, but when your eye is bad, your whole body also is filled with darkness” (Luke 11:34).

When life squeezes us, whatever we soaked up comes out. For some people, the squeeze releases outbursts of anger (Gal. 5:20). For others, the squeezing brings out tears. But for those who have been spending time with God, the love of Jesus pours out. What comes out depends on what your mind has been soaking up.

What have you been absorbing into your sponge? We should pray, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer” (Ps. 19:14) www.makinglifecount.net

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The Cussin' Parrot

A cussing parrot named Flounder was adopted by the Humane Society of Charlotte. Flounder had been taught profanity by his former owners, who were college students. “The bird makes us laugh, and we don’t get many laughs, so we’re keeping him,” said Patti Lewis, president of the society. “We don’t want anyone to think the humane society taught him those filthy words.”

 

Have you noticed that the President, Vice-President, and other politicians are frequently using filthy words, even when they’re on TV? What used to be taboo is now acceptable. It has even become acceptable among Christians to use cuss words. I would never tell non-Christians to stop talking filth because they don’t have a relationship with God, but I will tell believers to clean up their mouths. Why? Because you are a representative of Jesus Christ.

 

Christians are called to a higher standard (1 Cor. 5:12), and non-believers form their beliefs about the truth of Christianity from the way we act and what we say. What would Jesus do? Did Jesus ever say filthy cuss words? David Jeremiah said, “The only Jesus that unbelievers ever see is in people who already know Him.”

When the prophet Isaiah saw God on His throne (Isaiah 6:1,5), he said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the King.” When he stood before God, the FIRST thing that convicted him was the words he had spoken. What did he say that was so bad? It probably wasn’t filthy words, but maybe he called someone an idiot, or he might have slandered someone.

I learned to cuss on the golf course whenever I hit a bad shot. But after I gave my heart to Jesus, I quit saying all those filthy words. A change of heart changes the way we speak (Luke 6:45). “You must also put away all for the following: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, and filthy language out of your mouth” (Col. 3:8). “But sexual immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness or foolish talk, or vulgar joking, which are not fitting.” (Eph.5:3-4)

Instead of using crude language, you can learn to say clean words (crap, butt, darn, etc.) that mean the same things as the cuss words, but aren’t offensive. Flounder the foul-mouthed parrot was taught how to cuss, and you can teach yourself how to not cuss. “The heart of the wise teaches his mouth” (Prov. 16:23).  www.makinglifecount.net 

BIBLE STUDY: If Jesus knew all things, why did He ask questions?

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Homeless vs Famous

A little girl was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up. She screamed, “Famous!” 

Fame is nothing more than name recognition. You’re famous if everyone knows your name and takes pictures of you.

Which person in the picture is more valuable? The unknown homeless man pictured on the left, or Taylor Swift, one of the most famous people in the world, who is pictured on the right. 99.99% of people would say Taylor Swift is more valuable. But does fame really make her more valuable? 

What if they switched places? The homeless man would become a world-famous singer, and Taylor Swift would be an unknown homeless person living in a cardboard house. Everyone would be begging for his autograph, and everyone would be looking down on her. Same people. Different status. 

But God sees people differently than we do. In God’s eyes, the homeless person sleeping in a cardboard box is just as valuable as the most admired movie star sleeping in a mansion. Proverbs 22:2 says, “The rich and the poor have a common bond; the Lord is the maker of them all.” The fact that God created every person makes everyone valuable. Only by looking through God’s eyes will you understand that everyone is valuable, but no one is more valuable than anyone else. 

How much is a person worth? Jesus said, “What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” (Matt. 16:26). It doesn’t matter whether you’re famous or homeless, your soul is with worth MORE THAN all the gold, silver, cryptocurrency, money, and property in the entire world! The one thing you DON’T want to do is “lose your soul.” Jesus came to earth to save your soul (Luke 19:10), which keeps you from losing it. 

What’s my point? Stop looking at people through the lens of fame or the lens of shame. Remember that no one is better than anyone else, and everyone has an eternal soul that needs to be saved.  www.makinglifecount.net

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Knowing Where to Tinker

Years ago, auto maker Henry Ford built his River Rouge automobile plant in Dearborn, Michigan. Charlie Steinmetz, who worked for General Electric, helped install the generators. One day something went wrong at the plant and a gigantic generator shut down.

The electrical engineers couldn’t fix the problem, so Ford called Steinmetz to see if he could find out what was wrong. Charlie tinkered with the machine for a few hours and then flipped the switch. The generator whirred to life and everything worked perfectly.

Three days later, Ford received invoice from Steinmetz for $10,000. Henry wrote Charlie a letter thanking him for fixing the problem, but balked at the $10,000 charge just for “tinkering.” He asked for an itemized bill. A few days later, Ford received this reply: “For tinkering on generator $1. For knowing where to tinker $9,999.” Ford paid the bill.  (MORE Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals, Day 137)

In our journey through this life, many things will quit working and need to be fixed. It may be a financial problem, or a relationship that needs repairing. We serve an omniscient God who knows where to tinker. How much does He know? Jesus told us the hairs on our heads are all numbered (Luke 12:7). Before we even speak a word, the Lord knows what we will say (Psalm 139:4). God has even named every star in the universe (Ps. 147:4, Isa. 40:26).

God knows what you’re going through and wants to show you what to do. He says, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (Jer. 33:3). We must be willing to obey whatever He says to us. Let Him tinker wherever He wants and whatever needs fixing will start working again. www.makinglifecount.net

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Have You Robbed Anyone Lately?

In the late 1870s, four men rode up to a farmhouse in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. A poor widow answered their knock at the door. They told her they had been traveling and were hungry, and asked if she would prepare them a hot meal. She agreed to do it and invited them in.

The men realized she was extremely poor because her cupboards were nearly bare. As they were eating, she mentioned she was going to be evicted from her home that afternoon. The man who held the mortgage was coming at four o’clock to collect $800, which she was unable to pay.

Before leaving, they thanked her for the meal, and as an act of appreciation, one of them gave her the $800 she needed. He told her to make sure to get a written receipt from him after she paid off her mortgage. The woman broke down in tears, thanking him for his generous gift.

That afternoon, she paid the mortgage holder the $800 and received a receipt from him. However, the mortgage holder didn’t keep the money very long. On his way back to town, he was robbed by the same man who gave the widow the $800—the infamous bank robber Jesse James. (MORE Amazing Stories, Day 13)

You’d never rob someone, would you? The Lord says, “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In tithes and offerings” (Malachi 3:10). When we withhold our offerings from God, isn’t that the same as Jesse James robbing the mortgage holder to keep his $800?

Ornan offered to donate the land for the Temple, but David told him, “No, but I will surely buy it for the full price; for I will not take what is yours for the Lord, or offer a burnt offering which costs me nothing.” (1 Chron. 21:24). An offering that pleases the Lord will cost us something. The offerings we give tells God what we think of Him. If our offering means nothing to us, it means nothing to God. So the next time you give an offering, make sure you say, “This is how much I love You.”  www.makinglifecount.net

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