"Betting" on God

1 John 2:15 Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

God is a God Who is not subjected to "the odds" of man. The economy, the election, your relationships, your finances, your fears, your unanswered questions - God is not moved by those in and of themselves. God IS moved by how those issues effect your faith in Him, how you serve and glorify Him, how you represent Him.

Wow, hard to swallow?

I know, and in my life I have had to recognize the error(s) in my ways and realize there is a price for choosing to do wrong, or even by not choosing to do the right thing. There are things we are responsible for, and God doesn't tell us He will intervene in those areas. What He tells us is that He will act in those areas that are supernaturally outside of our control of influence.

Bottom-lining it:
*If we are lazy at our jobs, we might get fired.
*If we steal from our jobs, we might get fired.
*If we are late to work a lot of days, we might get fired.
*If we buy more things than the money we have, we can't pay our bills, bill collectors come take our stuff away, and our credit, as well as our reputations are tarnished.
*If we buy more house than we know we can afford - I am not talking about how much your realtor, your mortgage broker, or even your bank tells you you can afford. I am talking about how much YOU know you can afford - we will fall behind in our payments, we will eventually be foreclosed upon, and we will be out on the street or living in one of our friends or family's basements.
* If we don't brush our teeth, they will rot and fall out... not right away, but over time. In the meantime, your friends and family might not let your stinky breath up in their house when you lose your house, even in their basements! So, brush your teeth!
* If we don't wash our bodies, we will stink. Some take longer for the stink to set in than others... Wash your body! Remember, if you lose your home, your friends won't let you in if you stink. By the way, if you are married, or ever hope to be married - you better re-read the last several points if you don't do so well in that category...
* If we don't read books, study life and living, we will eventually get, or remain stupid, and we won't get or keep our jobs, and we will lose our jobs, and we will lose our house, and so on... Plus, if you are married, or ever hope to be married, you better educate yourself... dinner conversations will be awfully short and boring if we are dumb.
* If we don't study the Bible - God's Word to us, and we don't pray - God's Words for us and with us, we will grow lonely and without His leadership and correction and encouragement, we will be so poor it won't matter what kind of house or job we have.
* If you are banking on the odds that "bad things won't happen to you, that your health will always be good, the company you work for won't one day close, or you might not ever suffer an injury that keeps you from working, or even that the results of the election has terrible impact on your life.... Let it go, those are odds and God doesn't deal with odds.

We need to do our part and help ourselves by making smart decisions, being conservative with our money, working hard at our jobs - whether we like them or not, and we need to help others who deserve our help... I have been helped by a dear friend when my health slammed me with financial needs that I could not meet... God bless that friend!

* Nobody gets out of this world alive... You better find your faith, find God, find your work ethic, find your friendliness, find your "normal" - people don't like to be around people who freak them out!
* Find your "Fight" and find your love.... Sometimes we have to fight for our resolve... Our resolve to continue in a job that pays our bills, but that we hate. A job that we know we won't do forever, but in which we spend more time forwarding chain emails than we do in getting better and doing better at our jobs... A job that isn't glamorous, but is what it is, and we must Fight to keep our attitude in check and positive... Resolve to speak with God more... Resolve to read His Word more... Resolve to be more positive and cheerful. Trust me, no one likes to be around someone who is always down, always negative, always toxic... If you know God, act like it!
* Now I know some of my subscribers - if they have gotten this far in the post - will say, "But you don't know how bad it is for me!!!! But, Butt, Buttttt!" How long are you going to say that in your life? The odds are, a loooooong time. Resolve.

1 John 2:15 Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
This post dedicated to the great Sussex County philosopher CFB.