Christian Living

---

THE BEST REWARDS ARE THE ONES YOU CAN TAKE TO THE BANK! This was a big, bold headline in a newspaper ad. It expresses well the mantra most of us live by, so probably didn't create much of a stir. But it is one of the boldest, most in-your-face-lies that the devil ever thought up.
So ponder for a moment: all you can take to the bank are gobs of money. True, when everything's going well, that can be mighty distracting from certain realities. It can bail you out of jail, hire good lawyers and doctors, cause people to almost reverence you, ensconce you in a mansion, hire servants and dress you to the nines. But all of those things are so terribly and irrevocably physically anchored. And, perish the thought, money is not dependable. It could all be lost overnight.

There are some other rewards, although they are not worth much at the bank, we might want to consider because they last longer and have a much surer foundation. Faith in God is probably the one Satan hates most passionately. Its rewards include peace of mind, freedom from worry here and hope for eternity beyond the grave. The stock market has little effect on it. Another is help in bearing burdens that money won't alleviate, death and dying for example: people who love you and believe in God also, and His power to answer prayer. Money is a cold, unsympathetic companion in this situation. And there are many other rewards engendered by these that grow stronger and dearer over time. Turns out that rewards you can take to the bank are hopelessly eclipsed by the ones that last forever, not just while the vaults are full of money.

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE