Gift Certificate

I thought that something was wrong but I couldn’t put my finger on it…it was like I was ‘off balance’ and I couldn’t quite work it out. 

Then I realised…it was my wallet. 

Once again it had done what it does so well and had accumulated dozens of receipts, hand written notes and even a couple of flyers which seemed important at the time – the only thing that doesn’t seem to stay in my wallet is money!   

So, it was time to clear out the ever increasing pile of stuff and it was just as well that I did. 

Hidden amongst the credit card receipts, the ‘shopper dockets’ and the 2 for 1 deal at the drycleaners was a long forgotten gift certificate! 

A gift certificate is a great gift; it gives you an opportunity to buy something that you want, at a store you want, at a time you want.  The only problem is you have to redeem the certificate before it runs out.  Thankfully my gift certificate had a couple of months left but it would have been a waste if I hadn’t got around to clearing out my wallet! 

The Word of God (The Bible) is just like a gift certificate.  It is full of value, potential and powerful promises for anyone who opens it and claims them for themselves.  

There is no ‘valid to’ date on the Bible but many people go through their whole lives failing to claim what is rightfully their’s.  Make sure you don’t miss out on everything the Lord has planned for you!

Unleaded, Premium or Ultimate?

I had the choice but it was going to cost me. 

It was that time of the week again and I had to fill up my car with petrol but this time things could be different. There were three fuels that I could choose from – unleaded, premium or ultimate and the brochure attached to the number 7 pump told me that if I used ‘ultimate’ I would have ‘more power, more response and better fuel economy’…but it was going to cost me 10 cents per litre more.    

So I gave it a go… I thought that it might just be a bit of a gimmick or something for people who didn’t have anything better to do with their money but I was really surprised!   

Over the next week I could notice the difference… my car had more power, it was more responsive when I put my foot down and I got an extra 50 kilometres out of the tank. The only downside is that if I continue to use ultimate, it is going to cost me an extra $6 per week.  

This reminded me of a similar offer that Jesus made to anyone who would follow Him. 

He said… “I have come that you might have life and life more abundantly!” John 10:10

He is offering the ‘ultimate’ in fuel for your life and guarantees you more power, more enjoyment and a greater ability to function day by day.  

Best of all…it won’t cost you $6 per week…this is a ‘free offer’ to anyone who will take up the challenge.  So, how is your fuel tank going?

The ultimate tax deduction!

Work related car expenses, depreciation on my professional library & use of my home office…I spent some time yesterday getting all my tax affairs in order, double checking that I had everything right before lodging my tax return for the year.     

Most people I know dread the task of doing their tax but those same people really enjoy writing down any deductions they are allowed to claim.

I have never heard anyone whinge about the fact that they have too many deductions but I have heard heaps of people say that they think they pay too much tax! 

A couple of years ago I was audited by the Tax Office, they checked everything that I had claimed for the previous couple of years and found everything to be in order. (Phew!)

I wasn’t really concerned because I had been careful and fair in reporting and in claims but it still was nice to know that everything was OK. 

The one thing we all want to avoid is having a big debt at the end of the year, especially one that we cannot afford to pay! The Bible says that “We all have sinned” (Romans 3:23), that activity comes with wages: “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).  This doesn’t sound so promising – but there is an option – something we can do about it! 

Jesus gave His life to take our place – He is the ‘ultimate tax deduction’ for your life. If you give your life to Him you qualify for what He offers – Your sin removed and your life restored!

That’s the best offer you are going to hear today! Don’t leave it too long before you do your tax and don’t leave it too long before you do your business with the Lord!

Maths Anxiety

Researchers in San Francisco have found that that if you worry about getting a maths problem wrong you will actually limit your mental capacity for working out the problem.  This phenomenon is called “maths anxiety” and we have probably all suffered from it at some point.  I know that when I am helping my kids with their homework they fall into this trap because they are so focussed on getting the right answer that they obsess about it and cannot think straight to find the solution. The real answer to the problem is to relax, realise that you really are OK, and then the solution will usually present itself.  

A lot of people tend to approach life in the same way.  They get so caught up with worrying about the details and getting everything right that they actually inhibit their lives and fail to find the full enjoyment of living.   This is not a new phenomenon just as I am sure that ‘maths anxiety’ is not new; this has been a problem for at least the last 2000 years…Jesus said… “I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?Jesus gave a solution then which still works as well today… “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”. Don’t make the mistake of missing your life because you are worrying about it!

eBay

I know that I am slow and I hate to admit it but yesterday, for the first time, I made a bid for something on e-bay.  It is so interesting to scan through the pages and see what people are prepared to pay, sometimes for the most bizarre items.  The whole system is geared towards making you bid $1.00 higher than anyone else.  You see an ‘antique toast rack’ and 41 people who are prepared to pay $75 and the question arises “Are you willing to pay $76?” Some items sky-rocket in price and some remain a real bargain.  But the whole system is built upon the fact that people will pay something for just about anything.   

What do you have of value?  Can you put a price tag on everything you own?  What about your time…Do you have an hourly rate in mind? What about your opportunities, your freedom or your life as a whole?  What would you be worth if you put yourself up for auction on e-bay? How many people would bid?  Would you be a treasured jewel or an item on the throw out table?  Unfortunately many of us fail to see our real value. Your real value is based on what someone is prepared to pay to possess you.  “For you were bought at a price” 1 Cor 6:20  The price that Jesus was prepared to pay was everything He owned, everything He commanded and everything He would ever be.  

That is what He paid for you – and that makes you incredibly valuable!

Credit

Credit cards are a wonderful thing if you use them correctly. It is so convenient when you see something that you were looking to buy to just pull out your card and give it a quick swipe. It seems like a painless and simple way to live your life – that is until the bill comes in at the end of the month.

We need to be careful when we are using credit cards that we don’t just shop on impulse or get carried away because of all the frequent flyer miles we are accumulating. Eventually we are going to have to face the account that we have amassed!

The best way to use a credit card is to make certain that you can pay it off in full by the end of the month. This is a short term account that hopefully won’t be too difficult to deal with. If you leave it for two months it is more of a challenge, 6 months becomes a real burden and at 12 months it is almost impossible.

We should run the relationships in our lives the same way – a short account. We need to quickly deal with “outstanding issues” as soon as we can. Don’t be angry for long, forgive others quickly, don’t amass a huge list of things people have done to you. Whether it is with people or with the Lord,

Ephesians 4:27 “…do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.”

Gift voucher

Do I want the sabre-toothed hand-powered chainsaw or the silky softness of a deluxe sleeping bag liner? These questions and more furrowed my worried brow as I stood in Gowings on my day off.  I had to make a decision because I had a gift voucher burning a hole in my pocket.   

Gift vouchers are great.  It is a gift which you can tailor to meet exactly what you need or want…that is assuming that what you need or want is in the store that you have been given the gift voucher for and that the amount of the gift voucher corresponds to the amount of what you need or want!   

My gift voucher, which I still have in my pocket, allows me to purchase anything in the store up to the value it represents.  The only condition is that I have to redeem it before July 31.  If I don’t cash it in by that date it becomes worthless.   

The Gospel of the Lord Jesus is a gift voucher.  Its worth is inexpressible and its significance, overwhelming.  If you follow its directions this gift voucher can lead you to life and peace, to purpose and fulfilment, to healing and restoration.  This voucher is a gift, at no cost to you but it cost the Son everything He had.  It is yours to redeem, its forgiveness is yours to take hold of but there is one condition – the Gospel has a “use by” date.  

The last chance you have to claim the benefits of the Gospel is the day you leave this earth, the day that you die.  Are you confident that you can predict when that will be?  If not then today is the day to cash your voucher in!

Your guarantee

A few weeks ago I was watching the television with one of my kids when we saw an ad which talked about winning a truckload of cash. You know the sort of commercial; the ones which say “Buy your ticket to freedom!” or “Spend the rest of your life!”

It would be fun to have a large amount of unaccounted for disposable income but I wonder if the reality would live up to the promise? The average winnings for 1^st division Lotto is one million dollars. Now anyone who has seen a spy movie knows you can fit a million dollars in a silver suitcase so why do they talk about a “truckload”?

Would winning even a vast sum of money buy you freedom? Wouldn’t you still be the same person, with the same questions and needs? Could you really “spend” the rest of your life, or would that activity become increasingly meaningless and without fulfilment?

I have heard many stories of people who have not found the fulfilment they have been looking for in wealth or material things but I have found an asset which never fails nor disappoints.

“The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it.” Proverbs 10:22

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Matthew 6:19

He is more than a hope, He is a guarantee!

Where’s my treasure?

Over the last few weeks my family has been playing the “Where did I put that?” game. We have just moved house and are enjoying the wonderful task of unpacking all the boxes that we so painstakingly packed just a few days ago.

Moving house is a great thing because it is the greatest possible motivation you will ever experience towards simplifying your life and getting rid of all of the junk that you have accumulated. If you will not throw something away when you are about to move then I am afraid you will be stuck with it for the rest of your life!

The process of looking at things which are in the cupboards, behind the fridge, stacked up high in the garage, or stuffed in under the house, leads us to ask the questions:Is this really valuable?Do I really need it?Will I ever use it again?

Jesus counselled us regarding possessions:“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”Matthew 6:19-21

What do you have in your house? Knick-knacks and things of varying value? Is there a strong spiritual treasure, or is that hidden away or missing altogether?