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Winning
Isn't Everything
What
would you do if you won the lottery?
Now, I am not advocating playing the lottery or
experimenting with any type of gambling, but I doubt
there are too many
of us who haven’t dreamed about what we would do
with millions of dollars.
Have
you ever wondered what happens to those who do win the
lottery? Here
are a
few examples as reported by *Richard O'Connor:
Ken Proxmire was a machinist when he won $1
million in the
Michigan
lottery. He
moved to
California
, went into the car business with his brothers and
within five years, filed for bankruptcy.
Willie Hurt of
Lansing
,
Michigan
won $3.1 million in 1989; two years later he
was broke and charged with murder.
Missourian Janite Lee won $18 million in
1993; eight years later she filed for bankruptcy and
had $700 left to her name.
William Post won $16.2 million in the
Pennsylvania
lottery in 1988 but now lives totally on his Social
Security ($450 a month).
Evelyn Adams of
New Jersey
won the state lottery not once, but twice (’85,
’86). Her
winnings totaled $5.4 million dollars.
In 2004 the money was all gone and she was
living in a trailer!
Adams
is quoted as saying, "I won the American
dream, but I lost it, too."
Post said, "I wish it never happened.
It was a total nightmare."
Another winner stated, "It was NOT the pot
of gold at the end of the rainbow."
As
you can see, winning – especially winning the
lottery – isn’t everything!
Jesus
said, "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).
Why
not store up treasures on earth?
Because Jesus warned us that earthly treasures
are subject to rust, decay, and theft.
In fact, this WORLD and ALL of
its possessions will one day be GONE (2 Peter
3:10)!
But,
again quoting Richard O’Connor: "if your HEART
is in heaven, you’ll never be heart broken, because
your TREASURES will never grow old, they’ll
never fade away, and no thief can steal them from you"
(see also 1 Peter 1:3-5; Revelation 21).
An
ETERNAL inheritance awaits the faithful child of God....
To
become a child of God, one must: believe
in Jesus, God’s Son (Acts 16:30-31), repent
of sin (Acts 17:30-31), confess
Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized
(immersed) in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).
Then, the child of God must continue to live
faithfully to the Heavenly Father
(1 John 1:7; Revelation 2:10).
Winning
isn’t everything when it comes to the material
things of this earth.
Several lottery winners have proven that!
Winning IS
everything when it comes to the ETERNAL reward of
Heaven! Christ
WON the victory in His death, burial, and
resurrection.
WE must align ourselves with Him in order to
enjoy His reward!
God bless you!
David
A. Sargent /
Minister
Church of Christ at Creekwood
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama 36695
* Richard
O’Connor, minister of the Betta-View Hills Church of Christ in
Oxford
,
AL
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