the_treasures_in_heaven The Words of Jesus of Nazareth Live your lives, doing towards others as you would have them do to you. Once there was a rich man who dressed in purple and fine linen, and lived a life of extravagance. In the same town there was a homeless man named Lazarus who sat near the gate that led to the rich man's house. He didn't ask fro much, only the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table. The street dogs were his only friends, and they looked after him. Finally, one day Lazarus died and was carried by angels to the arms of Abraham. Not long afterwards, the rich man also died, and was buried. In hell he lifted eyes full of torment, and saw Abraham in the distance, and Lazarus in his arms. With all his strength he cried out: "Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus the beggar. Have him dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue, for I am in agony here in these flames." But Abraham replied: "Remember, my son, in your lifetime you had your good things, while Lazarus knew nothing but misery. Now he is comforted, and you suffer torment. Besides this, there is a great chasm separating us, so that those who would come to you from this side cannot; neither can you cross over to us from there." Hearing this, the rich man cried: "I pray, then, that you send Lazarus to my father's house. I have five brothers, and he must warn them, so that they don't end up in this hell." To this, Abraham answered: "They have Moses and the prophets. Let them hear them." "But surely," the rich man contested, "if one went to them from the dead, they would repent." Abraham replied: "If they do not repent because of the words of Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded, even if one should rise from the dead to warn them." There is no generosity in giving to those who can easily repay you. Even misers will lend money when they are sure of being paid back in full. I say: give to the person who comes to you in need, unable to repay you; and be forgiving, even if such a person takes advantage of you. The poor, when they give, contribute more than all the wealthy donors combined, who give out of their abundance. The poor contribute from their need, and out of love often give what they cannot spare. How nearly impossible it is for those who love money to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And yet, what is impossible for man is more than possible with God. Don't stockpile treasures on earth where moths and rust corrupt, and where thieves break in an d steal. But store your treasures in heaven, where neither moths nor rust can corrupt, and where there are no hazards of thieves or devaluation. Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Some do good only when they are sure of an appreciating audience. These will not be rewarded by your Father who is in heaven. When you give, don't be like the hypocrites, who ring bells in the temples and in the streets. Such have their own reward. Don't even let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give quietly and in secret; and your heavenly Father who sees such things will reward you openly. Learn to give and it will be given back to you abundantly more than you can imagine, multiplied and overflowing. By the same measure that you distribute your generosity, your reward will be measured back to you. Once the investment of a rich man returned a great profit. Considering his riches, he thought, "What will I do with my profits?" And so he came to this decision: "I'll pull down my old houses, and build ones that are greater; there I will store my treasures and spend my profits. I will be content and possess a fortune that will last many years. I will spend my time in ease, eating, drinking, and being merry." But God said to him: "You fool! Don't you know that this night your soul will be demanded of you! When you are gone, whose will all these things be?" So it is with those who lay up treasure for themselves, and are not rich in the things of God. What profit is there in gaining all that the world can offer, if in doing so you lose your soul? And what would you give in exchange for your soul, or your place in the kingdom? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- These are the very words of Jesus of Nazereth. Taken originally from the Bible , and arranged here by subject as they appear in Lee Cantelon's book "The Words" (c) 1997. [www.thewords.com] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The_Words 010826 ... god eats_a_meatloaf_sanwich 011030 ... kx21 Nothing? Proof:- Given Human Beings and there are treasures in Heaven... What would happen to such Heaven? This completes the proof... 011031 ... kx21 Hint: Terrorist_acts, Holy Wars, etc... ? 011031 ... Dafremen Be - GRATEFUL - for existence. Be - HUMBLED - by the awesome majesty of it all. Show - APPRECIATION - for the ability to do these things. Whereas so much else in the universe does not have the opportunity to do so, you do. 011031 ... [.Believe it.] "Are there hands in this world large enough to catch the wisdom that falls from your lips." [I knew I'd see the day where I'd catch you being full of insight, dafremen + kx21.] 011031 ... Dafremen Wisdom?! My wisdom is the wisdom of a man standing next to an elephant who has just noticed it. Mine is the wisdom of the man who, having been poked in the ribs for the 100th time, turns and asks..."did you just poke me?" Mine is the wisdom of a man standing in a white room with a calendar on the wall, and the room is full of people asking if anyone knows the date. The first decision you gotta make is: do I tell them the date? Or show them that there's a calendar on the wall? Mine is the wisdom of a man who has just noticed his shirt is on inside out and backwards but who has not yet noticed that he's put his underwear on over his pants. 011101 what's it to you? who go blather from