“And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life.” Matthew 19:29
last week, we were bombarded with headlines about Wall Street, Lehman Brothers, AIG, stockmarkets, bankruptcy, bailouts and much more financial news that an ordinary person might find kinda hard to comprehend. i guess it would take years of being an “insider” to paint in one’s mind an accurate picture of last week’s historic events and how it directly affected the economies of the world and indirectly, the lives of the ordinary people like us.
a dictionary definition of bankruptcy as a noun, is a state of being legally insolvent. as an adjective, going bankrupt means to be financially ruined, impoverished, destitute, depleted of resources. in simpler terms, this is just a situation when one’s debts or needs far more outweighs the cash or properties that he has on hand; if there are still some remaining. this is one situation a person would dread to be in. it brings about despair, hopelessness, frustration, self-pity, fear, sadness, anger, embarrassment, humiliation and more. it causes those feelings of drowning, of being smothered, of being thrown out from a roller coaster ride. sometimes the bankruptcy is so great, it drives a person to go crazy, or commit suicide even. most are able to bounce back though. but with much help and support. most of those who did, at some point of their helplessness, had someone to bail them out and upon their own resolve, rise up and work harder to regain whatever they lost: money, self-worth, respect and dignity. i should know, because we have been there. we hit rock bottom. and we were forced by circumstances to do things that we are not proud of. now we are trying to rise up and start over again.
there is one kind of bankruptcy though, that one person should avoid of being in at all. have you ever experienced spiritual bankruptcy? it is the state of being depleted of God’s word and the graces that flow from it.
the Bible is one important asset in our lives that we often take for granted. It is a rich source of His love for us and its power over life’s adversities. but often it ends up in one prominent corner of the house. just a permanent fixture which serves as an ID of our faith collecting dust. we sometimes forget or maybe we just don’t have the time. to earn a living, we spend most of our days, and even nights. how about in dying then? and in the life after? how much of our time and resources do we invest for our soul? remember JESUS bailed us out once, we owe Him that we be worth His sacrifice.
during these times that we are all experiencing the crunches of a preset lifestyle, and realizing that we are not up to it, it is best to make that decision that NOW to change our lives for the best. do not be afraid. go to that corner and pick up the Bible. pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance. and turn to that page. go on. read. even just one short verse. no pressure. no time limit. just read. and feel the Lord’s presence. if you really prayed sincerely, you will.
take the time each day to have these encounters with the Lord through the Bible. HE is the BOSS of our lives. we need to know what He has to say. and if we follow Him, we shall never go wrong again. if we invest more on intangible assets, the ones that don’t crash and deplete; then spiritual bankruptcy will be no more.
Everyday with JESUS 