Christian Bible Lesson 117: Strength and Courage

Bible Verses

“I can do all things through him who gives me strength.” – Philippians 4:13

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” –  Joshua 1:9
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”  – Isaiah 41:10

 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” Ephesians 6:10

Christian Bible Lesson Overview

It is very important that you have the strength to make good honest choices and the courage to behave accordingly.  Sometimes it may seem easy to withhold some truth or mislead others at the time.  However, over a long period, it is important to have the strength to consider an honest decision and to exercise the courage to defend that decision regardless of the consequences. 

Often it may seem ok to ignore small truths to secure something that is important to you.  After significant time passes, your lack of strength and courage to consider everything may cause harm to you and others.

Christian Bible Lesson for Today

Bob presenting the proposal.

Bob worked for a software company that developed and sold business applications.  Bob was a salesperson who received a base salary plus a commission as his compensation. When Bob completed a sale the customer received the base software application, the implementation, and a basic training package. 

Bob was engaged in the sales process with a business owner who imported machine parts from China and assembled the parts into machines that created model train engines and train cars.  The assembly process included combining the parts from China and attaching labels to the engines and cars.

Bob gave the prospect a proposal to purchase the software, implement the software for the prospect’s business, and provide onsite training.  The challenge was that Bob knew the software did not account for the labor of assembling the parts, and the training did not include teaching how to account for the importing of the parts.  Bob left those two items out of the proposal.  He hoped that the prospect would not notice.

When the prospect reviewed the proposal and compared the proposal to two other proposals he received from other companies; he liked Bob’s proposal because it was 30% lower in overall cost.

Bob closed the sale and began to work with other prospects.  Three months later, the implementation team encountered major challenges.   The customer had to manually enter accounting transactions for all the parts imported.  This included import duties, shipping costs, and labor from their employees.  The customer threatened to sue if the company did not automate those processes. 

The cost to customize the software was greater than the entire sale.  The owner of the company met with Bob and told him that he can no longer work for the company.  It was not OK to mislead prospects to close sales. 

Bob felt awful about the situation.  He realized that it was not worth closing the sale if it meant being dishonest with the prospect.  It was important to work much harder to present a proposal that addressed all the requirements discussed.

Christian Bible Lesson Summary

Often the quick solution to a challenge is not the approach to use.  Over time, it is always better to review the entire situation and not hide information that may be disclosed later.

It takes strength to think about all the information regarding a decision and to have the courage to make the right choice. It is much better to not worry later about decisions you make today.

Christian Bible Lesson 116: Being A Father

Bible Verses

“Fathers do not exasperate their children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” – Ephesians 6:4
“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it.” – Proverbs 22:6
“The father of a righteous man has great joy; he who has a wise son delights in him.” – Proverbs 23:24
“My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, 12 because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.” – Proverbs 3:11-12
“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?” – Hebrews 12:7

Christian Bible Lesson Overview

It is critical for a father to teach Christian Lessons to his children.  Sometimes it is necessary to use discipline to prepare children for adulthood.  A good father will follow Christian Lessons and guide his children accordingly even when he feels pressure from others not to enforce specific rules. 

It is important for a father to enforce rules for his children based on his beliefs, so he knows he is preparing his children to become caring and thoughtful adults.

Christian Bible Lesson for Today

Blake was a father with a wife and two children.  He worked as a civil engineer for the State of California.  He was a Christian and attended Church regularly.  Blake knew it was important to teach his children to develop strong values.  As his children grew older, he gave them more freedom, but he was careful not to give them too much freedom.

His daughter was his firstborn child.  She was a sophomore in college.  Blake had supervised her until she left home for college.  His son was a senior in high school.  His son made plans with his friends to go on a camping trip on the final night of school after graduation.  There were twelve students, six boys and six girls included in the planned camping trip. 

Blake was told about the camping trip four days before the end of the school year.  Blake told his son that it was not OK for him to spend the night on a camping trip with boys and girls without adult supervision. 

The son was very upset.  He talked to his mother.  His mother told him that she would talk with his father and see if she could convince him that the trip was ok.  The mother talked with Blake, but Blake felt it was wrong and he was not willing to give his permission.  Blake believed he had a responsibility as a father to provide his son with high-quality supervision.  He told his son that after he left for college, he would have the freedom to make many decisions, but when he lived with his family, he needed to follow the family rules.

Then his daughter called Blake from her college dormitory.  She suggested that she could drive home and go on the camping trip with her brother if Blake would allow the son to go.  Blake said no, that until the son was over eighteen years old, he must have an adult be with him when he was with boys and girls overnight.

The entire family applied pressure on Blake to change his mind.  The night before the scheduled camping trip, Blake told his son that he still did not wish his son to go on the unsupervised trip, but that if he did go, there would be no punishment. 

The son did go on the camping trip, but he came home around ten that night instead of spending the night.  He told his father that he understood the message and it was more important to support his father than to spend that night with his friends.  Blake was so relieved and happy for his son.  He believed the son really learned the lesson.

Christian Bible Lesson Summary

It is important to follow Christian Lessons even when it is not popular.  Just because everyone else breaks rules, that does not mean that a father should ignore his responsibility.

Christian Bible Lesson 116: Christmas – Help Others

Bible Verses

 “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.” – Proverbs 19:17
“The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously.” – Psalm 37: 21
“If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” – Matthew 19:21
“Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses.” – Proverbs 28:27

Christian Bible Lesson Overview

Christmas is a time to be with family and friends.  It is good to focus on those things you love about all those people who are close to you.  Of course, that is important.  It is also important to think about those who are in need and will not enjoy a happy Christmas.  It can be as simple as inviting a friend to spend Christmas with you when you know that friend is having a very difficult time.  You could also contribute to a charity that provides special Christmas meals for needy people. 

One example of needy people would be people from Ukraine.   Some of these people have no electricity, food, water, etc.  There are many ways to contribute to their cause.

Regardless of which method you choose to help other people, think about people in need during Christmas and New Year’s Day and help those you believe need your help. 

Christian Bible Lesson for Today

Joe with his sister and friends

Bill Williams is a junior in college studying to be an engineer.  He was excited about his two-week vacation for Christmas and the New Year.  He thought about all the things he wanted to do when he was home.   He wanted to go out with his friends and have a good time.  He already purchased gifts for his family. 

When he arrived home, his sister Gloria was home.  He told her about his plans for the two weeks.  He already paid a deposit for a hotel in the mountain for himself and his friends.   He told Gloria she was welcome to go with him.  Gloria had a sad look on her face.  She told Bill that one of his friends, Joe, is in trouble.  Joe’s father lost his job, and they are about to be evicted from their house.  Bill said that was very sad, but he still wanted to go to the mountain with his friends.  He said he will see Joe when he returns from the trip. 

Gloria was upset with Bill.  She told Bill that his friend was more important than a trip to the mountain.  Then Gloria left.

Bill thought about what Gloria said.  He did not have enough money to save Joe’s family house, but he decided to call a couple of his friends and see what they think.

Bill called Greg and told him about Joe’s situation.  Bill said that Joe would need several thousand dollars to save their house.  Canceling the mountain trip would only save a few hundred dollars. 

Greg thought about it and then he told Bill that it is important to find a way to help Joe, but immediately we need to let him know that we care about him and his family.  Our entire group should meet and discuss how we can help Joe, even if it is not enough to solve all his problems.  Greg said he could not enjoy the trip to the mountain knowing that Joe will lose his house. 

Bill thought about it and began to see Greg’s point.  Especially since it was Christmas.  It is important to think about other people.  Bill called his other friends, but his conversation was very different.  He wanted to have everyone think of ideas to raise money for Joe. 

The result was that after a couple of days of discussing the situation, the group sponsored several events locally to raise money for Joe.  They did not raise enough to solve all of Joe’s challenges, but Joe was so happy because his friends really cared about him.

Christian Bible Lesson Summary

It is important to spend time with your family and friends on Christmas and have a wonderful time.  It is also a good time to think about people in need.  It can just be a friend with minor challenges.  The important point is to spend some of your time during Christmas thinking about people who need help, especially people you know.

Christian Bible Lesson 115: Control Stress

Bible Verses

“Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” – Matthew 6:34
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” –  Philippians 4:6
“When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.” – Psalm 94:19
“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?” – Luke 12:25

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” – Proverbs 3:5-6

Christian Bible Lesson Overview

The medical community has provided significant information regarding preparing for stress.  Their suggestions include at least seven hours of sleep at night, exercising regularly, meditation, and staying socially connected.  However, living with stress while you are experiencing it is much more challenging.  Sometimes you can face challenges that seem overwhelming.  Once you face situations that appear to be out of your control, you begin to lose your ability to think clearly, and you are not able to work towards improving your situation.   Sometimes lack of sleep, headaches, and a loss of focus follow.  The stronger the stress becomes, the more difficult it is for you to function.

Regardless of how difficult or frightening your situation becomes, it is critical to have faith that God will be there for you.  It is important to realize things are not as bad as they seem and that you do have the ability to trust God and understand that you need to accept your challenges and trust that God will be there for you.  That does not mean that you can sit back and let things happen to you.  You must try to address the situation causing the stress.

Christian Bible Lesson for Today

Greg working

Greg owns a small business that provides cooking equipment and support to restaurants.  His business helps restaurants maintain all the equipment so the restaurants can continue to operate without affecting business.  He sells and maintains the equipment in the kitchens. 

Greg learned about a new kitchen support service that could be a tremendous boost to his business.  He called a representative from the company that provided the service.  The representative explained how the service worked and stated that Greg could support twice as many customers as he supports now for one-third of the cost.  Greg was very excited.   Greg asked the representative what he had to do to get started.  The representative told him there was a $200,000 investment for the initial equipment which included the training.

Greg thought about the opportunity.  He did not have $200,000, but he did have a good relationship with his bank.  He asked the bank about a loan.  He was told that he did have enough assets and that the loan could be completed within ten days.

Greg signed a contract with the services company and provided the services company with $200,000.   The services company gave him a receipt and told him he would receive his equipment in seven days.

Ten days later, Greg had not heard from the company.  He tried calling the phone number on the business card he was given but the number did not work.  He then went to the address on their brochure and the company was not there.  He realized the entire process was a scam. 

Greg was so shocked.  He paid all that money and now he did not have anything to show for the money spent.  He reported the incident to the police, but the people who scammed him left no trace.

Greg was so depressed.  He was not able to sleep, and he had trouble focusing on his customers.  The stress became stronger as a few days passed.  He could not focus which made it very difficult for him to run his business.

 His wife became very worried about him.  She called her pastor and asked the Pastor to meet with Greg.  Greg explained the situation to the Pastor.  The Pastor listened and then said that he must control the stress before he can address his challenge.  He must first relax and then trust God to be here for him.  Then he needed to create a plan to address the tragic situation.  First, he needed to make sure he was supporting his business, so he did not lose more money.  Then he needed to go to the bank and work out a payment plan that would give him more time to repay the bank loan.

Then he needed to understand that many people face more severe challenges.  Some people discover that they have a life-threatening illness, or a close relative die or people in some countries are attacked.  He needed to accept that although his situation was challenging, it was not life-threatening, and he must have the discipline to trust God and work through the challenge.

Greg met with the Bank and worked out a payment plan.  The police continued to try to find and prosecute the people who scammed Greg.  Greg was able to sleep at night and after two days he was able to focus clearly on his work challenges.  He learned that being stressed and worrying just made things worse.

Christian Bible Lesson Summary

We all have challenges in our lives.  Some of them seem so severe, but we must have Faith in God and do the best we can to address the challenges.  That does not mean that we do not have to work to improve our situation, but we can relieve the stress. 

It is important to get enough sleep, exercise regularly, meditate, and stay socially connected to avoid becoming stressed.  However, somethings situations can occur that are beyond our control, and we must trust in God and work to make things better.  It is important that we do our part.

Christian Bible Lesson 114: Build Relationships

Bible Verses

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” – Ephesians 4-29

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” – John 13-34

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” – John 15-13

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” – James 1:19-20

Christian Bible Lesson Overview

It is important to do everything we can to avoid anger.  As we have all seen, when we allow ourselves to get angry, we lose control of our emotions, which causes us to do things that we regret later.  Developing strong relationships with family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, Church members, and people we meet at random; leads us to strong relationships that benefit everyone. 

When developing relationships, whether a friendship, family member or marriage, exercise control and give the other person/people the freedom to make mistakes without damaging the relationship.  When you are hurt by something a friend or family member said or did, do your best not to react too quickly.  Give yourself time to think about what happened.  If the other person did not intentionally try to hurt you, exercise as much restraint as possible to give yourself time to try to understand what happened.  Do not weaken a relationship because you did not have enough self-control to think about the other person and what caused their action.

Christian Bible Lesson for Today

Randy after practice

Randy is a college student who earned a college football scholarship.  He is very competitive because it is important for him to appear better than everyone else.  He worked hard to get credit for the good things he accomplished.  He put his status above the quality of his friendships with other students or other players on the team. 

Randy’s approach: working to get as much credit as possible, worked fine until he needed help from the other players.  Randy started getting angry at other players when they made mistakes or did not play as well as Randy thought they should.  Randy would get angry and scream at other players. 

Soon the other players began to not try as hard to support Randy.  Randy was not able to perform as well.  Of course, he got angry and lashed out at other players during the games.  Soon Randy realized he can not perform without the support of the other players.  He made them angry, and he had no idea what to do.

The coach noticed the problem right away.  The coach talked with Randy’s father and explained that Randy needed to support the other players and quit trying to get all the credit for himself.  The coach made it clear that the situation was not good, and that Randy will not be able to play much longer if there is not a major change in behavior.

Randy’s father knew Randy’s personality and was aware that he had a difficult time making friends because he always wanted to be better than other people.  The father talked with Randy and explained to him that he needed to stop worrying about himself and do his best to help other people around him.  His father told him that either he changed his behavior and quit getting angry at people who made mistakes, or he will lose control of his future.  His father told him to try to help his teammates, not make them look bad.  His father said he either change his approach or quit playing football and find another college because this one college is very expensive without a scholarship.

Randy thought about what his father told him.  He wanted to continue his education at that school, and he wanted to keep playing football.  He met with the coach as his father suggested and the coach prepared a plan for him to change his relationship with the other players.

Randy focused all his energy on supporting the team and did not think about his credit.  He spent extra time helping the new plays learn some important skills.  He was amazed at how quickly his situation changed.  It was the coach and the other players that made life better for him.  Now he wanted to make life better for other players.  Randy was amazed at how much happier he was when his teammates did well. What a change from the way he used to act.  Before he never felt truly happy, he just wanted to look good.  Now he was happy when other people did well. 

Christian Bible Lesson Summary

Developing solid relationships is critical whether with your family, friends, fellow workers, neighbors, or strangers.  Helping other people and controlling your anger will make life much better for them and you.  It is a matter of changing your priorities to support other people and having the discipline to control yourself when facing situations that used to make you angry. 

This does not mean letting people deliberately take advantage of you.  But do not allow yourself to sink into other people’s level when they take advantage.  Control your anger and take the time to think about how your actions affect you and other people.

Christian Bible Lesson 113: Thanksgiving

Bible Verses

“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18

“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” – Colossians 3:17

“Every good gift and every perfect gift are from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” – James 1:17

“Every good gift and every perfect gift are from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” – James 1:17 “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” – Hebrews 12:28

“And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your hearts to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to our God and Father.” – Ephesians 5:18-20

Christian Bible Lesson Overview

On Thanksgiving, it is important to think about all the things that make your life better, not just the possessions you have or the family and friends who treat you in a special way.  It is a time for you to reflect on all the things that helped you be the person you are.  Some things were gifts from birth such as your health, your parents/family, your natural abilities, and the environment where you were born. 

Thanksgiving is a time to think about other people and all that God has given you from the time your life started.

Cristian Bible Lesson for Today

Sharah and her professor.

Sarah was a college student in her final year of study.  She needs to finish this semester and one more to graduate with a degree in journalism.  She took a major exam the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  She worked very hard to prepare for the exam because she understands that the exam was one-third of her final grade for that semester. 

After she completed the exam, she had lunch with a fellow classmate Brenda.  Sarah told Brenda about the example she used for one of the questions.  Brenda had a frown on her face.  Sarah asked her what was wrong.  Brenda told Sarah that her example was the wrong one. 

Sarah realized right away that she made a mistake.  She became so upset and began blaming everyone and everything else for her mistake.  She said that she worked so hard all semester and now it will all be for nothing.  She started crying and said her life was no good.  Everything goes wrong.

Brenda told her to calm down and think about all the things in her life that are good.  Sarah’s answers on the test do not cancel all the things that should make her thankful.  Brenda suggested Sarah first think about all the things about her life that are positive like her health, her family, her abilities, and all the friends that appreciate her.  Then, after Sarah has recognized how thankful she should be for all those things in her life, she should meet with the professor and explain what happened.  The worst thing that could happen is the Professor will say the answer stands.

Sarah thought about what Brenda told her.  She was very grateful for her life.  She realized that she should be grateful to God first for all the things in her life that allow her to live and appreciate everything around her. 

Sarah did talk with her professor.  The professor said he will not give her another chance at the test, be he knew that she is a very good student, and he will take that into consideration when he grades the test. 

Sarah was happy with the result.  She was determined never to allow one challenge to keep her from recognizing all the things that make her happy.  She prayed to God to thank him for everything in her life.

Christian Bible Lesson Summary

It is important to not allow one challenge or tragic event cause you to lose sight of all those things in your life that are special.  Be grateful for being alive and having the ability to think and support other people.  Be grateful for your health, even if you have a specific health challenge.

Christian Bible Lesson 112: Address Fear

Bible Verses

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” – Isaiah 41:10

“I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” – Psalm 34:4

 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9

 “Peace, I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” – John 14:27

Christian Bible Lesson Overview

The Bible clearly states that life on earth will have challenging times and there will be losses.  It is critical to not let those challenges drive you to make poor decisions. 

It is good to be careful and avoid dangerous situations when there is a choice to take the correct action and still be safe.   However, we must not allow fear to cause us to comment sins.  There are times when we need to overcome being terrified and do what is right.  Sometimes we will be surprised that the honest approach is much better in the long term.

Cristian Bible Lesson for Today

Fred talking with a customer

Fred owned a business that developed and sold tools and equipment that supports lawns, patios, and walkways.  He has been in business for a little over three years.  One of his popular products is a rototiller.  Many of his sales are to gardeners.  He had one customer who did the gardening for over fifteen customers.  That customer saw the ad for the new rototiller.  Fred explained to him that the new rototiller had adjustable speeds.  This feature allowed the gardener to adjust the speed when the turf changed temporarily.  The gardener was impressed and purchased the rototiller.

The first time the gardener used the new rototiller, he worked on a lawn that had a large tree in the middle of the lawn.  The tree had many large roots just beneath the surface.  As the gardener started working the lawn, the rototiller started hitting roots and the engine stalled and would not start again.

The gardener took the rototiller back to Fred and asked for his money back.  Fred told the gardener that he tested the machine and it worked fine.  He said it is designed to automatically adjust speeds when it strikes a root. Fred said that the gardener must have driven over spikes or large nails.  The label clearly states that the machine will stop if it strikes metal.

Fred knew there was a problem with the machine, but he did not wish to return the money. He planned to fix the problem soon, but he did not wish to lose sales. 

Many of the gardeners know each other.  It was not long before many of Fred’s regular customers quit buying from Fred’s company because of the way Fred treated the gardener. 

Within six months Fred lost much more business than if he had treated the gardener properly and given him a refund with the assurance that he will correct the Rototiller problem and begin selling it again. 

Fear of losing a sale caused Fred to lose many sales permanently.  If Fred had the courage he would have only delayed one sale and worked a few extra hours to address the problem. 

Christian Bible Lesson Summary

Do not allow fear to control your behavior.  When it comes to being honest, treating people properly, or taking risks to do what is right, your outcome over the long term will be much better.

Christian Bible Lesson 111: Avoid Greed

Bible Verses

“For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.” – 1 John 2:16

“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” – 2 Corinthians 9:7

“Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.” – Ecclesiastes 5:10

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” – Hebrews 13:5

Christian Bible Lesson Overview

The amazing point I learned when reading the Bible and then studying people who follow Christian lessons is that when the lessons are implemented by an individual or a group, not only do the affected people benefit but the person or group who followed the lessons improved their lives.

What good is wealth if you must sacrifice a major percentage of your life to achieve it?  How much wealth is enough?  If you work hard all your life just to earn money and never apply that wealth to other people or even yourself, what have you accomplished?

It is important to build true friendships with lots of people and benefit from that effort by enjoying the relationship with other people, and the knowledge that you accomplished something for many other people.

Christian Bible Lesson for Today

Alan working at home

Alan focused his efforts on work.  He spent many hours studying business in college.  His objective was to become worth over $1 Billion Dollars.  He started a software development company.  He spent virtually all his waking hours building the company.  As soon as he achieved some success, he immediately invested the new earnings into additional departments. 

Within twenty years he expanded his business from a major city in Iowa to a national company that sold software worldwide.  As the company grew, he worked harder which meant longer hours.  He did not have time for vacations or to support his family and friends because he always had a new service to promote.  He did not even have time to rest or take vacations.  Most of his friends from growing up lost touch with him.  He communicated with his immediate family but did not spend significant time with them.

He did grow his personal worth to over $1 Billion Dollars, but the cost was great. 

Alan’s brother Terry had a completely different life.  Terry worked enough to support his wife and two children, but he made sure he spent plenty of time with his family.  His family worked with groups that supported the community.  Terry developed a network of close friends with all different backgrounds.  His friends were not necessarily wealthy, but they did support each other.  When Terry needed help, there were many people close to him that would do what they could for him.

Shortly after Alan accumulated over $1 billion in assets, he became ill.  He had cancer.  All the wealth he accumulated would not help him.  He was only 57 years old and never had the opportunity to use all the money he possessed. 

Terry immediately went to the hospital to visit Alan.  Terry asked Alan what he could do to help him. Terry said he would do anything he could to make things better. 

Alan looked at Terry and said, “I should have learned from you.  I worked so hard to accumulate a fortune and now I have only a little while to live and I will not benefit from it.  I do not even have close friends to be here for me.  Terry, I am sorry I did not listen to you much earlier.” 

Terry told Alan that Alan did work very hard, and he still had some time to help other people benefit from the work he did.  Terry said that he would help Alan make a positive difference for many people so that Alan would know that he helped many other people and that his life did have meaning. 

Christian Bible Lesson Summary

You can sacrifice much of your life accumulating wealth, but if you spend all your time earning money, you may find yourself old, and lonely. You may wonder why you spent all that time earning money you will never spend.  When you try to give to other people, there may come a time when you benefit from the very people that you helped.

Christian Bible Lesson 110: Helping Others

Bible Verses

“For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore, I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.” –Deuteronomy 15:11

“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due when it is in your power to act.” – Proverbs 3:27

“Give to the one who asks you and does not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” – Matthew 5:42

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” – Matthew 25:44-45

Christian Bible Lesson Overview

There is so much more to life than just accumulating wealth and physical possessions.  What good is it to have a large bank account, expensive possessions, and unlimited travel if you have no sense of sacred friendships, strong family connections, and a feeling of helping others achieve happiness? 

It is not evil to wish to accumulate wealth, but that wealth has much more value if it supports many people to achieve a full life than just accumulating numbers on a balance sheet for one person.   

Christian Bible Lesson for Today

George working with his accountant
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George worked hard his entire life to possess as much money as possible.  It was his dream to earn millions of dollars and not worry about financial challenges.  In the beginning, he worked two jobs and saved as much money as possible.  He did not buy an expensive house or car.  He did give 10% to his Church each week but that was the extent of his giving. 

As the years passed, he developed large stock portfolios and lived in a larger house.  He did buy an expensive car.  He still worked sixty or more hours per week so he could reach higher levels.

His brother Joe lived a different lifestyle.  Joe did go to college and earned his bachelor’s degree, but he only worked forty hours a week and spent time with family and friends.  Joe spent time meeting new people and he volunteered one day a week at his county food drive program that gave a box of food to over 2,000 people per week.  Joe met a lot of people at the food drive, both other volunteers and people who received the boxes of food.  Joe did not accumulate a large amount of money, but he had hundreds of friends who cared about him. 

George continued to accumulate wealth as he reached his seventies.  Then he was diagnosed with cancer.  As he reviewed his life, he realized that all that wealth did not help him in his final days. When his brother Joe came to see George and offered to help him with his home and other obligations.  Joe had a lot of friends that could help support his brother’s home and property.

George realized that his wealth meant nothing when he was about to die.  His brother Joe had what was important, lots of friends and the knowledge that he helped people live a better life.  What difference did it make that he lived in an expensive house or drove a special car?  Joe had experienced more in life while helping others.

Christian Bible Lesson Summary

Working hard to earn money that you will never spend is not worth devoting your entire life to accumulating wealth.  When you help other people, you develop a sense of accomplishment, and you develop friends that are there for you.  When you work to help a community, you improve everyone’s life and that means more than a number on a bank statement.

You never know when you will need help.

Christian Bible Lesson 109: Deny Ourselves

Bible Verses

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” –Matthew 16:24-25

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” – Colossians 3:1-2

Christian Bible Lesson Overview

It is especially important in times of stress that we do not give in to the quickest most painless response to a situation.  Many times, people tend to only think about how an action affects them at the time.  In their haste, they do not consider how their actions will affect them over time or how their decisions affect other people.

Sometimes it seems easier to deny Christian values to avoid short-term consequences.   However, often this action causes much more stress after time passes.  The stress from worrying that someone will learn about a lie can be much more destructive than telling the truth initially. 

It is important to take time to think about your actions before you do something that will hurt you later.  Following Christian values will always strengthen your character and aid those people near you.

Christian Bible Lesson for Today

Brian Working

Brian was a popular man who worked hard to support his business and was always there for his family and friends.  He believed strongly in helping other people and he practiced that belief all the time. 

However, when he was young, he misrepresented some of his work experience and embellished his college education.  Although he believed in Christian values, he thought that deliberately exaggerating his work experience and his education was not going to hurt anyone and he wanted to secure a quality job.  However, Brian had no idea how long he would feel stressed from not being truthful.   He developed great friendships with people who thought he had high-level experience and that he had a master’s degree.  Every time he had a conversation with a friend about work, they would bring up the experience or the degree.  He felt forced to continue the lie.  He always felt pain and realized that following Christian Values is important, even if the current event does not seem that important. 

Of course, Brian realized that even denying his Christian Values for minor situations can cause pain and suffering for a long time.  He clearly saw the value in not giving into temptation but taking the time to think about what he was doing and follow Christian Values.

Summary Christian Bible Lesson

It is easy to give into temptation and deny yourself of your Christian Values.  However, if you take the time to think about what you are doing and compare your options to Christian Values, you will not have stress from making quick choices that haunt you for long periods of time.