Money

Suppose someone were to offer you a thousand dollars for every soul you would earnestly try to lead to Christ, would you endeavor to lead any more souls to Him than you are endeavoring to do now? Is it possible that you would attempt to do for money what you hesitate or shrink from doing now in obedience to God’s command? Is your love of money stronger than your love of God or souls?

Submitted by the homiletics class of West Coast Baptist College

Robert Arthington lived in a single room, cooked his own meals, and shared his friendship with students who were in need. Yet he gave tremendous amounts of money during his lifetime to Christian missions. When he died, his estate was worth about five million dollars which he willed to missions.

Fortune magazine reported that the nation’s top twenty-five philanthropists gave away more than $1.5 billion in 1996. The most generous was George Soros, president of Soros Fund Management, who donated $350 million last year.

Of the top twenty-five philanthropists, only four inherited fortunes. Most attributed their generosity in part to religious backgrounds. And most were donors even before they became wealthy.

Submitted by the homiletics class of West Coast Baptist College

Three boys in the schoolyard were bragging about who had the highest paid father:

The first boy said, “My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a poem, and they give him $100.”

The second boy said, “That’s nothing. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a song, and they give him $1000.”

The third boy said, “My Dad is ever better than that. He scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, calls it a sermon, and it takes 6 or 8 men just to collect all the money!”

Source: Unknown

As a schoolboy, I worked with my father during the summer months. Each morning we stopped to pick up the early edition of the newspaper at a small grocery store.

One morning when we got to work, my father found that by mistake he had taken two newspapers instead of one. He first thought of paying the man the extra price the next morning, but then after a moment’s consideration he said, “I had better go back with this paper. I don’t want the man at the store to think I’m dishonest.” He got in his car, drove back to the store, and returned the paper.

The story is told of a man who was asked, “Are you a believer in the Christian religion?”

“Oh, certainly!”

“You are a member of some church, then, I suppose?”

“Member of a church? No, indeed. Why should I be a member of a church? It is quite unnecessary; the dying thief wasn’t a member of a church, and he went to Heaven.”

“But of course you have been baptized; you know the command—”

“Been baptized? Oh, no; that is another needless ceremony! I am as safe as the dying thief was, and he never was baptized.”

A little boy in church for the first time watched as the ushers passed around the offering plates. When they came near his pew, the boy said loudly, “Don’t pay for me, Daddy, I’m under five.”

Source: Unknown

Submitted by the homiletics class of West Coast Baptist College

The prospective father-in-law asked, “Young man, can you support a family?”

The surprised groom-to-be replied, “Well, no, I was just planning to support your daughter. The rest of you will have to fend for yourselves.”

Source: Unknown

Submitted by the homiletics class of West Coast Baptist College

Many years ago a young man went to China as a missionary with an income of $2,500 annually. A company decided that they wanted this young man to work for them and offered him a position with a $5,000 salary. He declined the offer, and it was raised to $7,000 and then to $10,000, but he still declined.

The company asked him if the salary was his sticking point and he answered, “Oh, the salary is big enough, but the job isn’t.”

Source: The Speaker’s Quote Book, Roy B. Zuck

Submitted by the homiletics class of West Coast Baptist College

Termites ate 10 million rupees ($222,000) in money that was stored at a bank in a steel chest. The manager of the bank in Barabanki, India discovered the damage on April 20, 2011. Termites had damaged furniture in the bank before.

Matthew 6:19
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.

Source: Bloomberg Businessweek, April 22,2011

Salary.com conducted a survey in 2010 that attempted to place a monetary value on the work of a stay-at-home mom. They determined that if mothers were to be paid for their ten most common tasks in the home (laundry machine operator, janitor, van driver, computer operator, housekeeper, day care center teacher, cook, chief executive officer, psychologist, and facilities manager) they would be paid $117,855.86. The largest piece of the pie came from overtime pay as a man works from sun to sun, but a woman’s work is never done.

A preacher was in Atlanta, several years ago, and noticed in the restaurants section of the Yellow Pages, an entry for a place called Church of God Grill. The peculiar name aroused his curiosity and he dialed the number. A man answered with a cheery, “Hello! Church of God Grill!”

One spring day, three-year-old Douglas helped his grandfather fertilize the lawn.

When the job was finished, Grandpa handed his grandson two quarters.

“Well, Douglas,” Grandpa said, looking at the lawn, “what do you think?”

Looking at the money in his hand, Douglas confidently replied, “I think it needs to be done again, Grandpa.”

Source: Unknown

When a young woman’s mother’s office got a fax machine, the daughter suggested sending their correspondence by fax instead of using the post office. Although she told her many times that it was a faster and less expensive way to communicate, her mother continued to send her mail by weekly letters. At Christmas, however, her mother showed that she now had a full grasp of the technology. She faxed a $100 bill with the note: “Merry Christmas, Darling. You’re right—it is cheaper to fax than to mail. Love, Mom.”

Source: Unknown

The story is told of a woman who had finished shopping and returned to her car. She found four men inside the car. She dropped her shopping bags, drew a handgun, and screamed, “I have a gun, and I know how to use it! Get out of the car.”

Those men did not wait for a second invitation; they got out and ran like crazy. The woman, somewhat shaken, loaded her shopping bags and then got into the car. But no matter how she tried, she could not get her key into the ignition. Then it dawned on her: her car was parked four or five spaces away!

A prospective father-in-law said to his daughter’s boyfriend, “How much money do you have in the bank?”

“I don’t know; I haven’t shaken it lately.”

Source: Unknown

The story is told about a lady who was very distraught because her pet cat died. His name was Homer.

She called a local Baptist church and asked the minister if he performed funerals for cats and of course he told her he did not, but suggested she call the Presbyterian church. He thought that they conducted funerals for cats.

And of course the Presbyterian church didn’t either and so they referred her to the Methodist church in town.

The Methodist church passed, and said, “Sorry, but we don’t perform funerals for cats either.”

Some people buy things on the “lay awake plan.” They lay awake each evening trying to figure out how they will pay for it!

Source: Unknown

Americans shell out more for garbage bags than 90 of the world’s 210 countries do for everything.

Source: Global Political Economy and the Wealth of Nations, Philip O’Hara

The story is told of a young man who entered a jewelry store with an engagement ring and told the jeweler he would like to have some names engraved on it. The jeweler asked, “What names do you wish to have engraved in it?”

“From Henry to Clara,” the young man whispered, red-faced.

The jeweler looked from the ring to the young man and smiled. “Take my advice, young man, and have it engraved simply, ‘From Henry.’”

Source: The Medical Standard, Volume 42, Issue 8