Living Lessons: August 26, 2011 "The Great Value Brand"

Jesus the Christ had a marvelous way of conveying deep spiritual truths by using stories and object lessons from the living world around Him.  As we endeavor to draw people to the foot of the cross, let us enjoy this effective style of sharing by following His example.

The “Great Value” brand:  Are you getting the most out of your investment?  Admit it. You’ve done it.  You've gone there. You've shopped there. You've made use of their services. You may have even liked it. Shopping at Wal-Mart is something everyone has done but those of staunchest resolve.  Whether you’re a Wal-Mart supporter or a Wally-World hater, at some point in time, we have all had some sort of dealing with them.  Our friends stopped into Wal-Mart this week to purchase more sugar for our adventures in watermelon preserve making.  The normal process happens; go to the generic “Great Value” brand, hoist a five pounder, begin to exit the isle knowing that you can trust Wal-Mart’s “Great Value” brand to bring you the most savings.  Yet as they walked out, they spotted a leading brand name of sugar at a regular price below that of “Great Value.”  Who would have thought that the “Great Value” brand wasn’t really the “Greatest Value” money could buy? 

How often do we examine what we invest our lives into to see if we’re getting the “Greatest Value” from our investments?  We ask questions about events, movies, radio, books, games, sports, and even church events such as “Is this a bad thing to see?” or “Is this a bad thing to do?”  Sadly, we often reply, “It’s not that bad.  Let’s do it.”  In essence we’re saying, there are worse things out there for us to be invested in, so this event that I want to invest my time, money, and energy into must be a “Great Value.” Too often in life we settle for something the world markets to us as a “Great Value” rather than examining and investing in the “Greatest Value.”   The good news of Christ is that when we align our priorities to His, we can easily pass up those “Great Value” investments for things that are “God Value” investments.  After all, He is the Greatest Investment with the biggest return.  May God grant you peace in all you do because you are seeking Him.

“But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”   Matthew 6:33

Christopher’s topics of study for this week

Open communication is a great way for us all to share and grow together.  Letting you know what I’m studying in the office is a great way for you to share in prayer and study with me to improve the effectiveness of our church.

Preaching, Fred Craddock – Qualities to be sought in a sermon: Unity.

The Family Friendly Church, Ben Freudenburg – A New Position: The Family-Friendly Minister.

Christian Counseling, Gary Collins – Depression.