Daily Jewel

by Pastor J.T. Carnell, McAlester, OK “Life’s ‘Bank Account’” "… if you accept my words and store up my commands within you...and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure..." – Proverbs 2:1, 4 (NIV) There is a story told of a prosperous, young investment banker who was driving a new BMW sedan on a mountain road during a snowstorm. As he veered around one sharp turn, he lost control and began sliding off the road toward a deep precipice. At the last moment he unbuckled his seat belt, flung open his door, and leaped from the car, which then tumbled down the ravine and burst into a ball of flames. Though he escaped with his life, he suffered a ghastly injury. Somehow his arm had been caught near the hinge of the door as he jumped and had been torn off at the shoulder. A trucker saw the accident in his rearview mirror and pulled his rig to a halt and ran to see if he could help. He found the banker standing at the roadside, looking down at the BMW burning in the ravine below. “My BMW! My new BMW!” he moaned, oblivious to his injury. The trucker pointed at the banker’s shoulder and said, “You’ve got bigger problems than that car. We’ve got to find your arm. Maybe a surgeon can sew it back on!” The banker looked where his arm had been, paused a moment, and groaned, “Oh no! My Rolex! My new Rolex!” It is incredible that we human beings will spend the majority of our lives searching for our "Pot of Gold." It is only after many have exhausted all of their natural resources (their life’s blood) that they discover they missed what was the most important! One of Jesus’ most haunting statements is when He says, “…where your treasure is, there is where your heart will be as well.” (Matthew 6:21) The word treasure in the Greek simply means that which is one’s most prized possession. In that same passage Jesus was encouraging His listeners to invest their lives into more than what could be lost in a moment’s notice. God gives us material possessions, friends and family so we will enjoy them, not so we will worship them! Many of your remember the author and humorist Erma Bombeck. Erma could take the simplest of things and make it funny. What was not so humorous was when she discovered she had breast cancer and succumb to the disease a few years later. Before she died she wrote the following poem. Some of you have probably seen this before. It is rather lengthy but worth the time to read and ingest into your belief system. IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER - by Erma Bombeck I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day. I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage. I would have talked less and listened more. I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded. I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace. I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth. I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband. I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed. I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains. I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life. I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime. Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle. When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner." There would have been more "I love you's." More "I'm sorry's." But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute...look at it and really see it …live it and never give it back. Stop sweating the small stuff. Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more, or who's doing what. Instead, let's cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us. Let's think about what God HAS blessed us with. And what we are doing each day to promote ourselves mentally, physically, emotionally. I hope you all have a blessed day. To that I say…AMEN!! Pastor J. T. Carnell