bottom-line
It’s probably not suitable for children, but the movie “THE BUCKET LIST” is a must-see flick! We had been setting up Nana’s Colorado nest all day. Painting, emptying the boxes that had been in storage the last couple of years, 312 trips up the stairs, 8 trips to Lowes…heck, I was tired and it was getting close to my bedtime. Honestly, the only reason I did start the movie with the girls was because Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson were the main characters. Did I mention that I didn’t really want to watch a movie? But…WOW!
I’ll try not to blow the plot and storyline, but lets just say if you’re willing to make the journey, it will take you to the neighborhood of your bottom-line. I’ve been told that I am a bottomline guy so I really enjoy the stimulation and the search for that kind of thought. It seems that Jesus and his disciples were all bottom-line guys. They had the unique abilitiy to access any given situation and apply the appropriate words and passion for the given scenario. Not alot of fluff from any of them. In fact, give a serious read to these weighty words of our Lord:
Luke 12:13-31 And someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the {family} inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbiter over you?” And He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not {even} when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a certain rich man was very productive. “And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ ”And he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years {to come;} take your ease, eat, drink {and} be merry.”‘ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This {very} night your soul is required of you; and {now} who will own what you have prepared?’ So is the man who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” And He said to His disciples, “For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for {your} life, {as to} what you shall eat; nor for your body, {as to} what you shall put on. For life is more than food, and the body than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; and they have no storeroom nor barn; and {yet} God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a {single} cubit to his life’s span? If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why are you anxious about other matters? Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these. But if God so arrays the grass in the field, which is {alive} today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more {will He clothe} you, O men of little faith! And do not seek what you shall eat, and what you shall drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek for His kingdom, and these things shall be added to you.” (NAS)
Chilling stuff huh? It is a good thing to go to our bottom-line every now and then. LIFE is short and we don’t really have a lot of control about how long it last. Are we maximizing every opportunity in relationships with family and friends? Are we sowing into those around us? What IF we truly knew our days are numbered and limited…would we say it differently, do it differently, be different? What is your bottom-line?
Mike
