Just think...what if...

Last night was a multi-state mega-millions lottery drawing with the winnings being $640,000,000! I was talking with a friend this morning about the drawing and they asked if I thought it was wrong to purchase a ticket. As the day went on I thought more about this.

I am not able to judge the motives and the hearts of the people that purchase lottery tickets
I am not in a position to tell people what is honorable to spend their money on and what is not.

Some claim that it is simply entertainment - it's not gambling.
Others argue "it's only a dollar or two" - it's no big deal. 

Tonight I looked up and found that over 1.5 billion tickets were sold for the drawing last night, that is 1,500,000,000 tickets and $1,500,000,000.

According to The Hunger Project 925 million people do not have enough to eat and 1.4 billion people live on $1.25 a day or less. Just think about that for a moment, if we were to spend that 1.5 billion on the 925 million people that don't have enough to eat, each would receive $1.62. That is enough to eat - enough to survive! And, if a dollar or two is "no big deal" why are we doing more?

Maybe this is a good opportunity for each of us to take a step back, to examine our hearts and our motives. Maybe this is a good opportunity for each of us to take an honest look at our priorities and determine what is important to us.

Just think...what if...

Salt: making thing more foodier

My wife and I have vastly differing views on the amount of salt that should be used on a daily or weekly basis. It seems that she can go with little or even no salt put on food while I will practically empty the salt shaker on my plate in order to get the desired taste.

Ideally though, we should aim for a middle ground, somewhere between no salt and a lot of salt. Because the right amount, the appropriate amount of salt does not allow the food to remain bland and yet it doesn't overpower the food either. The right amount of salt won't be tasted or missed. Instead, it will pull out the true taste of the food, making it more "foodier".

I believe this is one of the characteristics that Jesus was calling His followers to in Matthew 5:13; “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."

Jesus says that when we are the salt of the earth we will add flavor to the beauty of this world that has been created by Him. Rather than overpowering the taste of the things we encounter, we will pull out the wonderful and amazing qualities and characteristics.