A few months ago an elder of our church propounded the question "Is waste a sin?" in a sermon he gave. Since then I studied God's Word and a few other sources to find the answer.
First I found some Scripture passages--some are more obvious and some are subtle, but I think that they all indeed imply that waste is unbefitting to a child of God.
John 6:12~ “And when they had eaten
their fill, he told His disciples, ‘Gather up the leftover fragments, that
nothing may be lost.' ”
Ephesians 5:15-17~ “Look carefully how
you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because
the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of
the Lord is.”
Luke 12:42-44~ “And the Lord said, ‘Who
then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge
of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? Blessed is that
slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you that he
will put him in charge of all his possessions.”
Matthew 25:21-22~“His Master replied,
‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few
things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s
happiness!' ”
Colossians 4:5~ “Be wise in the way you
act with those who are unbelievers; Make the most of every opportunity.”
Psalm 39:4-5~ “Lord, remind me how
brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered; how
fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
My entire lifetime is just a moment to You, at best, each of us is but a
breath.”
And I then found a few quotations by Christian
leaders:
“The greatest waste in all of our
earth…Is our waste of the time that God has given us each day.”
~Billy Graham
“A man by his sin may waste himself,
which is to waste that which on earth is most like God. This is man’s greatest
tragedy and God’s heaviest grief.”
~A.W. Tozer
“If you live gladly to make others glad
in God, your life will be hard, your risks will be high, and your joy will be
full. This is not about how to avoid a wounded life, but how to avoid a wasted life. Some of you will die in the
service of Christ. That will not be a tragedy. Treasuring life above Christ is
a tragedy.”
~ John Piper
I also found the definition of
‘Steward’ which I thought was interesting and was related to the subject:
Steward--A head servant appointed to manage property or finances
So, I think a 'good steward' would mean dealing with finances well, i.e., not wasting finances. or spending money unwisely.
As 1 Peter 4:10 says~ "Each of you should use what ever gift you have received to serve others, as good stewards of God's grace in its various forms."
So, overall I feel that wasting shows a lack of respect and honor for the Almighty Creator of all things.
For my third post on heirlooms, I will tell you about a special handkerchief.
This handkerchief belonged to my maternal great-great-grandmother, Bertha Kitch, who was my grandfather Nolan B. Blair's grandmother. It was made by one of her daughters, although we do not know which one. :)
On her wedding day, my maternal grandmother, Carol Lee Blair (nee Clark) carried the handkerchief along with a small white Bible and her bouquet as she walked down the aisle.
My grandparents Nolan and Carol Lee Blair on their wedding day, July 23, 1954.
Thirty-five years later, my mother was planning to also carry the handkerchief on her wedding day, when her florist recommended that she turn the handkerchief into a rose.
And so it was; my mother held her wedding bouquet with the handkerchief rose embedded amongst the other flowers.
My parents on their wedding day, June 24, 1989
The top of the handkerchief rose.
And so, to continue the tradition, I hope this handkerchief rose will make it down the aisle once more, as I, God willing, carry it on my wedding day.
Lately I have been feeling very grateful for the availability of the Bible! We are so blessed to have freedom of religion in our country and to have the privilege of owning a copy of God's Word!! From that I have been prompted to focus this post on Scripture from and quotations about the Word of our God.
~Scripture~
"The Law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul;
The Testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
The Precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The Commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The Fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
The Judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.
They are more desirable than gold, yes than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb." ~ Psalm 19:7-10
"Grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever."
~Isaiah 40:8
"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it."
~Isaiah 55:10-11
"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work."
~2nd Timothy 3:16-17
"For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
~Hebrews 4:12
~Quotations~
"News articles may inform us.
Novels may inspire us.
Poetry may enrapture us.
But only the living, active, Word of God can transform us."
~Chuck Swindoll
"Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face."
~Ronald Reagan
"The Word of God well understood and religiously obeyed is the shortest route to spiritual perfection. And we must not select a few favorite passages to the exclusion of others. Nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian."
~A. W. Tozer
"A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn't." ~Charles Spurgeon
As yesterday was our nation's 240th birthday, I would like to dedicate this post to some quotations &c. to celebrate its birth!
~Quotations~
"It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible."
~George Washington, 1st United States President
"Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the governance of any other."
~John Adams, 2nd United States President
"Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president."
~Theodore Roosevelt, 26th United States President
"Our debt to the heroic men...in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices."
~Harry S. Truman, 33rd United States President
"America was founded by people who believed that God was their Rock of safety."
~Ronald Reagan, 40th United States President
~Scripture~
"For you have been called to live in freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but to serve one another."
~Galatians 5:13
"Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bond-slaves of God. Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king."
~1 Peter 2:16-17
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord!"
~Psalm 33:12
~Poetry~
The Ragged Old Flag
by Johnny Cash
I walked through a county courthouse square, On a park bench an old man was sitting there. I said, "Your old courthouse is kinda run down." He said, "Naw, it'll do for our little town." I said, "Your old flagpole has leaned a little bit, And that's a Ragged Old Flag you got hanging on it."
He said, "Have a seat," and I sat down. "Is this the first time you've been to our little town?" I said, "I think it is." He said, "I don't like to brag, But we're kinda proud of that Ragged Old Flag.
"You see, we got a little hole in that flag there when Washington took it across the Delaware. And it got powder-burned the night Francis Scott Key Sat watching it writing Say Can You See. And it got a bad rip in New Orleans With Packingham and Jackson tuggin' at its seems.
"And it almost fell at the Alamo Beside the Texas flag, but she waved on though. She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill. There was Robert E. Lee, Beauregard, and Bragg, And the south wind blew hard on that Ragged Old Flag.
"On Flanders Field in World War I She got a big hole from a Bertha gun. She turned blood red in World War II. She hung limp and low by the time it was through. She was in Korea and Vietnam. She was sent where she was by her Uncle Sam.
"She waved from our ships upon the briny foam, And now they've about quit waving her back here at home. In her own good land here she's been abused -- She's been burned, dishonored, denied, and refused.
"And the government for which she stands Is scandalized throughout the land. And she's getting threadbare and wearing thin, But she's in good shape for the shape she's in. 'Cause she's been through the fire before And I believe she can take a whole lot more.
"So we raise her up every morning, take her Down every night. We don't let her touch the ground and we fold Her up right.
On second thought, I do like to brag, 'Cause I'm mighty proud of the Ragged Old Flag."
~A Fun Quiz :)~
How Much Do You Know About Independence Day?
1)The 4th of July commemorates what
important historic occasion?
a)The end of the Revolutionary War
b)The signing of the Declaration of Independence
c)Adoption of the Declaration of Independence by
Congress
d)The signing of the Constitution
2)In which city was the Declaration signed?
a)Boston
b)New York
c)Philadelphia
d)Washington
3)Which of the following did not sign the
Declaration of Independence?
a)Thomas Jefferson
b)John Adams
c)William Whipple
d)George Washington
4)Which of the following was included in the
Declaration as a complaint against King George and the British Parliament?
a)Allowed only British tea to be sold in America
b)Imposed taxes without consent
c)Appointed liberal, non-originalist judges
d)Gave charters to Church of England only, not
other religious bodies
5)Which memorable phrase is not included in
the Declaration of Independence?
a)Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
b)The laws of nature and of nature’s God
c)Give me liberty or give me death
d)Supreme Judge of the world
6)The original Declaration of Independence is
housed in:
a)Independence Hall in Philadelphia
b)Library of Congress
c)Smithsonian Institution
d)National Archives
7)How many delegates from the 13 colonies
signed the Declaration of Independence?
a)13
b)26
c)39
d)56
8)Which two presidents died on the 4th of
July?
a)George Washington and John Adams
b)John Adams and Thomas Jefferson
c)Thomas Jefferson and James Madison
d)Herbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt
9)What year did they die in?
a)1822 and 1826
b)1787 and 1833
c)1905 and 1929
d)They both died in 1826
10)Which president was born on the 4th
of July?
a)Howard Taft
b)Calvin Coolidge
c)Dwight Eisenhower
d)Richard
Nixon
11)According to the Declaration of Independence,
the people have the following right:
a)The
right to bear arms
b)The
right to equal protection of the laws
c)The
right to alter or abolish their government
d)The
right to a free education
Adapted from the Ashbrook Center
The answers are at the end of this post. Let me know how you do in the Comments section! ;)
~Some Constitutional Humor :)~
"We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessing of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
