INS:In God we trust

   1 Tim.5:17-27

   "IN GOD WE TRUST"

   Command those who are rich...not to... trust in uncertain riches but
in the living God. 1 Timothy 6:17

   The first U.S. coin to bear the inscription "In God We Trust" was a
2- cent piece minted in 1864. The idea for having a motto was
originated with a Pennsylvania minister who suggested it to Salmon
Portland Chase, Secretary of the Treasury under Abraham Lincoln. Chase,
a deeply God-fearing man, asked James Polloch, director of the Mint, to
come up with appropriate words. In a letter to him, Chase wrote,"No
nation can be strong except in the strength of God, or safe except in
His defense. The trust of our people in God should be declared on our
national coins." And so the motto "In God We Trust" was born.

   For millions of people, a more accurate motto might be,"In goods we
trust." The material things money can buy have become such an important
part of our lives that God is pushed into the background.

   In today's Scripture, the rich are commanded to be humble and to
trust the living God rather than the wealth they have accumulated. The
enjoyment of material things is not wrong, but it must not become
life's primary goal. Instead, we must become rich in good works by
sharing.

   Maybe that motto, "In God We Trust," is meant to be a daily
reminder, especially to us in prosperous North America. We should make
sacrifices in order to help starving people in drought - stricken areas
of the world and share with the needy in our own neighborhood. That
would be one way of showing that our trust is not in the almighty
dollar but in the Almighty God. -D.J.D.

   Not in having or receiving But in giving there is bliss; He who has
no other pleasure Ever may rejoice in this..

   RICHES ARE A BLESSING ONLY TO THOSE WHO MAKE THEM A BLESSING TO
OTHERS.
