8 minute read
What’s In Your Treasure Chest?
from December 2020
Gò0dNews for Everyone
What’s In Your Treasure Chest?
Advertisement
by Janise Copeman
With the holidays and Christmas approaching, it brought something to remembrance. One day, as I was sitting contemplating things, the Lord showed me a treasure chest a child had and had stored all their prized possessions and trinkets in which he/she thought were of great value. I remember as a little girl how I had a little jewelry box in which I kept a ring, a picture, some coins, or things I would find in my yard that I dug up and thought were a secret treasure.
As we grow up, we may have things we consider treasures or of high value. It may be from our childhood, a collectible, a letter or note, a picture of someone, or maybe
as parents, something our child made for us that is so precious to us.
For some, it may be something even bigger: a new house, a new car, a trophy, or a degree that got us the job we always dreamed of.
As we grow older, it’s those things that we thought were important that don’t seem that important anymore. Time we spent with loved ones who have passed are more precious to me every day, especially when you just can’t drop by to visit or call on the phone. Even our health is so precious when we don’t have it like we used to. All of this got me thinking about what the Lord holds precious and what He considers to be treasures: earthly treasures versus eternal treasures. What is more important in His eyes: storing up and gaining earthly treasures or storing up eternal treasures? Treasure what God treasures.
Now, having things and blessings are not evil; it is the love of money that is the root of evil. It’s when we allow those things to take control or become our idols and forget who gave it to us and blessed us with it or lose sight along the way as to the temporary riches versus those that last through eternity. Matthew 6:19: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.” Matthew 6:21: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” 1 Timothy 6:17: “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.” If you know of Jesus but have never made Him the Lord of your life and allowed Him to be the BEST treasure you will ever find, I encourage you to allow Him to be all that you need or ever will. Or perhaps you are tired of seeking peace in all the things of this world and all it has to offer, seeking to find your joy but just ending up empty; allow Him to fill that void you are so desperately trying to fill.
About The Author
Janise Copeman lives in Trion,Georgia, is 49 years old, and she is blessed to be married to her soulmate for 26 years. She enjoys reading, writing, and encouraging others by spreading joy and love in the Lord.
Come in on your birthday and receive a free pasta dinner, including our famous house salad and garlic rolls, with spumoni ice cream for dessert.
288 Shorter Avenue NW, Rome, Georgia 706.378.9009 | www.provinos.com
706.235.8800 2519 Redmond Circle
Rome, GA 30165 FREE KIDS BUFFET
WITH PURCHASE OF AN ADULT BUFFET
NOT VALID WITH ANY OTHER OFFER. MUST
PRESENT COUPON. EXPIRES: 01-15-21.
2 CAN DINE FOR $12.99
TAKE OUT SPECIAL: 3 MEDIUM 1 TOPPING PIZZAS $12.00
NOT VALID WITH ANY OTHER OFFER. MUST PRESENT COUPON. EXPIRES: 01-15-21. Bruce Epperson Branch Manager NMLS#: 145526 Cell: 770-548-4550 bepperson@smprate.com 504 Riverside Parkway, Suite 402 & 404 Bruce Epperson Branch Manager NMLS#: 145526 Bruce Epperson Branch Manager NMLS#: 145526 Bruce Epperson Branch Manager Rome, GA 30161Cell: 770-548-4550 bepperson@smprate.comCell: 770-548-4550 GA Residential Mortgage Licensee #26807 NMLS#: 145526
Success Mortgage Partners, Inc supports Equal Housing Opportunity. NMLS ID# 130562. This is informational only and is not an o er of credit or commitment to lend. Interest rates, products, and loan terms are subject to change without notice and may not be available at the time of loan application or loan lock-in. Contact Success Mortgage Partners, Inc to learn more about your eligibility for its mortgage products. Loans are subject to buyer and property qualification. Cash reserves may be required. Success 504 Riverside Parkway, Suite 402 & 404 Rome, GA 30161 bepperson@smprate.com 504 Riverside Parkway, Suite 402 & 404 Rome, GA 30161 Cell: 770-548-4550 bruce.epperson@fcmhomeloans.com 504 Riverside Parkway, Suite 402 & 404 Cell: 770-548-4550 bepperson@smprate.com
Mortgage Partners, Inc is not acting on (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org) behalf of or at the direction of HUD/FHA or the Federal Government.Rome, GA 30161 Success Mortgage Partners, Inc supports Equal Housing Opportunity. NMLS ID# 130562. This is informational only and is not an o er of credit or commitment to lend. Interest rates, products, and loan terms are subject to change without notice and may not be available at the time of loan application or loan lock-in. Contact Success Mortgage Partners, Inc to learn more about your eligibility for its mortgage products. Loans are subject to buyer and property qualification. Cash reserves may be required. Success Mortgage Partners, Inc is not acting on behalf of or at the direction of HUD/FHA or the Federal Government. This is informational only and is not an offer of credit or commitment to lend. Loan terms are subject to change without notice and may not be available at the time of loan application. Loans are subject to buyer and property qualification. First Community Mortgage, Inc. is not acting on behalf of or at the direction of HUD/FHA or the Federal Government. 504 Riverside Parkway, Suite 402 & 404 Rome, GA 30161 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org)
Fear, The Final Frontier
by Kaye Stein
Captain’s Log: Star Date 2020. We seem to have stumbled upon a unique planet. One like I’ve never seen before. The inhabitants seem to be at unrest. There are sectors seemingly intent on destroying. There are sectors battling some kind of plague. There are sectors scattered throughout with inhabitants who seem to have some kind of peaceful coexistence tending to their work and lending a hand to others. The planet itself seems a bit unstable. We’re getting readings of an active core causing unpredictable weather patterns and strange changes in migratory species. Our mission, to observe and learn.
Do you sometimes feel like you're watching a movie and that this just can’t be real? It seems what we are facing in today's times can be overwhelming. Extremists and propaganda skew reality, but what is reality these days. The norm that we’ve known for so long is totally out the window, so to speak which leaves us reaching for a touchstone that isn’t there. Thus it becomes important to identify the things that cause your stress and fear. You’ve heard the catch phrase “name it and claim it?” It’s the first step in identifying the issues and making a plan. People deal with stress and fear differently, but there are healthy and unhealthy ways of dealing with stress and fear.
How do you deal with the stress of something that you can’t seem to hear, feel, touch, or taste but can certainly impact you and your world? In helping people deal with their anxiety we focus on what we can control and mitigate or reduce the risk. Then we weigh the rational versus irrational fears, sometimes this is based upon probability. We make our decisions based upon rational fears and probabilities. With the coronavirus we follow through with what the CDC has recommended: taking body temperature, social distancing, wearing face masks, avoiding touching the face or eyes, disinfecting surfaces and washing hands frequently. We then weigh the necessity of the exposure.
After we have done all that we know to do to reduce the risk, we make our decision based upon the best information we have at the time. 12-Step support groups speak to doing the footwork and turning the outcome over to the care of God as you understand him. It truly is an act of faith, believing that everything will work out the way it’s supposed to. Faith can give you the courage to walk through your fears with the belief that the outcome will be God’s will.
Put your trust in God’s promises. Jeremiah 29:10-13. This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you”, says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”
About The Author Kaye Stein, native of Chatsworth, residing in Rome is a nurse of 40 years, a mom, and a Nana. A published author who enjoys reading and learning, but mostly family and laughter!
