Luke 12:17-20 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
While He had insurance (better put, he was self insured) against the known immediate future, he didn’t have assurance about His certain future, ‘death’. He was prepared to live a long time but he wasn’t prepared to die. He wasn’t bad necessarily, he just neglected the most important things, his salvation and the salvation of his loved ones.
Some people say the ‘sinners prayer’, cry a little, half heartedly go to church and get baptized. They think that by doing these things is like paying their Insurance Premiums for ‘fire insurance’. They want to do the least possible to have protection from going to hell. These people fear death, because although they have taken out a form of ‘insurance’ they have no ‘assurance’ of salvation. Going through the Motions of religion and Christianity Can ease your fears a little bit, but it shouldn’t. It’s like an insurance policy. Unless you are actually born again, it’s a waste of time. John 3:3 says ‘you must be born again to see the kingdom of God’. When you are born again, you have assurance of heaven. You no longer fear death. No where in the Bible does it say ‘got to church, kneel at the altar, cry a little bit, get baptized, go to church and you will be saved’ instead it says in Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Although they sound the same, insurance has nothing to do with assurance. I think when they came up with the concept of insurance, they chose the name *insurance* because it sounds like assurance. Uneducated people often call insurance assurance and visa versa.
1. INSURANCE *a thing providing protection against a possible eventuality* is usually something you but to protect your finances.
First off. This writing is in no way against insurance, or even having a savings account in place of insurance. If I could, I would have had a nice savings account, and I would have had insurance. But God had me come to Nicaragua, and I haven’t had a savings account or insurance for the past 20 years. So, no judgement here, just an observation. Again, for the record, it is good to have insurance and a savings account if you have a family.
Today, June 21, 2022 I have completed 65 rotations around the sun and about a third of those truly around the SON. If I get no more laps or 60 more laps, It makes no difference to me. God has been very good to me. No regrets, no remorse.
as of June 1, I have been insured. (Medicare). Since then I have been diagnosed as having pre sugar diabetes and then they found a spot on my prostrate and my PSA was high. (8.9) So, it kind of makes me wonder if I got sick because I was insured, or if God wanted me to wait until I was insured to get sick, or who knows what? hahaha. I let myself be scared for about 24 hours. I always prided myself on being ridiculously healthy, strong and in great shape. So this was a very humbling experience which makes me more like Jesus. So I take it as a win. Now I am more empathetic as well. Also, now I am at perfect peace. *but I so covet your prayers*. My faith has not changed. This is not God’s will for me to be sick.
The fact though is that there is no insurance To Preserve anything this world has to offer. These are the things that this fickle world has to offer, and none If then are permanent, no matter How much Insurance or even money you have. They can’t keep these things for you. There are no insurance policies that protect us from loosing these things. They only protect our money. None of these things last.
1. Happiness. One war or doctors report throws that out the window.
2. Fun. Even fun stuff stops being fun after a while.
3. Friends. Yeah, if you die with five friends you are lucky.
4. Health. Wait ‘til you get insurance at 65
5. Attractiveness. Been to a nursing home lately? And those are the ‘lucky ones’ who had the money and lived that long.
6. Romance. See 2, 4, 5 and skip ahead to 11z
7. Houses. Stuff breaks. Stuff happens.
8. Family. See 7
9. Fame. Fame depends on people talking good about you. Watch ‘once famous people’ try to maintain it.
10. Power. Fades. Always. Watch ‘once powerful people’ trying to maintain it. Sadam, quadafi and Somoza for example.
11. Life. ‘Death and taxes’ per Benjamin Franklin is Inevitable. Also, death covers and negates 1 through 11.
Most of the above you can buy insurance for. But just because you buy health insurance doesn’t mean you are going to be healthy *as I just found out*. Life insurance doesn’t mean you are going to live forever. House insurance doesn’t mean your house won’t burn down. You can only buy insurance to protect your monetary investment or financial security. People loose all of the above, daily, *if for no other reason than by death, but usually for other reasons as well.*
2. ASSURANCE *a positive declaration intended to give confidence; a promise* comes only through faith.
Assurance is totally different than insurance, but people confuse the two, continuously. The guy in Luke Chapter 12 figured that because he had great financial savings *a form of insurance*, that he was set. Kick back. Relax. What could go wrong, right? Jesus called him a fool. Not good when God calls you a fool. He didn’t get a chance to enjoy any of it, and all his money and savings went to his entitled kids who Didn’t even Appreciate it. It’s a common mistake of people to assume that just because they are ok financially, that they are really ok.
Assurance on the other hand has nothing to do with finances, unless a millionaire assures you that your family will be taken care of or something like that, money isn’t usually involved. *and even if a millionaire assures you something, you never know*.
Assurance from God offers you things that this world can not offer you.
1. Joy. You are going to heaven. War and doctors reports are a bummer, but you are going to heaven. Don’t sweat the small stuff!
2. Fullfillment. Nothing fullfills me like Jesus, or doing his will!
3. Calling. The world can’t call you. It’s non spiritual. Satan might call you to kill your walk, or to kill other’s walks. God calls You by name to save you and to help you to help others to be saved as well.
4. Hope. Hope in hope itself is useless. Hope in God is the only hope ever worth having.
5. Inner Beauty. There is nothing more beautiful than a person filled with the joy of the Lord. Nothing. It does not matter if they are old, fat or just plain ugly, their inner Beauty shines through.
6. Agape Love. God’s love. A love that has no conditions. A love that makes you put others before yourself.
7. Healthy relations. It’s not about you, it’s about others. If people don’t like you, it’s always because of your beliefs. You’re fine. You don’t get destroyed. Move on. There’s lots of people that need you.
8. Brotherhood. I have a lot of friends I would call brothers. From the Army mostly. But my true brothers, that would stop everything to help me are Christian brothers.
9. Purpose. Every day I get up, I know the Lord has something for me to do that day.
10. Holy Spirit power. The same power that created the heavens and the earth, the same power that raise Jesus from the dead, is operating in your life.
11. Eternal life. Eternal life compared to this 120 years max that God has us on this earth is like all the beaches of the world compared to one grain of sand. There’s no comparrison, yet people risk eternity for the temporary pleasures of the here and now.. unbelievable.
John 5:24 – Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.