The Ballestero Blog

Do You Know Where You’re Going, When You Go Green?

The signs and slogans are everywhere. Go Green.

That, my friend just might be one of the most dangerous signs you ever obey!

Going Green is promoted to save the environment. Yet, for some it takes on a different meaning.  It is much more to them than recycling plastic, glass and paper. They keep looking for greener grass on the other side of every fence.

They think the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, and why not? Everyone loves green grass. Green grass is very attractive. Somehow, green has become a symbol of health, wealth, beauty, and comfort. It’s also the illusion of a enjoying a better life.

Americans Spend A Lot Of Money Just To Have Green Grass

Ehow.com says that the average home owner spends between $100 and $400 a month on his yard, depending on the size of the lawn and the company he chooses.

Read more: The Average Cost of Lawn Care | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_5984601_average-cost-lawn care.html#ixzz1zZJwhW2U

We feel that our neighbor’s will judge us by the greenness of our grass. Maybe they do. If so, the solution is simple.

• Water your yard.
• Fertilize it.
• Trim it.
• Pull the weeds out or wack them with a gas powered weed eater.
• Remove the dandelions.
• Trap the gophers.
• It’s your yard. You could make it pretty if you chose to make it pretty.

It may cost you to have green grass. However, it may cost you more if you go looking elsewhere for greener grass. King David found out about that when he looked over the wall and saw Bathsheba.

Exodus 20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.

Just quit looking and the coveting will stop!

There’s That…

Pastor Tommy Craft’s Office Picture

In the late1980’s, I sat down in Pastor Tommy Craft’s office in Jackson, Mississippi to visit a few minutes before a church service. My eyes were immediately drawn to a large picture of the wall. It was a picture of a beautiful pasture with a fence running through the middle. On each side of the fence was a horse with its neck stretched out trying to eat the grass on the other side. Nothing was actually gained by the horses. The grass was actually the same. They both risked their necks on the barbed wire. The picture was silent reminder to never ignore the green grass under your own feet.

Discontentment

The lack of contentment makes the human eye look elsewhere. Having it, is truly a gift of God. Some possess much of this life’s finer things. They have plenty of money in the bank and live a life some would even envy. Yet, they are not content.

They have found out for themselves that King Solomon was right. The eyes of a man are never full. They always want more, so they never stop looking.

That mindset will have much bearing on how long you keep your vehicle, your house, your job and your spouse. It will also determine how long you attend your local church.

Contentment Can, And Must Be Learned

Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation (Manner of Living) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

1 Timothy 6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

What You Don’t Appreciate, Maybe Some One Else Will.

A young woman named Jan complained tearfully to her friend Paula.  She told Paula that she was going to dump her boyfriend. Paula agreed that she should dump him. She also said, “Let me know when you drop him, because when you do, I’m going to be there to pick him up.” Jan decided to rethink the situation.

The Desert Of Life Also Has The Mirage Of A Green Oasis.

When you finally struggle to get where the shimmering Oasis is, there will be no green, and there will be no water. You will only be fooled. You saw what you wanted to see. In your desperate struggle for a better life, you have not find satisfaction there. Actually, it is possible that you may wind up more desperate and disillusioned than before. Maybe the green you are looking for, is real… but, only in your mind.

For You, Does Going Green Mean Going For More Money?

I worry about those who only focus on the dollar and not their soul. They might make more money and also miss more church. It’s the worst trade off ever. There is no job worth losing your soul over.

We all have heard our share of get rich quick schemes. And we also know of some who have fallen into that trap. Beware!

1 Timothy 6:9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Beneath Some Patches Of Green Grass, Are Septic Tanks

Erma Bombeck entitled one of her books: The Grass Is Always Greener Over The Septic Tank.

Did anyone ever ask, “Why is the grass greener over there? What makes it so green right there?”

It seems that in polite company, every one tries to ignore the source of the greener grass. But, no matter how much we suppress the truth from our thinking, filth made it greener. That is a fact.

Has sin made the grass greener where you have been looking? It’s possible. Maybe you should ask the “Why” questions about the Green Grass you’ve been looking at.

Lot Chose The Well Watered Plains Of Sodom And Gomorrah

No doubt about it. The grass was greener. It was so green, that it’s magnetism held Lot and his family captive. They actually loved the placed.

It was God who had the problem. Lot felt good about it. He listened to his own carnality. It was God who hated the filth of Sodom. Lot was willing to die there. God had to drag him and his family out.

The attraction was so strong that Lot’s wife died from its attraction. The fruits of his daughters perversion became one of the things God hated most. Their names were Ammon and Moab, the life long enemies of the people of God.

It all started with Lot pitching his tent toward Sodom. It started with Lot looking at the greener grass every day. What are you looking at? In what direction is your tent pitched?

HINT:  The Grass Would Be Greener Where You Are Living Right Now, If You Would Just Water It More Often.