Originally posted July 19, 2011 at 11:29 AM
I
like to be comfortable; I like nice things – really nice things; I like
conveniences; I like prosperity; I like good health; I could be more specific,
I could, without difficulty, fill a couple of pages with my likes as well as my
dislikes. There is absolutely nothing wrong with liking and desiring good
things – but good things must have their rightful place, which is to say, they
must not have our hearts.
You
see to have the right attitude towards “good things”, we must first realize
they are temporary, on loan to us; then we need to be willing to lose or give
them up. For if those “things” are so a part of us that we cannot relinquish
them, then they have become our object of worship rather than God.
Speaking
to the rich young man: “21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and
sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in
heaven: and come and follow me. 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he
went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples,
Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of
heaven.” Matthew 19:21-23
The
reason an individual consumed by their possessions will not enter heaven, is
because they are so consumed by their treasures, so self sufficient, they have
great difficulty in turning their back on self sufficiency and depending on
God.
When
the stock market crashes again, when our nations’ financial structure is broke
and belly-up, all that treasure and self sufficiency will be of no use.
19
¶ Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and
where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is,
there will your heart be also. Matthew 6:19-21
We
are headed for difficult times, more than most of us have ever imagined, and if
our faith is in our self sufficiency and treasures, which can be taken from us,
then we will be completely hopeless. This is where the “prosperity gospel”
(which by the way is “another gospel”) fails ultimately. Our only true
provision is in the Lord, He and He alone is our sufficiency.
“24
¶ Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him
deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever will save
his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find
it. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose
his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son
of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall
reward every man according to his works.” Matthew 16:24
Yea,
and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 2
Timothy 3:12
I
reality, most of us live completely beyond our needs, and some completely
beyond their means. So where are our priorities? Something to ponder, for sure.
“We should be continually
laboring to cut off all the useless things that surround us; and God usually
retrenches the superfluities of our souls in the same proportion as we do those
of our bodies.” – John Wesley
No comments:
Post a Comment