What am I wishing for this Christmas? If I am a Christ follower, when would I rather receive my reward? HEB 11:6 ESV And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Yes, HE REWARDS THOSE WHO SEEK HIM. And the immediate response is overwhelmingly - Cant I get it twice? I want both, I want it ALL. Right? Lets just be honest. Wouldnt it be easiest if we could have all the money and power here and be exalted amongst men here, and then head of into our spiritual afterlife with everything in abundance there as well? But just for the sake of argument for the moment, lets say that I have to choose. What would I choose? Would I rather have all the pleasures and riches of this earthly realm (physical things, things of man), if that leaves me penniless in heaven. Would I rather learn to be content with what the Lord provides, and receive spiritual blessings, those fruits of the Spirit that touch others with the light of the Word? Jesus tells His disciples - Mark 8:34-37 ESV And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? So lets be honest with ourselves, which would I choose? But please dont misunderstand my words, because we can find peace, joy, and all of the blessings that last and that do not waste away. Matthew 6:19-21 ESV “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Hebrews 13:5 ESV Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Matthew 6:24 ESV “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. This is easy to talk about and grand stand, and many of the unfaithful and rebellious will say that these passages are there so that preachers can use them to raise money. But Im no preacher, and I ask for no money in return. I support myself and share what I learn in fellowship, so please do not try to seek out some dark motive in my action and words. (If you were to find one, I urge you to let me know so that He can crush that old nature thoroughly.) These passages have real value as a yard stick for my faith (what we believe deep in our hearts to be true). They tell me who I am trusting - myself or God. But now, lets look at our examples. How many of the faithful do you find that are rich with worldly abundance? We can point to David, Solomon, and a few others that were Kings, but arent they the exception? And wasnt Solomons hunger for wisdom and not for things the attitude that earned him favor in Gods eyes so that Solomon would be exalted amongst men? But lets compare Christ and his disciples examples, and we see that they were not rich - they were homeless and imprisoned and persecuted and tortured. And does Christ call us to be disciples or kings? And does he say that we are the ones to receive praise and exaltation, or is He? Right about now in this lesson, the Lord is stepping on my toes, my Spirit is stirring me, reminding me, IT IS ABOUT GOD, NOT ABOUT YOU. Yes it is. But in this rebuke, in this chastising, in this humbling of my prideful nature - there is Hope. Because I have Christ in me, and if I let His light shine out in my life, and if I give Him all the glory, praise, and honor - He is faithful, and He loves me as His child, and He wants those things for me that will equip me best for service in this world and the next. It is my attitude, my grattitude, that unlocks the floodgates - and everything is His, both Spiritual and physical - so lets claim our blessings with our attitudes, by being content and thankful regardless of circumstances - so that we are proven faithful and serving and loving God, not money/wealth.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 10:40:04 +0000
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