2007-04-13
Good Morning Dear Ones,
The Holy Spirit leads me to continue writing about the issue of materialism as discussed in Christ's Sermon on the Mount, MT 5-7. We need to understand that God's idea of spiritual maturity doesn't focus on material wealth or poverty. Instead, it is true belief in and reliance on God's promise to provide believers with their needs. Let's review MT 6: 33-34, "Instead [of worrying about material needs] be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what He requires of you, and He will provide you with all these others things. So do not worry about tomorrow; it will have enough worries of its own. There is no need to add to the troubles each day brings."
Some other verses will help flesh this concept out in one's mind. A number of people ask: when does God's Kingdom come? Christ actually answers that question in LK 17: 20-21. "Some Pharisees asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come. His answer was, 'The Kingdom of God does not come in such a way as to be seen. No one will day,' Look, here it is!' or, 'There it is!; because the Kingdom of God is within you.'" Think about this. What our Lord is saying here is that once a person becomes a believer, the Kingdom of God is within him. Is it any wonder that His main purpose [stated in JN 6: 39-40] is to bring as many people back to the Father as the Father has given Him? From first-hand experience, I have felt the difference in the quality of my own life before and after being surrounded by believers. It's nothing short of amazing! At the time of the death of a believing loved one, his fellow believers give that person a loving "send-off," knowing that person has gone to heaven, to a warm welcome for an eternal life of bliss with the Father. For unbelievers at the death of an unbeliever, there is a feeling of hopelessness and despair. And that doesn't even cover the joys of having faith that carry us through our trials during our earthly life!
The minor prophet, MICAH, gives us a clear picture of "what the Lord requires of you," another component of MT 6: 34. MICAH 6: 8, "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to have mercy and to walk humbly with your God." There is nothing in this godly reply that even mentions acquiring material wealth or living purposely in poverty starving to death. Justice, mercy, and humility are discussed at length in the Scriptures. God is remarkably clear on His stand on these things. We already know that God, through Christ, is the ultimate Judge [DN 7: 13-14]. PS 7: 11, "God is a righteous Judge and always condemns the wicked." It's one thing to say it, but true believers really believe it and rely on it. Certainly, we know that we are to be kindly, helpful, and caring toward our fellow man. Those who are true believers will also know that God acts with mercy for those He feels are deserving of it, and that is anyone willing to open his heart to Him. PS 103: 13, "The Lord is like a father to His children, tender and compassionate to those who have reverence for Him." And then, there is the issue of humility-submitting to God in every way, not engaging in self-aggrandizement, not building oneself up by pounding down others. In my estimation, one of the premier expressions of humility is in PS 115: 1, "To You alone, O Lord, to You alone, and not to us, must glory be given because of Your constant love and faithfulness."
And now having said this, we must get to where the rubber meets the road, the issue of worrying. I stand enormously convicted here, because of the worrying about basic needs that I have done over the last nine years of my life. It's probably why God is directing me to write about this now. What a job I've made for Him in this area! Praise to Him that He loves me enough to stick it out! MT 10: 29-31 gives us God's perspective. "For only a penny you can buy two sparrows, yet not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father's consent. As for you, even the hairs of your head have all been counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth much more than man sparrows!" The deeper issues here are given in MT 10: 28 and LK 21: 34-36. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul: rather be afraid of God, Who can destroy both body and soul in hell...Be careful not to let yourselves become occupied with too much feasting or drinking, and with the worries of this life, or that Day [the Day of the Lord-the Tribulation] may suddenly catch you like a trap. For it will come upon all people everywhere on earth. Be on watch and pray always that you will have the strength to go safely through all those things that will happen and to stand before the Son of Man." Two major lessons come out of these last few passages: 1) God loves each of us and wants us to submit to and rely on Him. 2) There are dire consequences to those who refuse to do this. Nowhere in this reliance should there be laziness and refusal to do one's work. But we must understand that we should shift our thinking from worrying about material things to focusing on the establishment and nourishment of the Kingdom of God right here and right now. Of course, we need to work to support our families, but our work is not our real life. God reveals that through Paul in COL 3: 3-4, "For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Your real life is Christ and when He appears, then you to will appear with Him and share His glory!"
PRAYER: O Lord, You are to be praised and thanked for the wisdom and practicality of the lessons You give us. In our imperfection, You have given us a hunger to be perfected by You. Worrying is a form of lack of trust in You, and You are showing us the folly of continuing to make it the centerpiece of our lives. You comfort us when You show us the blessings of submission and faithful obedience to You. When we have troubles, You deliver us. PS 32: 7, "You are my Hiding Place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance." It occurs to us, Dearest Abba, that we owe it to You to submit to Your will, in view of the great sacrifice of Your Son on the cross that You have made for us [JN 3: 16; RO 3: 24-25]. Moreover, there is the issue of trusting You- the one which seems to be hard for us. PS 33: 19, "How wonderful are the good things You keep for those who honor you! Everyone knows how good You are, how securely You protect those who trust in You." You give us impetus to learn to trust You in PS 25: 1, 6, "To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in You I trust, O my God... Remember, O Lord, Your great mercy and love, for they are from old." Dearest Abba, You have the power, when we submit to you, to change our focus from worrying to establishing Your Kingdom. We dedicate ourselves to learning exactly what that means through Your word and prayer. How differently that allows us to look at the circumstances of our lives. You can cause someone like me to concern myself more with Your Kingdom and stop worrying that You will supply Peter and I with our basic needs. And yes, Lord, You do more than that in people's lives. When we are ill, You heal us. When we give to those in need, You give us "the peace that passes human understanding" [PHIL 4: 7], and when we call to You in prayer, You answer us [PS 116: 1]. You deserve our loyalty, submission, obedience, honor, thanks and praise, In Christ's holy name, we pray. Amen.
As a part of this discussion on materialism, the Holy Spirit has directed me to ask these questions next week: Whose opinion matters the most? Do we believe in God's promises? In the meanwhile, let this wonderful verse settle in our minds. PS 37:11, "But all who humble themselves before the Lord shall be given every blessing, and shall have wonderful peace." There's a good reason why I go back to the Psalms as often as I do. There is so much wisdom in them that applies directly to our lives. God really does bless people who serve, love, and honor Him. I'm living proof that He really does "put a mark on the foreheads of all who believe" [REV 7: 3] and protects them. Otherwise the evil one would have had his way, which was for me to die physically last August. It wasn't God's will or timing for that, and I'm so utterly grateful for His protection. If each of us believes, submits to His will, obeys, honors, and serves Him, he can enjoy God's protection and provision. PS 139: 5, "You are all around me one every side; You protect me with Your power." PHIL 4: 19, "And with all His abundant wealth through Christ Jesus, my God will supply all your needs." Without loving us as He does, our God wouldn't go out on a limb for us, as He did when Christ said, in JN 15: 7, "If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, then you will ask for anything you wish and you shall have it." His love extends to revealing Himself to us through our study of the word, prayer, congregations, and the circumstances of our lives. He gives us the chance to experience Him through our faithful obedience to Him. We must remember that our God is the Source of all good on this earth [PS 16:2]. How very blessed to know Him true believers really are! Praise be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn