2007-08-17
Good Morning Dear Ones,
In the last few weeks the Holy Spirit had me writing about how mammon, which originally meant "material possessions, wealth entrusted to others"-a passive mood. Through common use and practice, its meaning became "that in which trust is placed"-an active mood with negative connotations. In looking at MT 19: 24, we see the teaching of Jesus, "It is much hard for a rich man to go to heaven than a camel to pass through the eye of a needle." In returning to Christ's Sermon on the Mount, we looked into MT 6: 19-21, the passage which deals with placing our riches in heaven rather than on earth. Then, I was led to move on to MT 6: 22-23, which deals with how "the eyes are a lamp for the body"-our dealing with temptation in the light of God's will. The next step was examining MT 6: 24, "You can't serve two masters, both God and mammon [money, material possessions, etc.]." God brings us to where we must decide on which will take leadership in our lives, our desire for material wealth or our faithful trust in Him. And finally, we arrived at MT 6: 24-34, which takes up worrying about acquisition of material needs and the issue of learning to trust God to keep His promise to provide for those who obey Him.
The Lord wants us to understand what He means by trusting in His promise to provide. This is no invitation to stand around waiting for our food, drink, clothing, transportation, and the needs of this life. Surely we must work for them. However, where we can't provide for ourselves, He will provide our needs for us. My own life is living proof of that. The real underlying issue is learning to live according to God's will and to trust in His promises. NU 23: 19, "God is not like men, who lie; He is not a human who changes his mind. Whatever He promises, He does; He speaks, and it is done." PS 84: 11-12, "The Lord is our Protector and glorious King, blessing us with kindness and honor. He does not refuse any good thing to those who do what is right. Almighty God, how happy are those who trust in You!" God's promise to Christ has huge implications for us. HE 6: 21-22, "But Jesus became a priest by means of a vow when God said to Him, 'The Lord has made a vow and will not change His mind: 'You will be a Priest forever.' This difference, then, also makes Jesus the Guarantee of a better covenant." With promises like this being kept, we have no reason to distrust God's promise of provision of our basic needs. PHIL 4: 19, "And with all His abundant wealth through Christ Jesus, my God will supply all your needs."
To further our understanding of why we shouldn't worry, as Christ states in MT 6: 24-34, the Father gives us the example of Paul's attitude and his life. The latter's attitude is clearly seen in PHIL 3: 8, "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ." More than once in the Scriptures, we have been asked to fix our eyes on the gain of heaven and on God's Kingdom. MT 6: 33, "Instead, 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 other things." HE 12: 1-2, "Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Paul's eyes were fixed on the upward call of God through Christ. This doesn't mean that Paul didn't complain at times. We see this in his litany of suffering in 2 COR 11: 23-33 and again, in a passage that I claim for my own life, 2 COR 12: 7-9. "But to keep me from being puffed up with pride because of the many wonderful things I saw, I was given a painful physical ailment, which acts as Satan's messenger to beat me and keep me from being proud. Three times I prayed to the Lord about this and asked Him to take it away. But His answer was, 'My grace is sufficient, for My power is strongest when you are weak.' I am most happy, then, to be feel the protection of Christ's power over me." Paul acquired the skill from placing his trust in God to be content in the face of adversity. PHIL 4: 11-13, "I am not saying this because I feel neglected, for I have learned to be satisfied with what I have. I know what it is to be in need and what it is to have more than enough. I have learned this secret, so that anywhere, at any time, I am content, whether I am full or hungry, whether I have too much or too little. I can face all things through Christ Who strengthens me." The example of Paul's attitude toward dealing with the challenges of his life and acquisition of his basic needs stands tall for us to attempt to follow. We must remember that our Lord knows we are imperfect. His will is to see us focus our lives on Him and on the matters of the Kingdom. We must remember the words of LK 17: 21b, Christ's response to the Pharisees who asked when the Kingdom of God would come: "...The Kingdom of God is within you." Yes, Faithful Readers, the Kingdom of God is within our hearts, which I hope you will agree with me is a compelling reason for us to listen carefully to Christ's teaching on the Sermon on the Mount and live by it.
PRAYER: O Lord, as we approach Your mighty throne today in prayer, we realize that You are bringing us to a major paradigm shift. By Your supernatural power and Your love for us, You are teaching us to move away from obsession with material things and earthly matters to concerning ourselves first with the matters of Your Kingdom. You are a compassionate God, Who loves us enough to sacrifice Your only begotten Son on the cross for our salvation, and to continue to lead us through the challenges of our sanctification with Your Spirit to guide us. What greater being can there be but You? We bow our heads in reverence and express our desire to learn to be more open to the teaching of the Holy Spirit. In this world with all its faulty and earth-bound ideals, we must be as salmon swimming upstream against the current. You understand this is not easy and offer us Your compassion and timely help. PS 34: 15, 17, "The Lord watches over the righteous and listens to their cries...The righteous call to the Lord, and He listens; He rescues them from their troubles." You have asked us to humble ourselves before You, and then, You promised us every blessing and wonderful peace [PS 37:11]. Often, You must allow us to come to the end of ourselves before we have been willing to turn to You. We pledge to try to learn to seek You out first. How can we not notice the promise You make us in JER 29: 11-13? "I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you not to bring disaster, plans to give you the future for which you hope. Then you will call to Me. You will come and pray to Me, and I will answer you. You will seek Me, and you will find Me because you will seek Me with all your heart." If we look carefully at our own lives after we came to faith in You, Dearest Abba, we will see Your protection in them. PS 139: 5, "You are all around me on every side; You protect me with Your power." David uttered, in PS 5: 7, something each of us can say. "But as for me, I will come into your temple protected by Your mercy and Your love; I will worship you with deepest awe." We say this now, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Next week, I'm led to continue discussing the lessons we learn from MT 6: 19-34 on dealing with mammon vs. God in our lives. Our Lord Jesus, "the Author and Perfecter of our faith," is hard at work in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. He is inching us toward His goal of seeing us glorified, i.e. sent up to heaven after having been sufficiently perfected, to be eternal residents and enjoy sweet fellowship with Him. There is no greater love for us anywhere in the universe than the love our Lord has for each of us. To see Christ's mission completed in our individual and congregational lives, we must make that great shift from considering the matters of earth more important than those of heaven. The Scriptures give us exact ways on how to do this, and that will be the subject of coming devotions. In the meanwhile, as we obey His teaching we can be surrounded with the love God wants for us, and we can feel the nearness of His presence. IS 41: 13, "I am the Lord, your God; I strengthen you and tell you, 'Do not be afraid; I will help you.'" God hears our prayers and reveals His love for us in IS 49: 13, "Sing heavens! Shout for you, Earth! Let mountains burst into song! The Lord will comfort His people; He will have pity on His suffering people." God answers our prayers too. PS 138: 3, "When I called , You answered me; You made me bold and stout-hearted." Claim 2 TIM 1: 7, "For the Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid; instead, His Spirit fills us with power, love, and self-control." Praise be to the Lord!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn