2021-08-13
Good Morning Dear Ones,
One of the best-known and oft-repeated Scriptures is MT 6: 24, “No one can serve two masters. 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 both God and money.” This ties in with what I have written that there are two kinds of people—those led by material wealth and those led by God. Their lives are distinctly different in the way they strive to reach their goals and the kind of people they are. GA 6: 9-10, “Let us not become wary of doing good. For at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” When such goals as these govern our behavior toward others, we exude kindness and treat people with it. This makes us likable and works like a magnet, bringing people toward us and our goals. These goals, one can’t hold in his hand, but their presence in a relationship can help build it and deepen it in an emotionally healthy way. People who exhibit this attitude and behavior become our mentors, those who add goodness and texture to our lives that broadens them. Such a person moves forward in learning to please God and mature in his faith. The Greek word, philema [pronounced phil-ay-mah], is a holy kiss. It’s the greeting of a kiss on each cheek, exchanged as directed in 1 THESS 5: 26.
1 TIM 6: 9-10, “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” In recent times, I have been in on conversations that involve negotiating to buy large, tremendously expensive homes. While the figures have been made transparent, the aggression and mean-spiritedness of these negotiations have been scary. I’m told this is standard practice and realize that many high-level corporate, especially in law, real estate, company buy-outs, etc. are carried out this way. It makes me glad that I chose to be a minister (which means servant). The tension in such rooms is palpable. Sometimes these participants shout, slam doors on their way out, and say nasty things to each other. Fatigue often wears down their emotions, and control can be lost to the detriment of innocent people. There is also the possibility of cruel plots to cheat people out of court-ordered payments. Some examples would be stockholders that are not paid money owed to them, banks which don’t pay legal interest to their account holders, or extraordinary perquisites given to upper- level executives. The Greek word, philaguros [pronounced, phil-ar-goo-ros], is an adjective used to describe one who is greedy and loves money. Greed is divisive and mean-spirited.
2 TIM 3: 1-3, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good…” I both love and believe the teachings of the Bible. The book of Revelation, shows us that Israel will be lured into believing false promises by the Antichrist until the first 3 ½ years has elapsed. Then when it’s too late to stop the evil from reigning, she will be treated as described in the above citation. This will go on until the Lord finally interferes with it and wins the battle at Armageddon. A part of this horrific evil will be the actions of an unholy trinity---Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet. Adultery and fornication will be commonplace. DN 9: 23-27 describes this sad state of affairs including mention of the Abomination of Desolation, the sacrifice of a swine on the highest altar in the temple.
There is no question that every individual will be making a choice between “philema” or “philaguros” in his life. Servitude to both is impossible! JN 12: 25, “Those who love their own life will lose it. Those who hate their own life in this world will keep it. Love is eternal.” The last sentence and the ultimate message of Revelation is engraved on the inside of my wedding ring. This is my belief that I need not worry about my dear Peter, and that I know he is with the Lord. I also know that both of us are on the winning time of the end times. What a great comfort that is! Praise and thanks be to Him!
PRAYER; O Lord, this decision about whether we are led by the love of God or by the love of money will be made for most people early in life. Others will wait until they are struck by a life-changing force such as open combat in war, the recognition of the Holy Spirit at work, or abject poverty or abuse that leads to materialism/greed or being raised in meanness. We appeal to You in our weakness to make Yourself known to us and lead us with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. You have created each of us and by Your very nature love us. You judge us with the same standard. No one knows why some people are kind, and others not. We open our hearts to the leadership of the Holy Spirit and ask that He will bless us enough to cause a decision that pleases You. We pledge to listen for Your direction, obey it, and wait patiently for the day we are called to join You and our ancestors in heaven. You are to be praised and thanked beyond measure for answering our weaknesses with Your undying love and patience. Guide us into righteousness and deliver us from surrounding evil. We confess our sins and plead with You to be with us through our trials, losses, and other challenging heartaches that we encounter. You are a strong and loving God. We stand before You with freedom and confidence that You will lead us to doing good. We offer You our love, loyalty, honor, and faithful obedience, in Christ’s holy/mighty name. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I’m led to conclude on the first gift the Holy Spirit gives us. It’s love. Without it, we would be a nation of cave men and women, hungerly grabbing for everything they can get. Instead, 1 PET 2: 9 is made true with the love of God and the prayers of many. “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation of people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.” Let’s dream of bathing in that wonderful light, the light of Christ. Imagine being in His presence, called there because we lived our earthly life in righteousness. That is such an awesome alternative to greed, materialism, and being abusive! Think about it: walking on streets of gold that open from gates of precious stone and being surrounded by God’s brightly lit city on a hill. Feel the embrace of longed-for relatives eager to share their love for you. How much greater our lives will be!
And to think: His love is what brings you there…
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2021. All Rights Reserved.
Good Morning Dear Ones,
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