Investing in eternal life

Pr. 11:4:  “Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.”

I just finished a book series that took place after an outbreak of a pandemic disease wiped out 80% of the world’s population.  Children were orphaned, farms were abandoned, industry and retail ceased.  Money could no longer buy a single thing on the earth.  Everyone was suddenly on equal grounds…all simply trying to survive.

This verse reminds me of that.  On the day the Lord returns, our riches, material possessions, status, and opulence won’t save us.  Only righteousness (living right with God) will deliver us from death.

The question begs to be asked of us all:  Are you investing more time into gaining or upkeep of riches that will not profit or into gaining or sustaining your relationship with God, which will quite literally save you from death?

As I think about the plans I’ve made for my day, with this verse in mind, I can see that my plans are a bit unbalanced.  Thankfully I still have time to readjust those plans before the day is up.  So do you.  🙂

Calibrating the scale,

jamie

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Roast that game!

Pr. 12:27:  “The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting, but diligence is man’s precious possession.” 

Have you ever made food and then left it out too long, only to found that it went bad?  I have, and that’s what this lazy man did.  He took the time to purchase hunting gear, to get the gear together, walk out to the perfect spot in the woods, and sit patiently and wait for his prey.  After getting what he needed, he carried it all the way home, and then he just left it.  All that work, just to neglect it and allow it to turn bad.

Instead of diligently caring for and protecting the provisions the Lord had given him, this man took it for granted.  All that we have is from the Lord.  He gives to us from His glorious riches and so often, we forget the blessing that they truly are.  We begin to expect provision without giving thanks or doing our own part to take on the responsibility of caring for those things.

We can do the same things spiritually.  We find a treasure in the Lord and then we do not protect it or cultivate in our lives.  We just expect spiritual provisions without taking on our own responsibility of being diligent to do our part.  Maybe we found the perfect scripture to get us out of our rut and get our eyes back on the Lord, but the slip of paper we wrote it on ends up in a stack of bills and becomes forgotten.  Perhaps we have felt the presence of the Lord and determine to continue in His presence, but we then get distracted by a semi-appropriate show on TV that we just really love, and He can no longer remain there with us.

We take the time to wake up early on Sunday morning, get everyone dressed and out the door on time, get everyone to the right spot, and be seated in the presence of the Lord.  We get all we need and more, we leave feeling blessed and uplifted, go home with smiles and peace, and then we forget all that just happened and go right back to where we were before.  All that work, just to neglect it, and know that sometimes it will even turn bad.

All that we have is from the Lord.  He lavishly provides for our spiritual and physical needs.  His word says that when we seek Him, He will draw near to us.  In order to properly care for our provisions, we must be diligent.  We must diligently go over that perfect scripture and find others like it.  We must pray over it and ask God to help it develop deep roots in our hearts and minds.  We must diligently make time to be in His presence and remain there, allowing Him to test and try our hearts and to cleanse and purify us in the way that only He can.  Diligence means we are persistent.  It’s a constant effort.

The beauty of this is knowing that we don’t even have to do it our own strength.  If we are truly seeking more of Him, He is the one who will provide the strength to continue.  Ha!  How amazing is that!?  We don’t have to worry about the details of our needs.  God’s got those under control.  He said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things (the details) shall be added unto you.”  Mt. 6:33.

All we have to do is seek Him.  Just continually seek Him.  If we will remain diligent in that, He will do the rest.  We will be eating the fruit of the Spirit and dining with the King of Kings!  Diligence is truly our prized possession.

Enjoy the feast,

jamie

Can money bring salvation?

Pr. 28:25:  “He who is of a proud heart stirs up strife, but he who trusts in the Lord will be prospered.”

The NLV translates it this way:  “Greed causes fighting; trusting the LORD leads to prosperity.”  This verse is pretty self explanatory.   What else do we really need?  We are so consumed with consuming that we have trouble distinguishing wants from needs.

Do we really need shoes to match that outfit or will another pair of shoes we already own actually be fine?  Do we really need a new boat or does the boat we currently own get the job done just fine?  Do we really need that food we saw in the food magazine or will the food in our cabinets suffice?  The truth is that in our society the lines get easily blurred.  We can justify all the reasons we “need” something that we want, but at the end of the day most of us have all we need and more.  Certainly the Lord provides.

If you’ve ever had a time when you actually had no food or a bill you truly couldn’t pay, then you’ve probably seen the Lord provide.  When we get caught up in greed we can truly trouble our own houses and spend our money unwisely.  We have to find the courage and faith to be good stewards of the money and possessions God provides us.  When we do that, we will not only have all we need, but we will be grateful children and have enough to help others.  God gives to us not for our own greed and gain, but to reach out, as His hands, and give to those around us with true needs.

The believers in Acts 2:45-47, “sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.  So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people.  And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”

When we create our budget, spend our money, or decide on purchases, let’s keep in mind the fact that there are some around us that truly have needs.  “The Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved”…He is the same God today.  Let’s make our decisions about money based on the knowledge that the way we use our money can be the tool God uses for someone else’s salvation.  Now that’s a good reason to pinch a penny!

Frugally,

jamie