ISDAMan
07-28-00, 02:34 AM
I want to ask you something. Why do we all do this together anyway? Please, think on it for just a while before you read on. I’d like you to read:
1 Peter 4:17-19
17 For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin first among God's own children. And if even we Christians must be judged, what terrible fate awaits those who have never believed God's Good News?18 And "If the righteous are barely saved, what chance will the godless and sinners have?"19 So if you are suffering according to God's will, keep on doing what is right, and trust yourself to the God who made you, for he will never fail you.
What is this saying to us? I think it sums up our purpose and our mission quite well. If we are to be tools of God, He’s going to ensure that we are up to the task at hand. God does not just pick any old tool to do the job. He only uses the right one! Well, He’s got to judge us to see that we are fit for the task. Now, don’t you want to be found to be fit for the task? I sure do! We should accept no less!!! And what of the world around us, do we want to see that they are fit for the task too? He took us, the Godless, and made us Godly and I’ll say it again, there is a war on for the souls of men all over this world. You don’t need to be some big shot seminary graduate, a pastor, a deacon, or have some kind of degree, or even have been saved for some certain amount of time before God can make use of you. Like the woman at the well, all you have to do is tell others what Jesus has done for you. That’s it. It’s not too hard of a task. You don’t need to tackle people. In fact, let the pizza boy come late and with a bad attitude and you’ll be on the phone with 10 of your friends, within the hour, to tell them all about it. How much greater is God that you should tell about Him and what He does in your life?!?!?! This book of Ecclesiastes is a full coverage manual on what’s really important in life and the value of you and your life in relation to God. Now, I know that some see this book as being kind of a downer. It’s not so. What this book does is give us the stone cold truth of just how far we are from God and how much we really do need Him. I’ll admit that it’s not as eloquently stated as though it came through Paul. Never the less, this book is the raw concentrate of the truth we need. We study this to develop a greater trust of ourselves, that is to say, our lives, toward and over to God. He will never fail us!!! What does fail us, however, is when we, with our own poor choices, choose to seek after what looks and feels good to the flesh. We’ve read all about how money, flattery, physical pleasure, friends, and social status only ended in emptiness and vexation apart from God having given it. So, just as we read in:
2Cor 13:5
Examine yourselves to see if your faith is really genuine. Test yourselves. If you cannot tell that Jesus Christ is among you, it means you have failed the test.
… let’s get on with the testing.
KJV
9 Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field.
10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.
11 When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?
NLT
9 Even the king milks the land for his own profit!
10 Those who love money will never have enough. How absurd to think that wealth brings true happiness!
11 The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what is the advantage of wealth – except perhaps to watch it run through your fingers!
Oh, the truth in those words. I don’t know about you. I’ve seen more evaporate out of my hands than a little bit. The stuff comes and goes. Yet, even within the Church Body, we find Christians addicted and afflicted with money. They’ve caught the bug known as Affluenza. They want, so badly, to be affluent that, in place of doing the work of God, they will do all the work of Satan, and simply label it as God’s work, just so that they can make another buck. Now, before you go thinking that you sure are glad that you’re not like that, let me show you just how you might be. I’m sure you wouldn’t call yourself covetous but, are you driving or saving for one of those 40K+ SUV’s while your children are left to languish in sin infested public schools? I’m sure that you wouldn’t think of yourself as a bad steward but, those fancy nails, that cool new hair cut, those whiter brighter teeth, that new DVD player, or that tummy tuck, do you think that those things were a better buy than a donation to the missions so that lost people could hear about the Good News of Jesus Christ? There’s nothing wrong with having those things. It’s just that God is still in the business of judging hearts. He’s going to know why you really want them and what you chose to sacrifice to get them. I’d say that it makes perfect sense to just forget about those things if you have to lust for them in your heart above the righteous desire to share God’s Word. You’ll live without them. Why does it matter so much that people should think highly of us? Think about it. When we try to flash all of our wealth around so that others can see that we are wealthy, what we are really saying is, “Look how I have arrived.” It is of arrogance and gives no praise to God at all,… not even when you try to throw in the cursory, “Praise God!!!”, to make yourself look humble. That’s just more of your own pride speaking. You’re not impressing God with how you show off. If you want to get God all starry eyed, serve Him so that every time He looks at you, He sees Himself shining through you. The things you choose to adorn yourself with do not impress God. It doesn’t matter if it’s money, fame, friends, romance, or even children, if you look to things other than God as the mark of your worth, you might as well be spitting on Christ as He hangs on the Cross!!! His Life, Death, and Resurrection obviously did nothing for you if you have to find your value somewhere else. Now, if you’re still having trouble seeing that you could be in that boat and are glad that you’re not in that boat, let me tell you this. There is a flip side, a downside to match the upside, to this coin called unrighteous pride. This side is the downside because it is the side of the depressed. It is still the same skewed system of valuation. The difference is in how it plays out in the person. Whereas the person on the upside of the coin shows arrogance and self, the person on the downside of the coin, usually because of perceived failure and/or jealousy, typically becomes depressed or angry or both. I’ll give you an example. A man, with all that he has in him, tries to win the affection of a woman and she’s not at all impressed. In fact, she ends up with another man. Is it o.k. for this man to be sad? Sure it is. Yet, if it comes to the point where the man begins to say to himself that he is worthless and unlovable, if he sees the failure of his effort more than the HOPE of God, if he desires to be spiteful, if he lets this cause a communication breakdown between him and the lord, then, he is in sin and the pride of his heart, not the pain in his heart, has reduced him to measuring his worth by the things to be had in this world and not by Christ. He too might as well be spitting on the God that saved him! You do not have a right to be depressed. You do not have a right to be high minded. Both have a root in unrighteous pride! You see, it’s not that God has a problem with money or “things” in general. God is interested in our attitude/orientation toward Him and then toward those things. Neither your job, nor your marital status, nor your tax bracket, nor your social status, nor your good health, nor your sexy body, nor your anything can bring you true happiness. That, friend, only comes by way of truly surrendering all to God! I know that it’s hard. I’m still trying myself too. You’ve got to start somewhere though. I don’t care which side of the coin you are on. Truth be told, each of us is probably on both sides in different areas of our lives. Not long ago, something hurt me greatly,… right down to the center of my heart. I was faced with a real dilemma. If I had listened to my feelings, I would have just broken down.
<<<COMMERCIAL TIME>>>
Feelings don’t tell you anything about reality. They only tell you how you’re perceiving reality.
I can’t say that I always have, but, this time, I did the right thing. Yes, I was sad. Still, I kept to my responsibilities, and, as soon as I was able, I removed myself from the situation. Now, here’s the key point. Instead of, like in times past, running to do something stupid or worthless to take my mind off of my troubles, I ran to serve God. Did that make me feel any better? Nope, not one bit! Well, what’s the good in that? First, I didn’t sin. That’s always a good thing. Second, shortly thereafter, God arranged for comfort, and wisdom, and learning, and Hope, and Peace to be given to me in a way I would not have gone. You can’t get that with a vacation, a bottle of wine, a lover, drugs, dirty movies, busy work, wrath, or anything else you might try. We’ve all probably heard it sad that you can’t fall into sin if you’re running in the other direction. I tell you it’s true! Whenever the circumstances of your life, be they good or bad, bring you to a point where you could potentially fall into sin, run the other way. Run to do the work of God! Don’t be a fool and say I can handle it. Don’t be a wimp and say I can’t do anything about it so I’m not going to do anything. Either way is the same sin rooted in unrighteous pride! Instead, draw closer to God. He will never fail you. I challenge you to test Him on this.
In the HOPE of CHRIST,
ISDAMan
1 Peter 4:17-19
17 For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin first among God's own children. And if even we Christians must be judged, what terrible fate awaits those who have never believed God's Good News?18 And "If the righteous are barely saved, what chance will the godless and sinners have?"19 So if you are suffering according to God's will, keep on doing what is right, and trust yourself to the God who made you, for he will never fail you.
What is this saying to us? I think it sums up our purpose and our mission quite well. If we are to be tools of God, He’s going to ensure that we are up to the task at hand. God does not just pick any old tool to do the job. He only uses the right one! Well, He’s got to judge us to see that we are fit for the task. Now, don’t you want to be found to be fit for the task? I sure do! We should accept no less!!! And what of the world around us, do we want to see that they are fit for the task too? He took us, the Godless, and made us Godly and I’ll say it again, there is a war on for the souls of men all over this world. You don’t need to be some big shot seminary graduate, a pastor, a deacon, or have some kind of degree, or even have been saved for some certain amount of time before God can make use of you. Like the woman at the well, all you have to do is tell others what Jesus has done for you. That’s it. It’s not too hard of a task. You don’t need to tackle people. In fact, let the pizza boy come late and with a bad attitude and you’ll be on the phone with 10 of your friends, within the hour, to tell them all about it. How much greater is God that you should tell about Him and what He does in your life?!?!?! This book of Ecclesiastes is a full coverage manual on what’s really important in life and the value of you and your life in relation to God. Now, I know that some see this book as being kind of a downer. It’s not so. What this book does is give us the stone cold truth of just how far we are from God and how much we really do need Him. I’ll admit that it’s not as eloquently stated as though it came through Paul. Never the less, this book is the raw concentrate of the truth we need. We study this to develop a greater trust of ourselves, that is to say, our lives, toward and over to God. He will never fail us!!! What does fail us, however, is when we, with our own poor choices, choose to seek after what looks and feels good to the flesh. We’ve read all about how money, flattery, physical pleasure, friends, and social status only ended in emptiness and vexation apart from God having given it. So, just as we read in:
2Cor 13:5
Examine yourselves to see if your faith is really genuine. Test yourselves. If you cannot tell that Jesus Christ is among you, it means you have failed the test.
… let’s get on with the testing.
KJV
9 Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field.
10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.
11 When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?
NLT
9 Even the king milks the land for his own profit!
10 Those who love money will never have enough. How absurd to think that wealth brings true happiness!
11 The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what is the advantage of wealth – except perhaps to watch it run through your fingers!
Oh, the truth in those words. I don’t know about you. I’ve seen more evaporate out of my hands than a little bit. The stuff comes and goes. Yet, even within the Church Body, we find Christians addicted and afflicted with money. They’ve caught the bug known as Affluenza. They want, so badly, to be affluent that, in place of doing the work of God, they will do all the work of Satan, and simply label it as God’s work, just so that they can make another buck. Now, before you go thinking that you sure are glad that you’re not like that, let me show you just how you might be. I’m sure you wouldn’t call yourself covetous but, are you driving or saving for one of those 40K+ SUV’s while your children are left to languish in sin infested public schools? I’m sure that you wouldn’t think of yourself as a bad steward but, those fancy nails, that cool new hair cut, those whiter brighter teeth, that new DVD player, or that tummy tuck, do you think that those things were a better buy than a donation to the missions so that lost people could hear about the Good News of Jesus Christ? There’s nothing wrong with having those things. It’s just that God is still in the business of judging hearts. He’s going to know why you really want them and what you chose to sacrifice to get them. I’d say that it makes perfect sense to just forget about those things if you have to lust for them in your heart above the righteous desire to share God’s Word. You’ll live without them. Why does it matter so much that people should think highly of us? Think about it. When we try to flash all of our wealth around so that others can see that we are wealthy, what we are really saying is, “Look how I have arrived.” It is of arrogance and gives no praise to God at all,… not even when you try to throw in the cursory, “Praise God!!!”, to make yourself look humble. That’s just more of your own pride speaking. You’re not impressing God with how you show off. If you want to get God all starry eyed, serve Him so that every time He looks at you, He sees Himself shining through you. The things you choose to adorn yourself with do not impress God. It doesn’t matter if it’s money, fame, friends, romance, or even children, if you look to things other than God as the mark of your worth, you might as well be spitting on Christ as He hangs on the Cross!!! His Life, Death, and Resurrection obviously did nothing for you if you have to find your value somewhere else. Now, if you’re still having trouble seeing that you could be in that boat and are glad that you’re not in that boat, let me tell you this. There is a flip side, a downside to match the upside, to this coin called unrighteous pride. This side is the downside because it is the side of the depressed. It is still the same skewed system of valuation. The difference is in how it plays out in the person. Whereas the person on the upside of the coin shows arrogance and self, the person on the downside of the coin, usually because of perceived failure and/or jealousy, typically becomes depressed or angry or both. I’ll give you an example. A man, with all that he has in him, tries to win the affection of a woman and she’s not at all impressed. In fact, she ends up with another man. Is it o.k. for this man to be sad? Sure it is. Yet, if it comes to the point where the man begins to say to himself that he is worthless and unlovable, if he sees the failure of his effort more than the HOPE of God, if he desires to be spiteful, if he lets this cause a communication breakdown between him and the lord, then, he is in sin and the pride of his heart, not the pain in his heart, has reduced him to measuring his worth by the things to be had in this world and not by Christ. He too might as well be spitting on the God that saved him! You do not have a right to be depressed. You do not have a right to be high minded. Both have a root in unrighteous pride! You see, it’s not that God has a problem with money or “things” in general. God is interested in our attitude/orientation toward Him and then toward those things. Neither your job, nor your marital status, nor your tax bracket, nor your social status, nor your good health, nor your sexy body, nor your anything can bring you true happiness. That, friend, only comes by way of truly surrendering all to God! I know that it’s hard. I’m still trying myself too. You’ve got to start somewhere though. I don’t care which side of the coin you are on. Truth be told, each of us is probably on both sides in different areas of our lives. Not long ago, something hurt me greatly,… right down to the center of my heart. I was faced with a real dilemma. If I had listened to my feelings, I would have just broken down.
<<<COMMERCIAL TIME>>>
Feelings don’t tell you anything about reality. They only tell you how you’re perceiving reality.
I can’t say that I always have, but, this time, I did the right thing. Yes, I was sad. Still, I kept to my responsibilities, and, as soon as I was able, I removed myself from the situation. Now, here’s the key point. Instead of, like in times past, running to do something stupid or worthless to take my mind off of my troubles, I ran to serve God. Did that make me feel any better? Nope, not one bit! Well, what’s the good in that? First, I didn’t sin. That’s always a good thing. Second, shortly thereafter, God arranged for comfort, and wisdom, and learning, and Hope, and Peace to be given to me in a way I would not have gone. You can’t get that with a vacation, a bottle of wine, a lover, drugs, dirty movies, busy work, wrath, or anything else you might try. We’ve all probably heard it sad that you can’t fall into sin if you’re running in the other direction. I tell you it’s true! Whenever the circumstances of your life, be they good or bad, bring you to a point where you could potentially fall into sin, run the other way. Run to do the work of God! Don’t be a fool and say I can handle it. Don’t be a wimp and say I can’t do anything about it so I’m not going to do anything. Either way is the same sin rooted in unrighteous pride! Instead, draw closer to God. He will never fail you. I challenge you to test Him on this.
In the HOPE of CHRIST,
ISDAMan