Heavenly stuff vs. Worldly stuff

The Bible records the interactions that Jesus had with many people.  One thing is consistent in all these encounters, people went away from His presence changed.  The blind had their vision restored, the cripple were healed to walk away and the deaf made able to hear Him say, “Go and sin no more”.  Most were changed in a positive way by meeting with Christ but others didn’t take away what he wanted them to and left “empty handed”.

I’m amazed by this other group who met Jesus, God in the flesh, and failed to take the opportunity they were given.  The Scribes and Pharisees were warned over and over of their need to repent of their sins, give up the traditions of man and seek relationship and worship of God directly.  And even some who really wanted to have a changed life missed the mark by just a little.  In Matthew 19 we see where a wealthy young man approached Jesus and asked what he could do to have eternal life.  Christ told him if he wanted to be perfect, to sell all his stuff and follow Him.  And the scripture states…

“When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions”.

Matthew 19:22

We know two things for certain about this young man; he was a devout Jew that had practiced the customs and traditions of the day faithfully and we know he had a lot of stuff.  Have you ever wondered what was going on in his head as he walked away from Jesus?  I sure have and I think that he really missed out on what Jesus wanted from him, simply to see where his heart was.  Was serving and following God more important than worldly possessions or did he see eternal life as just another acquisition to add to his stockpile of stuff?  An often overlooked aspect of this story is that Jesus never told the young man he was required to sell his stuff to follow Him, just that “IF” he did, he would be perfect in light of his following of all the commandments so strictly as he had claimed.  I believe he left Jesus empty handed when he was given the chance to grasp eternity.

All because he liked his stuff too much.

Fortunately Jesus doesn’t ask any of us to be perfect because if he did we would all be in real trouble.  But He does want to know that our heart is really with Him.  If we feel that we can earn Christ approval, eternal life and His acceptance we are just like the rich young man and going to walk away empty handed from an encounter with Jesus. Psalm 44:21 says that God knows and searches the heart of men and Christ knew the rich young man’s heart wasn’t really in it.

Jesus probably won’t ask you to give up all your stuff to follow Him but I’m sure we all have something or things in our lives that are keeping us from fully embracing the relationship with Him that He is offering, the one that leads to the abundant life.  Where is your heart at today? 

The Psalmist wrote…

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!

Psalm 139:23

I challenge you to approach the Lord in prayer and make that request.  God, YOU examine my heart.  God, YOU examine my thoughts.  The Holy Spirit will point things out that we will never see on our own and I have to spend a lot of time asking for forgiveness when I send that prayer upstairs.  Are you up to that challenge? 

Anything that God doesn’t approve of in our lives creates a barrier between us and Him.  Every time we remove the stuff from our life that doesn’t glorify God, we get closer to Him.  Our relationship with God is dependent on what we are willing to remove from our life that isn’t pleasing to Him.  Do you have too much stuff blocking your view of Jesus?  Want to get rid of it but not sure where to start?  Just ask and He will show you what needs to go.

Be encouraged!

Jeff

Modern Day SLAVERY?

Here is something for you to ponder. 

I would strongly suggest you read Genesis 47:13-27, click >>> HERE <<< to read now.  So when they went to Pharaoh after that, they brought their livestock - their cattle, their horses, their sheep, and their donkey - to barter for grain, and verse 17 says that only took them through the end of that year.

But the famine wasn't over, was it? So the next year, the people came before Pharaoh and admitted they had nothing left, except their land and their own lives. "There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our land. Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we with our land will be servants to Pharaoh." So they surrendered their homes, their land, and their real estate to Pharaoh's government, and then sold themselves into slavery to him, in return for grain.

What can we learn from this, brothers and sisters?

That turning to the government instead of God to be our provider in hard times only leads to slavery? Yes.. That the only reason government wants to be our provider is to also become our master?  Yes. 

But look how that passage ends... "Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt , in the land of Goshen . And they gained possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied greatly." God provided for His people, just as He always has! They didn't end up giving all their possessions to government, no, it says they gained possessions! And that has amazing application for us today..

We see the same thing happening today - the government today wants to "share the wealth" once again, to take it from us and redistribute it back to us. It wants to take control of healthcare, just as it has taken control of education, and ration it back to us, and when government rations it, then government decides who gets it, and how much, and what kind. And if we go along with it, and do it willingly, then we will wind up no differently than the people of Egypt did four thousand years ago - as slaves to the government, and as slaves to our leaders.

What Mr. Obama's government is doing now is no different from what Pharaoh's government did then, and it will end the same. And a lot of people like to call Mr. Obama a "Messiah," don't they? Is he a Messiah? A savior? Didn't the Egyptians say, after Pharaoh made them his slaves, "You have saved our lives; may it please my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh"?

So who should we place our trust?  God who provides for the needs and even more for His people or the Government?  God wants a relationship with us.  What does the Government really want.... 

Please forward this to others!

 
In God We Trust...