Do not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. ~1 John 2:15 (AMPCE)
Many of us today are far too attached to the things of this world. We spend the majority of our days making money just so we can go buy more things. The storage unit owners are getting richer all because we don’t have enough room at home to put everything we buy. Goodwill Industries and Salvation Army’s businesses are booming because our storage units are full to the brim. Has a love for the things of this world grown like weeds in your life? Where we put our time and our affections is a direct reflection of our heart condition. Have we lost sight of what’s most important to us? Of course, God wants us to have nice things, it is actually a demonstration of His goodness and brings Him glory in the earth, but we must continually keep our motives in check. It's important for our spiritual health to spend our lives giving of our time and resources to bless others instead of thinking only of ourselves and what we want. When we only think of what we want and what will make us happy we open ourselves up to frustration and disappointment because we were recreated in Christ’s image to be God’s ambassadors on this earth. Are you making a difference in someone else's life? If not, you might not be fulfilling your call from the Lord. Jesus tells us it is more blessed to give than to receive. Can you attest to that truth? Do you feel blessed when you are able to meet a need? We should all know by now that the Lord is wiser than we are, and He knows that the only way we are going to find lasting fulfillment is to be a giver. He knows that if our fulfillment comes from money or things we will not be fulfilled for very long because money comes and money goes.
God wants us to work hard and then use what we have to be a blessing to others. In God's covenant with Abraham which is outlined in Genesis 12:2-3 He tells us "I will bless you and you will be a blessing...all the people of the earth will be blessed through you." (NIV) That is pretty straightforward! We are taught in the New Testament (or New Covenant) that if we are in Christ, we are Abraham’s offspring and heirs to that covenant. We can test our motives to find out if they are prioritized correctly by our response to being blessed by God. If our motives are right, then when we are blessed, we will respond by being a blessing. If our motives are not right and we are self-focused, we "dam up" the blessing and although God can get it to us, we refuse to let Him get it through us to bless others. What we have then becomes all we have and there is no soul prosperity in that! We need to remind ourselves and each other that we are the hands and feet of Jesus, and He blesses the world through us! Don't let what God wants to get to others become buried by stopping the flow. Give as you have been given! When we live that way, our motives are right, and we experience a little more of heaven right here on earth!
The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. ~1 John 2:17 (NIV)
Where are you a giver? In your time? In your resources?
Write an answer
Write an answer
Comments