by David Brenneman
"And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He proves to be One who rewards those who seek Him." Hebrews 11:6 NASB
We, like King Solomon, are likely going to turn away from God when prosperity, health or wealth hits a certain point in life.
This was one of the very same lessons of the children of Israel. When comfort and ease came to them, they relied not on the Lord their God.
The opening verse...see the word seek?
Do you seek to know what Jesus has for you to be doing today? Or are you hollering out to Him that you'll see Him later. That you've got some things to do, you'll call if you need Him. And then you laughingly lock the door as you go on your own merry way. Whether to work, to the store, to vacation, to wherever your heart desires.
May sound funny but that's what so many professing Christians do each day. Read it for yourself, over and over, the theme of humanity is written down as "they did what was right in their own eyes".
Realize this my Dear Reader: regardless of what you may think that you want or want to happen in your life or the lives of those around you: It's to be His Will being done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Jesus said plainly: "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place. Heaven and Earth will pass away, but My Word's will not pass away." Luke 21:32-33 NASB.
We have constantly read of how we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works that we might walk in them. Ephesians 2:10. We have a specific, special, divinely chosen, destiny after coming to Christ for salvation. Divinely chosen in that the Spirit has placed each Believer in the body of Christ as He saw fit. As His wisdom, knowledge, love, caring, saw fit. We further read to not try to be some other part of the body that He didn't place us in the body of Christ to be. Further yet we read that the calling of God is irrevocable.
We don't grab the keys, our wallet or purse, a cell phone and tell Jesus we'll see Him later and run off to do life on our terms.
We don't put our purpose ahead of His purpose in our lives.
Satan oh so wants people to keep putting God's purpose to the side. To pursue other things rather than introducing people to Jesus. He thinks he's delaying the return of Jesus Christ. He's trying to get you to further his aims in doing so.
People want to think what they will about this world and the changes it's going through. Truth be known, read again what Jesus said of His words not passing away. This world is preparing for the return of Jesus. We read that Jesus isn't slow about His promised return, He's not willing, that is not wanting, any to perish but that all would come to Christ for salvation. Simply put, you die without true salvation in Christ Jesus you will wake up in Hell 1 second later. Wondering why everything hurts and there's nothing you can do to stop it. Read what Jesus said about Hell in the story of the rich man and Lazarus.
We need to get to making what God wants of us our priority. We need to return to a life that goes hand-in-hand with the will of God for you and I. When you take up your own cross, you have nothing else you can hold on to. It takes all of you to do that.
Nobody should seek to gain the whole world. Jesus said such would lose.
Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. These things are those things that grow us in Christ Jesus. Not necessarily more health, more wealth or more prosperity. People waste millions pursuing a greater physical or mental health all the while starving to death Spiritually. What does it gain you to starve yourself Spiritually? ABSOLUTELY nothing. He gave you and I enough common sense to live right physically. Not everyone exercises that common sense but we are given it.
We are not to neglect the Spiritual gifts we are given. We do that when we put self before the Spirit. Jesus said in the days before He returns people would be lovers of themselves. Look at Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, or even TicToc. People certainly, certainly, certainly are lover's of themselves. Our society shoves self down everyone's throats. It's not enough anymore to silently go about life. You must prove your acceptance of others' self choices, openly and vigorously.
What are you doing to seek first His kingdom? What are you doing to further your growth Spiritually? What habits do you have that need to go in order to be a doer of the Word and not a hearer only? What can you point to in your life that specifically is time spent growing in Christ? Are you fulfilling your calling in Christ Jesus or are you quenching the Spirit by doing your own thing? Paul admonished Timothy to stand firm. To fulfill his calling. To not give up.
Jonah was told that running from your purpose in Christ Jesus wasn't going to fly. What's interesting to note is many of those same people he thought deserved to die are with him now in Heaven.
We deserved to die but thanks be to God through Jesus Christ that salvation came. That in Christ we have His purpose for our lives in front of us. We have a life to live that should be lived to glorify God out of gratitude for all that Jesus did and went through to save each of us.
At no time in His earthly ministry did Jesus teach that it's ok to let your guard down. That Satan would cut you some slack so that you can go enjoy yourself.
At no time did He ever go tell His Disciples to go, run off and enjoy yourself, the kingdom can wait. It's not to say we aren't to enjoy what God through Christ Jesus created, we are not to let our guard down. What we might yet still call a vacation, God still calls a ministry opportunity. You still represent Jesus wherever the soles of your feet are.
Take time to stop and consider how you have treated your life in Christ. If you haven't come to Christ, things that you cannot remotely understand that are good, right and true await you. A relationship with Jesus is but the beginning.
In what ways are you possibly distracted from a life that is the best that God intended for you? His purpose will stand. His return will happen. We will give an account of our lives as we have lived them. Things done, said or thought, that didn't have a kingdom impact will be burned up.
My personal hope is that something is left of my accounting that I will be able to give back to Jesus. What will your life produce when yours is?
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