Tag Archives: Riches

The Price

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There is a price to pay for being stupid, yes.  And as much as we are able, it is good to seek restitution.  Pay back what you owe as best you can.  But some of the things we do are too expensive for us to repay.  What do we do then?

Of all the things we do to others we are in debt to the ears of our souls.  But aren’t we a creation of God also?  And haven’t we done harm to ourselves?  How do you pay that back?

You’re not rich enough to repay everything you’ve done.   Taking money out of your wallet to put it back in your wallet is no repayment at all.  I think this one through. 

To make things right you need a third party who is greatly generous and compassionate, while at the same time being completely righteous and utterly just.  In short, you need someone who is endlessly and eternally rich.

This is what the Gospel is.

God cannot lie.  He said, I will forgive your sins and I will repay.   Only come to me and let us reason together, that we may put a stop to this flood of destruction.  You’ve heard it said that vengeance is mine, says the Lord.  But so is justice, righteousness, mercy, love, and eternal life.

There is great anger in the Lord that he will unleash on the day when he judges all men.  But in this day he is not angry.  This is the day of salvation.  This is the day when he works to secure the hearts and minds and souls of hundreds of millions of people.

If you’ve ever thought something through before, give this one your complete attention.  If possible, give it more thought than you give the things of this world.

People say they want God’s will to be done.  You know what, God wants to make you his holy and righteous child.  That’s what he wants.  If by chance you don’t believe that, then tell me why he sent his only Son to die on the cross.

A Favor to Yourself

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The face of your existence will change, as it does with every human that has ever been born.  You will walk through the door of death and enter into a place that has always been.  That’s an absolute guarantee.

It doesn’t matter what you gain here.  You will still encounter THE radical change.

If you were to be given 300 million dollars, you could spend the rest of this life doing what you please.  But take a good look at what you please to do.  Does your pleasure involve the things of the place that has forever been?  According to the Lord’s own words, that’s very unlikely.

Perhaps a hundred years.  That’s all we have.  Then, beyond our volition, we are ushered into the place of Eternity.  Whose pleasure we have desired will determine our riches forever.  Or our extreme poverty.

I’m not talking about religion here.  I’m talking about our own will to do God’s desire.

Kelly Willard was right when she said, “If you don’t have a willing heart ask Him to give you one”. 

Count as best you can (the clock is running down), how much time are you sure you have left?  How much of you does Jesus deserve to own?  Your estimation determines God’s bounty.

Now do yourself a favor.  Act on what you know.

Errant Blind Souls

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If I could train my foolish brain to recognize people as errant blind souls wandering in a suit of flesh, I believe forgiveness would flow like a river.  Though there is forgiveness as I live in Christ, it is often by compulsion.  It’s rarely the first thought.

I think about the reason for this inability to perceive correctly and consistently.  I think it has something to do with the deluge of trinkets and baubles which mask the true Man. 

Perhaps it was slightly easier in early Christianity, where there were less objects of affection to be had.  I can’t possibly know, and I don’t think anyone will ever be able to say for sure.  Only God truly knows.

Pride certainly holds a relevant kingship when it comes to masking the true soul of a man.  And doesn’t pride come in such a variety of shapes, sizes, colors and intensity?  But Pride’s robe is made up of all the things a man may amass to declare his kingship over his own soul.  To get to the heart of a man you have to slice through the garbage.  Undoubtedly, recognizing people as blind errant souls gets far more difficult as the abundance of wealth gathers to hide them.

And I think it’s appropriate here to mention that the abundance of things that hide a soul need not necessarily be costly items.  There is the wealth of social alienation.  This alienation relies chiefly on violence as its display.  From ignoring to  physical violence, such a man says, without speaking, “Get past this if you can”.

Regardless all these things, it is to the Christian’s benefit to perceive his fellow Man as an errant blind soul (just like himself).  Certainly something worth thinking on.

From my own perspective, here is a small list of shills people use.

Politics
Religion
Social position
Tradition
Jokes
Rude behavior
Foul language
A pleasant countenance
Apathy
Social intelligence
Clothing
Makeup
Race
Creed
Exclusive clubs
Deviant behavior
Drugs and alcohol
All manner of things that can be bought

All these things mask the true Man.  Who is capable of perceiving past these things on a consistent basis?

15 You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. 16 But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me.” (John 8)

My memory is renewed to consider that God in Christ alone is able to reach any soul.

Utter Love of Poverty

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How needlessly the people suffer under an endless variety of oppressions.  How uselessly they cry out for release.  How hopeless are the cures offered by Man.  They are no cures at all.  They are simply pain killers.

How unspeakably lovely is the release of Christ’s strength!  There are no words among men to describe the wonderous release He offers.

They want freedom.  But see how they love the shadows.  They want riches.  But see how they desire those things that do not last.  They want to be well fed and clothed with security.  All the while they feed the body and purchase what protection the flesh can provide.

How long will they wait?  How much more violence must the soul endure?  Is there a limit to “want”?  Where is the place of submission?  Where is the place of receiving?

Owners of Decay, Owners of Eternity.

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The prosperity of riches, among Man, is defined by those things a man might acquire. And so they bear their proper name.   Easily lost or destroyed by rust and various decay, such things have no right to bear the name “prosperity”.  For no sooner are they acquired (or even desired), they begin their demise.

Penniless paupers are those who desire only the things of this world.  But rich are those, and beyond voicing, who place their desire in the things of eternity.  This “hope” in Christ we own, is riches unspeakable.

Let the unbeliever ridicule the Christian.  Let them hope in every possible “value” in this world.  They stand as proud owners of decay.  But let understand sink in.  The Hope we own in Christ is given to us by He who is endlessly true.  Such a One cannot give any decay to anyone.  What He gives is a faith that cannot possibly die, except that a man might rise one day to choose doubt over belief.

Yet he who owns Prosperity of Eternity owns what is absolute.  This one is rich!  He is rich beyond his ability to know, yet he believes.

Doubt belongs to the owners of decay.  Belief is received by He who extends eternal riches.  Believe and prosper.  Doubt and remain a pauper.

Fear Constrains. God Releases to Boldness.

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I woke to be with the Lord this morning.  In our time together, he revealed a mystery to me.  I will try to relate it as best I can.

Why are people so reluctant to grasp a fearless doing of the Gospel?  What cuts some apart to boldness, while most live out the Gospel as if in secret?

The answer is simple, they fear.

Fear of man compels most to withdraw from public displays of Holy Truth.  Desire to “profit” among men drives most into a life of subdued worship and expression of God’s Holy Will among men.

They hear what the bold disciples say.  But they also see how such bold men are treated.  They quickly weigh the prospects of shunning, and make the determination that such travail is not worth the effort.  They must make a living.  They must eat.  They must compete in this wicked world.  And a bold proclamation of the Gospel will surely diminish their chances of survival.  Men will certainly hate them and exclude them from “prosperity” among men.

But what makes the difference between those who fearlessly proclaim the Gospel, and those who believe yet hide (to whatever extent)?

Two things play within the bold.  It’s hard for me to describe which one comes first.  Perhaps they come in unison.  One provocation to boldness is the blessing of God in the way of knowledge.  God causes the bold one to understand that the way of God is absolute, true, and sustaining no matter what.   The other provocation is that the bold perceive the wickedness of man as endless chaos.  No matter what they do, man will never protect.  Man is incapable of sustaining.  Man is full, and endlessly so, with lies and empty promises.  And the riches of man, that so called  “profit”, can provide nothing eternally valuable.

It is written, “They hated me for no reason”.  The bold receive the same treatment.  Their brothers and sisters in Christ see this treatment of the bold and withdraw to secrecy.  It’s that simple.

There were only 12 Apostles.  There were only 72 that were sent out.  And of the mass of men, there are (in my personal estimation) less than 1 percent of the population that will give all to God for the sake of His Holy Son’s Honor.  And it’s quite possible that I have over estimated the number of those who are bold for Christ.

I have seen many rise up to boldness.  But I have seen very few remain bold.  Usually, when a man stands up for Christ, the world around them beats them back into submission, and quickly.  They sink back into the “profit” of man and never rise up again.   Let no one misunderstand the power of the world to destroy.  This even happens, often, to men who wear the titles of pastor, preacher, evangelist, and so on!

If you would be bold for Christ, then be bold.  But first it would be wise to learn to hate the ways of man’s “profit”.  For they will surely use it against you to drive you back into their slime.  But if you would be willing to loose all for Christ, then, by all means stand!

Who is willing to die for Christ?  Who is willing to receive the beatings that man is all too ready to dispense?  Is it you?  If not, then ask yourself, “Why do I fear”.

God will sustain the willing heart.  He will feed the wicked, why won’t he feed you?  And if they come and take all you have, what have you lost?  These sayings are readily available among  Christ’s people.  But the key to making the decision to be bold lay in a fearless belief.  Are the promises of God TRUE?