Living in a post-modern secular society poses a variety of
challenges for many believers. Today more than ever, we are influenced by
substance and status than ever before. In today’s society the very measure of a
person’s value or worth is determined by how much they have and not by Who they
have. The problem with this mind set is that wealth and riches and the
conveniences that they can afford us is but an illusion. It’s not real. There is
no real value in money except that which we ascribe to it. Therefore, if the
value of money is based on the value that man can give how then can money be
more valuable than man himself or determine his worth. This thought is as
ridiculous as man determining the value of God who created the man. Riches and
wealth are simply tools for us to do our Godly work upon the earth. A person’s
value, then, is that which is ascribed by the Lord and not man. For it can be
said that only the maker of a thing is fit to determine the function, purpose
and ultimately the value of the thing that is made. God determined our worthiness when He sent His only begotten
Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins. He paid the ultimate price for us and
therefore we ought to consider ourselves worthy because He is worthy and He
loves us. This alone proves inexplicably the value of the individual soul. No
amount of money is worth more than the blood that was shed on Calvary’s cross.
The blood of Christ is so valuable that it is able to secure a life of peace
and of righteousness and an eternal life at that. Can Warren Buffet buy that
with his great fortune? Can Bill Gates? Even our beloved Steve Jobs showed us that
no amount of money or influence can exempt us from God’s plan not that Steve
Jobs didn’t qualify to receive eternal life. For I have no knowledge in support of or
against whether or not he accepted Christ as his personal savior or not. I say
that to simply say not one of us can produce life and therefore we have not the
power to save it. We, therefore, must submit to the grace of God for our
substance and survival and salvation primarily. Our pursuit for the things of God cannot be a mere after
thought when all else is said and done. Unfortunately this is the case for so
many of believers. God doesn’t rank very high on our priority list. We give God
glory after we have been made comfortable in our lives with modern conveniences
of all sorts. Rather we wait until it’s convenient for us to study the word of
God if at all and seek after Him with a half concerted, lackluster pursuit. We
give more prevalence to our pursuit of corruptible things which cannot profit
us spiritually. We stop at nothing to get the house or car of our dreams. We
allow ourselves to smear the lines of righteousness and to live outside the pre-established
principles of God for our own personal gain. Worse, we have convinced ourselves
that the end justifies the means. We are willing to do anything, step on
anyone, and virtually sell our inheritance to gain the elusive treasures of
this world which we know are fleeting and corruptible and that cannot last. The
bible teaches us several lessons about such pursuits. Matthew teaches,
“What good would it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his
soul?” ~Matthew 16:26. Furthermore, the bible is clear about the
incorruptibility of the treasures of heaven as opposed to the treasures of this
world which are indeed corruptible and perishable. “Do not lay
up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where
thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and
steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”~Matthew
6:19-21. An even greater admonition can be found in 1 John 2:15 where
it says, “Do not
love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the
eyes, and the pride of life – is not
of the Father is of the world. And the world is passing away and the lust of
it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” ~1 John 2:15-17. I subject to you that our pursuit of
the Father must be greater than that of our greatest earthly treasure. When we
do so we will discover life, real life. Our pursuits will not be in vain. “I love those who
love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me” ~Proverbs 8:17. Everything that we could ever desire in this life we can find in
the presence of Jesus Christ. Until now we have been misled by the evil schemes
of the enemy to get our attention and focus off of the One, Jesus, who holds
the key to our happiness. Instead we’ve had our focus on the things that we
thought could produce happiness and fullness of life. I’m here today to declare
that true happiness and joy come only through Jesus Christ. He is our only
source of complete and utter fulfillment. Anything else will not, nor cannot
suffice. Redirect your focus today! Pursue God and His will for your life and
be filled with treasure which man cannot measure nor fully comprehend. In order
to do that we must be able to rejoice right now in whatever situation we may
find ourselves in. Never allow a temporary circumstance dictate whether you
have joy or not. To do so is to place yourself at the mercy of the schemes of
the evil one. Simply decide that you will be happy and that Jesus is enough. Not
in the sense that you are settling for less but rather that you have chosen to
delight yourself in the greatest treasure imaginable. God Bless! |
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