I believe it is important for you and me to have clear understanding, of what we are to be doing as we live here on earth. I must reiterate, our lives are too short for wealth and prosperity to be fruitful. In other words, we can work all our lives to obtain wealth and yet it always seems to come with its fair share of problems. There is Scripture that is directed at this situation;
Matthew 6:19-21 “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth,” where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
Exodus 20:3-5 “Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.”
Stop and think my friends, the second passage of Scripture is a commandment of God Almighty. It does indeed speak of the things we put first in our Lives, of the things we are willing to kill over! Let’s be adults here and recognize that murders have been perpetrated over money, for wealth and personal prosperity.
Here is something to think about; there are many pastors and preachers out today that preach the “prosperity gospel”! If God Almighty tells us to put NOTHING ahead of HIM, I would have to say that includes Wealth! Wouldn’t you agree?
So where does that leave those that are preaching the “prosperity gospel?” Is it worthy enough to say they are liars?
The Bible has another angle on this as well, as to what is stated above. Remember the Sanhedrin in the days of Jesus, loved to be seen in public, in their finest attire. They enjoy speaking Long Prayers on the street corners and because of this, Jesus said “they have their reward.”
Matthew 6:5 “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.”
Oops! So if they go to heaven, what will they have as a reward for their deeds here on earth? Please stop and remember, the Lord knows the intent of our hearts. And this prosperity gospel is NOT of the Lord. It IS sin!
So now the question is…how will you be remembered?! Where IS you treasure? What is FIRST in your life? How is the Lord God going to deal with you and your sins?
I say this in the context of, the nearness of the Rapture of the church of Jesus Christ. Where are you in relation to the Rapture? Are you doing what the Lord has asked you to be doing in these late hours? The darkness is just ahead and many, many, will be swallowed up in it. What excuse will you use, as you stand before Almighty God, face to face?
This will be the ultimate Individual and personal Perspective! It is NOT a matter of what you think … you should be doing, it is a matter of what the Word of God tells us to be doing! Here we go again with what is right and what is wrong. This is because everything we do or think begins with…The intent of our hearts!
Revelation 3:15-16 “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee [vomit you] out of my mouth.”
Again, may I say…the Intent of our hearts…as a single thought … that comes to our mind. One must consider this, because God Almighty does not forget a single thing (except sin that is covered by HIS blood). This, my friends, is NOT a subjective matter; it is a profound statement by God Almighty.
How odd is it then, that we should be on fire for the Lord? Think on this for a moment, how strange is that? When we think of fire, we see an all consuming phenomenon, absolute destruction. In other words, the state of whatever is burned, is now nothing but ashes. In this context, the Lord God wants us to be the brightest white hot we can be … for HIM! Burning the bridges of our old self … as we move forward in HIM!
Consider the wheat and the tares—where the tares are gathered together and thrown into the fire. This is an example of the born-again and the lost. Obviously the tares are those that are lost!
That is some scary stuff to consider and yet the lost want nothing to do with any of these considerations. Does this mean they already know their state of affairs concerning salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ? Absolutely!
Why do you think, they find Christianity or anything else about Jesus Christ to be so offensive to them? It is a matter of accountability, of responsibility, before a JUST GOD!
My friends who are born-again, have taken this step and recognized their sins, they have proclaimed their responsibility for their own sins and brought them before The Lord God and asked for HIS forgiveness.
They are NOT better than anyone else, they are simply forgiven of their sins. That makes them acceptable into the presence of a just GOD. So where does that leave those who are NOT born-again to Jesus Christ? It is and always will be … one way or the other … that … is your choice to make.
Sorry … there is no “sliding rule” with Almighty God and your sins. There is no sliding into heaven by the “skin of your teeth.” There is one thing you must know; there is NO doing it all over again.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
All Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV).
You may reach the author at: twobears44@gmail.com