Friday, July 17, 2015

True Riches

Date: Friday, July 17, 2015
Chapters: Proverbs 22-24
Message Title: True Riches

Hello My Friend,

Money, it truly is the root of all evil, I hate money because everyone wants yours. Some people, including Christians, will do anything, and everything to get their hands on as much of it as they can. God knows what we need, He knows we need money to pay the bills, have a place to live, and the luxuries we have, He just doesn't want it to be an idol in our lives. Ask any faithful Christian how many times God has waited until the last minute to give them the money they needed for something and they will tell you quite a bit. You see, many Christians are not wealthy, it's not that God cannot give us wealth, it's that God wants us to live by faith in Him and not our stuff. “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.” - 1 Peter 1:7-9.

When Solomon became king he inherited all his fathers fortune, then God blessed Him with even more because when followed Him as his father did. Later in life, he got caught up in a mess of women that drew his heart away from God, it wasn't until he was on his death bed that he realized that having a relationship with God is the most valuable possession we will ever have. “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold. The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all. A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished. By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life. Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them. He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.” - Proverbs 22:1-5,16.

A good name, someone who is upright, moral, and lives a godly life, that is hard to come by these days. So many people willing to sell their soul for riches, and it causes much shame to their name. While God can give us just as much money as Solomon, He knows what will happen if He gave it to us. Those who put their faith in God will find His favor and trust with all things, including riches. “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;” - 1 Timothy 6:17.

God wants us to know how we can live the best life there is here on earth, no matter where we come from. The only way we can do that is by getting in His Word, studying it, and applying it to our lives. Chrisitans make foolish decisions because they become envious of those in the world. “When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee: And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat. Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven. Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long. For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off. Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.” - Proverbs 23:1-5,17-19.

Let me tell you, envy gets you no where, and selling your soul for riches will get you somewhere, but not where you want to be. There are times when I look at someone and wonder why I do not have the success that they have, then when I realize what they did to get what they got I become ashamed of myself. I've been in the world and got caught up in the money that can be made in it, but then God showed up and gave ma glimpse of where I would be if I continued where I was. I do not know about you, but I do not want to gain any kind of fortune by doing things that are deceitful and wicked. I want to be known for the honest, hard work that got me where I am and the God who brought me there. “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?” - Luke 16:10-12.

It takes hard work, dedication, and faithfulness to obtain and truly understand and appreciate the things we do obtain. We are not to envy the wicked who got their riches deceitfully, not should we be tempted to do what they did to have what they have. They have no real happiness of heart, their prosperity is only for the present and there is no good for them in the world to come. “Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them. For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief. Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established: And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches. So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off. Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place: For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.” - Proverbs 24:1-4,14-16.

Faithful Christians are going to fall on hard times, even if they are rich, but they have God to help them get back up. Stop worrying about the things that you do not have, take care of what you do have, the more God trusts You with the little that you have the more He can trust you with the much He has waiting for you. “Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” - Matthew 6:30-34.

Today's Prayer: God, I may not be the wisest person on earth, but I know that without You nothing lasts. No matter how much I learn, unless You are there with me, it is vain, and I will never be satisfied. I tried to do things my way and all I did was make a mess of things, I am trusting You to guide me as I learn Your truths and apply them to my life. Give me Your power to live in and through Christ, who makes everything possible, and supplies me with all I need for Your glory. In Jesus' name. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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