by Howard Watson
Life is a time for work. Hard work, as God first directed Adam
in the Book of Genesis, was a result of Adam's failure to obey God's
commandment and the ground was cursed (Gen. 4:17f). Because the
earth/ground would bear thorns and thistles, hard labor would be
necessary to allow the desired plants and their fruit to be harvested.
The task of gaining food for physical life at the expense of hard
and often uncertain toil became Adam's family's lot. With famine,
wars and drought the earth's inhabitants would be faced with their
need to look to God for deliverance and grace. God is a God of grace
to those who seek Him with all their heart.
The ground/earth is not lacking for the potential of development
and gain of wealth. Our God promises those who trust in Him that
He will supply all our needs in Christ Jesus. "And my God shall
supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ
Jesus" (Phil. 4:19)NAS. Because of this promise, we who walk
in faith will benefit in all circumstances of need both materially
and spiritually. He will make our labor prosperous to ourselves
and those whom we serve.
Wealth is the product of labor. Someone must labor. When Christians
join in their labors, greater harvests and production come. The
United States has been blessed with a longstanding great harvest
of wealth. Is it not because of many Christians leading the way
and setting the stage for the abundance of production: the Christian
farmer, the Christian businessman, the Christian teacher/educator,
the Christian craftsman? Someone may say look at Japan which does
not have a great mass of Christian workers. But without the U. S.
A. where would Japan find the example and help that has made that
country a great producer of wealth?
When wealth/money/possessions become our God and motive for our
efforts in life, that very thing becomes our curse and downfall.
When the people of Israel fell into the abuse of the poor and underclass
of laborers, the nation was rejected by God/Jehovah,in that they
had become idolaters. God dispossessed them of their lands and wealth
and sent others to conquer them and lead them into exile. In the
pride of their possessions God humbled them into their true emptiness.
The Bible/Jesus teaches that we cannot serve God and mammon. "No
one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love
the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot
serve God and mammon" (Matt. 6:24)ASV. Mammon (MAMMONAS, Gk)
means wealth or riches.
The question comes: who are we serving with our wealth of possession?
Are we using the fruit of our labors to serve God and His ministries
or are we using our riches of possession to seek worldly pleasure
and self comforts.
James, the pastor/leader of the Jerusalem church, gives the cause
of wars as lusting for wealth at others' expense.
Carnal and senuous living is never satisfied and like the addiction
which rules the lives of gamblers is never comfortable and secure.
"From whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not
hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?" (James
4:1f) Hoarded money and possessions do not bring real satisfaction
and benefit to anyone. They will bring troubles, worries, and personal
idolatry. Lust for gain is not true religion or godliness (I Tim.
6:5-7). Since we brought nothing into the world, we cannot take
anything out.
The lust for riches and gain, either through our own toil or the
toil of others, as in stealing, cheating, gambling and deceit, is
the gateway to personal destruction and hell.
It is easy to fall into the snare of personal lust for wealth but
the way of a transgressor/sinner is hard. Yet, God is able to deliver
each one who repents and receives the real abundance of life in
Christ Jesus, now and forever. John 3:36 states: "He who believes
in the Son has eternal life (zoen aionion)...."ASV. This is
a great unspeakable blessing from the gracious hand of God through
Jesus Christ to those who seek Him and His glory in their lives
here and forever!
CHRIST LIVING
At Easter time churches all over the world come together to bless
and praise God and our Lord Jesus Christ for the redemption found
at Calvary's cross and the empty tomb. We sometimes forget to consider
the agony and glory of these two great unique events. Christ Jesus
suffered physically and spiritually in every way by yielding to
the crucifixion of the cross. He died for you and me. It's as simple
as that. God, the Father, placed upon Him the sins of the whole
world. The Apostle John, in his gospel, tells us that God gave His
Son Jesus Christ to die upon the cross so that everyone believing
upon Him would not perish but receive everlasting life. Scripture
tells us that God made Him, Jesus Christ, to be sin for us, so that
we could be made righteous in Him. It is plain that Jesus died for
my and your sin and sins.
Because he was holy and without sin in Himself, being the righteousness
of God, death could not keep Him. He arose. Jesus Christ had carried
my and your sins to the cross in our place. He had taken the sting
of death upon Himself. He had been separated from the Holy Father,
as He had willingly given Himself as the sinless lamb, sacrificed
to justify our being forgiven by grace. As the song says: "Jesus
paid it all."
What is more destructive to our personal being in this world than
death? This world becomes dead to us when we lie in death. But Jesus
arose and promises us a new bodily resurrection from the prisonhouse
of sin's grave. Because He lives, you and I ought to be living this
very moment by our faith in Him.
The Apostle Paul, writing in Colossians, chapter three, admonishes
us to celebrate the victorious risen Lord by our living in the glories
of the hope of our resurrection in Christ and our heavenly home
in Jesus with the holy loving Father. This is new resurrection living,
our earthly life, now this day and hour, on the earth, through the
Holy Spirit of Christ equipping each of us believers, with His powerful
living presence. It is to be a new life marked, not by sin and filth
from the world system into which we were born, but is to be characterized
by the election of our God, that we be holy, loving, kind, meek,
humble, enthusiastically patient and forgiving one another of our
faults.
So, you and I are to show forth Christ living in us, our hope of
Glory, now and forever with Christ Jesus and our holy, gracious
Heavenly Father. See Colossians 1:27.
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