by David Brenneman
I've not been around as long as some but have been around long enough to see what often comes about with people and how they live life. Was reading in Matthew this morning about Jesus talking about only being able to serve one. You cannot serve God and wealth. It goes with everything in life not just wealth. You cannot serve God and a hobby. You cannot even serve God and family or friends.
Matthew 10:37-39 NASB " “The one who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and the one who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And the one who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. The one who has found his life will lose it, and the one who has lost his life on My account will find it."
Many try to compartmentalize their life. At work they are this way, at home another way. Out in public, under these circumstances, they are this way. In other circumstances they are literally someone else. This isn't the life Christ desires as well.
We're to have 1 life in Christ Jesus. One. Singular.
You cannot run a company, and be a Believer and run it like the world does. God's Word has much to say about how life is to be conducted. It does nothing to separate home from work life in regards to how the character of Christ is to be manifested. God's Word says much about ethics and conducting business. Verses such as "do not muzzle the ox while he's threshing", "a workman is worthy of his wages". Malachi teaches of what happens when our financial desires do not honor God. God causes such to have a purse full of holes. No matter what is done, there's never enough money to do what is desired because the desire isn't to honor God.
Honoring God begins one on one at home. Between us and God. Jesus is to go with us everywhere, not just sitting at home in a room until we get back from living life. Jesus isn't going to wait in the car until we're done shopping. Jesus isn't going to wait in the car until we are done eating in a restaurant. Jesus isn't going to wait for us to clock out and go home with Him. Jesus isn't your Butler. He's not your Genie. He's not there to do your every whim. That's not how a relationship with Jesus is to be.
We read in the book of Acts about the early Church. This ridiculous notion of separation of Church and State didn't exist. There's no separation period.
Jesus is to be seen in our lives...not us.
God is to be honored in all areas of our lives...not us.
Why do some who do not honor God thrive? Oh my Dear Reader do not take that to mean that there's another way. That there's no truth to what's been said thus far. Read in the book of Genesis. Specifically the life of Abraham and Isaac. You'll see where history is being foretold. That God allows even the unruly and evil to continue until the fullness of their iniquity comes and then He will deal with them.
Paul even touches on this concerning the same. We should not consider doing evil that good may increase. We should not intentionally and knowingly commit sins in order to find something we consider 'good'.
I find it interesting that when we obey what God's Word says....God indeed does intervene...but ONLY in accordance with His will. God's NOT going to intervene when it goes against His plan and purpose that we can see or maybe not even see. A prime example is blessings. Oh how everyone loves these. Yet many are missed or many are not received because of wrong intentions...and also because those kinds of blessings would not work with God's will for us or others.
What is meant by this? God's NOT going to answer a prayer to give you a million dollars if that giving to you is going to ruin your life and the lives of those around you. God's NOT going to even grant health to ourselves and others if that is going to be detrimental to where He's needing to take our soul in life because we are His workmanship. Many Believers go through a lot not on account of sin, but on account of needing to let go of things in life in order to take up things in life that honor God. When we refuse the path that God puts in front of us we WILL be doomed to going in circles until we do obey. Our being doomed is on ourselves. Look at the nation of Israel in being in the wilderness for 80 years. Whole generations had to die off in order to obtain people willing to obey.
We read: "But just as it is written: Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered into the human heart, All that God has prepared for those who love Him. For to us God revealed them throught the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God." 1 Corithians 2:9-10 NASB.
I've been a part of medium sized companies, ultra small (talking like 5 people in the whole company) and up to one of the biggest in the world. When a company who claims to be a Christian company puts God first...God does things that are by all worldy standards impossible. Look at much of the history in the Old Testament. When God, through the pre-incarnate Christ Jesus - then named "The Lord" - worked...the impossible happened in spite of what the laws of physics, and probablilty say ought to be able to happen. In one such event...an ENTIRE nation was plundered as part of GETTING PEOPLE TO LEAVE. When those calling themselves a Christian company are not honoring God in all their practices and are not praying for their company to be honoring TO God...then that company will fail. It will struggle. It will have problems just trying to survive. The whole lesson from Malachi about the purse full of holes. The lesson of serving God and wealth.
Doing life as it makes sense to God is NOT going to make sense to the world. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:14 NASB "But a natural (unsaved person-unbelieving world) does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned."
We cannot live a life that tells Jesus to sit out parts of it. Our lives are to be lived as Believers in such a way that those who haven't yet come to Christ for salvation glorify God because of what they see in us as being wrought from God.
You cannot live both ways. Every example in history shows the certain self-destruction of burning a candle at both ends.
There's no 'outs' no 'reasons' or 'excuses' or whatever to practice sin or sinful things AND live for Christ.
There's no part of your life that ought to be separated from a life IN Christ.
We're to be the hands and feet of Jesus EVERYWHERE.
We're to be honoring God in EVERYTHING.
We're not to disrespect Jesus in how our lives are lived out by being rude, crude or inappropriate towards other Believers.
When you are stepping out into your life this morning...this afternoon...this evening...make sure you're remembering that Jesus goes with you, if indeed you are saved in Christ Jesus. Make sure to remember of who He IS and to remember who He certainly is NOT. Note the words of Jesus when He faces everyone. There's only two peoples. Those whom He says knew Him and those who claimed they did and He says to depart from Him for He never knew them.
Which one will you be? Will you be one of those whom Jesus welcomes into Heaven or will you be one of those whom Jesus says to depart from Him for He never knew you? You can be only one. If you ARE one of those who He welcomes...when your life is before Him to give an account of what you did in the body for Jesus...will it show you honored Him in everything? Or will you suffer loss because of how you misrepresented Jesus or didn't behave at all times like a follower of Christ? Things to think about as your day unfolds.
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