"Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy." (1 Timothy 6:17).
No amount of wealth can bring eternal life. No one can stave off death or store up riches that can be used in the afterlife. You see God designed it that way. He created men and women originally to live forever. Their bodies were perfect, placed in a perfect setting and they had communion with God directly.
It is important to God that we love Him voluntarily. For that we must have our own wills. The ability to choose and the ability to make decisions. In order to have a will and the ability to make decisions, there must be at least one thing that we cannot do; otherwise the concept of ‘will' is meaningless.
"And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "For any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die." (Genesis 2:16-17).
We know the end of the story. After eating the fruit, they died spiritually immediately. They were separated from God, (which is a type of death). And they begin to die physically. No one born of man and woman will live forever. We shall all physically die. This brings us to God's plan. Seek Him, through the person of his son Jesus and gain eternal life.
No matter how rich you become or how many books you write or how high you can jump, or how well you do your job, you will still die. It is unavoidable. The message of today's proverb is that you cannot protect yourself from death no matter how you might imagine you can do so.
Proverbs 18 - Teaches us today?
Proverbs 18:11 "(11) A rich man's wealth is his strong city, And like a high wall in his own imagination."
Psalm 53:1-3 (Theme: Sinners All). "(1) The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God," They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice; There is no one who does good. (2) God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, To see if there is anyone who understands, Who seeks after God. (3) Every one of them has turned aside; together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one."
Today's question. What is God's plan?
His plan is for all to see that the accumulation of wealth, accomplishments, degrees from universities, etc., will not bring eternal life. To achieve eternal life, we must turn to the only wise God that can provide it. And he provides us eternal life through Himself. You see Jesus who died for us is God. But to provide us proof and absolute encouragement that we can have eternal life, he died and rose again. "And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He himself might come to have first place in everything." (Colossians 1:15-18).
Dear God, thank you for loving us so much that you made the supreme sacrifice to take our sins upon Yourself. You paid the price, we get the reward. Thank you Father. Amen.
The Newness Of Life Daily Bible Message is designed for those who like to take a short respite from the day's responsibilities to enjoy the contemplation of God's word. This daily message is based primarily upon the belief that to read some of Proverbs and some of Psalm everyday will provide us with great spiritual growth and development when done consistently with discipline. Phillip Saxton and contibute to Newness Of Life Ministries (NOL) Phillip Saxton, www.NewnessOfLife.com. Phillip can be reached at saxton AT MiTowne dot com
- Article Word Count: 623
- |
- Total Views: 60
- |
- permalink