March 21st 2021
We Must Prioritize Our Worldly Treasure, Will We Serve Money Or God?
Matthew 6:24 (NIV)
No-one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
We live in a country where possessing wealth is considered the most important project of your life. Even some churches that profess to be Christian teach that if you follow Jesus you will be made rich, and if you want something, just “Name it and claim it,” meaning if you want earthly things God will bless you and you will get what you want! It is amazing how different this idea is than what Jesus said about seeking first worldly things, instead of first seeking heavenly wealth. Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”. (Matthew 6:19-21).
In the selected verse Jesus is telling His followers that you must first choose who or what it is that you will serve, because as Jesus said, “No-one can serve two masters.” If the bulk of your time is spent working, first on amassing earthly wealth, then you will have to shortchange your work and time on amassing heavenly wealth, thus your priority order is wrong! Jesus says if you are doing this, you are placing your priorities in the wrong order, and if anything gets less effort it will be your need to earn heavenly wealth. Jesus goes on to say, “You cannot serve both God and Money. We all who claim to follow Jesus must first work on amassing heavenly wealth.
Jesus clarified the order of fulfilling your earthly needs, NOT your earthly wants, when He said, “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:31-33). So, here Jesus is telling us that God is willing and able to give us our earthly needs, and He will do so, if we concentrate on first working on our gaining our heavenly wealth, He will give us our necessary worldly needs. Of course, let us not forget that God also put mankind in charge of this earth, and for distributing the earthly wealth to every member of mankind.
Therefore, please remember that distribution of the earthly wealth has been left up to mankind in this sin filled cursed world! So, the unfair distribution of earthly sustenance, which some people blame on God, is caused by mankind’s evil actions, because God has given control over to mankind. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. (Genesis 1:27-31).
During this Lenten season once again, we get to remember how God is in fact still in control of sustaining this earth and that while Jesus is allowing basic control of daily distribution of earthly wealth in the hands of mankind, He still controls the overall control of the universe. Of course, we must also recognize the fact that demonic angels, AKA devils, are also involved in this cursed world and what happens daily.
Now for part of the good news, read what Paul wrote to those who have been saved through the grace of God. As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:1-5). Those not yet saved are still influenced by “the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air.”
Paul then wrote about the fact that we do not have to get right with Jesus on our own before we can join a church of our choice. We cannot clean up our act, so to speak, before we are saved through God’s grace! In fact, what Paul is telling us is the cleaning up happens after we are saved through grace. God’s grace is offered because He loves us, even when we are still sinners. God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8). Jesus Christ died for your sins, because He loved mankind and wants us all to be saved and go to heaven and be with Him when we die!
More of the good news John wrote for us. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2). We will appear to Father God as perfect and pure because when Jesus escorts us to see our Father after we die, “we shall be like him.” Think about such wonderful ideas during this Lenten season and be prepared to feel the love of Jesus poured out on you when we again celebrate Jesus’ death in your place and His resurrection to let us know we too will arise after we pass from this cursed world into the Paradise of God.
Are you getting prepared for this wonderful trip with Jesus into heaven?
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
Matthew 6:24 (NIV)
No-one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
We live in a country where possessing wealth is considered the most important project of your life. Even some churches that profess to be Christian teach that if you follow Jesus you will be made rich, and if you want something, just “Name it and claim it,” meaning if you want earthly things God will bless you and you will get what you want! It is amazing how different this idea is than what Jesus said about seeking first worldly things, instead of first seeking heavenly wealth. Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”. (Matthew 6:19-21).
In the selected verse Jesus is telling His followers that you must first choose who or what it is that you will serve, because as Jesus said, “No-one can serve two masters.” If the bulk of your time is spent working, first on amassing earthly wealth, then you will have to shortchange your work and time on amassing heavenly wealth, thus your priority order is wrong! Jesus says if you are doing this, you are placing your priorities in the wrong order, and if anything gets less effort it will be your need to earn heavenly wealth. Jesus goes on to say, “You cannot serve both God and Money. We all who claim to follow Jesus must first work on amassing heavenly wealth.
Jesus clarified the order of fulfilling your earthly needs, NOT your earthly wants, when He said, “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:31-33). So, here Jesus is telling us that God is willing and able to give us our earthly needs, and He will do so, if we concentrate on first working on our gaining our heavenly wealth, He will give us our necessary worldly needs. Of course, let us not forget that God also put mankind in charge of this earth, and for distributing the earthly wealth to every member of mankind.
Therefore, please remember that distribution of the earthly wealth has been left up to mankind in this sin filled cursed world! So, the unfair distribution of earthly sustenance, which some people blame on God, is caused by mankind’s evil actions, because God has given control over to mankind. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. (Genesis 1:27-31).
During this Lenten season once again, we get to remember how God is in fact still in control of sustaining this earth and that while Jesus is allowing basic control of daily distribution of earthly wealth in the hands of mankind, He still controls the overall control of the universe. Of course, we must also recognize the fact that demonic angels, AKA devils, are also involved in this cursed world and what happens daily.
Now for part of the good news, read what Paul wrote to those who have been saved through the grace of God. As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:1-5). Those not yet saved are still influenced by “the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air.”
Paul then wrote about the fact that we do not have to get right with Jesus on our own before we can join a church of our choice. We cannot clean up our act, so to speak, before we are saved through God’s grace! In fact, what Paul is telling us is the cleaning up happens after we are saved through grace. God’s grace is offered because He loves us, even when we are still sinners. God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8). Jesus Christ died for your sins, because He loved mankind and wants us all to be saved and go to heaven and be with Him when we die!
More of the good news John wrote for us. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2). We will appear to Father God as perfect and pure because when Jesus escorts us to see our Father after we die, “we shall be like him.” Think about such wonderful ideas during this Lenten season and be prepared to feel the love of Jesus poured out on you when we again celebrate Jesus’ death in your place and His resurrection to let us know we too will arise after we pass from this cursed world into the Paradise of God.
Are you getting prepared for this wonderful trip with Jesus into heaven?
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
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