(Matthew 6.24) “You cannot serve God and money.”
Without sap the tree cannot exist and so in like manner vitality is essential to a Christian. “There must be life - a vital principle infused into us by God the Holy Ghost, or we cannot be trees of the Lord.” A typical challenge life throws at us is if we do not work then we do not deserve to eat. However when I examine my own life, I see truth to this text, “You cannot serve God and money,” or we will lack energy for service. Please do not wrestle with God’s Word endeavouring to juggle His word to suit your lifestyle as that would not be beneficial. We need to find grace to appropriate all His wonderful truths into our lives. It seems overwhelming at times but it will always be to our benefit.
Our lives are mysteriously interwoven with life; just like the sap of a tree by what force does it rise and then descend again supplying all the nutrients the tree needs to survive? Nevertheless it survives as God gives it life. A tree does not question its maker it just exists, sure it needs to be nurtured and watered to survive, but does God not open the heaven and supply all its needs, He sure does!
Consider how a potato is grown in the dark; it is surrounded by soil until harvested. If we could trust like the potato that’s what Angus Buchen must have meant when He said we must have “faith like potatoes.” The Lord makes reference to the lilies of the field, “and why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin.”
My thoughts are all over the place this morning, but it is not my thoughts that must take preference to my life, I must rather explore the Word of God to find bearing for it. There is safety there!
A new chapter in my life must now begin, my furniture is in I had my first night in a new abode that will be my home for some time I suspect. To be anxious is a sin, yet it is a feeling that at this time in my life is hard to keep at bay. I am without employment and now ingesting well into my reserves, what is a man to do? Find a job obviously, that is a must. I am a qualified photographer with a journalistic background and I had a job in the press arena. However, I will not find employment there very easily as we all know South Africa is in the process of change and Black Empowerment is the order of the day. As a white male going on in years the probability of employment from a newspaper is highly unlikely. That means I will have to freelance and begin to trust God’s Word even more as necessity to feed myself becomes a reality.
It is not the change of lifestyle I dread, going from a lifestyle of cigars to the bare necessities. That will be beneficial I believe. I remember chasing money in the stock markets; I would not confess to hunting wealth, all I wanted to do was make a lot of cash. After all was it not my responsibility to provide for my family. Yes it is the man’s responsibility to provide; “What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?” (2Corinthians 6: 15)
What happened was money became the end and no longer a means to an end. Let me explain, God must always take preference in every area of our lives, whenever anything overshadows His existence in our lives, it is idolatry. When money becomes fuel that drives my life, then I am an idolater. “You cannot serve God and money.”
On the one hand I am now thankful as money is sparse and therefore it cannot control my life as it once did. Greed is real and wicked and that is why we are instructed to give to those in need. In doing this we deny ourselves and squash greed as an embryo before it takes root and grows into a brute beast with one intention- to destroy!
Have you ever wondered why so many simple poor rural people who have Christ’s Spirit, those who are born again, radiate such joy? I believe they serve God as money is scares and they do not hanker after it. “You cannot serve God and money.”
The lesson for me to now learn will be to work so that I do not become a burden on others. But having said I must learn to trust God to provide. Does He not feed the birds of the air? I do not mean to sit on my hands and wait, but I do mean for Him to open doors and then to act. So pray if you would for resolve for me to glorify God in this area of my life.
May the Lord’s Day be sweet to all who view it as such?
Signing off
Tyrone
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