Romans 12:2. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Welcome to a bright and beautiful brand new day in God’s miraculous universe my people! There has never been another day like it… and will never be another like it either!
That’s because our God makes each day new and fresh every morning, no left overs from yesterday, providing it with new mercies, forgiveness, LOVE, grace, strength, confidence… in fact all the things we need to see it through successfully.
As Jesus would say, giving us our daily bread, lacking nothing to live a joyful life and do His will. What a wonderful God we serve and worship my brethren!
But friends, before we can enjoy all those things that our Lord and Saviour wants us to enjoy, as well as do His will successfully, we have to do ONE thing first – what our Bit says: ‘And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.’
That’s the invaluable key to opening the vault of God’s storehouse! We have to begin thinking like God thinks and not like the world thinks. And why is that you ask?
Because as James prognosticates: ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will (wants to) be a friend of the world is (makes himself the enemy of God).’ (James 4:4)
In other words friends, in plain and simple language, one cannot LOVE God and the world at the same time! But that doesn’t stop some of us from trying though by trying to balance on the proverbial fence. (smile)
But as Jesus so rightly proclaimed: ‘No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and LOVE the other; or else he will hold to (be loyal) to the one, and despise the other. Ye CANNOT serve God and mammon (riches of the world).’ (Matt.5:24)
And as the scholars explain: ‘6:24. This kind of spiritual double vision causes one to believe he can serve two masters. Total loyalty to God cannot be divided between Him and loyalty to one’s material possessions. A master (Gr. kurios) is a lord or an owner. That God claims total lordship over His own is obvious in this passage.
Therefore, Jesus rightly proclaimed; Ye cannot serve God and mammon. The term mammon is derived from the Aramaic term for possessions or wealth. Jesus is not condemning money or possessions in and of themselves, but the improper attitude of enslavement toward wealth.’
But with the increasingly rough economic times, where people are desperately trying to make two ends meet, a lot of believers are focused on their wealth and possession situation, rather than their situation with God. It’s also difficult to focus on God when the world is constantly bombarding us with its supposedly glorious stuff.
However friends, again, we have to remember the faithful words and promise of Jesus: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33) As believers, those words should always be uppermost in our minds. And if they are, then we WILL be able to focus on God and blot out the world and all its superficial riches.
As Cousin Sol so wisely advises us in Proverbs: ‘Labour not to be rich (do not overwork): cease from (because of) thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not (will you cause your eyes to fly on it, and it is not)? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.’ (Prov.23:4-5)
Gospel truth my brethren, gospel truth! For stories abound of the many who were wealthy and famous one day, then the next they were poorer than a church mouse! (smile) And it does say something about our society and our faith when poverty is equated with the lot of a mouse in the church.
The church mouse should really be the richest of the lot – that is, if all God’s people were giving as generously to His church as they should. The sad reality though is that a lot of churches are struggling because God’s people aren’t giving like He desires; tithing and making His house a storeroom of plenty to share with the numerous unfortunates in our prosperous society.
Anyway my people, enough badgering for today. (smile) But I do hope that what we’ve said does make a strong impression on all of us believers, and helps us to live successfully under God’s safe umbrella in this evil and sinful world. Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, telling the world who and whose we are.
In sincerity and truth now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And the corollary to that is, let’s now go out and share the undying and eternal LOVE of Jesus with others who desperately need it. Much LOVE!
…it all begins…and ends…in the mind…
P.S. Sorry for the lateness of the Bit, but I just got tied up in some unforeseen affairs of life. (smile) But better late than never! Much LOVE!