Blessed, Obeying God, Protector / Deliverer, Provider

To Walk Your Own Way Instead of God’s Is Rebellion

It is a simple concept. Many make excuses and rationalize and downplay the significance for themselves. However, to walk in our own way instead of God’s is rebellion. Let that thought sink in and let it encourage you to choose to live according to His ways, even when you must change your own.

Isaiah 65:1-16

A Rebellious People

1“I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me;
I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me.
I said, ‘Here am I, here am I,’
To a nation which did not call on My name.

      2“I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people,
Who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts,

      3A people who continually provoke Me to My face,
Offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on bricks;

      4Who sit among graves and spend the night in secret places;
Who eat swine’s flesh,
And the broth of unclean meat is in their pots.

      5“Who say, ‘Keep to yourself, do not come near me,
For I am holier than you!’
These are smoke in My nostrils,
A fire that burns all the day.

      6“Behold, it is written before Me,
I will not keep silent, but I will repay;
I will even repay into their bosom,

      7Both their own iniquities and the iniquities of their fathers together,” says the LORD.
“Because they have burned incense on the mountains
And scorned Me on the hills,
Therefore I will measure their former work into their bosom.”

      8Thus says the LORD,
“As the new wine is found in the cluster,
And one says, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is benefit in it,’
So I will act on behalf of My servants
In order not to destroy all of them.

      9“I will bring forth offspring from Jacob,
And an heir of My mountains from Judah;
Even My chosen ones shall inherit it,
And My servants will dwell there.

      10“Sharon will be a pasture land for flocks,
And the valley of Achor a resting place for herds,
For My people who seek Me.

      11“But you who forsake the LORD,
Who forget My holy mountain,
Who set a table for Fortune,
And who fill cups with mixed wine for Destiny,

      12I will destine you for the sword,
And all of you will bow down to the slaughter.
Because I called, but you did not answer;
I spoke, but you did not hear.
And you did evil in My sight
And chose that in which I did not delight.”

      13Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD,
“Behold, My servants will eat, but you will be hungry.
Behold, My servants will drink, but you will be thirsty.
Behold, My servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame.

      14“Behold, My servants will shout joyfully with a glad heart,
But you will cry out with a heavy heart,
And you will wail with a broken spirit.

      15“You will leave your name for a curse to My chosen ones,
And the Lord GOD will slay you.
But My servants will be called by another name.

      16“Because he who is blessed in the earth
Will be blessed by the God of truth;
And he who swears in the earth
Will swear by the God of truth;
Because the former troubles are forgotten,
And because they are hidden from My sight!

The LORD is not pleased with rebellion and going our own way. As you reflect on the scripture above, think about what it means to be His servant and to be joyful, blessed, and provided for. It starts with a decision to follow Him. We choose Him.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Holy, Holy / Set Apart, Learning To Pray Effectively, Psalms, Repenting from Sin, Seeking God

Who May Enter Your Presence, Lord?

Sin creates a barrier that separates us from God. God is holy. When we try to come into His presence with unrepentant sin in our lives we will not be able to have the same relationship with Him as those who are repentant from sin and seeking to submit and follow God with their lives.

Psalm 15

1 Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord?
    Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?
2 Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right,
    speaking the truth from sincere hearts.
3 Those who refuse to gossip
    or harm their neighbors
    or speak evil of their friends.
4 Those who despise flagrant sinners,
    and honor the faithful followers of the Lord,
    and keep their promises even when it hurts.
5 Those who lend money without charging interest,
    and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent.
Such people will stand firm forever.

God calls us to avoid gossip and speaking evil of our neighbors and friends. We are to keep promises even when it hurts. We are to avoid lying and bribery.

This scripture also highlights that we are to “despise flagrant sinners”. That means we are not supposed accept it when people identify themselves by their sin and publicly insist everyone accept them and their sin as inseparable and thus rationalize the sin as acceptable.

In some cases this is obvious and our culture still sees clearly. We do not encourage or accept drunkenness as acceptable behavior… telling people that God made them that way so they should keep on drinking. Similar logic appears clearly accepted regarding those who lie and those who steal as well.  We still identify those behaviors as bad and encourage people to change.

Unfortunately, though, it is becoming much more common to excuse sin on the basis of “God made me this way. God is love. God must be ok with this behavior. Thus everyone else should accept it or they are my enemy.” This approach is very common today for sins like gluttony and homosexual behavior, etc. This rationalization for sin is a lie from Satan. Every sin could be approached this way and thus the same argument made to accept it. That is why we are to reject those who flagrantly sin.  Accepting and rationalizing sin leads to accepting and rationalizing more sin. We continue to get further from God. God calls us to turn away from our sin nature and seek to live according to His word.

The difference is not in the sin… we all sin. The difference is in whether we repent and seek to change our sinful behaviors or seek instead to accept our sin and convince others they should accept it also.

Instead we are called by God to “honor the faithful followers of the Lord”. Those who stand up for God’s way… righteousness, repentance from sin rather than acceptance of it, honesty, avoiding bribes, helping those in need unselfishly. Too often in our world today, it is exactly these people that will be attacked and persecuted by the flagrant sinners and by government laws that accept everything except a genuine Christian openly standing for Christ.

God calls us to serve Him despite adversity and despite people coming against us and threatening us to conform to the ways of the world or be silent. We can trust in God and submit to Him to be lord of our lives.

Praise God that He gives us His instruction in the Bible regarding right and wrong! We are not left at the whim of public opinion or government to decide what is right and what is wrong. If we study it, understanding context of culture and time on the scripture, and submit to God prayerfully seeking His guidance through the Holy Spirit, we can see clearly.

Shalom. Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Children, Parenting

Let the Children Come

During His ministry in this world, Jesus was very busy. It was at times difficult for Him to find quiet time or rest because He has such a heart to teach and heal people who seek Him. Jesus consistently put others’ needs ahead of His own… as demonstrated in Matthew 19:13-14.

13 One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.

14 But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” 15 And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left.

Jesus has a special place in His heart for children. In particular, He rejoices when we help children to understand His word and to be surrounded and raised with Jesus as a central part of their lives. Please do not overlook children and the example you set as you interact with them and lead your daily life. They need our example as Christian adults to set them on the right course… a path leading to a lifelong relationship with Jesus Christ.

Please check out our website Kids Zone section for a collection of material we have found helpful to share Jesus with young children in a way they really enjoy. These are just examples. You will get the idea and be able to look for more material like this for your family. We have divided into several sections:

Together we can raise godly children for the next generation!

Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Sin Nature

The Holy Spirit: An Advocate for Those Who Accept Jesus (Yeshua)

By accepting Jesus Christ (Yeshua in Hebrew) as our savior, we are washed clean of our sins by His death on the cross. He has paid our debt for us. Our decision to ask Him into our lives as our lord begins us on a journey that should transform our lives.  It is not an easy journey though, as we must overcome our own sinful nature and avoid the traps of Satan, who wishes to separate us from God.

In John 14:15-17 Jesus promises to send a helper.

15 “If you love me, obey my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.

Paul wrote about how God sent Jesus to die for us and then how the Holy Spirit helps us overcome our sin nature in Romans 8:1-17.

8 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) 10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

I know accepting Jesus as my lord and savior did not instantly transform my life. I have been on a journey for >20 years to grow closer to God and overcome my sin life more and more. I am much closer than I was when I began the journey, though I will never complete the journey in this world. I am very glad for the advocate God sent to help me… to help us… The Holy Spirit.

Take a few minutes in prayer to thank God for Jesus and the Holy Spirit and their role in redeeming us and helping us to live righteously. Ask God to show you any areas you still need to change and surrender fully to Him.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Father / Yahweh, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Seeking God

Lifting the Veil that Separates Us from God

There is no more veil between us and God. The veil was removed with the death of Messiah. Scripture confirms this symbolically in the accounts of the tearing of the veil in the tabernacle when Yeshua breathed His last. Through Christ we are invited to have a direct relationship with our heavenly Father. The Spirit dwells within us as believers. This is something we can often take for granted. Think of what it was like for Moses when he looked upon the glory of God. It affected him physically so much that he needed to wear a veil to come before the people because his face literally glowed from the residual glory of God. We should take time to consider how much more so should we reflect the glory of God now that we have direct relationship with the Father.

2 Corinthians 3:7-18

      7But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, 8how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory? 9For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory. 10For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it. 11For if that which fades away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.

      12Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech, 13and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. 14But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. 15But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; 16but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

Take time for thoughtful reflection and prayer… when people look at you and how you are living your life… do they see the glory of God?

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Arrogance, Discerning / Judging, Help / Serve Others, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Kindness / Gentleness

Letters of Commendation

Those who follow Christ realize the significant way in which He used Paul to help launch the early church and establish writings which ultimately became a key part of the holy scriptures in the Bible. However, we can see from his writings that Paul was not without his critics… even within the early church. Perhaps this can give us pause to recognize that we too, will not be without critics if we stand openly for Christ… even within the church.

Letters of commendation served a purpose of communicating to a receiving church about a fellow brother or sister in Christ coming from another city so that they would be received. It would appear some took exception with the fact that Paul did not bring letters, but rather in 1 Corinthians actually stated the case for himself in such areas as not accepting pay, etc. in his work there. Thus he appears to have been criticized for commending himself.

Not one to be deterred or intimidated, Paul addresses it head on… and he is right. A letter may serve a purpose for someone you don’t know, but a letter is pointless for someone who has already spent much time with you and your church. The “letter of commendation” is much more truthfully and effectively written on in the lives and hearts of those being ministered to, as was the case of the Corinthian church. What purpose would a letter be for Paul in comparison to the time spent helping develop the faith of many in Corinth? Even in this response, Paul quickly redirects the glory and credit to God.

2 Corinthians 3:1-6

      1Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you? 2You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 3being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

      4Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. 5Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, 6who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Let us consider and observe what affect we have on others around us to the end of glorifying Christ. That is a truer reflection or our impact for Christ than a fancy letter or diploma from a church or seminary. Our actions and impact on those around us means more, much more, than a piece of paper we may carry with us. So too let us take caution just “writing our own letter” essentially just telling ourselves we are “good Christians”, but rather look carefully at our impact (or lack of impact) of helping and loving those around us.

 

Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Hope, Protector / Deliverer, Psalms, Strong in Our Weakness, Wickedness / Evil

Only Fools Say in Their Hearts “There Is No God”

I am truly inspired by the faith and hope that David had in God even when he was experiencing grief and suffering or witnessing evil. Psalm 14 shows David relying on God even while he sees the wickedness and evil in abundance around him.

Psalm 14

1 Only fools say in their hearts,
    “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, and their actions are evil;
    not one of them does good!

2 The Lord looks down from heaven
    on the entire human race;
he looks to see if anyone is truly wise,
    if anyone seeks God.
3 But no, all have turned away;
    all have become corrupt.[a]
No one does good,
    not a single one!

4 Will those who do evil never learn?
    They eat up my people like bread
    and wouldn’t think of praying to the Lord.
5 Terror will grip them,
    for God is with those who obey him.
6 The wicked frustrate the plans of the oppressed,
    but the Lord will protect his people.

7 Who will come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel?
    When the Lord restores his people,
    Jacob will shout with joy, and Israel will rejoice.

David reminds us that only fools deny God’s existence. Creation itself cries out in testimony to the Creator. And those who insist there is no God then tend to lean on their own sin nature to guide them, which leads to corruption, selfishness, and all kinds of evil.

Some who reject God may seem to be respectful of life and help other people. But if you really dig into what drives them it is often the Christian beliefs that have so widely affected much of the world view for centuries. They will not even recognize its origins in Christianity.

As an example… someone who believes in Darwinian evolution instead of creation with man created in the image of God really has no logical position to explain why we should help others or why we should not be okay with murdering one another. The strong survive, right?  We are not special as humans, we are just “evolved” animals, right? Helping the weak and those in need is not a survival advantage consistent with evolutionary theory. Hitler conducting horrible mass executions, on the other hand… actually that is consistent with evolutionary theory. Evolutionary ideas played an important role in influencing Hitler as he tried to create the “master race”.

Even as we witness great suffering and evil around us and around the world, we can be encouraged that God will restore His people in His timing and His method. We can have faith and hope that God is in control and will protect us… will stand with us. Sometimes it is hard to see it as people are suffering such as those being executed for their faith in Jesus Christ but we can trust the promises of God. The righteous who accept Jesus as lord will find rest with God after they pass through this life. The wicked will find an eternity without God in hell.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Compassionate, Grace / Forgiveness, Merciful, Seeking God, Sin, Submitted / Servant

Sin Separates Us from God, but We Are Offered Mercy and Help

Isaiah 64 preceded the sacrifice of Yeshua on the cross. Though sin still separates us from God, we now have an open invitation through Yeshua to be reconciled with God. We must choose to seek God and His forgiveness.

Isaiah 64

Prayer for Mercy and Help

1Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down,
That the mountains might quake at Your presence—

      2As fire kindles the brushwood, as fire causes water to boil—
To make Your name known to Your adversaries,
That the nations may tremble at Your presence!

      3When You did awesome things which we did not expect,
You came down, the mountains quaked at Your presence.

      4For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear,
Nor has the eye seen a God besides You,
Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him.

      5You meet him who rejoices in doing righteousness,
Who remembers You in Your ways.
Behold, You were angry, for we sinned,
We continued in them a long time;
And shall we be saved?

      6For all of us have become like one who is unclean,
And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;
And all of us wither like a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

      7There is no one who calls on Your name,
Who arouses himself to take hold of You;
For You have hidden Your face from us
And have delivered us into the power of our iniquities.

      8But now, O LORD, You are our Father,
We are the clay, and You our potter;
And all of us are the work of Your hand.

      9Do not be angry beyond measure, O LORD,
Nor remember iniquity forever;
Behold, look now, all of us are Your people.

      10Your holy cities have become a wilderness,
Zion has become a wilderness,
Jerusalem a desolation.

      11Our holy and beautiful house,
Where our fathers praised You,
Has been burned by fire;
And all our precious things have become a ruin.

      12Will You restrain Yourself at these things, O LORD?
Will You keep silent and afflict us beyond measure?

Sin separates us from God, but now we have been offered redemption through Yeshua. God has offered His mercy and help. He does not stay angry forever with those who seek Him. Will you accept the free gift of reconciliation with God through Yeshua?

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Grace / Forgiveness, Justice / Judgment, Loving / Kind, Merciful, Submitted / Servant

Break the Cycle, Remain Focused on God at All Times

God’s people can often get distracted and lose focus on Him. At times, ungodly nations or forces may have power and authority over God’s people, but God is always able to clear them away in His timing. It is good to recall at all times the mercy and lovingkindness of the LORD. When we don’t, even if the LORD delivers us from the nations, we still end up with rebellion against Him. When His people rebel, God is not going to bless them. Rather, He will be against them. Then the people remember Him and all that He has done for them. Then they return.

How awesome if we could adjust this cycle and just remember the goodness of God all the time. It seems very hard to do it as a nation, but perhaps first we each need to seek to do so as individuals.

Isaiah 63

God’s Vengeance on the Nations

1Who is this who comes from Edom,
With garments of glowing colors from Bozrah,
This One who is majestic in His apparel,
Marching in the greatness of His strength?
“It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.”

      2Why is Your apparel red,
And Your garments like the one who treads in the wine press?

      3“I have trodden the wine trough alone,
And from the peoples there was no man with Me.
I also trod them in My anger
And trampled them in My wrath;
And their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments,
And I stained all My raiment.

      4“For the day of vengeance was in My heart,
And My year of redemption has come.

      5“I looked, and there was no one to help,
And I was astonished and there was no one to uphold;
So My own arm brought salvation to Me,
And My wrath upheld Me.

      6“I trod down the peoples in My anger
And made them drunk in My wrath,
And I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.”

God’s Ancient Mercies Recalled

7I shall make mention of the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, the praises of the LORD,
According to all that the LORD has granted us,
And the great goodness toward the house of Israel,
Which He has granted them according to His compassion
And according to the abundance of His lovingkindnesses.

      8For He said, “Surely, they are My people,
Sons who will not deal falsely.”
So He became their Savior.

      9In all their affliction He was afflicted,
And the angel of His presence saved them;
In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them,
And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old.

      10But they rebelled
And grieved His Holy Spirit;
Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy,
He fought against them.

      11Then His people remembered the days of old, of Moses.
Where is He who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of His flock?
Where is He who put His Holy Spirit in the midst of them,

      12Who caused His glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses,
Who divided the waters before them to make for Himself an everlasting name,

      13Who led them through the depths?
Like the horse in the wilderness, they did not stumble;

      14As the cattle which go down into the valley,
The Spirit of the LORD gave them rest.
So You led Your people,
To make for Yourself a glorious name.

“You Are Our Father”

15Look down from heaven and see from Your holy and glorious habitation;
Where are Your zeal and Your mighty deeds?
The stirrings of Your heart and Your compassion are restrained toward me.

      16For You are our Father, though Abraham does not know us
And Israel does not recognize us.
You, O LORD, are our Father,
Our Redeemer from of old is Your name.

      17Why, O LORD, do You cause us to stray from Your ways
And harden our heart from fearing You?
Return for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage.

      18Your holy people possessed Your sanctuary for a little while,
Our adversaries have trodden it down.

      19We have become like those over whom You have never ruled,
Like those who were not called by Your name.

Be intentional to reflect on all God has done for His people and specifically for you. Keep on praising God. Stay focused on Him. We don’t have to turn from Him and experience His displeasure in order to find Him again. We can pursue Him now!

Spend a few minutes in prayer thanking God for all He has done for His people and for you. Submit to follow His will and His instruction in your life. Give Him praise.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Greed, Money / Finances / Wealth, Submitted / Servant

Prosperity and the Love of Money

Many today preach a false gospel about prosperity. They teach that if you have enough faith you can command God and use His power to give you a bigger house or more money. For those who study the Bible for themselves, this can quickly be recognized as foolishness.

There are plentiful examples of wealthy people who served God such as Abraham, Solomon, and David. As a matter of fact, wealth used to honor God can be a great resource. Great wealth was used to build God’s temple. Wealth can be used to help people around the world and of course to share God’s word.

However, there are also abundant examples of poor people who served God with great faith, such as the prophets and disciples… and even Jesus Christ Himself.

58 But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.” Luke 9:58

Wealth is not an indicator of someone’s relationship with God.

The love of money on the other hand, when it replaces the love of God, leads many to ruin. 1 Timothy 6:6-10

6 Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. 7 After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. 8 So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.

9 But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

Matthew 6:24 reminds us of the following:

24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

It is easy to give lip service and say that we serve God and not money. If you truly reflect on how you live and where you spend your time… would it tell a different answer? Ask God to show you where you need to make changes in your life.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Sharing God's word through devotionals and other resources. Helping you study the Bible and apply it to your life. Helping young children to enjoy the Bible at our Kid Zone.