SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/21/2023 8:04 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-4 “The
Poverty of Riches”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:
Matt. 19:23-26
Message of the verses: “23 And Jesus said
to His disciples, "Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter
the kingdom of heaven. 24 “And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to
go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of
God." 25 And when the disciples heard this, they were very astonished
and said, "Then who can be saved?" 26 And looking upon them
Jesus said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things
are possible.’”
One of the problems with those who are rich is
because they have great material resources; they tend to imagine they do not
require divine resources. The Apostle Paul therefore told Timothy to “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 Tim. 6:17). There is
more that Paul has to say about this subject:
“Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and
ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for
the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed” (vv.
18-19).
Paul is actually telling Timothy to go about talking
to the rich that he is witnessing to to do it in the same way that Jesus did
with the rich young ruler. For if a person prefers his earthly fortune to the
lordship of Jesus Christ, his heart is not prepared for salvation, just as the
rich young ruler’s heart was not prepared for salvation. “Having the willingness to give up everything
for the Lord will not in itself save them, but it demonstrates that they are desperate for salvation and has found the ‘pearl of great price’ for which he
will sell all he has if need be” (MacArthur).
Focusing
in on the last part of 1Timothy 6:19 we can see “so that they may take hold of
that which is life indeed.” Life indeed”
is certainly more than having riches, but is having eternal life, and we have
mentioned that eternal life begins the moment of salvation in Jesus Christ as
Savior and Lord. Let us look at some
more verses that Paul wrote to Timothy found also in chapter six: “6 But godliness actually is a means
of great gain when accompanied by contentment.”
“9 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and
many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10
For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for
it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs”
(1 Timothy 6:6, 9-10).
Another problem with those who are very rich is that
it is hard for them not to be tied to this world, to their bank accounts,
investments, and possessions. Matthew
6:21 tells us “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” The wealthy usually find it hard, and
seemingly unnecessary, to treasure the things of God and that is truly a shame,
for the things of God last for eternity unlike the things of this world. MacArthur writes: “When they hear the gospel,
its divine seed frequently falls on thorny hearts that may have an initial
response but are full of ‘the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of
riches, and the desires for other things’ that choke the Word and make it
unfruitful (Mark 4:18-19).
Spiritual meaning for my life today: We have looked at a few of the verses that
have to do with money in the Word of God today, and the fact is that the Bible
has more to say about money than other important things like love. If one can understand that they are a steward
of the Lord in all the things, that they think they own then the love part of
the Bible will be where they can focus on, leading others to salvation.
My Steps of Faith for Today: I am trusting the Lord to continue to help me
understand that I am but a steward of the possessions that He has entrusted me
with.
3/21/2023 8:32 AM
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