Solomon, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and David were all great men of God who were blessed with great wealth and prosperity, among other things, for their faithful servitude. God loves to bless his children (Jer 29:11(a)), and Christians today are no exception. Though the aforementioned men received blessings of money and power, God may not bless all his children in the same way. In the case of the rich young man (Luke 18:18-23 (b)) it was not in God’s plan for that particular person to be rich. This leads to the ultimate question for this article: why do people pursue God to get rich?
To illustrate what I’m saying and going to say, consider this story: Two children are given assignments from their teacher each week to complete. After completing each of the first two projects the children receive candy for their work. After these two occasions, the teacher stops giving them candy for completing assignments. One child quickly loses interest in the weekly assignments because the reward is gone. Still, the other child continues to work just as hard because that child knows the reward that comes at the end of the year. By the time school is over, the first child had completely given up doing the assignments, while the second child, though weary from a long hard year of work, did the work to near perfection. The teacher rewards the second child with a gift far greater than any reward these children had ever seen. The first child looks on in envy as the second child enjoys the prize; a prize that the second child will always have and that will bring true joy to the child forever. On the other hand, the first child is left with nothing; the child pursued a temporary gift and because the child’s sight was narrow, the child missed a chance to achieve the greatest reward of all.
These two children are like many Christians. The first pursued the short, temporary prize and second pursued an ultimate goal while enjoying the reward long the way. The first is like the Christian who follows God to achieve wealth and status. They work because they want to be rewarded immediately with money, good health, or some other worldly gain. Because they pursue worldly things, when the rewards stop, so does their love for God. However, the second child is like the Christian who seeks God no matter what. This type of Christian understands that gift will come along the way, but it is the pursuit of the kingdom that motivates their actions (Mat 6:33 (c)).
In the end, God test the hearts of all those who come to him (1 Thes 2:4(d)). He knows if someone is using him for selfish gain or if someone is following him out of love. I’m not saying that all Christians need to go and sell all their possession and live a complete life of poverty. What I am saying is don’t let your possession own you (Mat 6:19-21, 24(e)).
a: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=jer%2029:11&version=NIV
b: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2018:18-23&version=NIV
c: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mat%206:33&version=NIV
d: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Thes%202:4&version=NIV
e: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mat%206:19-21,%2024&version=NIV
Very well put! Unfortunately, most people are superficial and don't like to penetrate much deeper than hi and bye. They prefer to look good on the outside and let the inside go to waste. It's almost like a new car without a running engine. I have made it in my best interest to intentionally go deeper with people because I know everyone just wants someone to love them. Since that is the case, why don't we allow ourselves to love or be loved? To GOD be the glory and to JESUS be the fame
ReplyDelete" good thing come to those who wait". Your right you should do things because.. not for the reward, if a reward is given in the end then it's an added bonce. When doing things ask yourself if what your doing will benefit God or your brother's & sisters . It give me a fuzzy filling.
ReplyDeleteSo true, J. Fain. I've been learning a lot the past few days about what it really means to follow Jesus, and one of the things I'm the most convicted about is the transformation that needs to occur. It's not enough to change or grow in some aspects, we need to be COMPLETELY transformed into the men and women that God wants us to be. Jesus is the goal, not a better version of myself. And I think that this is the thing that a lot of people miss out on while they claim to be Christians. They're all about what they can get out of walking with Jesus instead of being focused on the transformation that occurs when you allow yourself to be drawn near to Him.
ReplyDeletelol, you have a good point, but i think what happens is alot of people forget how Good God is, they only thank him for the things that stand out in life, and i think that that may be the true difference between someone who Seeks God in the short run and someone who Seeks God in the long run. Those who see him in the short run only recognize his glory, when they recieve extra candy, or 2 new brand pairs of shoes, when they get a bonus, or find 20 bucks on the ground because its is something extra in their life. However those who seek in in the Long run are thankful for Life its self, and i think that is what the second boy realized. not onl did he recieve an ultimate prize in the end but he learned persistance and gained so much more knoledge just because he continued to pursue his project. Rather than thanking God for gettin us an A or a raise, we need to thank him for waking us up allowing us to breath, make it through illness's , the clothes already on our back, the shoes we have worn for years, because not everyone has that, and we as People are truly blessed, but some are going to miss out on those blessings because they dont see them clearly in from of our face...Anyway..Good job Jeremy.
ReplyDeleteGood points, but I'd add that the materialistic aspect of the gospel is something that people seem care a great deal more about than God does. I'd been working on a post along these lines for awhile - I basically gave up and posted what I had so far here - http://templarsopeningtelegrams.blogspot.com/2010/08/christians-and-wealth.html. Anyway I'd just say the bible has a lot more to say about the problems with richess than it does on the assuredness that god will provide your every wanton and shallow desire.
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