(Mark 8:36) “What profit will a person have if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?”
(Luke 12:15) “Then he told them, ‘Be careful to guard yourselves against every kind of greed, because a person’s life doesn’t consist of the amount of possessions he has.’”
(Colossians 1:20-22) “Through the Son, God also reconciled all things to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, thereby making peace through the blood of his cross. You who were once alienated with a hostile attitude, doing evil, he has now reconciled by the death of his physical body, so that he may present you holy, blameless, and without fault before him.”
Everyone knows how to make a living but not everyone knows how to live or truly enjoy life. Some of the greatest stories of successful and famous people ended up in drug addiction, suicide, bankruptcy, or prison. They might have been great in all their relationships with men but failed in their relationship with God. Only through Jesus Christ can we be restored back to the original relationship God had with Adam and Eve before they rebelled and took it upon themselves to decide what was good or bad for them.
Our natural accomplishments and relationships amount to nothing if we have not spiritually connected first to our Creator. You can do good works, give to the poor, sacrifice yourself for your family, be an honest person, or work hard and be disciplined in all areas of life. You can even have faith in God and fear Him to the point that people try and imitate you in their faith and call you a guru or a saint and still you can end up separated from God for all eternity.
We can spend our whole life trying to please our parents, teachers, friends, and even our children and be doing things contrary to God’s will. It is so important to start early in life knowing God’s moral law and understanding God’s heart in order to keep our priorities in check and make the right decisions. God is not impressed by our wealth, intelligence, or accomplishments. He is looking for our obedience and willingness to humble ourselves before Him.
The more we depend on Him for all things, the more He will get the glory for all our accomplishments. The first condition that Christ put in order to become His disciple was to deny ourselves. This does not mean having a boring life, no wealth, no education, or no family. What He wants all to understand is that no matter what we do, we do it for the Kingdom of God and that means that we are ready to give up every single thing we have achieved if God so requires.
You will only truly cherish and enjoy what you have when you are willing to surrender it all to God when asks you to do so. True Joy in life is being attached to nothing and no one except for Christ.
Prayers
• Heavenly Father, You have enlarged my path under me, that my feet did not slip. You are God who makes my way perfect. He who owns all my ways.
• Thank you that Christ came to give us life and life in abundance.
• Thank You that by surrendering our life to Christ we will be saved.
• Thank You that we have been reconciled back to You, Father, through the blood of Jesus.
• Forgive us for chasing fame, wealth, and prosperity outside of Your will for us.
• Teach us Your ways so we can succeed in all we do and bring glory to Your name.
• We declare that we will not lose our soul chasing the profit the world offers us.
• We guard ourselves right now from every thought of greed that will bring us down.
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• We ask in Jesus’ Mighty Name. Amen
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