Goldminer, I read your post, and was reminded of 2 Peter 3:2,3:
"That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts."
In fact, that whole chapter is relevant to this situation. [b]We are in the last days.[/b]
Psalm 37:4 - Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."
For me, I believe the only desire of my heart should be to follow in the footsteps of Christ, be a servant and a sacrificer like He was/is. Growing in prayer and in the Word so that I can be more like Him, and mirror the attributes of our Father in Heaven.
Everything else, whether it be material things, spouse, children, pets, home, finances, whatever else God chooses to bless me with as I remain faithful to Him during my walk, is gravy. It's all going to pass away eventually and I can't take it with me to Heaven. I refer to Matthew 6:19-21 as my guide:
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
I believe this is the only way for me to live and serve Christ. I'm not saying I have all the answers, I'm just a sinner saved by grace but I do believe that the prosperity messages that are being preached are not of God. Christ had nothing on this earth, Matthew 8:20 says "And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head."
There are many other scriptures that come to mind on this issue, bottom line is, much disappointment will come to those who believe this false message when the material things don't magically appear. I think David Wilkerson said that in his message about The Dreadful Day No One Wants To Talk About or whatever the title is.
Anyways, just what's on my heart this morning in response to your post. Stay in the Word, pray without ceasing, and I encourage you in the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ - the Truth is set before us in the Word and leave all these burdens at the Cross. God in his Righteousness and Justice will take care of it all in His time. Thanks be to our precious Lord that we can take our burdens to the Cross and leave them there.
Blessings to you all.
Mia and Bailey, Dugan, Buddy and Agnes the beagles.
|