James 5:1-6 “Come now, you rich, weep
and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold
and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and
will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed the
wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry
out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabbath. You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened
your hearts as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned,
you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.”
Continuing Pastor Kyle’s
message from yesterday, he said that when people are gone, you cannot make
amends, so live a life that quickly forgives. Romans 12:18 “If it is possible, as
much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” Letting go doesn’t mean
that we let ourselves get walked all over. Peace is not always possible,
but putting forgiveness into practice leaves room in your plans for God’s plan.
So the next way to make your mist count is (4) make sure that our
prayers and our plans are synonymous … one and the same. This involves making
God’s plans and desires, our plans and desires. When we align our will with the
will of God, we walk in righteousness (a right relationship with God). There is
no sin in planning our out life, but it is a sin to leave God out of our planning
and plans; when we push and leave God out of our time. Why are we so surprised
when He doesn’t show up? We know how to
make plans alright! We’re pretty good at it. But do our plans for our life line
up with God’s will and plans for our life? We should ask ourselves, “God, am I
doing this because this is truly what you want and is your plan?
Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way that seems right to a
man, but its end is the way of
death.”
We can make plans on our own
that feel so right, but lead us down empty paths and into a truckload of
disaster. They feel right, but they are deadly wrong. In big decision in the
face of adversity, insecurity or uncertainty, who will we trust: us, others or
God - being obedient to God’s plan – God willing. If God’s Holy Word says
something about it, then we need to listen to it, abide by it and conform with
it. Which leads us to (5) make decisions about eternity more than fiancés. We
may think that our mighty investment scheme is security, but where our earthly
treasures are, our hearts will follow. Our investment pool will not save us. We
all need to trust God with our life instead of chasing after myths. The Golden
Rule is not “them that have the gold make the rules”; it’s “do to others as you would have them do to
you – Matthew 7:12 / Luke 6:31. Be fair. We want our lives
to make a difference and count for something here and for the kingdom of
heaven. What matters is what we do with the mist that we have been given. How
many want their life to amount to nothing? If we want our mist to count, we
have to do life God’s way. Make your life make a difference by humbly and
simply serving the Lord and letting others know it. We’re here for just a
little while, then we are gone. When we live by the words of the Bible, we
cannot help but have a life that matters, because it is truly His kingdom here,
not ours. When we give our lives to Jesus, He makes our significance in His
plan for our life. Run to God, not away from God, and make your mist count.
In Christ, Brian
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