I get it

C.S. Lewis said it well: “It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in; aim at earth and you will get neither.”

Ensure that you are living for eternity, not just for today. Existentialism (living the life/living for the day) offer empty promises of joy and happiness that lead directly to short-sighted affluence. Pastor Challies explains that we need to understand that we are not the owner of our wealth but only the steward of it. Do you own your possessions and life or does God? Do our possessions and lifestyle own us or does God own us and dictate our lifestyle by His holy Word? The Lord intends for us to use our affluence in all areas responsibly in the knowledge that He will call us to account for the talents that He has given; where we desire to hear the words of Matthew 25:23, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” Use the loving provisions of God with a view of eternity.

Matthew 6:19-20 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

Jesus said in Luke 12:15, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” We are not to build “bigger barns” – Luke 12:13-21. Whatever we acquire here will be left here. You can’t take it with you when you go. There are no U-Haul trailers hooked to the back of a Hearse going to the cemetery. But, whatever we invest in God’s cause will endure for all eternity. From an eternal perspective, we see that affluence and wealth in all areas of our lives is meaningless if it is not directed to those purposes that last forever. Any affluence and wealth of living from God that we receive is meant to be a blessing, not a curse. Our wealth of God provision is meant to be a joyful responsibility that frees us to do good to others and bring glory to God.  

Ecclesiastes 5:10 “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.”

Pastor Challies explains that there is nothing wrong with the provisional affluence that the Lord proves us, but we can turn good into bad when we shift our allegiance from the One who gives the gift to the gift itself. We can have distorted thinking that our possessions and life-style promises contentment but in reality deliver only emptiness. That our wealth of life promises joy but delivers only obsession. That our abundance promises freedom but delivers only captivity ... just a little more. It really gets down to covetousness. But when we flee that affluence-based greed, we are able to enjoy the Giver through the gifts which He provides to us. We are able to invest our provisions from God in the only cause that endures forever. That is true love, joy, peace and contentment.

In Christ, Brian