Luke 12:31 - [Jesus said] "Instead, seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you."
Friends, life is more than merely meeting our physical needs. Real living, real life means to rest in the forgiving arms of the Lord Jesus Christ. Real living is knowing every hour that our blessed Heavenly Father has not treated us as we deserve because of our sin (see Psalm 103). Instead, in Jesus Christ, God has loved us. In Jesus Christ, God has forgiven us all of our sins. In Jesus Christ, God will always take complete care of us. Therefore, we must not allow the devil to chart out our future based on the love of money. It will never work. Rather, we must let the Word of God fill our hearts with the blessed assurance that Jesus will graciously provide all our needs.
It was on the cross of Calvary that Jesus made an eternal investment for you and me. This is also why the apostle Peter wants us to know "that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot" (1 Peter 1:18b-19).
As God calls us by His Word and Spirit. As He seeks to give us the gift of faith instead of materialism, as He desires fervently to draw us to Himself, we must not pull back, saying, "First, I have to think it over."
The apostle Paul tells us plainly: "Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light" (Romans 13:11-12).
Yes, may God's living Word reign over our lives. Then old worries and new anxieties will be driven away. The concerns of earning our righteousness before Him will be totally—and forever—replaced by the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. The Spirit of God will plant into our hearts a love for Christ that will totally replace our love for the illusions of this world. When Jesus died on the cross, all our sins were cleansed by His blood. This is something all the money in the whole world could never do!
There is a way out of the weeds we get so easily entangled in. Against the enticements of the world, James gives us practical advice: "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). God gives us the strength to move beyond the world's temptations to place our trust in money or materialism. As His Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see with right vision the truths of God's love, we behold the priceless beauty of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who was crucified for our sins and raised again to guarantee each of us the hope of heaven.
May your eyes become fixed on Jesus Christ given for you today.
WE PRAY: O Lord, please focus our hearts and minds on Your Son Jesus, our greatest treasure. Amen.
From "Beware of Greed," a sermon message from Rev. Dr. Wallace Schulz, former Speaker of The Lutheran Hour
Reflection Questions:
1. Do you have a favorite possession? What is it?
2. How is the blood of Christ more valuable than gold or silver?
3. What do you need help guarding against so you do not lose sight of Jesus?
Today's Bible Readings: Exodus 12-13 Matthew 26:1-35
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