Thursday Reading: Matthew 6:19-21
Key Verse: Matthew 6:21
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Devotion:
This has got to be one of the most simple things that Christ told us to do and yet one of the hardest that we struggle to actually do. No matter how much we try to turn away from the trimmings of this earth we fall into their trap and we are tempted by them; if it is not the electronic goodies then it’s the excess in food, if it’s not the bright and shiny things then it’s the dark and forbidden things. We seem to be trapped by all manner of things around us and we give in to them far too easily. By giving in to them we are admitting defeat and admitting that we would rather follow after them than stand fast with God...
You may be jumping up and down now and saying that you would much rather be doing things for God and that you cannot help it but you are the one who has made the choice. That is the thing about temptations – they are temptations. We do not have to give in to them but we do. Satan has done such a good job at hiding the truth about them that we follow on in Eve’s footsteps and take a bite to see what happens. By doing so we are then trusting in those earthly things to see what happens. Well, guess what... Things happen! If you are going to test the ice you should not be too surprised to find that it breaks!
Even if we are able to find what we think is solid ground we can be sure that what we have found is a temporary solution unless it is based in God. We like to think that this planet we live on offers firm ground upon which we can build our houses – but that ground is floating upon a lava base and it shifts and breaks now and again. We cannot rely on anything in this earth 100% because it just isn’t 100% foolproof. The only thing we can rely on is God because He has been here from the beginning and He will be here even after this earth crumbles. We need to base our lives in Christ and not on His creation. The creator is far greater than His creation!
Points to Ponder:
What do you hanker after?
Is Christ your focus?
Key Verse: Matthew 6:21
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Devotion:
This has got to be one of the most simple things that Christ told us to do and yet one of the hardest that we struggle to actually do. No matter how much we try to turn away from the trimmings of this earth we fall into their trap and we are tempted by them; if it is not the electronic goodies then it’s the excess in food, if it’s not the bright and shiny things then it’s the dark and forbidden things. We seem to be trapped by all manner of things around us and we give in to them far too easily. By giving in to them we are admitting defeat and admitting that we would rather follow after them than stand fast with God...
You may be jumping up and down now and saying that you would much rather be doing things for God and that you cannot help it but you are the one who has made the choice. That is the thing about temptations – they are temptations. We do not have to give in to them but we do. Satan has done such a good job at hiding the truth about them that we follow on in Eve’s footsteps and take a bite to see what happens. By doing so we are then trusting in those earthly things to see what happens. Well, guess what... Things happen! If you are going to test the ice you should not be too surprised to find that it breaks!
Even if we are able to find what we think is solid ground we can be sure that what we have found is a temporary solution unless it is based in God. We like to think that this planet we live on offers firm ground upon which we can build our houses – but that ground is floating upon a lava base and it shifts and breaks now and again. We cannot rely on anything in this earth 100% because it just isn’t 100% foolproof. The only thing we can rely on is God because He has been here from the beginning and He will be here even after this earth crumbles. We need to base our lives in Christ and not on His creation. The creator is far greater than His creation!
Points to Ponder:
What do you hanker after?
Is Christ your focus?