Thursday 25 Jul 2013

Thursday Reading: 1 Timothy 6:17-19

Key Verse: 1 Timothy 6:19
19  Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

Devotion:
I have always wondered what I would do if I had a lot of money. Would I go out and spend it all on myself or go out and spend it on others. Well, when I was earning a fair wage I found myself spending a lot on things around me, worldly things, and not that much on others. Yes I would be more than willing to help others and gave some time and money away, but it has only been since I have committed my life to Christ that I have found that I can give so much more than just wealth.

Wealth is certainly not everything and it saddens me to see people struggling to become more and more wealthy whilst leaving their lives and God behind. God has only given us one life on earth and we need to be aware of that fact. If we spend it aiming at worldly treasures then that is what we are going to end up with – a bunch of worldly treasures that we cannot and will not take with us to heaven, if we get there! If we are not taking notice of God in our lives then we may well not get to hear the gospel and may not get to know Jesus like we should.

Yes, Christ died for all men. But His salvation is reserved for those who believe in Him and not just anybody. We do not have to be model citizens before we ask Jesus to forgive us of our sins; we are sinners and that is what we should be asking forgiveness for. If we try to change our lives before finding out about Jesus we may well keep focusing on the world instead of focusing on Christ and in doing so may miss the boat altogether. Christ wants us to know Him now, before it is too late. He wants to forgive us whilst we are sinners. He has loved us from the beginning. His love does not change by the way we act or how much we give; His disappointment does!

We need to give God the glory because of all that He has been able to do despite us and not because of all that we have been able to do because He changed us. Yes we can do more the more we listen to Him. Yes we can achieve more by following His commandments. Yes others will see a bigger difference the more we do for Christ. But it is what He has been able to do that will speak even more than what we have been able to do. I have learned from the Christians around me to give God the glory in spite of what I can do!

Points to Ponder:
What wealth are you building up?

Is God supporting your wealth?