gdemoss Posted May 16, 2012 Group: Royal Member Followers: 8 Topic Count: 59 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 4,402 Content Per Day: 0.99 Reputation: 2,154 Days Won: 28 Joined: 02/10/2012 Status: Offline Birthday: 04/26/1971 Share Posted May 16, 2012 It is a terrible end for a man who reads a spiritual book in a carnal manner. In this way God destroys the wisdom of the wise. Spiritual things must be spiritually discerned. If a man is faithful with the riches of this world then and only then will God trust him with the true riches. The true riches are not the riches of this world. Riches are responsibilities not rewards. Knowledge of the mysteries of God are great rewards and given to the faithful. Place your faith in God and not the flesh. Seek his righteousness which is found only in Christ. Seek to be found worthy of the Kingdom of God. The rest will manifest all by itself just as God, who cannot lie, promised it would. In Jesus Name, Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitish Posted May 16, 2012 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 3 Topic Count: 75 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 126 Content Per Day: 0.02 Reputation: 53 Days Won: 0 Joined: 11/04/2009 Status: Offline Birthday: 04/15/1990 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Hey bro, thank for sharing that... and of course as u said its all about God.... we are just His instruments... on my part i try hard to get a job and leave the rest unto God to direct my path... As the scripture says "Whatever you do, whether you eat or drink do it all for the glory of God"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fez Posted May 16, 2012 Group: Royal Member Followers: 3 Topic Count: 683 Topics Per Day: 0.12 Content Count: 11,128 Content Per Day: 2.00 Reputation: 1,352 Days Won: 54 Joined: 02/03/2009 Status: Offline Birthday: 12/07/1952 Share Posted May 16, 2012 There is a line bewtween faith and presumption. If a person is able-bodied, they really should work. To expect God to simply provide while we sit around and do nothing is presumptuous. God provides, but even Scripture it says if a man does not work, he should not eat. We should trust God to provide what we need and that includes providing some kind of gainful employment. There are those whom God provides for who cannot work due to injury or infirmity, but for those of us who can work we should work and trust the Lord to provide in the process. God does not condone laziness. Proverbs 6: 6-11 gives a strong exhortation to work. Working and saving for the future is a biblical admonishment. It is wise to be industrious and to save up in times of plenty for the lean times. The Bible puts a high premium on the practical wisdom of hard work. I agree Shiloh except for the thought of saving for the future. I am not sure that such is biblical at least as far as what Jesus taught and New Testament Christians practiced is concerned. I guess the issue is whether or not we are trusting in God or trusting in our retirement accounts to meet future needs. Carlos Two words. Ants and mustard.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 I agree Shiloh except for the thought of saving for the future. I am not sure that such is biblical at least as far as what Jesus taught and New Testament Christians practiced is concerned. I guess the issue is whether or not we are trusting in God or trusting in our retirement accounts to meet future needs. Carlos Two words. Ants and mustard.... The Bible also says that the parents should "lay up" (save) for the children, not the children for the parents. Long term savings for retirement can free a person up for the Lord's work in ways that a person still working for a living cannot. An example would be couples who are retired and go on various mission trips or full time work -- because the Lord laid it on their hearts to do so, and provided the means through a long term savings plan in their case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saved34 Posted May 16, 2012 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 5 Topic Count: 1 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 1,185 Content Per Day: 0.27 Reputation: 667 Days Won: 3 Joined: 03/28/2012 Status: Offline Birthday: 02/19/1971 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Hey bro, thank for sharing that... and of course as u said its all about God.... we are just His instruments... on my part i try hard to get a job and leave the rest unto God to direct my path... As the scripture says "Whatever you do, whether you eat or drink do it all for the glory of God"... Amen! The job I have now may not be all that great by the world's standards, but I'm trusting God to do a "2 small fish, 5 loaves of bread' type miracle with it. EVERYTHING we need is in his hands, and he charged himself with our care. He knows you need a job, and he knows I need to provide for my family. We both can take that anxiety and place it on him. Php 4:6 Don't worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have. Do what's right, and trust him. That is our charge. I admit I do not always do this, but God is strengthening me to trust him more and more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
other one Posted May 16, 2012 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 29 Topic Count: 598 Topics Per Day: 0.08 Content Count: 56,170 Content Per Day: 7.56 Reputation: 27,897 Days Won: 271 Joined: 12/29/2003 Status: Offline Share Posted May 16, 2012 I'm jobless and i've tried alot but couldn't make one.. and i'm so worried knowing not what to do... I'm so sick & tired of sitting in home... i'm trusting Him to provide a job for me... Don't know what to do......? Go find a good employment agency and let a professional find you the best job you're qualified for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlos123 Posted May 16, 2012 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 61 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 1,015 Content Per Day: 0.14 Reputation: 97 Days Won: 4 Joined: 07/12/2004 Status: Offline Author Share Posted May 16, 2012 The Bible also says that the parents should "lay up" (save) for the children, not the children for the parents. Long term savings for retirement can free a person up for the Lord's work in ways that a person still working for a living cannot. An example would be couples who are retired and go on various mission trips or full time work -- because the Lord laid it on their hearts to do so, and provided the means through a long term savings plan in their case. So tell me something. What is the difference between a Christian living by faith in a Living God and some wicked unbeliever (which they all are) living entirely for themselves, hating God, and doing nothing for the Kingdome of God doing what you are talking about? In a word...NOTHING! Let me rephrase what you said from an unbelievers perspective. Common sense says that the parents should "lay up" (save) for the children, not the children for the parents. Long term savings for retirement can free a person to travel the world in ways that a person still working for a living cannot. An example would be couples who are retired and go on various trips or engage in whatever they want to do -- because they have it on their heart to do so, and provided the means through a long term savings plan in their case. Where is living by faith in that at ALL?? It isn't even there. Christians are so prone to spiritualizing what is nothing more than common sense from a natural perspective and making it God's way for us. God's way IS different. It does involve being wise about the use of our money for the Kingdom of God. Definitely. But the whole notion of investing, making money and storing it in barns...oops...I mean in certificates of deposit, Treasury bonds, and inside retirement accounts is completely foreign to the way in which Jesus and the New Testament disciples operated! At least as I read the Word. More on this in another post shortly. Carlos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherSinner Posted May 16, 2012 Group: Senior Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 47 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 628 Content Per Day: 0.14 Reputation: 94 Days Won: 5 Joined: 03/13/2012 Status: Offline Birthday: 08/14/1984 Share Posted May 16, 2012 The Bible also says that the parents should "lay up" (save) for the children, not the children for the parents. Long term savings for retirement can free a person up for the Lord's work in ways that a person still working for a living cannot. An example would be couples who are retired and go on various mission trips or full time work -- because the Lord laid it on their hearts to do so, and provided the means through a long term savings plan in their case. So tell me something. What is the difference between a Christian living by faith in a Living God and some wicked unbeliever (which they all are) living entirely for themselves, hating God, and doing nothing for the Kingdome of God doing what you are talking about? In a word...NOTHING! Let me rephrase what you said from an unbelievers perspective. Common sense says that the parents should "lay up" (save) for the children, not the children for the parents. Long term savings for retirement can free a person to travel the world in ways that a person still working for a living cannot. An example would be couples who are retired and go on various trips or engage in whatever they want to do -- because they have it on their heart to do so, and provided the means through a long term savings plan in their case. Where is living by faith in that at ALL?? It isn't even there. Christians are so prone to spiritualizing what is nothing more than common sense from a natural perspective and making it God's way for us. God's way IS different. It does involve being wise about the use of our money for the Kingdom of God. Definitely. But the whole notion of investing, making money and storing it in barns...oops...I mean in certificates of deposit, Treasury bonds, and inside retirement accounts is completely foreign to the way in which Jesus and the New Testament disciples operated! At least as I read the Word. More on this in another post shortly. Carlos Curious about this myself...what of Christian families who do not make enough to have that spare money to put into an account for their children and just make barely enough to cover their basic needs? Does this make them less faithful? It is really disappointing when one's income is a measure of one's faith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherSinner Posted May 16, 2012 Group: Senior Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 47 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 628 Content Per Day: 0.14 Reputation: 94 Days Won: 5 Joined: 03/13/2012 Status: Offline Birthday: 08/14/1984 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Sorry posted same thing twice...not sure how that happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlos123 Posted May 16, 2012 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 61 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 1,015 Content Per Day: 0.14 Reputation: 97 Days Won: 4 Joined: 07/12/2004 Status: Offline Author Share Posted May 16, 2012 This morning the Lord prompted me to review Matthew 6 and I wanted to share a few more thoughts on this with you all for what they are worth. Any verse quotes are from the NASB unless otherwise noted. If we go back a few verses prior to the one's I quoted we find this... “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! This ties into the rest of what I quoted in Matthew 6 and is a prelude to what Jesus said in Matthew 6:24-34. What does it mean to store up for ourselves treasures on earth? In Luke 12:13-21 Jesus is saying some things that expand on what is found in Matthew 6 some. It says this... Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “ Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” Then He said to them, “ Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘ You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Immediately afterwards in Luke 12:22 and following Jesus again begins to talk of what is also described in Matthew 6. I bring these verses up in Luke because the exact same thought of not storing up treasures for ourselves on earth is found there as well as in Matthew. But what does that mean? A couple of thoughts. Our heart, or what Matthew refers to as our eye I think, MUST look at things from God's perspective and not our own. In other words we are NOT to look on this issue and determine what is God's perspective on it through the lens of wordly thinking. Next it talks of treasure. Treasure being something we value. Even more specifically the treasure being spoken of is that which is connected to wordly possessions and money (what Matthew calls mammon). Storing up treasure is storing up possessions and money beyond what we need to meet present needs. I believe the parable in Luke makes this clear. Here was a rich man who did not need to store his crops for present needs. Rather he wanted to accumulate his excess crop and store it. Such that he could then take it easy and not worry about his future needs or even need to work if he did not want to do so. The other thought of treasure being that stored treasure to deal with future needs is something that will fall to others on our death. In other words it is stored and not used and on our death it is no longer available to meet needs in our life such that others will get what we have stored up for ourselves. It is absolutely inconsistent with belief in God as our Provider to store up treasure for ourselves to meet future needs. Either He IS our Provider and CAN provide ALL that we might need or He cannot be relied on to do so! To live by faith in Him as our Provider is to live by faith in His ability, His willingness, and His capacity, to provide for ALL of our future needs. Such that we can freely give to others NOW of what we have that we do not need for future needs! Constantly giving while constantly trusting God to provide for our future needs. THAT is the way the New Testament Christians lived. That is the way Jesus lived and what He modeled for His disciples. If God truly wants someone to be involved in full time ministry work it is not beyond Him to provide for such if that is His will for us. WE don't need to start no ministry savings account and investment to yield us enough money to allow us to be involved in future ministry work as if God cannot do His part to provide ALL that a ministry worker might need! We live by faith and not by sight. We walk by faith too. Relying on a great big God whose riches far surpass anything and everything that we could ever hope to accumulate for ourselves through means like stocks and bonds or other ways of making money. We need to walk with surrendered hearts where we are willing to take of whatever He deems to provide for us as He sees fit to do so without working to provide for ourselves in ways that do not take into account how big God is and how greatly He can provide us with whatever we may need to do His will whenever He might want us to do it. People in the church of today hang on to their lives. They spiritualize self living. They spiritualize living by sight. Jesus calls us both by His example and what He taught to surrender and give up our lives that we might find them in Him. Carlos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts