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Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Dear Faithful One,
The Scriptures speak of how terrible the times will be in the last days: "People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God - having a form of godliness but denying its power" (2 Timothy 3:2-5a). These are the days we are living in.
During the time of the Judges, people were living and doing whatever they saw fit to do in their own eyes (reference Judges 17:6). The people of Israel were not abiding by their covenant relationship with the Lord and were living idolatrous and immoral lives. We find that not much has changed in the last few thousand years. Israel, however, had a promise from God if they chose to walk in His ways: "If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all His commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessing will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God" (Deuteronomy 28:1-2).
As believers, we have been given access to the storehouse of heaven and have received heaven's greatest treasure - Jesus Christ! We have also been called to a life of obedience and trust in the Lord that requires laying down all that we value and hold dear and picking up His cross and following Him (reference Luke 14:27-33). In His love, we have all that we need, but we must daily seek Him to reap the abundance of the treasure we have been given, and also be willing to share that treasure with others. "He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor" (Proverb 21:21). May our values become more in line with what the Lord values in 2009!
"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 moth and rust do not destroy,
and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also."
(Matthew 6:19-21)
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all! (2 Corinthians 13:14)
Traci Alexander
Trumpet and Torch Ministries
John 1:14
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Day Five: Revealing the WEALTH of God
"What is highly valued among men
is detestable in God's sight."
(1 Timothy 3:15)
Breakfast: Five Golden Rings - Focus on Deuteronomy 30:1-10
"...when you and your children return to the LORD your God
and obey Him with all your heart and with all your soul
according to everything I command you today,
then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes
and have compassion on you..."
(Deuteronomy 30:2-3)
Yesterday, we looked at the first four books of the New Testament known as the gospels. These books reveal the new covenant fulfillment, foreshadowed in the old covenant; they are the authoritative accounts of the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. It has been said, that to be on the precipice of the future you have to go to way back to the past, because "history is destined to repeat itself". For us to truly understand the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf (stepping down from His heavenly throne to become human flesh and lay down His life on the cross) we have to go all the way back to God's original intent for His creation, the history of man's fallen status, and God's redemptive plan.
"On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...Five Golden Rings!" The first five books of the Old Testament - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, are called the Pentateuch (the Torah; law or teaching). These books are God's authoritative and loving "instruction" for His people (from the word "Torah" - a common Hebrew word for "law", which is used for the type of human instruction that takes place between parents and their beloved children: "Listen, my sons, to a father's instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching" (Proverbs 4:1-2)).
God so loved us that He created us to be in relationship with Him. In His creation plan He prepared for us a world to enjoy, but in Himself, all that we would ever need. The first five books of the Bible take us on a journey that shows the miserable cycle of mankind's sinful struggle and the miraculous care of a loving Father. The journey of God's chosen nation, described in these chapters (from falling into bondage and slavery, the miraculous deliverance by the Lord, wandering in the desert and receiving the provision and protection of God, to preparation for entrance into the Promised Land), beautifully illustrates the foreshadowing of God's ultimate redemptive plan for all of mankind - the deliverance from the bondage of sin and death to our preparation for entrance into our eternal promiseland!
Our God is a God of details whose plans are perfectly designed and passionately fulfilled. There is not one part of His plan that will fail. He desires to give His children good gifts and have us enjoy the abundance of His heavenly storehouse, which He will pour out on us, if we would only be obedient and responsive to His will. He's given us a perfect written account of His past, present, and future actions to mankind - we only need to follow His instruction book! May we begin each day receiving the proper instruction from the One Who has planned all things - from beginning to end - and willingly walk in His will as we watch His glorious plan come to a grand conclusion (we've gone back to the beginning, now just read the end of the Book - it's all there!).
"You may say to yourself,
'My power and the strength of my hands
have produced this wealth for me.'
But remember the LORD your God,
for it is He Who gives you the ability to produce wealth."
(Deuteronomy 8:18a)
Lunch: Finding Meaning...in Wealth - Focus on Ecclesiastes 5:10-20
"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil,
some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith
and pierced themselves with many griefs."
(1 Timothy 6:10a)
The Word of God describes a continuous cycle of man's attempts to do things on his own, apart from God - a process that always ends up with man in a mess and God doing the rescuing. From the moment the first man and woman responded to the temptation to take what they couldn't have, mankind has been on a downward spiral trying to elevate himself up to the level of God.
It is innate within us to want to achieve and excel, but because of our sin nature those drives and desires are not based on pure motives. In our devotional time yesterday we read that man's achievements "spring from man's envy of his neighbors" (Ecclesiastes 4:4). We were created in God's image and have the ability to reflect our Father's glorious creativity, but apart from Him our work is tainted and meaningless.
Man's drive for excellence and achievement is rooted in greed in fleshly desire; because of this man is never satisfied, and his selfish pursuits only bring anxiety. "...but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep." We are reminded of the story of the rich young man, whose love for money exceeded his desire for eternal life: "He went away sad, because he had great wealth" (Mark 10:22). Truly, our understanding of great wealth is vastly different than the Lord's; how much more our understanding (and our receiving) of the treasures of heaven if we would submit our time to meditating, studying, and applying the great treasure we have been given through the Word of God.
As a nation, we have become more dependent on our money and less dependent upon the Lord. Everything our nation strives for is all about economics, not spirituality. The Scriptures warn us: "You cannot serve both God and Money" (Matthew 6:24b). As the economy continues to captivate (and consume) much of our nation's attention, we, as believers, need, more than ever, to turn our attention to the Lord. He supplies all our needs. May we learn to be content with what we've been given - and may our greatest desire be to spend more time with our Lord - He is our greatest treasure! "Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth, honor, and life" (Proverbs 22:4). Today, may our lives reflect this ultimate pursuit!
"But godliness with great contentment is great gain."
(Ecclesiasts 5:6)
Dinner: The Sovereignty of God - a Matter of Wealth - Focus on Daniel 5:1-7, 13-17, 22-23
"You may keep your gifts for yourself
and give your rewards to someone else."
(Daniel 5:17a)
King Belshazzar had made a fatal mistake when he decided to use the holy vessels from the Lord's temple as common drinking cups. His actions included praising the gods of gold, silver bronze, iron, wood and stone; and his idolatrous and immoral actions cost him his life. "Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath..." (Proverbs 11:4). In contrast, Daniel's response to the king's reward for his service perfectly illustrates a righteous response to the enticements of this temporal world. Daniel knew that his treasure was the Lord and that his great reward would come from Him alone. "....great is your reward in heaven" (Luke 6:23).
Everything we have been given is a gift from God and meant to be used for His purposes; this is not limited just to our finances - our time, talents, skills, abilities, and all that we have are included. We are called to honor the Lord with our wealth (reference Proverbs 3:9). When we give the Lord the firstfruits (the first and best) of what we have we will receive blessings in abundance. This doesn't necessarily mean extraordinary wealth, but it does mean the best of what God has prepared for us and that should far exceed anything that the world has to offer. "Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things" (Colossians 3:2).
Prosperity can lead to a false sense of security; reliance falls on riches instead of the Lord. As we look at all the debt our nation has piled up we see a cracked and bulging wall crumbling around us. The world needs to see the One Whose foundation stands firm when the walls of deceit and corruption come crashing down. As believers, we, like Daniel, have an opportunity in these increasingly difficult and uncertain days, to share, with our actions and attitudes, the One investment that yields eternal rewards. As we end our day, let us pray diligently that in the days and weeks to come, many will come to place their hope and trust in the only true security available - Jesus Christ! "He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure" (Isaiah 33:6).
"You praised the gods of silver and gold,
of bronze, iron, wood and stone,
which cannot see or hear or understand.
But you did not honor the God who holds in His hand
your life and all your ways."
(Daniel 5:23b)
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A Word of Encouragement
"Command those who are rich in this present world
not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth,
which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God,
Who richly provides for us with everything for our enjoyment.
Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds,
and be generous and willing to share.
In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves
as a firm foundation for the coming age,
so they may take hold of the life that is truly life."
(1 Timothy 6:17-19)
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Note: If you have just joined us and have not received the past days emails please visit the ARCHIVE at the Trumpet and Torch home page, www.trumpetandtorch.org, to view the devotionals you may have missed. Thank you for your faithfulness to the Word of God & prayer! |
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