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Monday, March 3,
2008
Proving
Ground
Ephesians 5:5-8 For this ye
know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an
idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. (6) Let
no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the
wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. (7) Be not ye therefore
partakers with them. (8) For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye
light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (KJV)
The Bible gives warnings
throughout on the dangers of coveting, which is described as a form of
idolatry. This is a vital area, one that gets overlooked and an area where
many a good intentioned Christians ended up being deceived. Though in our
past we were surrounded by this mindset and caught up in the things of this
world somehow there are many that think they can carry this over into the
realm of God and get away with it. However nothing could be further from
the truth. Your ability to let go and trust in the Lord in the area of
finances is vital if one is going to grow into a deeper knowledge and trust
with our Father.
Luke 16:9-11 And I say unto
you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that,
when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. (10) He
that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he
that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. (11) If therefore ye
have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your
trust the true riches? (KJV)
This is what separates the
men from the boys; this is the proving ground for what a man will truly
trust and believe. We have a parable of a man described as an unjust
steward who made his living and prospered by taking advantage of others.
Then one day it occurred to him that in order to be accepted into the
eternal realm he would have to change his ways and find the just and equal
balance. What many don’t realize, and especially for those that are
entering ministry work, is that one has to prove faithful before the Lord
in the area of finances or riches as they are described, before the Lord
will open up to them and show them His spiritual riches and then entrust
them with it. What verse 10 describes as least ends up being the priority
with many; if they are unjust in that area then its game over and they will
not be moving ahead in their walk. We have people out there that claim to
be of God yet when you listen to the message being delivered they speak
more of this world than the realm of God because they haven’t been
enlightened to the things of God and therefore have not been entrusted with
the true spiritual riches of God’s wisdom and knowledge which are only
found in Christ.
Luke 16:9 Riches promise
MUCH, and perform NOTHING: they excite hope and confidence, and deceive
both: in making a man depend on them for happiness, they rob him of the
salvation of God and of eternal glory. For these reasons, they are
represented as unjust and deceitful. (from Adam Clarke Commentary)
1 Peter 5:1-3 The elders
which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the
sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be
revealed: (2) Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the
oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre,
but of a ready mind; (3) Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but
being ensamples to the flock. (KJV)
What kind of hope is being
given to the people, a false hope in the deception of worldly riches or is
the flock of God being fed with the truth of God’s word that will set them
free and allow Him to be their source. Many lord over the flock with guilt
trips and pity party messages of how much more one could do for the Lord if
they would just ante up. Those that are truly looking out for the spiritual
welfare of the people will be more concerned with building the people up in
the Lord, rather than having the people more concerned with a building and
its upkeep.
John 10:11-13 I am the good
shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. (12) But he that
is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth
the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth
them, and scattereth the sheep. (13) The hireling fleeth, because he is an
hireling, and careth not for the sheep. (KJV)
The problem with hirelings,
which is someone that is working for a wage, those that think ministry work
is just an occupation, is that if the money runs out the hireling isn’t far
behind. Our Lord set the example of how to live and walk in the Spirit, seeking
more the spiritual welfare of others and not His own, thus why He was so
effective. Today we see just the opposite; for many that enter the field of
ministry work think it is a fun and exciting way to make a living which is
well documented by watered down messages that deal more with seeking the
riches of this world than the true riches of God. Yes God does call people
to full time ministry and they get their support from the Lord and through
the flock they oversee. The message the Lord is getting across is that His
people need to be more concerned with the spiritual substance that will
feed the flock, not the financial one that they are feeding themselves
with.
Isaiah 56:10-11 His watchmen
are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark;
sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. (11) Yea, they are greedy dogs
which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand:
they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. (KJV)
There are too many hirelings,
false prophets and such who are only seeking their personal gain and not
what is best for the flock of God. This stuff has been going on for a long
time and has continued to manifest, getting worse and worse. No man can
serve two masters because he will hold to one and ignore the other; and the
Bible is quite specific to say that we cannot serve God and mammon or
worldly riches, which is idol worship.
Titus 1:7-11 For a bishop
must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry,
not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; (8) But a lover
of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; (9) Holding
fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound
doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. (10) For there are
many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the
circumcision: (11) Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses,
teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake. (KJV)
Many vain talkers alter the
message of truth to fit their lifestyle, teaching things just for the sake
of filthy lucre. Messages that point to hundred fold returns, the more you give
the more you get are nothing more than self serving cheap imitations for
what the Lord intended for His people; thus why the Lord’s people perish
for lack of knowledge. So do your own self inventory and make sure the
things you treasure are in line with the things of God so that He can open
up His spiritual treasure and allow you to be a partaker of His heavenly
gift.
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