Are there certain conveniences that you are looking forward to in this life, are there particular items that you now own that are considered by you perhaps not as necessities, but as things that you would rather not do without. We have been told by the world for many years that if we gain more, life will be easier, more restful, the promise of time is in nearly every commercial, with this item in your life, life will be fuller.
Very few individuals I personally know prepare their meals over an open fire these days, or go to the river or lake to get a drink of water, many do not even make their own clothes, much less the material for them. Go to the grocery market, turn on the tap, head over to the retailor, and all one must do is sacrifice their time in the pursuit of money to obtain all of these conveniences. Those who are on the fringe of society, as it were, rely on either their governments or the kindness of others for their sustenance, content, at least at times, with the basic necessities of their continued existence, but who would not desire the conveniences, who would trade ease for hardship. Those who see a life of relative ease, of convenience, as blessings from the Lord, especially those who strive every day in their employment field to obtain these so-called “blessings,” are being led astray.
They toil at the grindstone of life for fifty years or more, collecting more and more of these “blessings,” many of them placing themselves into massive debt to obtain them, and once they have them in their possession, they must continue to toil to maintain them. They are constantly eating their bread by the sweat of their brow, (Gen. 3:19) while purchasing more and more items to make their lives easier or to grant them “more time.” I mean no offence here, but doesn’t that sound like the definition of insanity, repeating the same thing over and over expecting a different result?
The time that our Lord has allotted to each of us, saved or lost, is all the time you will be given, we can gain no more, and we will not lose one second of it, so then, if you fit into this category, what are you using this so-called extra “time” for, or have you found the ways of the world in this area to be what it truly is, another lie. The conveniences of life have made our lives inconvenient, and we are toiling for the temporary, we are not seeking the face of God, but the security of the present, the items of convenience so that we will not need to face hardships, and if there is one cut in stone fact, those who know not hardship, do not seek the face of the Lord in earnest. A life of ease requires no need for dependency on the Lord, it has no need to seek the rest that He offers, it knows only the inner turmoil and the continuing struggle to maintain those things that provide the life of so-called ease.
Our burdens rest upon our abilities to pay the bills, on the amount of time we must sacrifice at the altar of money to put food on the table, on our desires met and unmet, and the conveniences of extra time. We live a lie, and we call it a blessing. Have you ever considered the garden of Eden, Adam was instructed to tend the garden, (Gen. 2:15) yet there is no reference to any sweat, any toil, all was provided, but apparently there was room for our first parents to assist, to work, if you will, to tend. The world is under a curse now, it will no longer provide food of its own accord, only thorns and thistles, (3:18) weeds unfit for human consumption, we no longer tend, we must work, and work until the sweat pours from us. We rely on each other now, some to grow the food, some to make sure the water is safe to drink, others to manufacture our clothing, but we have grown in part far past these needs, they are rarely no more than a passing thought anymore, we concentrate on the extras, the conveniences, the wants. What we have come to expect, we believe we deserve.
How many thousands of years of mankind has passed before we even had eyeglasses so we could see well, much less contact lenses, when was the last time you had to go find something to eat and start a fire so that you could cook it that day. Even the conveniences have become second nature to us, they have become expected. This is why the mind of many believers has turned inward, this is why their spiritual life has become one of almost only self, there are very few hardships. They do not need to struggle thru the pouring rain to find shelter, they no longer need to fall on their knees every morning and ask the Lord for provisions for the day, everything is at their disposal nearly all the time, the cupboards are full and more, the struggles are imagined when the conveniences are at hand.
Hardship is how the Lord shows us our need for Him, and hardship is what I believe He is preparing to send our way. Since we have decided not to lean on Him in the times of blessings, He will show us thru hardships that He is to be leaned on and trusted as all we truly need in every season of our lives. The proofs of this are scattered throughout the Scriptures, in times of ease, we forget Him, or call on Him rarely, in times of trials, we fall to our faces and beg forgiveness, not wanting the restoration of all the things that we relied on for our security, but only the mercies of His love, knowing at last what we should have known all along, He is all we ever needed. “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:19) If the Lord knows you need a refrigerator, you will get a refrigerator, it doesn’t matter whether you can afford one or not, what we need, He will provide, we are His children and we are loved by Him greatly.
Our Lord takes great pleasure in those who trust in Him completely, in those who do not seek the things of the world, those who know that the things of this world that they need will be provided to them, not by the strength of their own might, but by the loving provisions of His hand. They expect nothing, but give thanks for all, they find no security in anything but Christ, all they have is all they need, and for those who continuously live this life of faith, for those that know for a fact their needs will be met, they find many of their wants are also given to them. “The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” (Psalm 24:1) Everything that is belongs to God, and He will give or withhold to whomever He will as He sees fit. Those who seek His face continually are not seeking the conveniences of the world, they are not seeking for a way to have more time, they are not even seeking for their own needs, they are seeking for Christ, they are seeking for Him. What He decides to give, they give thanks for, what He decides to withhold or remove, they give thanks for, and in complete trust they know that He always knows what is best for them.
My friends, if you do not have an eternal view, if your focus is more on this world than on the next, not one thing that has been written in this letter to you will be of any avail, if you are not seeking the kingdom of God first, than what are you seeking for, no matter what it is, is an afront to God and His Sovereign majestic power. We must make a decision, and in my heart I believe we must make it soon, are we going to continue to spend our lives working for and finding security in the conveniences of the world, or are we going to seek His kingdom, for you cannot serve God and money. (Matt. 6:24) What is waiting for us in no way can be compared to what we toil for each day, what we struggle to maintain, we are to seek for those things that are above (Col. 3:2) for all the perfect gifts come from the Father of lights. (James 1:17)
Find no security here, find no permanent rest here, seek the kingdom of God first and always, and all these things will be added unto you, follow Christ and you will find the rest for your soul. (Matt. 11:29) The conveniences will become inconvenient, because the time, energy and effort they require is taking away time you could be spending with your Lord.
