The things of this world, what else do the lost have? If a man does not take pride in his work, if it does not lift his ego up in his own eyes and in the eyes of others, what else does he have? If he cannot fulfill the desires of his eyes and his flesh, what else could possibly be the reason for his existence?
“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” (Psalm 37:4)
I believe many who claim Jesus Christ as Lord fool themselves in this area quite often, they see what the world has to offer, but instead of bettering themselves in their employment opportunities and thereby their financial gain, they simply look at those items in the knowledge that they will never be able to afford them, and then incorrectly say within themselves, “Well, it must just be God’s will.”
How many Christians do you know that live beyond their means, those to whom debt means very little, how many play the lottery or other minor games of chance, how many say they would give more if they had more. How many, including yourself, have you ever heard say, “I am so glad I am not wealthy.”
Just because you cannot afford it does not mean you do not want it my friends.
Now, the question must be asked, those materialistic items of the world, not the lust of them or the pride of ownership, but the nicer house, the finer car, the best meals every day, does the Lord want you to have them, or is He keeping them back from you because He knows you would fall into the trap of the world and the lust and pride of them? The fallback verse, if you will of many who are poor and perhaps not destitute, but just getting by, as they say, is 1 Corinthians 2:9, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” “I don’t have it here, but I will receive it in heaven.” And they will quote Mark 10:25 as proof in a sense of that belief. “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”
What they are saying is that the Lord wants them poor here so that they can better appreciate the treasures of heaven there. Did the one who was given ten coins bury them in the ground, or go out into the world and with effort increase what his master gave him? Whose fault is it that you do not prosper in these areas of the world, yours or God’s?
I heard a man of God on YouTube say that he would be making close to 50,000 dollars a month because of the amount of views that he has, and although he gave four or five reasons why he is not accepting that money, he said the main reason was because he did not trust himself with that kind of money, with that much of a what? A blessing or possible curse?
“Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.” (1st John 3:21)
I do not judge my brother in this, he must listen to his own heart as the Holy Spirit speaks to him, but in this area of his walk he can never once complain that he has a need unmet.
Is the Lord keeping you poor, or are you just lazy, are you forcing yourself into a life of need, or are you refusing what the Lord is offering you because you do not trust God enough to allow Him to grow you in this area?
We do not move forward on the path that He has set before us until we have learned the lesson of that part of the path we are on.
“But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.” (Luke 16:25)
Who is keeping you where you are, whether it be in the Spiritual or material things of your life, you or the Lord? You really should contemplate these things.
