Image by Erdenebayar Bayansan from Pixabay As I write this article, I feel the peace of my heavenly Father all around me. I totally trust Him, no matter what life is serving up at the moment. It is His peace, which defies our temporary condition and passes all our understanding. We praise Him for that peace! Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
King Jesus did not teach about “prosperity” in terms of wealth. He did not tell us we would own anything, or that we should. He did tell us that all our needs are met and we are only to seek after His Kingdom and His righteousness. “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Matthew 6:19-21 NLT
In fact, He spoke about the danger of pursuing money and possessions. “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.
That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to Him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” Matthew 6:24-27 NLT
My wife and I never pray for money. Money is a tool that can be used for good or for evil, depending on who is holding it. It may be used to buy drugs or to feed a family. We may pray about a need, but most of the time, He provides what we will need before we know we need it! “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.” Matthew 6:8 So, how do we know what we are seeking?
It comes down to focus…what is the object of your focus?
Let us take a look at Jesus and the rich ruler. Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ”
And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.”
So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich. Luke 18:18-23 Jesus was revealing the condition of his heart. He was showing him the object of his focus!
He was wealthy (this was believed generally to be a sign of the Lord God’s favor). He was law-abiding and upright in all his behavior. He was the kind of person with whom everyone would like to be associated. This man was even religiously devout, careful to observe and obey all the commandments. Keep in mind; the King however, saw what no one else would have noticed. He observed that the man was trying to serve two masters: God and money. This is why He told the man: “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” He was revealing to him his divided loyalty…the condition of his heart.
Yes, we could do a thousand different things and still miss the most important thing! Success in the wrong assignment is failure. By any worldly measure, this man was successful. But not by the Lord God’s standards.
The Kingdom priority claims all our focus. We are dependent on the King in His Kingdom. There is no room in the Kingdom of God for a spirit of ownership. The spirit of ownership says "mine". The King owns everything; we are given access to all we need. Our needs are provided by a loving King. “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:28-33
This was the rich man’s problem. He believed and assumed that all his wealth belonged to him. Wealth or more specifically the spirit of ownership is a hindrance to a person entering the Kingdom of God. “And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the Kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.” Luke 18:24-25 King Jesus was saying that although it is difficult for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, it is not impossible. A spirit of ownership can keep us out, but the Lord God can set us free of that spirit. Nothing we give up for the Kingdom is ever lost.
Owning a great deal of money and possessions will usually take up our time, effort and focus. It can distract us from our Kingdom assignment. It takes our focus off the Lord God. People think money and possessions will set them free but that is not true. You must protect and maintain those things. You must keep your money safe. You must insure your possessions. The more you have, the more it demands of you. It separates you from people who may want what you have and it creates doubt, division, envy, and covetousness. We can testify that being dependant on our Lord and King for all we need is very freeing. He gives us access to whatever we need when we need. We have also realized that we do not need a new vehicle every three years. All we need is the dependable vehicle He has already provided!
Then He said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
Then He told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’
“Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” Luke 12:15-21 NLT
Remember, your greatest asset is your faith in God’s Word.
All scriptures are NKJV unless noted
W.R. & D. Arlene Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you
King Jesus did not teach about “prosperity” in terms of wealth. He did not tell us we would own anything, or that we should. He did tell us that all our needs are met and we are only to seek after His Kingdom and His righteousness. “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Matthew 6:19-21 NLT
In fact, He spoke about the danger of pursuing money and possessions. “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.
That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to Him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” Matthew 6:24-27 NLT
My wife and I never pray for money. Money is a tool that can be used for good or for evil, depending on who is holding it. It may be used to buy drugs or to feed a family. We may pray about a need, but most of the time, He provides what we will need before we know we need it! “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.” Matthew 6:8 So, how do we know what we are seeking?
It comes down to focus…what is the object of your focus?
Let us take a look at Jesus and the rich ruler. Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ”
And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.”
So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich. Luke 18:18-23 Jesus was revealing the condition of his heart. He was showing him the object of his focus!
He was wealthy (this was believed generally to be a sign of the Lord God’s favor). He was law-abiding and upright in all his behavior. He was the kind of person with whom everyone would like to be associated. This man was even religiously devout, careful to observe and obey all the commandments. Keep in mind; the King however, saw what no one else would have noticed. He observed that the man was trying to serve two masters: God and money. This is why He told the man: “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” He was revealing to him his divided loyalty…the condition of his heart.
Yes, we could do a thousand different things and still miss the most important thing! Success in the wrong assignment is failure. By any worldly measure, this man was successful. But not by the Lord God’s standards.
The Kingdom priority claims all our focus. We are dependent on the King in His Kingdom. There is no room in the Kingdom of God for a spirit of ownership. The spirit of ownership says "mine". The King owns everything; we are given access to all we need. Our needs are provided by a loving King. “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:28-33
This was the rich man’s problem. He believed and assumed that all his wealth belonged to him. Wealth or more specifically the spirit of ownership is a hindrance to a person entering the Kingdom of God. “And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the Kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.” Luke 18:24-25 King Jesus was saying that although it is difficult for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, it is not impossible. A spirit of ownership can keep us out, but the Lord God can set us free of that spirit. Nothing we give up for the Kingdom is ever lost.
Owning a great deal of money and possessions will usually take up our time, effort and focus. It can distract us from our Kingdom assignment. It takes our focus off the Lord God. People think money and possessions will set them free but that is not true. You must protect and maintain those things. You must keep your money safe. You must insure your possessions. The more you have, the more it demands of you. It separates you from people who may want what you have and it creates doubt, division, envy, and covetousness. We can testify that being dependant on our Lord and King for all we need is very freeing. He gives us access to whatever we need when we need. We have also realized that we do not need a new vehicle every three years. All we need is the dependable vehicle He has already provided!
Then He said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
Then He told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’
“Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” Luke 12:15-21 NLT
Remember, your greatest asset is your faith in God’s Word.
All scriptures are NKJV unless noted
W.R. & D. Arlene Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you
