We are
born into a world with expectations, regulations and pressure to excel. We are
taught to succeed regardless of the cost to our own soul and to those we love.
By example,
the adults in our life instruct us that material gain is paramount for our
happiness. Many parents work more than one job to afford more for us than their
parents provided for them.
The big
lie is that we only have one life to live; therefore, we have to accumulate
wealth, stature and expensive material possessions in order to have status and
fulfillment.
No matter
how much we gain in this world, it is never satisfying; so, we force our self
to work harder and longer hours in order to acquire more.
We feel
incomplete, but we do not understand why. Satan blinds our eyes to the reality
that our spirit is dead within us, and we are only limping through life with a
body and soul (Ephesians 2:1).
God originally
planned for us to live in Paradise with Him; but Adam and Eve fell for Satan's
temptation, and our spirit died with theirs. Yet, God made a way for our
salvation, and He will never fail to meet our needs.
He planned
the sacrifice of His perfect Lamb on Calvary's cross before the creation of the
world. Due to His foreknowledge, He knows the end from the beginning (1 Peter
1:2; Acts 2:23; Revelation 13:8).
There is
only one reason that God knit us together in our mother's womb (Psalm
139:13-18; Jeremiah 1:5). It is to give us new life in Christ, which includes
His nature and the fruit of His Spirit (2 Peter 1:4; Galatians 5:22-23).
These
treasures are worth more than fine gold (Psalm 19:10). Once we come to Christ,
our spirit is Born Again. We finally feel complete and whole inside. We are no
longer handicapped with a spirit dead in sin.
We desire
nothing more than our relationship with our Lord and Savior (John 15:11,
16:24). With each day, we feel His love more deeply and we hear His Spirit more
clearly.
Prayer:
Father
God, open our eyes to the fact that Satan dupes us into believing that the
purpose for our life on this earth is to work for the advantage of our self and
our loved ones. Help us to see that You create us for Your glory, rather than for
our own glory.
Teach us
to simplify our life, to downsize rather than to upgrade, and to budget our
income to meet much simpler earthly needs. Remind us
to make You our priority in life and to cheerfully tithe for the work of Your
ministry and to obey You in meeting the needs of those Your Spirit prompts us to
help (Luke 21:1-4 Malachi; 3:10; Proverbs 3:9; 2 Corinthians 9:7; John 12:8).
Thought
for the Day:
Authentic
Believers will realize that our life on this earth is not for the purpose of
building our own kingdom, but rather to advance the Kingdom of God.
