Wednesday, September 21, 2011

The Word of God-Possessions

“The LORD is my portion; I have promised to keep Your words. I have sought Your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to Your promise. I thought about my ways and turned my steps back to Your decrees. I hurried, not hesitating to keep Your commands. Though the ropes of the wicked were wrapped around me, I did not forget Your instruction. I rise at midnight to thank You for Your righteous judgments. I am a friend to all who fear You, to those who keep Your precepts. LORD, the earth is filled with Your faithful love; teach me Your statutes.”  ~Psalms 119:57-64 HCSB

Have it your way, the world is yours for the taking, you can be anything you want to be, you can fulfill all of your dreams.  You can have a big house, your dream car, a beautiful spouse on your arm and it’s all up to you and whoever dies with the most toys wins.  Our culture tells us we have to have things to be happy.  We buy and buy stuff and we never have enough stuff.  In fact when others don’t have the same stuff we scream it’s unfair.  Everyone must have stuff!  When it comes to desires for possessions it is like the stomach, it can never be truly satisfied. We can eat the most incredible meal and in a few hours later we want to eat again.  We are the most prosperous nation on earth and we are spiritually and morally bankrupt.  We continue to support and defend sin in our nation and we surround ourselves with idols and we worship them and ourselves uninhibitedly.

The psalmist recognizes that everything he has is from God.  God fills the earth, gives us life.  There not a single thing you possess that God didn’t give you or allow you to have.  Down to the very breath you are taking right now, to the beat of your heart it is His to give and take away. Our mighty God extends common grace to us all even when we turn our backs on Him and worship worthless stuff.  We deny He exist and blame Him when things go terribly wrong. But when the psalmist words penetrates your heart and takes root something starts to take place.  When you can say, “The Lord is my portion, He is my everything, His word sustains me and the earth is filled with His glory.”  When Jesus and the reality of the cross becomes our focus, the slavery of having to have stuff doesn’t seem to matter anymore.  Life takes on a new meaning and purpose.  When Jesus becomes the desire of our hearts nothing can replace Him, not money, things, sex, and power.

Jesus change my desire today.  Change the way I feel about all the stuff I have.  Replace my desires for the world with the desire of the eternal and heavenly.  Lord fill my heart and let it flow over onto everyone around me!  Amen

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