Ecc 3:10 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.
Heb 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
There is NO denying that this world offers us pain after pain after pain, heartache, agony, anguish, despair. I won't deny it. I won't tell anyone to follow Jesus and there will be no pain. I won't try and spread the word of the gospel, the plan of salvation, the love of our Lord and tell people life will be happiness and sunshine, that nothing bad will happen to them ever again. To tell people that is to lie to them. I will never preach loving God, following God, choosing to live with God in your life will make things better in a worldly way.
I wrote about it yesterday and it bears repeating, writing about it over and over again… we can't live for this world! We can't live for this world's pleasure, this world's good things, this world's happiness. We can't live for a life of ease, or even for a life of barely surviving. We just can't live for this world, bad or good. If our life is horrific… and believe me I barely know what that's like outside of hearing about the horrors of third world countries, or if our life is one of average ease- of which I know something about, or even if our lives are filled with riches untold we CAN'T live for this world.
We want to live for this world. We see the good things it has to offer and we want to live for them. We want to live even when our lives are filled with horror… just look at those who go through life in severe poverty, degraded by those around them and most of them do not choose to take their lives, they want to live. People who are starving and live in families of starving people- want to live. People who are in pain, severe pain still mostly choose to live. I'm not saying EVERYONE chooses life, but the majority of people no matter their circumstances want to live and those in bad situations want to live and hope things will get better.
We've been raised by the world around us to want to live for things of this world. We can't live for this world, if we do we will forever be disappointed. Sure we'll be happy on occasion but life's pain will be overwhelming.
I know I'm harping on this stuff, I'm just going through something right now that keeps this forefront in my mind.
We are NOT OF THIS WORLD!
Mat 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
Mat 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
What treasures have you laid up in heaven?
What treasures have you banked in heaven?
When's the last time you stored up anything in heaven?
What treasures can we put in heaven?
What treasures can't rust?
What treasures can't become moth eaten?
What treasures can't be stolen?
All earthly treasures can be taken from us, every single treasure can be stolen.
We need to take this seriously, we need to believe these words and take them to heart.
We NEED to STOP living for this world.
Jesus wants us to put our hearts with Him, in heaven, in hope and there we will find life everlasting- a life eventually of no more pain, no more heartache, no more hunger, no more agonies, no more disappointments.
May God bless us all and help us to put our treasures in heaven, knowing that only in heaven can our treasures be safe.
By the grace of our Savior, through the love and righteousness of our Lord may we live now and forever in Him.
Amen.
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