Christian Living
SETTLE FOR TRUE RICHES
One of our greatest challenge would be to heed Jesus’ exhortation for us to choose to serve God rather than mammon (money). Taxes, death, and changes may be the three commonly-cited certainties of life, but the good news is that true riches of an abundant and eternal life in Christ Jesus are a greater certainty and, the greatest of all, as they will endure forever.
God is beckoning us to Himself, wherein are the true riches. “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. ... Listen diligently to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance.”(Isaiah 55:1-2) God is seeking for true worshippers who yearn after Him like deer that pant for the waters. When we seek Him diligently, He will reveal Himself to us. God cannot be ‘bought’ with the currencies of this world. The currencies or media of exchange in God’s kingdom are His grace and sovereignty, and our faith and loving obedience to Him.
In Revelations 3:18, Jesus said, “I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.” It is only when we humble ourselves and kneel before the throne of God’s grace that we will begin to learn the fear of the Lord and find true wisdom. In His presence, He will enlighten and empower us to do works which will stand the test His consuming fire; put on us the robe of His righteousness; and open our eyes to walk circumspectly with a teachable heart, see the invisible, believe the incredible, and receive what God says is possible.
For someone who has it all, where the things of this world is concerned, King Solomon said, “Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Exalt her, and she will promote you; She will bring you honor, when you embrace her. She will place on your head an ornament of grace; A crown of glory she will deliver to you.” (Proverbs 4:7-9) “How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.” (Proverbs 16:16)
He further explains that the way to obtain wisdom and gain understanding is as follows:“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10) Also, “By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life.” (Proverbs 22:4)
James 1:5 exalts us to ask God for wisdom from heaven which is void of selfishness and jealousy. “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.” (James 3:17)
God’s wisdom is personified in our Lord Jesus Christ. “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us WISDOM from God – and righteousness and sanctification and redemption – that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” ” (1 Cor 1:30-31) As such, when we are in Christ we are in a position to receive the true riches of God by grace through faith, subject to His grace and sovereignty.
For sure the Lord wants to bless us -- it’s His style. “…“Let the Lord be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.” (Psalm 35:27b) “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4) For this to happen, we need to give ourselves fully to Him and make Him the Lord of our life.Our heart’s cry would be: “Take all of me, I give You my all for all of You”.
All of God’s promises are “Yes” and “Amen” in Christ Jesus. We are people who have a blood covenant with God through faith in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Through this covenant we are at His disposal, and vice versa.
Let’s be a servant who brings delight to our God and Father. Amongst other ways, we can please God in the following ways:
1. Be a person who lives by faith.
2. Be a person who obeys God’s word.
3. Be a person who is winsome.
4. Be a person who is fruitful.
5. Be a person who has a humble and contrite heart.
6. Be a person who bridles his tongue.
7. Be a person who is fully convinced in God’s goodness.
In this regard, let us settle once and for all that Jesus is not only our Saviour but our Lord, as well. May we emulate King David’s one desire: “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple." (Psalm 27:4)
When we have Jesus we have everything that we need for this life and in the life that is to come. He is our Shepherd, and when we realise this truth, we shall not suffer any lack. He is our everything; it’s not a clique, but a truism. Also, Jesus is the answer to the issues of our life. His grace is sufficient for us, and our God shall supply all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Let’s press in to enthrone Jesus in our hearts, and press on to fulfil His upward call upon our lives.
In closing, hear then Paul’s exhortations in Ephesians 1:3-12 afresh: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, ... that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth – in Him, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.”
(All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982, by Thomas Nelson, Inc.)
© Copyright 2006, by Michael S K Chu.
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