Prayer-Soldier Newbie
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Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 9:55 pm Post subject: The Wealth of the Heart |
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The Wealth of the Heart
Scripture:
Vanity of vanities, said Ecclesiastes: vanity of vanities, and all is vanity.
For when a man labors in wisdom, and knowledge, and carefulness, he leaves what he has gotten to an idle man: so this also is vanity, and a great evil. For what profit shall a man have of all his labor, and vexation of spirit, with which he has been tormented under the sun? All his days are full of sorrows and miseries, even in the night he does not rest in mind: and is not this vanity? (Ecclesiastes 1:2, 2:21-23)
Therefore if you be risen with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Mind the things that are above, not the things that are upon the earth. For you are dead: and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ shall appear, who is your life, then you also shall appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth: immorality, uncleanness, lust, evil concupiscence and covetousness, which is the service of idols.
Lie not one to another: stripping yourselves of the old man with his deeds, and putting on the new, him who is renewed unto knowledge, according to the image of him that created him. Where there is neither Gentile nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian nor Scythian, bond nor free. But Christ is all and in all. (Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11)
And one of the multitude said to him: Master, speak to my brother that he divide the inheritance with me. But he said to him: Man, who has appointed me judge or divider over you? And he said to them: Take heed and beware of all covetousness: for the life of a man does not consist in the abundance of things which he possesses. And he spoke a similitude to them, saying: The land of a certain rich man brought forth plenty of fruits. And he thought within himself, saying: What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said: This will I do: I will pull down my barns and will build greater: and into them will I gather all things that are grown to me and my goods. And I will say to my soul: Soul, you have much goods laid up for many years. Take your rest: eat, drink, make good cheer. But God said to him: you fool, this night do they require your soul of you. And whose shall those things be which you have provided? So is he that lays up treasure for himself and is not rich towards God. (Luke 12:13-21)
Reflection:
When we do not tend to our affairs, chaos rips at our efforts. No matter how grand that which we build, what is of this world shall eventually decay. Like the castle in the sand, the tide of time shall wash away all our effort and all our toil. We might be tempted, then, to ask for what purpose do we toil under the sun? (Psalm 90:10, Ecclesiastes 1:3, 2:1-12)
If our concerns are only of this world, then, what we do shall only remain within this space and will decay and perish well before the earth passes to dust. If our concerns are of the soul, what we do shall be stored up within it and shall flow with it. It is for this reason God encourages us to love one another, for as we love, that is treasure which grows within us as well as the one to whom it is given. It is a source of wealth beyond all wealth, for it is a wealth which grows as it is shared. It is a wealth which will flow with us to heaven where love is shared by all and evil is not allowed to follow.
When we are faced with the choice, we should concern ourselves first with the soul, for the affairs of the world are only temporary. Even our attempts to remember deeds through great stone monuments will whither away to dust during the advances of time, but what is of God; what is of His Word; what is of His grace, mercy and love will last within His kingdom forever and ever. (Ecclesiastes 3:14)
As we examine the generations, we examine the affairs of people. We examine moments of joy and sadness, loyalty and betrayal, as well as what is brought through love and hate. We see a spectrum of activity between darkness and light. We see those who stand for selfish desires and those who stand with selfless love as their God commands. No matter the intensity of our pain or the magnitude of our physical wealth, all such things shall pass away to be forgotten within the eternal flow of time, but what we seal with love shall be sealed within our soul and shall remain forever within it as long as we turn it over to the One who is, was and ever shall be. (Ecclesiastes 3:15)
Just as unruly children who turn to a parent as a means to force their will upon a sibling, we are tempted to turn to someone with more power than we to impose our will upon another. So, too, do we misuse God, for we pull out scripture and instead of sharing it with the love which He intended, we wield the words as if they are clubs. We often do so to establish our position over or our will upon another, but we must remember, we are all the children of His creation and He does not view us by our position within the world, rather, He views us by what is within our heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)
God cares not for the expense of our clothes or the number of rooms within our homes, for He may take anyone and dress them and house them as He will do in heaven. No matter what we amass within the world, it is of the world. At any given moment we may be taken from our endeavors; but what we do in fulfillment of the plan of God will remain forever within His memory.
Let us, then, worry less about our trials or accomplishments of the world and instead concern ourselves more with what we may do to prepare for the eternity to come. Let us care for one another as He has called us to care. (Exodus 20:2-17, Deuteronomy 5:6-21, Matthew 22:36-40, John 13:34-35, John 15:12, Galatians 5:13, 1 Peter 4:8, 1 John 3:23, 1 John 4:7-12, 1 John 5:1-3, 2 John 1:5) It is through the love which we share by which His commandments are fulfilled. (Romans 13: Let us let the worries concerning our possessions within the world pass away and instead, concern ourselves with the work of the Lord and the love for which He seeks that we share.
May the peace and blessings of the Lord be with you always,
Prayer Soldier
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