BE RICH IN CHRIST

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.

Proverbs 28:19

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

WRITER’S NOTE: After today, I will be on a ship and heading back to the United States. I will try and post while away as much as possible but if for some reason connectivity does not allow it, I will be posting daily again once I arrive home.

My parents were extremely hard workers and nothing ever came easy for them. They always gave an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay and in return, our family always had what it needed to get by. My siblings and I always had clothes on our backs and food on our plates. We weren’t rich but we were blessed with what we needed.

Through that experience while growing up, my parents taught me a valuable lesson without really teaching directly. It was more of an indirect education as they led by example and I not only observed them working hard to provide for us but also enjoyed the fruits of their labors. I’ll forever be grateful to them for all that they did and all they provided but even more so, I am grateful to God that He blessed me with two wonderful parents who served as exceptional role models in so many fantastic ways. Their industriousness inspired me and led me to follow their lead and work hard in my life, no matter what I was doing whether in the many years I spent in the Navy, the many years I was blessed with parenting children of my own, or the many years of ministry I have put in as a willing servant unto the Lord.

Looking back now, I guess it all could have been so much different. I mean, what if my parents would have not been as motivated and hard working? Would the outcome have been different?

To answer that question, I submit to you the proverb for today’s devotion, the 19^th verse of Proverbs, Chapter 28:

Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.

Go back to my upbringing. What if my parents didn’t really care to work hard? What if they were looking for the quick way to success and affluency?

Maybe they would have passed on working a legitimate job with the promise of steady earnings for a steady number of labor hours and instead chased after a job that offered some promise of high income without having to out a lot of work into it? You know these kinds of jobs, right? They are the ones that promise you a lot of income by working from home for a fraction of the hours you would work a legitimate job. Or they might offer you a special offer to purchase a book or DVD or CD that holds a secret to making a fortune? Or possibly they choose to work the easiest job they can find and then spend a great deal of it playing the lottery or gambling with the hope of winning a big jackpot. The truth of the matter is that there are a lot of these kinds of people in the world, people who are only chasing after fantasies and a false hope of becoming wealthy without having to do much to get there.

What awaits people with this attitude?

God’s word makes it pretty clear. They will have their fill of poverty. I believe the poverty that the Lord is speaking about here is two-fold.

First, there’s the worldly financial aspect of it. A person who chases after financial fantasy will more often than not suffer financial consequences for that choice and, in turn, find their fill of poverty.

Secondly, there’s a spiritual aspect to this word of the Lord, a warning for all believers. For the world will offer any number of fantasies for people to chase after, fantasies that if pursued will take a person away from the calling the Lord has for them as they become consumed with the quest for their own desires and wants.

Friends, we cannot be distracted in our labors for the Lord. Jesus gave us a calling that calls us to work hard for Him, as hard as He worked in His own ministry during His time with us. He was the perfect role model when it comes to self sacrificing for the cause of others and anyone who follows His lead and works hard within His kingdom will always produce an abundant harvest of souls who have discovered their salvation. Conversely, chasing after fantasies only produces spiritual poverty with no profit gained for the cause of Christ.

Which path have you taken in your life? Are you rich in Christ with everything you could ever ask for or are you living in spiritual poverty?

If you are rich in Christ, continue to be rich in Him.

If you aren’t, today is the day to make a change and recommit yourself to the only One who brings a profit, in life today and in the life eternal that awaits all those who have placed their hope and trust in Jesus.

For the spiritually impoverished will always have a chance for redemption and renewal but only if there is a return to Jesus, the Way and the Truth and the Life, the only One who provides the way to God.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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