It is amazing to me how God's spirit works. There have been so many people who have talked to me about what appears to be just random occurrences that have been in their lives and those times were what they needed to get through a particular problem or life situation. I firmly believe that the Holy Spirit is at work in all of our lives. I have been using a devotional that I have shared some on this blog. Tomorrow I will be preaching on the character of Noah and what he has to teach us. As I was completing my sermon, I was reading in my devotional this scripture from 1 Timothy 6:6-21. I want to quote some of it for you.
"Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness... Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life."
I know that this is a long quotation of selected verses. I would encourage you to read the entire passage. What struck me was the concerns of being rich and what it really means. Being rich is more than the amount of money one has. Paul is not stating that being rich is evil but it is the love of money that begins to corrupt a person. Money becomes their god as far as accumulating more and keeping what they have. Paul reminds us that when we are able to share what we have that this becomes more of what true life is about. This is also difficult to do in a society that emphasizes wealth and spending for ourselves. Often times of trouble, we are encouraged as a society not to reflect on what has happened but to continue to build personal debt and to consume more rather than share. Such was the case with the incentive checks. We were encouraged to spend those for new material items rather than spending down debt or to give to charity.
Noah reminds us that we have choices as Paul and Jesus say also. Do we conform to the world or do we seek to do what God wants us to do?
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