“Our Daily Bread” http://odb.org/
The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie
The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie
“Homily Grits Devotional” http://www.homilygrits.com/
Proverbs 26:12… Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. (NKJV)
The opening scripture, believed to have been written by the wise Solomon, is appropriately labeling a self-centered person as a fool… This infatuation with one’s self is typically found in the prideful person, who believes all that they have managed to accumulate in their lifetime is due to their own hard work… Heck, I was blinded to this misleading take on my own life for 52 years… It is the mentality of a fool…
There is much more of a chance for the wealthy person to be guilty of being filled with foolish pride, because the rich can be deceived through self-confidence that their wealth is all they need…
Who better than Solomon, who God made the wealthiest and the wisest man there ever was (1 Kings 3:10-14), to reveal how his wealth and all of his hard work were really done in vain… Solomon wrote much about the rich and the foolish, in the Book of Proverbs… And the Book of Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon, to share with us how money really can become the root of all evil…
The following was penned by the apostle Paul, in…1 Timothy 6:10… For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (NKJV)
Solomon also penned this, in…Proverbs 28:11… The rich man is wise in his own eyes, But the poor who has understanding searches him out. (NKJV)
Jesus Himself, told His disciples (and us) about how hard it was for a rich man to enter heaven, in…Matthew 19:23-24… Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (NKJV)
I am not bashing wealthy people in today’s writing… One must understand that in Jesus’ times, it was commonly believed that the wealthy, who paid the most alms into the treasury…would have a better chance of getting into heaven, than the poor…
The disciples were set back in amazement, with Jesus’ remarks about the wealthy… We see this, in…Matthew 19:25… When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” (NKJV)
Jesus’ response to His disciples, is the basis for teaching anyone about the false belief that money, or good works, or anything else that is done in the name of the Lord, will earn them a ticket into heaven…
Matthew 19:26… But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (NKJV)
Salvation is a gift of God’s grace through saving faith alone in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9), that God gives to sinners who don’t deserve His grace… God doesn’t base His sovereign decision of who merits eternal life in heaven, on how much money we give to our church…or on all the self-righteous works we do in the name of the Lord…or on any other of the works based false beliefs some people have, like having to attend church in order to be deemed righteous enough to enter heaven…
Jesus warns us of this false, works based belief, in His “Sermon on the Mount” teaching, in…
Matthew 7:21-23… “Noteveryone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Yourname, cast out demons in Yourname, and done many wonders in Yourname?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knewyou; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (NKJV)
Anyone believing they can earn their way into heaven by how good a life they have led, or by what they have done for the Lord through their actions or their deeds…will be just like the self-centered men in the two pieces of scripture written by Solomon…who in their prideful state believe that their wisdom or their wealth are determined by their own merit…
Before God graces anyone with eternal life in heaven, they must first be drawn in by God… Jesus tells us this, in…John 6:44… “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (NKJV) The unredeemed sinner’s will must be changed by God from one of self-centered pride, to humility…as they realize that they can in no way save themselves from destruction…
God uses His Word, the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, that is shared by believers…by pastors in church…through personal reading of the Bible…or by other means, to share the “good news” that Jesus Christ shed His blood on the cross at Calvary, so that those who seek Him through the message of the cross, can by God’s pure grace, be received into God’s family as a new child of God…
We must go through the Lord Jesus Christ to get to heaven, by establishing a personal one on One relationship with Him, to be graced with salvation by His Father in Heaven… Jesus tells us this, in…
John 14:6… Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. Noone comes to the Father except through Me.” (NKJV) The “way” is through understanding and obedience of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ… (See link at the bottom for more on God’s grace) The “truth”is found in the Word of God; and it will set the sinner free from Satan’s chains of bondage to sin…John 8:32… “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (NKJV) And the “life”that Jesus speaks about, is eternal life in heaven with His Father… (NKJV)
So don’t be misled by the “fool’s gold” mentality that we can somehow earn our way into heaven… These false beliefs will have you standing at the gates of heaven upon your death, where you will be turned away by the Lord when it is too late to seek Christ while He may still be found…Isaiah 55:6…
Heavenly Father, I pray that the truth from Your Word will open the eyes of those You don’t yet know as Your redeemed children… I pray Lord, that those in need of Your saving grace would be first drawn in my You…and not rest until they truly understand the gospel…and seek Jesus Christ to become their personal Lord and Savior… I pray for this fullness of Christ in all of our lives, in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…
Blessings in Christ, bruce r mills
P.S. Here is a link for this most important days writing, about how God’s grace is received to become a Christian in God’s eyes; through understanding and obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, after first being drawn in by God…John 6:44…
https://godsmanforever.wordpress.com/2013/07/11/gods-group-thoughts-for-7112013-the-truth-about-sin/
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