“I
have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken,
nor his seed begging bread.” Psalm 37:25
Serving the Lord in righteousness and true holiness
is the truest and best thing we can do with our lives. God desires his
creation to be as he is, holy, and if we are holy than we will be
righteous. As people, we are anxious and full of self-doubt and
fear. The world offers artificial
comforts, condolences, and assurances but it comes at a price. The true Comforter can abide in a willing
heart, making him or her holy and guiding them in righteousness. With
Christ in you, you can have assurance in this life and in the next.
Righteousness is the best insurance policy there is.
It is in carnal
man to commit his ways and talents toward laying up store for himself, and the
devil makes no effort to prevent this. While the Bible teaches us to be
industrious and provide for our own, it is important to recognize that there is
no amount of possessions that can compete with the safety and security that is
in Christ. It cost nothing to endorse
that Jesus is our safety and security beyond the grave, because we know that
nothing we can see, touch, or feel in this life can get us to heaven
anyway. However, Christ told us that you cannot serve God and mammon (i.e.
money, riches, and wealth). In saying this, he placed trusting in Him
a priority not just for life after death, but also in the here and now.
It seems this is where we find conflict and challenges. We must ask
ourselves. Do I trust God completely?
Do I really trust him with my family, house, job, future? In this life,
trust in God is consistently challenged by trust in mammon. Our service
to mammon is enticing because that service will yield immediate comfort and
protection. The world exalts wealth and
riches to a place where it ought not to be, and we buy into this worship
because it offers artificial insurance. We are trained to believe that
more money will mean less problems. Indoctrinated to think that money
will provide safety, security, companionship, and refuge. Do you need
proof of this theology? Look no further than the lottery system.
Millions of people gambling their hard-earned cash on a chance of fortune;
because it is held that fortune will eradicate the issues of life and bring
comforts. While it may appease them, it will never eradicate and the
comfort of mammon, buy the comforts of life, which is an artificial comfort to
which the natural man craves. The comfort of Christ anchored in
righteousness and holiness is an absolute comfort that the spiritual man
needs. When the spiritual is sound, the natural will follow suit.
This is why the righteous can praise God with nothing (from a monetary aspect),
and the rich curse him with everything. All
the things that God wants to provide for you, and can provide, are undermine
when you serve mammon, because when you serve it you exalt it to a place of idolatry.
Serving it means you believe in it, trust in its power, and therefore you
alienate God and bind yourself to this world.
How weak a god mammon is and so many worship, how much more to serve the
living God and trust in Him!
Seek ye first
the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added
unto you (Mat 6:33). Righteousness and holiness is the principle
aim. It comes to this; do you wake in the morning seeking to serve yourself,
or God in Jesus Christ? If I am servant of myself then I am going to do
what is needed to build and protect what is mine. Using all I can at my
disposal to provide safety and security for what I have (house, car, job,
reputation, children, spouse, etc.), and money is the principle resource.
This path leads to unrighteousness and corruption. However, if I wake
seeking to serve Christ; then I am about my Father’s business same as he.
This is the path of righteousness and holiness. It will cost me what I
have built, but that is no matter, because the riches in Christ far outstretch
the riches of mammon. The comfort of the Spirit abides deeper, than the
comfort of the world, and you have assurance in this life and the one to come;
because the righteous are never forsaken
nor their seed begging bread.
