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 | Dailies January 2023 |
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2/22/2023 Daily Devotions: by Christina Farris Luke 18:18-30 KJV
Jesus is clear about the commandments followed, that it was not enough for the rich man, he still needed to give all that he had up to the poor. I have grocery bags stacked in a box, actually coming out of the box, and they could go to a food pantry, or doctors office that supplies meds for patients. I have egg cartons that can go to a farmer. Things needed if buying eggs in bulk, to make eggs more handling in the refrig. Yet let me continue. One always has excess of clothing if it something you only wore once and probably won't wear ever again. There always an abundance of something in storage or even stuff consider junk. Old books that you may never read again, not because they were no good, it just one of those read once and put the book on the shelf. Yet these things are kept for the rainy day need of oh i need this now for this project I am doing. Sounds simple enough. Yet in reality, as the page of life is turned, whoever goes through your stuff will not see the value of everyday items in stock that can be used elsewhere as they go through what is called garabage. The groceries bags for little trash cans are toss out with yesterdays socks. Value gone and lost to the one saying didn't this person have anything of value to give away or to leave behind. Yep the dead often give away their most worldly possessions only for the finder or receiver of those gifts to simply toss them out. Sounds silly to have value of egg cartons and grocery bags on the list of things ready for disposal of the living or finding a new home for, because they are priceless and valuable for someone else's use.
If someone gave all the items away someone could of easily toss because that person found value in them elsewhere. However the problem still exist, someone still own things someone is not willing to part with like old clock that seen better days, knick knack shelf of things given to the person as a gift, or the person collected without thought what he/she might do with them when they were tired ot it. Let say it was expensive painting, the porclain vase, or the antique. Yet they sit taking up space and not so easily replaced because of value, but not necessary for living. Sold all the things of value, and took the money gave it to the poor, and yet this is still not enough. The extra car given away, or sold for the purpose of giving to the poor again. And yet a person still have not done enough to enter heaven. Why because he/she got more things to get rid of before he/she can leave this world behind?
Jesus is making it clear there are things we will not do or will do for God. There are people living in trailors, and buses turned into campers and campers to reduce what they live with and keep. The idea of tiny living seems almost sweet, until the reality of the person is they have no home port to rest in for a period of time and that they need to buy land to park their tiny home on to live out their days in old age. The disciples of Jesus declares they left all including their families to follow Jesus. If we stop right there Jesus is clear if you leave it all you will reap a reward both on earth and in heaven. Most of us never will do these things. It easier for a rich man to enter heaven then for camel to go through and eye of a needle. The camel going through small gate into Jerusalem that kept huge carvans from coming into the city quickly or warriors from another land moving quickly into the city. The gate small and narrow that the camels had to literally crawl on their knees to get into the city.
People are looking for their way into heaven. Just like the tower of Babel in the Old Testament in Genesis 11 the people were trying to make their own way to God. Eternal life is something only God can give and he gives it through faith in his only begotten Son Jesus and in the Old Testament faith and obedience to his word, which faith in Jesus also produces. It not enough to do all the commandments by theirselves. It is not enough to give up ones possession to all the poor though there be blessings in doing so. One has to have faith in Jesus. It something possible by God but not man. Faith is something as believers we hold sacred and dear to us, but we give or share our faith with others. Our most precious item in our life is faith, but we can not give our faith away in the since of believing and keeping another out of their eternal destination. They to must believe in Jesus and Jesus is a gift of God not something we can make or create by our own power. Our salvation truly must come from God and his willingness to forgive our sins.
Today lesson seem to be about worldly goods that only has value to someone that needs those items that we all seem to have. Some of these items could be consider of no value but to the one needing them they are priceless. We all need people, whether they seem of value, we all need salvation because it a priceless gift, the value worth more then we could ever afford. More then a trillion or zillion of dollars. Salvation cost us nothing upon faith in Jesus, but it priceless. It not something to barter or trade because the value is to the individual in need of Jesus. Each us are like the goods that are often thrown out. Yet God see value in each of us and that why he sent his Son to die for you and me. He wants to take us and make us of value not as slave, but as child of his. Our value increased upon receiving Jesus as Lord of our life. Our value seen before the day we understood the value of such a gift from God. Before we understood our fait without God and Christ in our life. Let's not leave out the Holy Spirit.
Gizzy my little girl dog, name came with her. If I named her she would been called the flying nun, the way she can jump and her ears come out as if they are wings. I told her when she did something bad I was sending her to the pound. She immediately accused Tico of it being his fault and snapped at him. Many people going to hell, snapping at those that can help them learn of Jesus, without understanding that it not their fault they going to hell, until they receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. Gizzy stop sulking when she realized she was not going anywhere and Tico and her went off to play. A comment on facebook the other day in passing read something like this I hope we all are going to the same place. In reality alot of people hope, but the reality is not all of us are heaven bound. Can we take people out of the wrath of God, not completely, God has to do his part in the life of the unbeliever so they too will receive and believe.
Are you going to the eternal fire, because you lack faith, or you going to paradise because you have faith in Jesus. Simple really. The decision is yours. You can relax when you realize God not looking for your perfection, but your imperfections that he knows he can do the repair work so that you look like the most expensive item He owns. Yep we all will look like Jesus one day. Be called his child, daughters and sons of God, but we will not be God only a part of the family of God. Our white robes put on as soon as we receive Christ as Lord.
Dear Heavenly Father, let us see value of those you call valuable and worth saving, because you see them in their imperfections and still desire to call them your child, if they will only receive your Son has Lord. Lord continue the work of faith in our hearts, reminding us of Jesus and God's gift of love to man. In Jesus precious name, Amen.
Continual Scripture Study:
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