March 4, 2020 BEWARE ! IT’S A MIRAGE
2 Corinthians 4:18 “while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Mark 4:19 “but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”
Things are not always as they appear. No doubt we all know what it is like to acquire something we thought we wanted, only to be disappointed that it did not bring the lasting satisfaction we thought it would. There is something that is built in to human nature that drives us to a relentless pursue of getting the things we think we want and the things we think we need. It seems that the human nature of man cannot find contentment with what he has; this lack of contentment is so often what drives us as human beings. We believe that if we ‘could get that job,’ ‘have that income’, ‘have that house,’ ‘be admired by others’, ‘drive that car,’ ‘have beautiful kids that made all A’s,’-then we would be happy. 1 Timothy tells us: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned to secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” We can easily spend a life time pursuing things-things that in the end, disappoint us, not delivering what they promised. Man is continually searching for what he thinks will satisfy the longing of his soul. The really good news is that God created man with this longing in his soul, AND He made a way for this longing to be fulfilled. When one tries to fulfill this longing outside of a relationship with his Creator, he will live with a sense of being incomplete and will discover that the things he thought would satisfy do not satisfy. So it is with human nature. However, we are not left to live life as best we can with our human nature that seems to have its own mind. Those who trust Jesus as Savior, have been made new creations and given a new nature! The old nature is one thing, and the new nature that God gives is something entirely different. This new nature that God gives to those who know Him, enables them to live life as God designed from the very beginning. Only as we walk in how God designed us, will we find a genuine satisfaction in life with the longing of our soul being satisfied. To be able to see, to be able to understand the difference between the old and the new nature is a giant step forward in our spiritual-and even physical-health. The old nature focuses on the material whereas the new nature is focused on something much bigger than the material, vis., the eternal, what God is doing, what it means to be a part of His family, and how we can be His good stewards and good ambassadors in our sphere of life. Don’t misunderstand; God knows that we have certain physical needs and He often blesses us materially way beyond our basic needs-but these blessings come as a result of our relationship with Him, and when He blesses, there is joy and no ‘buyers-remorse!’ So, let us know that what we see may indeed be a mirage; let us see that what God offers is real, it is eternal, and it is the only thing that can satisfy the longing of our soul.
Psalm 107:9 “For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, and the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.”
John 4:13-14 “Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst again; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
Blessings,
Buddy
March 4, 2020 BEWARE ! IT’S A MIRAGE
2 Corinthians 4:18 “while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Mark 4:19 “but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”
Things are not always as they appear. No doubt we all know what it is like to acquire something we thought we wanted, only to be disappointed that it did not bring the lasting satisfaction we thought it would. There is something that is built in to human nature that drives us to a relentless pursue of getting the things we think we want and the things we think we need. It seems that the human nature of man cannot find contentment with what he has; this lack of contentment is so often what drives us as human beings. We believe that if we ‘could get that job,’ ‘have that income’, ‘have that house,’ ‘be admired by others’, ‘drive that car,’ ‘have beautiful kids that made all A’s,’-then we would be happy. 1 Timothy tells us: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned to secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” We can easily spend a life time pursuing things-things that in the end, disappoint us, not delivering what they promised. Man is continually searching for what he thinks will satisfy the longing of his soul. The really good news is that God created man with this longing in his soul, AND He made a way for this longing to be fulfilled. When one tries to fulfill this longing outside of a relationship with his Creator, he will live with a sense of being incomplete and will discover that the things he thought would satisfy do not satisfy. So it is with human nature. However, we are not left to live life as best we can with our human nature that seems to have its own mind. Those who trust Jesus as Savior, have been made new creations and given a new nature! The old nature is one thing, and the new nature that God gives is something entirely different. This new nature that God gives to those who know Him, enables them to live life as God designed from the very beginning. Only as we walk in how God designed us, will we find a genuine satisfaction in life with the longing of our soul being satisfied. To be able to see, to be able to understand the difference between the old and the new nature is a giant step forward in our spiritual-and even physical-health. The old nature focuses on the material whereas the new nature is focused on something much bigger than the material, vis., the eternal, what God is doing, what it means to be a part of His family, and how we can be His good stewards and good ambassadors in our sphere of life. Don’t misunderstand; God knows that we have certain physical needs and He often blesses us materially way beyond our basic needs-but these blessings come as a result of our relationship with Him, and when He blesses, there is joy and no ‘buyers-remorse!’ So, let us know that what we see may indeed be a mirage; let us see that what God offers is real, it is eternal, and it is the only thing that can satisfy the longing of our soul.
Psalm 107:9 “For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, and the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.”
John 4:13-14 “Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst again; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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