GREENE STREET LETTERS: God Or Mammon? Who Are You Going To Serve?

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

God Or Mammon? Who Are You Going To Serve?

......And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily, and follow me."
Sounds to me like Jesus is saying that I am no longer the center of attention in the new relationship I have with Him.
That my wants and desires have been laid down in order to fill myself with His wants and desires for my life.
The cross signifies a daily dying which is a choice I make.
I know those who proclaim the prosperity message.
I know that they truly believe that it is sent from God.
But what I see when I watch the prosperity gospel in action, is that "self" has become the focus and center of attention again. God loves me (which He does) and God wants to bless me (which He does) but the blessings of God are for those who obey. Those who have left everything to follow Him. Old lifestyles, old friends and old hangouts surrendered to God in order to find life and purpose.
II Chronicles 16:9 says that "The eyes of the LORD roam to and fro over the earth searching for those whose hearts are totally committed to Him, that He may strengthen them."

The blessing of God do not always measure out to things which can be valued in dollars and cents.
Don't get me wrong about what I am writing. I believe that there are people who God does bless with wealth and position. The greater responsibility comes with such wealth as to be a good steward of what God has given. God does not mind people having things....it turns nasty when "things" have people. When the pursuit of material wealth and goods is the measuring rod by which our salvation and relationship is measured, then our grasp on the truth of God has been replaced by our own sinful lust and desire. Lust and desire which has been clothed and couched in the garments of religion. We possess a form of godliness and deny the power of the cross in our own lives.

I have posted this video here before, but felt the need to do so again.
Think on these things....

God on you....
mb

1 comment:

Bobby said...: David Platt said that our view of prosperity is a blind spot in the Church, much like many Christians were blinded about slavery in the past. I just posted that message on my blog, before I read this post! I think God is speaking.; October 12, 2011 at 9:22 PM

Looking At The World Through Cracked Lens

As ol' Paul wrote in his Corinthian letters.."We see in part and we know in part." Now what piece of this bit of wisdom do we not get? I wish to not run around acting and trying to be some sort of Biblical G00-Ru (I meant to spell it wrong). Or a sage of sages.

I simply want to be able to communicate some of what God has given to me. Why? Do I think what I get is better than what you may have received from Him? Nope. But I do think encouragement comes when we share our daily story of struggle and victory in an effort to encourage each other.

Thanks for letting me share.

Time to soldier on..

mbb

Our Statement of Faith

We believe that God is the eternal king. He is an infinite, unchangeable Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, goodness, justice, power and love. From all eternity He exists as the One Living and True God in three persons of one substance, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit equal in power and glory. we believe that God created mankind in His image, male and female, for relationship with Himself and to govern the earth. Under the temptation of Satan, our original parents fell from grace, bringing sin, sickness and God's judgment of death to the earth. Through the fall, Satan and his demonic hosts gained access to God's good creation. Creation now experiences the consequences and effects of Adam's original sin. Human beings are born into sin, subject to God's judgment of death and captive to Satan's kingdom of darkness. We believe that Jesus, God's Son, was sent to this world, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, Mary, fully God and fully man in one person. He is humanity as God intended us to be. Jesus was anointed as God's Messiah and empowered by the Holy Spirit, ushering in God's kingdom reign on earth, overpowering the reign of Satan by resisting temptation, preaching the good news of salvation, healing the sick, casting out demons and raising the dead. Jesus' atoning death on the cross took God's judgment for sin which we deserved as law-breakers. Jesus' resurrection and ascent back to heaven opened the door for those who received salvation to begin a relationship with God.

Little Nets Into Deep Waters

Fishing nets were designed for one purpose only. To catch fish. Nets are no good if they stay on the boat. Nets serve no purpose if they are never used. I think maybe God sees us this way. We are all created for a purpose (by the way, the creator gets to define what our purpose is). Any other use besides the one we were created for does us no good. But when the creator places His hands upon us, casting us out into those scary, dark places with deep waters, it is then we can see the reality of our purpose. He knew there would be a catch waiting for us. I think I will be the net God has called me to be.

The Twelve Steps

As a community of people in recovery, we affirm that our higher power is Jesus Christ. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. Just as God told the children of Israel He was going to give them a promised land, He has revealed to us that He desires to give us a "Promised Life." When Israel got to the promised land, God instructed them to go and in a possess it, fight for it and claim it. In recovery, the 12 Steps are the directions given to us on how to fight, possess and claim this promised life.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

God Or Mammon? Who Are You Going To Serve?

1 comment:

THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD