Ill-gotten treasures are of no value, but righteousness delivers from death. ~Proverbs
10:2
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what he has done.” ~Matthew 16:25-27
The one who loves his or her life will lose it, while the one who hates his or her life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves Me must follow Me; and where I am, My servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves Me. ~John 12:25-26
Interesting juxtaposition here: Ill-gotten treasure opposite righteousness? What is an ill-gotten treasure? Hmmmm! I’ve heard of ill-gotten gain, but ill-gotten “treasure?” What if….it is life itself? What if we saw doing what we want instead of doing what God wants as actually stealing our lives away from the one who created us for His purpose? Have you ever thought of it that way before? Wow!
The world has such a wrong view of life. The world believes that they are the authors of life. They have the right to decide when it should begin and when it should end. If there is a purpose, it is up to the individual to create. And now, pro-choice people are claiming that they have the right to decide whether or not somebody else’s life should continue or end. Oh, how wrong they are!
Only Jesus Himself, our creator, could claim that power over Himself. “The reason My Father loves Me is that I lay down My life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I receive from My Father.” (John 10:17-18) Even at that, Jesus did not use the power and authority given Him, over His own life to abuse it, or to preserve himself, but for a purpose, the purpose of saving others.
We do not really have authority over our own lives. Christians have some understanding of this from Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 where he says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, glorify God with your body.” At least Christians have an understanding of having a purpose beyond ourselves, given to us through Christ. When we come to Christ, we are saying to the one who has authority over His own life, “have authority over mine as well.”
However, God didn’t just create Christians. In fact, none of us were born as Christians, but we were created by God, for a purpose whether we surrender and acknowledge it or not.
In truth, those who do not acknowledge God’s ownership and authority are stealing the gifts, talents, abilities and precious resources they have been given, for themselves. Their life is such a precious treasure, but they don’t see it. Instead, we hear talk about, “my rights,” “My stuff!” Sadly, some day the only one who really has the right to make those claims will appear and the stolen things will be reclaimed, but those who abused them will be the losers. Those who realized whose they were all along and worked with their creator, in righteousness, will be delivered to enjoy an even more abundant life for eternity.
I had never considered the pre-Christian as a type of thief of his or her own life before I began meditating on the proverb for today. Now, however, I’m wondering even more about those who claim to be Christians, have surrendered, some, but still can’t or won’t let go of it all. If they saw this tug of war as a confessing thief, struggling to let go of their life to the rightful owner, do you think that picture might make it easier for them to let go of the rest and trust God with it instead of trying to steal it for themselves?
Prayer: Oh, Father I want to give You what belongs to You! I give You my life! I fully trust You to meet all my needs so that I do not have to grasp at anything or hold onto any creature comforts that keep me from being closer to You. In Jesus' name, amen.
Song: I Surrender All
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what he has done.” ~Matthew 16:25-27
The one who loves his or her life will lose it, while the one who hates his or her life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves Me must follow Me; and where I am, My servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves Me. ~John 12:25-26
Interesting juxtaposition here: Ill-gotten treasure opposite righteousness? What is an ill-gotten treasure? Hmmmm! I’ve heard of ill-gotten gain, but ill-gotten “treasure?” What if….it is life itself? What if we saw doing what we want instead of doing what God wants as actually stealing our lives away from the one who created us for His purpose? Have you ever thought of it that way before? Wow!
The world has such a wrong view of life. The world believes that they are the authors of life. They have the right to decide when it should begin and when it should end. If there is a purpose, it is up to the individual to create. And now, pro-choice people are claiming that they have the right to decide whether or not somebody else’s life should continue or end. Oh, how wrong they are!
Only Jesus Himself, our creator, could claim that power over Himself. “The reason My Father loves Me is that I lay down My life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I receive from My Father.” (John 10:17-18) Even at that, Jesus did not use the power and authority given Him, over His own life to abuse it, or to preserve himself, but for a purpose, the purpose of saving others.
We do not really have authority over our own lives. Christians have some understanding of this from Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 where he says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, glorify God with your body.” At least Christians have an understanding of having a purpose beyond ourselves, given to us through Christ. When we come to Christ, we are saying to the one who has authority over His own life, “have authority over mine as well.”
However, God didn’t just create Christians. In fact, none of us were born as Christians, but we were created by God, for a purpose whether we surrender and acknowledge it or not.
In truth, those who do not acknowledge God’s ownership and authority are stealing the gifts, talents, abilities and precious resources they have been given, for themselves. Their life is such a precious treasure, but they don’t see it. Instead, we hear talk about, “my rights,” “My stuff!” Sadly, some day the only one who really has the right to make those claims will appear and the stolen things will be reclaimed, but those who abused them will be the losers. Those who realized whose they were all along and worked with their creator, in righteousness, will be delivered to enjoy an even more abundant life for eternity.
I had never considered the pre-Christian as a type of thief of his or her own life before I began meditating on the proverb for today. Now, however, I’m wondering even more about those who claim to be Christians, have surrendered, some, but still can’t or won’t let go of it all. If they saw this tug of war as a confessing thief, struggling to let go of their life to the rightful owner, do you think that picture might make it easier for them to let go of the rest and trust God with it instead of trying to steal it for themselves?
Prayer: Oh, Father I want to give You what belongs to You! I give You my life! I fully trust You to meet all my needs so that I do not have to grasp at anything or hold onto any creature comforts that keep me from being closer to You. In Jesus' name, amen.
Song: I Surrender All
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