Do you really want to know where all good things come from?
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and
comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no shadow of turning.”
(James 1:17, NKJV).
“We plow the fields, and scatter The good seed on the land,
But it is fed and watered By God’s almighty hand.” – song by Matthias Claudius
(1740-1815), We Plow the Fields.
Every good gift indeed comes from God only; He is the One
who gives power to make wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18). “There is One who pretends
to be rich, yet has nothing at all; Another pretends to be poor, yet has great
wealth” (Proverbs 13:7).
While the portion from Proverbs can be understood in the
literal sense, many people are in one of the two categories. Some people see
the perfect gift as wealth, but if wealth of this world could gain us eternal
life then maybe wealth could be that perfect gift. There are those who pretend
to have all it takes to gain eternal life but yet they only deceive themselves
and are on the path to destruction.
It is however mostly among those who do not seem to be
counted as anything to men that are candidates for heaven.
“Do not overwork to be rich; Because of your own
understanding, cease! (Proverbs 23:4).
What is the understanding of wealth? Those who are rich in
the things of the world will agree that that wealth was not gotten from
overworking else there would be more rich people in the world than they
currently are or maybe those who are currently rich in the world would not be
rich. Almost similar is this with being rich towards heaven, it is not by our
works, it is the gift from God. Even the grace to walk with God comes from God.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth
and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where
thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21).
2 Peter 3:11 says, “Therefore, since all these things will
be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and
godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of
which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt
with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new
heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”
Whether it be fame, riches, good health, favour, they all
come from God, but God offers us something even more, something we actually
need – Salvation. This Salvation was bought at the cost of the blood of Jesus
Christ, but offered to us for free by grace, we only have to accept it by faith
in God. Faith leads us to believe in His Word, His commandments.
Such a selfless love from God should only incite love in us
for God. Loving God involves keeping His commandments for it is written, “If
you love Me, keep My commandments.” (John 14:15, NKJV).
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