True Riches

"I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings"- Luke 16:9 (NIV).

The moral of this Scripture: Use worldly resources wisely, benefiting others. This followed the parable of the untrustworthy steward who was confronted for not managing his master's wealth honestly (probably increasing the debt and skimming off the top). The dishonest manager needed to make friends and quickly, so that one might take him into their home once he had lost his own dwelling. He reduced their debt loads, cutting them almost in half, so that they could pay. His master commended him for his actions. If you are not trustworthy in managing worldly wealth, or your Master's property, you cannot be trusted with true riches. Either you are devoted to your Master or to worldly riches. You cannot serve both (vs. 11-13). True riches await in your eternal home.  

Tick Tock

"Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up"- Deuteronomy 11:19 (NIV).

Scripture is God-breathed. It is to be used for teaching, rebuking, training and correcting. Only then can God's children be thoroughly equipped for the work God intends for their lives (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The devil is the master of distractions when it comes to keeping you from God's Word and the further removed you are, the less probability you will incorporate Scripture into your daily lives and conversations...the less probability you will fulfill your purpose. Meanwhile, that master clock's hands, ticking off the hours leading up to Jesus' return, keep moving forward. Check yourself: Do the people God has placed around you hear God's word spoken through you? Oh, what a glorious way to be found, doing so, the very hour you meet Jesus! 

Mutual Edificiation

"Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification"- Romans 14:19 (NIV).

Paul, in Romans 14, is asking Kingdom workers to refrain from judging others and to stop throwing stumbling blocks into the paths of fellow believers (v. 13). Some people eat certain foods, while others eat anything. Paul said neither should treat the other with contempt (vs.2-3), but instead, to examine ourselves to see if our choices, our ways, are done to honor the Lord (v. 6-8). The Kingdom is not about what we eat or drink...but about righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (v.17). Everything we do, whether in word or deed, should all be done in the name of Jesus, giving thanks to God through Him (Colossians 3:17).

Immortality

"For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality"- 1 Corinthians 15:53 (NIV).

Death can be a scary topic, but it shouldn't be for Christians. Dust turns to dust and returns to the ground, but your spirit returns to God. It was He who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7). Every soul belongs to and returns to God, but the soul who sins will die (Ezekiel 18:4). Through His one time sacrifice and death, Jesus was victorious over death. Death has been swallowed up! "O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?" (1 Corinthians 14: 54-55). Immortality, eternal life in Christ Jesus, is a free gift to those of faith. Christians are pardoned from the wages of sin: death (Romans 6:23). Christians, do not fear that which can kill your body; your soul is safe. Instead fear Satan, who can lead you into a life of sin that will destroy both soul and body (Matthew 10:28).  

Invitation

"The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast"- Genesis 21:8 (NIV).

Abraham and Sarah were thrilled to have a son born to them in their old age. Weaning the child meant he was no longer a baby, so a celebration was declared and the feast arranged. We celebrate life events with feasts: births, weddings, anniversaries, deaths, etc. Jesus instituted a feast, the Lord's Supper, which was a Passover meal, before He came to the time of his Crucifixion and Resurrection. There is a future feast, however, we do not want to miss. Jesus told the parable of the wedding feast, symbolizing His return, and the invited guests weren't willing to come. They were punished and replaced with those who were willing. Jesus ended the parable by warning many will be called but few will be chosen (Matthew 22:1-14). A feast is a time for celebration of an event. The feast Jesus referred to is a future celebration, one in which the invitations have already been extended. The question is whether we will be willing when the trumpet signals the event ready?