'Disconnected from this World'
We will honor and remember Harvey Weeks tomorrow at 4PM @ Faith Fellowship Church in Watertown. Harvey was my father-in-law. I was reminded of much concerning the Lord in the 2 weeks prior to his passing. I am grateful he knew the Lord, grateful he went to be with the Lord, grateful to him for my magnificent wife, grateful that I was there the night he received Jesus so long ago, grateful for the gentle gardner that loved to eat & refurbish furniture & to keep books for the Boy Scouts & the American Legion.
Of all the things in God he reminded me of I would like to take the time to examine just one of them. It is found in a challenging section of 1Timothy 6:6-8. "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we carry nothing out. And having food and clothing let us be content." (KJV) The context of this is an markedly unpopular subject for Americans. It has to do with contentment. Succeeding verses continue to describe the disaster of the drive in people to become wealthy. This is the American dream I am afraid. It is not just freedom - that would be noble for sure. It is the freedom to gain enormous wealth that is REALLY the American dream. This dream drives us, motivates us, calls to us, shapes our values, and guides our decisions. This dream is tragically defended by Christian leaders who live opulent life-styles & defend them as if they are scriptural. UGH!!!
Unfortunately, this desire for wealth brings a serious malady with it the Bible calls the love of money. Jesus told us that our lives do not consist of what we possess (Lk.12:15). In the parable of the sewer, he warned us that the seed of the gospel can be choked into unfruitfulness by the deceitfulness of riches
(Mark 4:19). Here, Paul makes a statement that Harvey Weeks passing reminded of. We brought nothing with us into this world and we will take nothing out with us either. Harvey had NOT ONE EARTHLY POSSESSION in that hospital bed - NOT ONE! Even the body that carried him for 83 years was to be left behind. As I pondered that, I reflected on what I own (a deception for sure - because for the Christian, nothing is mine & all is the Lord's). What would I give my possessions for? What would cause me to let go all I think I own? I have to say that in that moment, any of the least of God's blessings were more important to me than any possession, investment, keepsake, valuable, etc. I would like to think that I could keep that high thought but we shall see. It is the GREAT BATTLE for most American Christians I believe.
We brought nothing with us & we can take nothing with us. This incredible piece of wisdom we must examine for a few minutes. Let us force ourselves to do this. We drive this kind of wisdom & thinking from us while concentrating on our pretty things & our big purchasing plans & our hoarding efforts (God forgive us).
There is nothing wrong with saving, or investing, or owning, as long as those things do not own us or lead us astray. The trouble is they often do lead us astray while we deny to ourselves that we are adversely affected or infected by our wealth or our desire for wealth.
We brought nothing with us when we came into this world. Have you ever considered how completely true that is? There is a mildly crass phrase about a j-bird that fits here. Truth is that nothing mans nothing. We were empty when we were born. Everything we have - someone else gave us - that someone was our God. O, HE might have used people around us but make no mistake - GOD gave us our family, heritage, disposition, home, education & development, abilities, etc. There isn't one thing I own that I gained by myself. NOT ONE! Even Dt.18:18 says that the Lord is the one who gave us the ability to gain wealth. Empty - a clean sheet of paper - other than our genes which God engineered - we came with nothing.
That is important to know & critical to keep tucked in a safe place in our hearts. It means gratitude for starters. Gratitude for God giving us life, the opportunities we have had, the knowledge of the Savior, a placement in His Gospel plan, our families & friends, etc. These things are the things that are truly valuable - NOT THE STUFF! It means that love is what counts. Love, receiving & mostly giving love is what matters. Love is not only our blessing, it is our destiny, our means to that end, and our whole purpose. Everything else is vain. It was love that brought us into this world regardless of how difficult or wondrous the circumstances surrounding our entry were.
We brought nothing with us. This thought keeps us clean & adds to a holy disposition - a desperate need in our day when almost everything is indulged in and our ability to blush has been all but stripped from us. It is sobering to realize that God, in a pristine moment set us into life without any incumbrances. Paul's teaching in 1 Timothy reveals that God wanted us to walk 'light' in this world, free from distractions & weights that would only drag us down. The stuff was meant for a blessing and for a tool to do HIS work. It was never meant to be a prison cell.
How about this: we were to have added to us what we needed for the journey. We were 'JUST PASSING THRU'. We were not meant to stay here. Something better has actually been prepared. Heaven is not just a religious tranquilizer we use to calm our fears at funerals. Heaven is real; - more real than what we know of this life. 'He went to a better place', is actually true - as long as he/she was a believer. How desperately we American Christians need to remember that we are just passing thru. John warned us not to love this world or its stuff. He said that if we did, God's love would not be a part of it (1Jn.2:15-17). He was not kidding!
"And it is certain that we will take NOTHING with us! Not one coin, not one heirloom, not one vehicle, not one savings account, not one possession, not one shirt or pair of pants, not one secret, not one ambition, not one family member, not one vacation, not one title, not one piece of authority or control, not one bottle of medicine (thank God), not one pocket knife or golf club or tool - NOTHING! What will we have - anything? I am not sure what each one of us will have but I have an idea what each one of us CAN HAVE. We can take our relationship with Jesus with us - that's it! So how important is it to learn to be content with the basic necessities of life? How important is it to learn to be content with our walk with God - to be content with loving & serving the people around us that God has given to us to help? How important is that? It is indescribably valuable. Nothing else is coming with us - NOTHING!
Contentment is something I have chased all of my life. For awhile, I didn't even know what I was chasing. But when I came into this world with nothing - that in itself was a message from my heavenly Father - my Maker - my Savior. He was telling me (and everyone else as well) that I didn't need stuff to be content. That my life in Him was the secret of contentment. After sometime here, I got saved, born-again. I then began to learn that contentment in God was not only possible - it was essential. I have sought that since then (1972). It can be elusive - why? The stuff my friends - the stuff. Particularly our tendency to love & place more value on the stuff than we should. It is a great weakness for humans and there are few who can manage it. Jesus must help us with it. This verse is part of that help.
Let me wrap this up by making some practical suggestions.
1) Never compromise holiness to gain or keep some thing. If you have, repent and make things right. The longer you wait, the harder it will be. DO NOT PUT THIS OFF! "What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his soul." (Mk.8:36)
2) Do not put off serving and doing God's will because you are to busy buying, selling, earning, saving, investing, or LOVING your money, ability to make money, or your possessions. Nothing is worth more than following Jesus & the fulfillment of doing His will!
3) Understand that what you own actually belongs to another - the Lord Jesus. You are only a steward of what God has given.
4) know that what you have was given you & that you should be thankful - thankful - thankful!
5) GIVE - GIVE - GIVE! Generosity should be our practice rather than hoarding. "God so loved that HE gave His Son." My favorite New Testament passage, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, HE became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich." (2Cor.8:9)
6) Believe that what we have is to be used for the furtherance of God's Kingdom & live free from the stranglehold of possessions. 7) Appreciate your possessions, enjoy them, be thankful for them, DO NOT LOVE THEM!
8) Instead love the Lord with everything you've got. Think of life in simple terms rather than the complexities of maintaining all you think you own.
9) Beware the mistake of the rich young ruler for when he was put to the choice, he made the wrong decision (Mk.10:17-22). He was left with the sorrow of losing Jesus - what he could not afford to lose; in order to keep his possessions, which he COULD NOT KEEP ANYWAY. Instead, why not embrace what no one can take from us while letting go of what is impossible to keep.
10) Resist ideas & philosophies that go against the preceding principles on the list or others like them for I have not given an exhaustive list here - just a representative one.
Be of good cheer my friends. The fact that we brought nothing into this world and the certainty that we will carry nothing from it is a freeing thing. It means true freedom & contentment in knowing Christ is possible. Paul learned the secret of this contented freedom (Php.4:11-13). And he spoke of it as if we could too. I am convinced we can though for the American believer, it could be a life-long battle for we have so much & are tempted so powerfully. Did you know that Jesus is in the mood to help us with this. I do I know that? HE came to us didn't HE? HE sought us out didn't HE? It was for the sake of freedom that Jesus came to set us free. Carry me my Lord - to a place - a spiritual place - of contentment & freedom! Carry all my brothers & sisters too!
