It was overcast; the sun had now just peeked above the horizon bathing the sea in bright yellow light. Mr. Bostic sat on the balcony of his 5 million dollar mansion that overlooked the eastern seaboard and watched as the sun took its time to extricate itself from the confines of the ocean. It was if a string was pulling it up wards. He breathed in deeply and savoured the breath of a new year. Another year gone and what a successful year it was. It made him a billionaire. He now had his new jet parked at the airport and his yacht berthed in the harbour. He smiled. He had come a long way since those penniless days and he was not finished yet, not by a long shot.
This year he said to himself I have to get a bigger jet and a larger yacht. It is not good enough that mine is the smallest in the hanger and my yacht does not even have a swimming pool. At the end of this year I must be in the first five of the fortune five hundreds. Then I’ll relax and enjoy the wealth that I worked so hard for.
As he reflected on his goals for the New Year his thoughts came to rest lovely Susan, his former wife and trusty. He believed in her, worshipped her, provided her with anything she needed. He loved her to the full capacity of his being and yet she deceived him, taking with her 10 million dollars and alimony of $500, 000 every month. His anger rose in him like a Tsunami.
Suddenly he felt a tightening in his chest, a pain shot out from his sternum and wrapped itself around his ribs, he gasped for breath as his fingers sought to create new pathways to his lungs by tearing at his throat, but to avail. In a few minutes his brain starved for Oxygen stopped working and his heart was relieved of its duty.
All bodily functions ceased and Mr. Bostic was dead.
This modern adaptation of the rich young ruler brings us face to face with life greatest life’s greatest tragedy. That a man may acquire all the wealth he desires and yet not live to enjoy it. It is sad that more often than not we prepare and plan for our physical existence but no effort is placed in preparing for our spiritual existence.
This should not be so! Jesus sums up the story in Lk. 12: 20,21 in this manner;
But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?
So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
Solomon puts it this way in Ecc. 6:1,2
There is an evil which I have seen under the sun and it is common among men.
A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but astranger eateth it: this is vanity and it is an evil disease.
It is interesting to note that God calls this man a fool. Why should he be considered a fool. In the context of the story this man is aware that there is a God.
He is aware of what God demands of him;
tithe;
offering ;
service to his fellow man
He is knows all these things but he has never stopped to consider them in the past nor did he consider them as he made his plans for the future. He behaved as one who did not know of God. As far as he was concerned God did not exist and therefore his requirements had no effect on him!! So, therefore, he must be considered a fool. Only a fool would ignore God!
We should know that you cannot ignore God.
Pharaoh tried it
Jonah tried it
Balaam tried it
The Jews tried it
Men throughout history have tried it.
In the end God must be acknowledge. In fact the Bible tells us Is. 45:23
I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.
We have to acknowledge God’s presence and influence in our lives. Not to do so is to live in peril of losing our souls.
What would you say of a man who blatantly refuse to pay his rent, or taxes and made it known to the government and to the house owner. He would be considered a fool. He would be removed from the house and cast into prison!
God knows everything, so when we choose to disobey him, he knows.
He knows when we decide we are not going to return our tithes;
he knows when we decide we are not going to give an offering;
he knows when we decide we are not going to forgive our neighbour, our friend, our brother or sister.
he knows when we decide we are going to do what we want regardless of what he says or anyone else says;
He knows….
And do not think for one moment that he will just let it slide:
The bible tells in Romans: 1:18
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness
Again in Galatians 6:8,9 Paul declares; Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
For he that soweth to his flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting.
This man had decided that he would use his remaining time to live at ease, eat, drink and be merry! No service to God, no service to his fellowman. All he was thinking about was self. He was not prepared to take on the stress of caring for someone else; or working in the church. His concern was to live at ease. Relax. Chill out! As far as he was concern you could take the stress somewhere else!! He was like the man with the one talent which Jesus spoke about in Matt. 25, who took his talent and hid it. He too reaped the consequences of his actions.
What are we thinking about today? How are we planning to spend the remainder of 2013? In what way will we be serving God? These are questions we have to answer as we plan our year.
What part does God have to play in your plans for your future?
As we consider these questions perhaps we could reflect on the life of Paul. Perhaps we can use him as an example for us and how we should approach our new year resolutions.
Paul was the opposite of this guy; Paul’s focus was not on his earthly possessions but on service for his LORD. He testifies in Ph. 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.
As far as Paul was concern living at ease was certainly not on his burner and the accumulation of riches was definitely not his number one priority. His number one priority was developing his relationship with Christ and building up the Kingdom of God. He was not one to become frustrated with the struggle but declared in 2 Tim. 2:10
Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
How much are we willing to give up so that others might be saved? How much are we willing to sacrifice? How much are we willing to endure? This can only be determined by the depth of our relationship with Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ himself give his life that we might be saved. We can conclude his desire is for all of to be saved. How much are we willing to give so that we could help our LORD in his quest to save man from the coming wrath of God? How much are we willing to invest, whether, it be time, money or talents to help our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ in his mission to build up the Kingdom of God?
As long, as we use any one of these (time, money or talents) in the pursuit of saving souls, you can rest assured that God will replace that which you have used, with interest. You will have more time to do the things that you would otherwise like to do; your life would be more satisfying and fulfilling. As you give of your offering and return your tithe you will find that your financial affairs become more manageable. You will see God working out your difficulties and stand amazed at what he is doing on your behalf. No man can claim that he has become poor because he gave to God! On the contrary you may become poor because you neglect to give to God.
Jesus promised in Matt. 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
As we reflect on 2012 and look into 2013 we must as Christians consider our relationship with Jesus Christ. We must also consider our relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul summed up his relationship with Jesus Christ in the following way: Gal.2:20
I am crucified with Christ nevertheless, I live; yet not I but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
This is a profound statement, in it we find the explanation for Paul’s actions and his complete devotion towards the saving of souls and the building up of the kingdom of God. He was one who sacrificed his time, talents and money in the service of the master.
He says that Christ lives in him. It is not him that lives but Christ that lives in him. Now if Christ lives in us, we would want what Christ wants just as Paul did. We would treat others as Christ would treat them.
We would be patient with those who offend us;
Longsuffering with those who irritate us;
Kind to those who mistreat us;
our goal in life would be to win all men to Christ. To be an example for him not a stumbling block.
If it is Christ that lives in us then we would not dare to say or do anything that would cause our brother or sister hurt or embarrassment. After all if we love God we must also love his children. You do not love someone and treat their children badly.
As we enter into the year 2013 God is not calling us into a casual friendship; he has no interest in superficial relationships. God is calling us to a deep and intimate relationship with him. If we desire his companionship to such a degree that we seek him with all our hearts and place the building up of his kingdom as top priority on our list, he is going to awaken in us the desire to do his will and enable us to carry it out.
We cannot afford to sit on our laurels and watch time pass by. We must be active participants in God’s cause. Building up his kingdom, by whatever means we have. Ensuring that at the end of the year we are better off that we were at the beginning.
As Christian is we must not only consider our earthly existence but we must consider how best we can prepare for our heavenly home.
You are the answer to someone’s prayer waiting to happen. We are the answer to someone’s prayer in this district waiting to happen.
This year let us be like the Sunflower. The Sunflower is a flower which always faces the sun. Let us endeavour to keep the Son of God always before us in this year 2013 and onwards.
