“A little that a righteous man hath is
better than the riches of many wicked” (Psalm 37:16).
Fleeting are the
pleasures of those who ignore or reject the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone constitutes life in its truest
sense – “to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21). Thus, a crumb eaten in faith satisfies
far more than a sumptuous feast partaken without acknowledgement and
appreciation directed toward the Provider of all things.
Life lived with God -
both in relationship and in conscious awareness – makes possible an enjoyment of
His gifts that does not otherwise exist.
The businessman who seals his deal for millions in profit may benefit in
many ways from the hard work and good fortune that fills his coffers. The pauper may buy only a morsel with
the penny he finds along the difficult pathways of his existence. However, if the former fails to give
thanks, and if the latter looks toward Heaven with gratitude, the penny will
glimmer with riches infinitely beyond the fading flickers of ever-waning worldly
wealth. Indeed, the contentment of
Christ remains with the penny acknowledged as His loving gift and provision.
“Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away
as an eagle toward heaven… Lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where
neither moth nor rust doth corrupt ” (Proverbs 23:5; Matthew 6:20).
We often hear of money
and possessions that “you can’t take them with you when you die.” Certainly, this is true of bounty
unrecognized as blessing. However,
we do take with us those things provided by God for which we humbly gave
thanks. That is, we take with us
the Christ who was the true joy of every joy, the actual blessing of all
blessings, and the very Life of our lives.
God’s gifts experienced with a grateful heart cause the seemingly
smallest provisions to loom infinitely large in the light of eternity. The breath of this moment comprises one
of those inconspicuous bestowals of grace.
Let us give thanks, and thus experience yet again the full heart of “to
live is Christ.”
“Lay not up for yourselves
treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break
through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither
moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
(Matthew 6:19-21)
No comments:
Post a Comment