From Charles Hicks, a member of the churches of Christ in TN: on Monday, July 14, 2014: Matthew 22:14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.” These words by Jesus bring to mind his words of Matthew 11:28, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest”. Then I hear my saviour as he says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me” (Rev. 3:20). The chorus of the hymn, Jesus the Loving Shepherd, brings to mind a beautiful picture of our Lord: “Lovingly, tenderly, calling is he, wanderer, wanderer come unto me. Patiently waiting, there I see Jesus my shepherd divine”. We have a loving shepherd who is the captain and the author of eternal salvation to all who will obey him (Heb. 2:9-10, Heb. 5:8-9, John 14:15). Sadly, we live in a world in which relatively few people are willing to open the door of their heart to him. Few are those who love him deeply enough to keep all of his commandments to the best of their ability. In reality, not many people will truly seek first his kingdom (Matt. 6:33). So many people are spending their days in pursuit of that which is material—pursuing wealth, popularity or those things that tend to satisfy the fleshly appetite with the end result that there is no room left for God. I think about the Rich Young Ruler of Matthew 19—rich, religious, young, had it all but made the mistake of allowing the material things to take precedent in his life. I think about the Rich Fool of Luke 12—successful, thrifty, and innovative—but God called him a fool because he laid up treasure only for himself. Incidentally, this man’s story begins with a verse so often overlooked: “Take heed and beware of covetousness for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (verse 15). The rich man mentioned in connection with Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 was a man clothed in purple and fine linen and no doubt, his family and peers were proud of him, maybe even a little envious as they saw how sumptuously he fared each day. But his success was short lived. He died and in hell lifted up his eyes being in such agony that he felt even a drop of water might cool his tongue. He was lost—Why was he lost—Not necessarily because he was rich but rather because he trusted in “things” and neglected his soul! I pray that we will not be guilty of crowding God out of our lives in the pursuit of that which is only temporary (1 John 2:15-17). The world offers what it does not give—peace and happiness. It gives what it does not offer—pain, heartache and eventually an agony of torment that will last forever (2 Thess. 1:7-9, Rev. 21:7-8). Charles Hicks [email protected]
Posted on: Tue, 15 Jul 2014 03:06:15 +0000