If you’re joining us in reading Isaiah and Jeremiah today’s reading is from Isaiah chapter 54-55 and the devotion is taken from 55:1-4. “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a ruler and commander of the peoples.” How valuable are the things that you’re doing? How much pleasure to you receive from the work at which you toil? What is the lasting benefit of that which you do? Unfortunately, we are in a world that seeks fame and fortune rather than righteousness and eternity. Those who are the most glorified seem to be those who have the most toys and those who are the least glorified seem to be those who serve others. Yet, in reality it is exactly the opposite. Money cannot buy righteousness. Money cannot buy a consistent walk with God through Jesus Christ. In reality, money cannot even by the smallest amount of happiness. There been some interesting studies of people who have won large amounts of money in the lotteries. It seems there their initial happiness generally degrades into incredible pain. Some of these winners have even said that they wished they had not won at all. Their lives were miserable after they had enough money to do anything they wanted. Those who are happiest, those who are most fulfilled, are those who trust God even for their earthly existence. Certainly their lives may be hard but the fulfillment of their life in Christ is worth every moment of their struggles. We as Protestants tend to look down upon those who’ve chosen a monastic lifestyle; and yet in the same breath we praise men like St. Francis of Assisi, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas and others. St. Hildegard of Bingen Germany, a 12th century nun, was one of the first to use natural remedies as a regular medicinal solution to problems. Another nun, Mother Theresa, brought the spirit of Christ to life through her work with the poorest of the poor in India. Why are we spending so much time on things that are destroyed by rust and decay when we could be spending our time on changing people’s lives through Christ? Become poor. Become thirsty. Live for Christ.
Posted on: Thu, 08 May 2014 10:00:00 +0000
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