Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
For many years, we have enjoyed fishing in our lake, a small little watering hole which has provided us with many meals on our supper table. It always seems like there has always been something to eat that could be easily caught by using a hook and a worm. But when we first moved out here, we didn’t have a boat and would have to cast from the shore, so one day I picked up a free paddle boat that had a bunch of cracks in the pontoons. Over the next few days I patched it all up so it wouldn’t leak and then I mounted an old swivel chair right in the middle of the boat. It was a curious looking invention, but it worked better than I could have ever imagined. Right around supper time, we would paddle out into the lake and one of us would sit up high in the pedestal seat and cast for bass. It was used for many years and brought home plenty of fish, as we paddled back to the landing in our poor man’s bass boat.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
Sometimes people can waste many years working at a job somewhere, simply to pay for a new fishing boat. Some of their boats and motors are worth more than some people will make in their entire lifetime. The Lord Jesus called on men to preach God’s Word, but many people cannot do it, because their time and efforts are focused on attaining the things of this world instead.
Luke 18:18-30 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.
And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.
As I’ve always said, the Apostle Paul was preaching and teaching God’s Word, but he was also a tentmaker who could provide for his basic needs. Some of us who are poor, live each day hand to mouth, a lifestyle that can only be learned when you are not seeking after wealth and earthly possessions.
1 Timothy 6:5-10 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
As I’ve always taught my family, it’s easy to become rich. All you have to do is forget about the poor, save up all of your money in a bank somewhere, get a couple jobs and side hustles, put in 60 hours a week, and invest all your finances in precious metals and other earthly treasures. But it is this carnal lust and desire for more and more and more, that completely destroys one’s life with God. In that frame of mind you are not seeking after God, you are seeking after the world. People might feel that they are blessed by God, but the real truth is that they are abiding in misery.
James 5:1-6 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
The church doesn’t need money to operate, what it needs is preachers! This is the reason why the laborers are a few, because most men are out in the world trying to make a buck instead. Love is a strong emotion, and you must be very careful about what you are going to place it on. The first commandment is to love God with all of your heart and soul, and if anything in this life usurps that love, it can ruin one’s relationship with God.
Matthew 13:22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
Unfruitfulness happens because the concerns of this world will take precedence over God. The love of money is terrible, because people will chase after it like tying a $20 bill to the leg of a chicken. They will run after it and try to catch it, but the entire time it is pulling them further away from the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Certainly, people can receive a windfall, or an incredible gift from somebody else, but that doesn’t mean that you went looking for it. Solomon was the richest king in history, but he was not seeking to be rich. God gave him what he had because his first desire was to know God and to serve Him with all of his heart.
2 Chronicles 1:9-12 Now, O LORD God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great? And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.
God doesn’t need our money, what He wants is men to rise up and preach His Word. Whatever you invest your time in, is what you truly love in this life; either a home, a fishing boat, or the preaching of God’s Holy Word. Moses became poor, so that he could become rich in Spiritual things, a precious quality in the eyes of God that is becoming rarer on this Earth each and every day. Many people will be far too busy to take up this work, and try to fulfill the American dream instead, losing their own souls in the process.
Joy is not found in acquiring possessions, it comes from seeking and serving God. I didn’t need to spend thousands of dollars on an expensive vessel to be happy. I was just as happy catching lots of fish, out of our……
…….Poor Man’s Bass Boat
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.
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