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Let the light of God’s word, which comes to you as a word in season, shine into your life’s circumstances, to enlighten and bless you as only it can do – The Lord bless you from Zion; And may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. [Psalms 128:5,6] The blessing of God is a godly maturity that grows in you, as you move towards perfection, towards becoming more and more conformed to the image of Lord Jesus. [Philippians 3:15] It is a transformation that takes place by a renewing of your mind by the word of God, developing in you an attitude that involves depending on Him completely without leaning on your own understanding. For, we are the true circumcision, [the mature] who worship in spirit and truth, boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh. [Philippians 3:3]
Consider as loss, in light of the scriptures:
It is knowing basic mathematics, that makes it possible for you to count anything, be it money or anything else. On a much higher level, knowledge of the scriptures can make you view or consider what is important in the eyes of the world in a radically different manner, as the words of the apostle indicate Yet whatever gains, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. [Philippians 3:7] For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, so that I may gain Christ. [Verse 9] It is the mature consideration that needs to progressively be yours, for you are in the world maybe, but you are not of the world. Having been born again, by the incorruptible word of God, you are a child of God, and called to live according to scriptural considerations, valuing and functioning according to scriptural principles and guidelines.
The world’s consideration:
The world system, corrupted by sin and hence rejecting God to be self-centered and Satan dominated operates on determining the value of something, according to its profitability to one’s self. The pride of life, an inherent characteristic of the sinful man, does not heed the counsel of God but elevates itself to take His place, in determining what is gain and loss to oneself. Paul in describing what he could find reason to boast according to worldly considerations his tribe, his race, his religiosity, and misplaced zeal, also knew the change in his value system, on turning to the Lord. And what Paul, as a Jew, earlier thought was of great value, in our nation can be translated as finding one’s identity and worth in one’s education, social background, maybe one’s caste, in external conformity to the edicts of the church, and even in the brownness of one’s skin, the relativity of it! In essence, the world determines your value, by external considerations, or by what you have, while to Christ what matters is who you are. And it is why you can go to Him, just as you are, without a plea!
The spiritually mature consideration:
God is never against you becoming wealthy. But, as can be seen in how Job is described in the scriptures, God’s priority and value system are diametrically opposite and are counter-culture when it comes to that of the world. [Job 1:1-3]
The order of importance in the sight of God is loud and clear. And it needs to remain so, even in your life and mine. When you have the privilege of being the head of the family, you need to be its prophet, priest, and king in Christ, establishing the importance of God’s word in every aspect of life. Children are your inheritance from God, and no one can pray for them as you do., that all your children may be taught of the Lord, and that their peace may be great.
Not, who you are, but, whose you are:
Paul realized that what was of real value was him being a child of God. And the wondrous truth being settled in your heart this day will set you free from worrying about tomorrow, for you will find in your rest in knowing that you have a Heavenly Father, who will care and provide your needs, as you seek Him first, putting your trust in Him. The poor are at a natural advantage of trusting Him, maybe out of sheer necessity, and therefore it was they who received the greatest gift of all, His salvation more easily. The rich young man, came to the right person, asking the right question, and yet went away sad. The problem was not him having money, but money having him!
Loss and gain in God’s economy:
Abraham was blessed by God and was wealthy, but in lifting his hand to His Maker, the Possessor of heaven and earth, he displayed on whom his trust and dependence was. The Bible is not against riches! When you know that you are a child of God, and lovingly seek Him, you will find that you lack no good thing. And it all hinges on where your consideration lies; on what you consider gain or of value in this world. As Lord Jesus told his disciples, to those who sought to follow Him, ‘For those who want to save their life will lose it; and those who lose their life for my sake, will find it. ‘For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world, but forfeit their soul?’ [Matthew 16:25,26] Jim Eliot, the missionary, lived it out, to say – ‘He is no fool, who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose’. Paul learned this valuable lesson to value what was truly of value, and saw his life transformed for the Father’s glory.
HE teaches you to profit:
And you will never suffer loss, for you have a Redeemer who has promised you this, so that your peace may be like a river, even as you give heed or pay attention to hear His voice that speaks to you through His word, in your life’s situation-Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, ‘I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, whole and as you in the way you should go’. [Isaiah 48:17] And it is only He, who can minister to you; it is He who can guard what you have entrusted into His hand. For, what you hold on to, counting as gain, you lose. But what you give to God, you still have. O Father, We need you; we want to value what you consider is of value. You valued us, to give us Your Only Begotten Son; Your Son valued us, to give Himself on the Cross for us in love, to say now, that He will be with us forever; Help us we pray, to make Thee and Your precious word, what we value, above everything else, that Your word may take root in us mightily, dwell in us richly that You may be glorified. In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
