THE QUESTION OF SUCCESSFUL LIVING
Sunday, January 04, 2015
Exodus
[KJV] 3:14… God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM …
Mark
[GW] 8:31-38 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man
would have to suffer a lot. He taught them that he would be rejected by the
leaders, the chief priests, and the scribes. He would be killed, but after
three days he would come back to life. He told them very clearly what he meant.
Peter took him aside and objected to this. Jesus turned, looked at his
disciples, and objected to what Peter said. Jesus said, "Get out of my
way, Satan! You aren't thinking the way God thinks but the way humans
think." Then Jesus called the crowd to himself along with his disciples.
He said to them, "Those who want to follow me must say no to the things
they want, pick up their crosses, and follow me. Those who want to save their
lives will lose them. But those who lose their lives for me and for the Good
News will save them. What good does it do for people to win the whole world yet
lose their lives? Or what should a person give in exchange for life? If people
are ashamed of me and what I say in this unfaithful and sinful generation, the
Son of Man will be ashamed of those people when he comes with the holy angels
in his Father's glory."
Would we like to
live successfully in 2015, and even for the rest of our life? Do we want our
loved ones to be live successfully? And what of our nation? Of course we do!
Success is
measured by profit. But what definition of profit would that be?
Success by God’s
measure is perceptually contrary to unregenerate mankind’s concept of success;
there’s constant tension between His wisdom and man’s philosophy of being an
accomplished person. And it is a conflict common to all Biblically conscientious
people.
Paul, in writing
to conflicted believers at Rome and Corinth, explained that our faith is not to
be based on human wisdom, but on God’s; wisdom that is not held, adhered to, taught,
or demonstrated by world rulers and/or philosophers. (Example – Acts 26:28) Their
being here today, soon gone, replaced with changing measure, whereas Jehovah
God is forever constant Eternal King. (Ex.3:14; Rom.12:1-3; 1Cor.2:5-6;
1Tim.1:17; Heb.13:8)
Reading God’s
Word we see many that lived successfully in and by God’s measure, pleasing Him
in both pleasance and suffering, and profiting exceedingly; beginning with Abel
some faithful disciples living in conflict with mankind’s standard of success
paid dearly by man’s determination. (Gen.4:1-8; Heb.11:4)
Here today in the
USA is no exception. Each and every individual, follower of Christ or not, is
confronted with the two opposing measures of success. Throughout our history those
living successfully by God’s measure were respected, howbeit grudgingly at
times.
This has been
altered and continues to change. Those of us living success the King’s Way
(Jn.14:6) are increasingly seen as hindrance to otherwise accomplishment.
According to those that are anti-Word we present archaic narrow-minded ignorant
thinking that is an obstacle to progressiveness; a “Live and let live.” open-minded
liberal tolerance with non-judgmental attitude allowing wholesale
permissiveness.
As followers of
Christ we have been moved largely from respect to being humored for dollar and
vote, from regard to increased ridicule, and now experiencing cases of
persecution and prosecution. More than ever before in our nation we are
individually and corporately faced with the question of correct and proper successful
living.
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