20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
5 O God, you know my folly;
the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.
6 Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me,
O Lord God of hosts;
let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me,
O God of Israel.
7 For it is for your sake that I have borne reproach,
that dishonor has covered my face.
8 I have become a stranger to my brothers,
an alien to my mother's sons.
9 For zeal for your house has consumed me,
and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.
10 When I wept and humbled[a] my soul with fasting,
it became my reproach.
11 When I made sackcloth my clothing,
I became a byword to them.
12 I am the talk of those who sit in the gate,
and the drunkards make songs about me.
Peter, in chapter three of his second epistle, writes, “But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.”
I am not here to scare you with stories and hope that you heed the warning. After all, I cannot change your mind. Only you can do that. You have to want to change your ways and return to the path of righteousness that God has laid out before you. If you choose to stay on your current path, just know that it will only lead to disappointment and separation from God.
Many years ago, there was a young man who had everything a man could want. He had a big home, expensive cars, hand-made suits and every toy imaginable. Most people would say that he was more than just successful. They would say that he was on top of the world. In fact, he even admitted that he enjoyed the fact that people envied him. He had, his words not mine, a trophy wife that would turn the heads of all the men in a room. Needless to say, he had everything.
Then, one day, his world came tumbling down. He had invested heavily in real estate and mortgage-backed securities. His investments went from millions to almost nothing overnight. Instead of paying for everything, he had leveraged himself. Creditors came to repossess everything. He lost his home, his cars and his wife. He had nothing to his name. When the day came and everything fell apart, he wasn’t ready to weather the financial storm. In just a few months, everything was gone.
This story is as old as time. People often put their trusts in the things of this world and believe that they are truly in control of their lives. All they desire is pleasure and more. That’s their lives. Instead of realizing where all of those blessings came from, they believed that it was because of their brilliant minds and shining personalities. They never considered what could happen in their lives.
When the markets crashed between 2007 and 2009, many found themselves homeless and hungry. There were no fancy parties to attend or lavish lifestyles to maintain. Now, they were just wondering where they would sleep or where their next meal would come from. The market crash came like a thief in the night. Who would have thought that real estate would have tanked in such a big way. But, it did. That day came and many who put their trust in the things of this world were soon without even the basics.
Sometimes it takes a moment like that for us to realize that we are truly nothing. We are one breath and heartbeat away from, as Shakespeare put it, shuffling off this mortal coil. A cardiologist told me that the average person’s heart, at rest, beats at seventy beats per minute. That means that there is just a little under one second between beats. Think about it. There is about one second between life and death. That isn’t a lot of time. It takes minutes to determine what we want to eat for dinner much less make a decision to change the course of our lives.
While you do have time and you have this message literally right in front of you, you have a chance to return to the path of righteousness and ask God to forgive you of your sins. With all that is going on in the world, putting off this decision is something that you literally can’t afford to do. I am not talking about the world of finance and that you should change your earthly investments. I am asking you to heed the message and change how you invest your life in your heavenly treasure.
Jesus said, in chapter six of the Gospel of Matthew, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”
The treasure that we store in heaven never loses its value or disappears when the markets go south. They are there permanently for us and are not subject to swings in the markets. But, in order for you to receive that eternal return on investment, you have to listen to these words. You must make a decision to seek the Lord and ask for forgiveness. You must put aside your earthly desires and walk the path of righteousness that leads to eternal life with the Father and His son, Christ Jesus.
The prophet, Isaiah, in chapter five of his book, writes, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”
If you truly seek the Lord and forsake your wicked ways and your evil thoughts, He will forgive your sins and welcome you as His child. Time is short. Remember that there is one breath and one heartbeat that separates you from life and death. There are consequences for each and every action that we take. No one is beyond that law. Soon or later, things catch up to us and we must face the music and give an account of how we spent our lives. What will you say about your life? Will your story be that of greed and envy? Or, will it be a story of how you accepted Christ Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord and how you became a child of God Almighty?
The choices are yours alone to make. I am not trying to scare you with hellfire and brimstone. I am here to tell you the truth and give you a chance to open that door to your heart. Jesus is softly and tenderly knocking on that door. Will you answer the door and make a change in the way that you live? Or, will you stay on your earthly course and continue down that crooked path to disappointment, destruction and damnation?
If you seek the Lord with your heart and turn away from the things of this sinful world, I can guarantee that you will be able to stand firm in His grace.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
13 Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest
is a faithful messenger to those who send him;
he refreshes the soul of his masters.
3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace,[a] both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
4 More in number than the hairs of my head
are those who hate me without cause;
mighty are those who would destroy me,
those who attack me with lies.
What I did not steal
must I now restore?
11 A word fitly spoken
is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.
12 Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold
is a wise reprover to a listening ear.
12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
25 I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, 26 for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. 27 Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. 28 I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. 29 So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, 30 for he nearly died[a] for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.
669 Save me, O God!
For the waters have come up to my neck.[a]
2 I sink in deep mire,
where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters,
and the flood sweeps over me.
3 I am weary with my crying out;
my throat is parched.
My eyes grow dim
with waiting for my God.
What your eyes have seen
8 do not hastily bring into court,[a]
for[b] what will you do in the end,
when your neighbor puts you to shame?
9 Argue your case with your neighbor himself,
and do not reveal another's secret,
10 lest he who hears you bring shame upon you,
and your ill repute have no end.
12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
32 O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God;
sing praises to the Lord, Selah
33 to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens;
behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
34 Ascribe power to God,
whose majesty is over Israel,
and whose power is in the skies.
35 Awesome is God from his[a] sanctuary;
the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God!
