Does God hate worldly possessions? Does God want me to be poor? Does God hate the rich people? The answer to all of these questions is in God's Word. "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery", (Galatians 5:1). God wants all of His children set free so they will be able to do His pleasing and perfect Will. Just as our fingerprints are different so are our sinful desires. There is no cookie cut pattern for the Christian life. What God does in one child's life may not be done in yours and vise verse. God ultimately wants all of His children to reflect the light of Christ to the world and He as the potter only knows what process it will take for each individual child to be molded into Christ's image. To the drunkard He will say, "don't put your lip to another bottle of wine". To the rich He may say, "sell all of your possessions and give to the poor". To the drug attic He will say, "go to rehab". To the person in major credit card debt He will say, "cut up your credit cards". To the glutton He will say, "be a good steward over your body". God does not mind His children having possessions, but He does mind possessions possessing His Children. All those things which has enslaved us before coming to Christ, God prunes them away in order to have each child bare more fruit. That enslavement, God cannot use. Now to the man who is wealthy but has a heart like Job who knew that when his possessions got taken away, God giveth and God taketh away!!! God says to that man here use your wealth to bring me glory and I am pleased with this. God does not want any of His children going without food, clothes, and shelter. Our heart plays a big part in what God blesses us with. When we pray to God for money, homes, cars, jobs, health and the like, God's response will always be; "What will you do with what I give you"? Will it be used to bring you glory or will it be used to bring me Glory? So God's Will is perfect, His Gifts are perfect, His pruning is perfect. God's ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are surely higher than our thoughts. A lot of what is being deemed ungodly today is not ungodly, and vise verse a lot of what is being deemed Godly today is not Godly. God judges the heart, and He desires to bless all His children with "good gifts". Seek not wealth, seek God's Will, if His plan for your life brings wealth for His glory to expand his kingdom, then to God be the glory. If His will does not include worldly possessions for you to fulfill His Will, then to God be the Glory. Bottom line, to God be the Glory!!! Be Encouraged!!! Have a wonderful life of submitting to the big picture on purpose!!!!!
John 15
The Vine and the Branches
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
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