ries inescapab le re levance for those believers who foolishly look to financial assets and earthly pos sessions to provide security in life. The night the rich fool thought he had all he would ever need he was summoned into eternity, leav ing all his bulging barns behind (Luke 12:20). Yes, even the Lord's people can be guilty of confiding in riches. With rising inflation we may feel we have to take on an extra job. This necessitates using time and energy which could have been invested in the service of the Lord. We do have a legitimate right to put our income into some form of savings. But when we leave little or no time for serving Christ, or money for His testimony we are guilty of confiding in riches. God has given us many wonder ful things in this life. Yet, we must exert care that our goals would glorify the Lord in all things. We need to be careful of our time, talent and tithe. There are many people who can rise to the great crisis of life but then fall apart in having to face the "nitty gritty" of daily effort. It brings them defeat. Life is really a footrace (Heb. 12: 1, 2). A quick burst of speed is not enough. It takes stamina and de termination to cross the finish line. This is the way it is, too, when it comes to living the Christian life. The achievement of real fellow ship with the Lord, and the attain ment of high spiritual character, involves a long, hard run. We must depend upon the Holy Spirit to help us. To enter the race is one thing, but to complete it success fully is an altogether different thing in every direction. Let us always be aware of the resources God pro
vides through Christ as we look to Him. It has been well said that "The secret of a mans being is not only to live, but also to have some thing to live for." Christ gives men something for which to live. While we may face economic survival, it is wonderful to know that we can trust the Lord in all things! One day a man came to Jesus Christ seeking help in solving a financial problem. It seems that his brother had refused to divide the family inheritance with him. We do not know the basic prob lem, but it was indeed there as re corded in Luke 12 beginning with verse 13. Coveting riches is a pit- fall we need to avoid as we live our Christian experience. There are many who complain about how tough the days are, but if we saw the high level of their savings ac count or stock portfolio we would be greatly amazed! We do not al ways learn about the true state of individuals from what they say. The believer must be very careful lest he confides in his riches. It is so easy to use one's time for other things rather than the Lord's work. Such a practice always results in a spiritual decline. There are wonderful promises we need to accept at the Lord's hand. In Luke 12:22 Christ is con fronting this man who has come to Him about the problem of earthly provisions. Someone has studied Scrip tu re and determ ined that there are about 30,000 promises in the Bible. Not all of them have our names attached to them. Many of them relate to the people of Is rael for example. Still, think of the many in the New Testament which comprise a vast supply of gift cer tificates to be endorsed by faith Page 49
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