Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Choose this day Whom you will serve...

Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things. - Philippians 3:19

Concerning the enemies of the Cross of Christ, the end of their lives will prove to be destruction, or, literally, 'a waste'.
Their god is their belly — they live for their fleshly appetites.
They live for their own glory — they live to make a name for themselves.
And they mind earthly things — they live for that which is temporal.

It is very likely these men were not unlike the prosperity teachers of today — the Name It/Claim It, Health/Wealth boys. 'Deny yourself? No way!' they proclaim. 'God wants everyone to be totally healthy and totally wealthy here and now.'

'What's the key to life?' he said. 'Women!' So he gathered 1,000 concubines — the most beautiful women in the region — only to discover they weren't the answer.
'Partying — that's the key,' he decided. So he imported baboons and peacocks from Africa to entertain his guests, while he kept the wine flowing freely. But after partying for years, he found it empty.
'Power — that's what will satisfy a man,' he surmised. So he expanded the boundaries of his empire farther than those of any other nation of antiquity. But even then he felt unsatisfied.
He studied philosophy and science — and garnered so much gold that silver was rendered worthless in his kingdom. And yet he declared it all empty.
At last he said, 'Power, prosperity, fame, praying, women, wine, education are not the answer. The only key to life is to fear God.' But by then, Solomon's most productive years were lost, wasted because his god was his belly; his glorying was in his own name; he minded earthly things.
Beware of those who try to get you focused on this life, worried about this life, caught up in this life. They're enemies of the Cross, for the Cross says, 'Forget about yourself. Look towards eternity. Live for heaven.' (Taken from Jon Courson's NT Commentary)

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