Our paragraph topic is:(The rich young man speaks to Jesus
) Part 7.
The rich young man asked Christ which commandments to follow. Christ told him which ones to keep: Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not commit adultery. The young man knew about the commandments but he wanted to know the truth from the one who had been proclaimed a teacher, a Rabbi, the Messiah. For the word had come to him that there was one who performed miracles like no other. The word spread that he was the one who had come to save mankind from the evil of the day. And he wanted to know what he must do to obtain the kingdom of heaven.
Christ told him simply, keep the commandments. He told him that these were the essentials to assure that he would obtain the kingdom. Even though the young man knew of the commandments he was unsure of their importance in helping him open the door to the kingdom of heaven. Christ wanted him to know all that is required so he gave him another commandment to follow. And Jesus said, "Thou shalt not steal."
To steal: to take, without permission, that which does not belong to you. It can take many forms but at its basis it means the same, to take. We see something that we want, something that we desire, and we take it. We steal. We want, we take; we desire, we steal. Christ tells us that we should not steal. He tells us that we should not take that which is not ours, without permission. Yet today we are programmed to want, we are programmed to desire that which we are not able to have. We see the things, the objects of our desires everyday, every minute of our existence. Some of those things are within our reach and some are not. Some are things that we can attain in the future and some are things that we will never be able to have, through our own efforts, unless some fortune of luck passes our way.
Why do we steal? Why do we have to have all that the world presents to us? Why are our desires, our passions fed to encourage us to seek, to find ways to have what is not within our reach? This is the way of the world. This is what we are given from birth to death, a burning passion of worldly desires that drive us to achieve, to seek success, to have that which others have. We follow the carrot on the stick, wanting to reach that goal of what has been given to us as a the measure of success. And yet we are already successful in the eyes of God. We do not have to take. We do not have to steal. We already have all that the world can offer us and more. We are already given the riches of the kingdom only to give them away for the glitz and glamor that death offers in this world.
If we only knew who we are. If we only understood the riches that is already ours. If we could only see the truth of who we are in Christ, we would know the wealth that is ours, a wealth that nothing on this earth could compare. Christ gave us new life. He gave us abundance. He gives us joy and peace, and happiness. He gives us all, simply for the asking and only for believing in him. He gives us the light of life that we may know and he gives us the consolation of the spirit to guide us. And God our Father provides for us, keeps us from harm, protects us. Yet we turn away from the Father and turn to the world for guidance, for love, for protection. We turn to the world and away from God that we may have the things that are dying in the world, the things that are of no value. We are already rich. We are already kings. We are already rulers, and priests, and ministers, and lords. This is the heritage given us from the beginning. Why throw away all that we already have so that we can steal that which is of no value? Find your treasure that is within you and you will know the truth of who you are in Christ. Then you will know that there is nothing in this world that you will want or desire that can compare to what you already have in Christ. "Thou shalt not steal."
Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.
The rich young man asked Christ which commandments to follow. Christ told him which ones to keep: Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not commit adultery. The young man knew about the commandments but he wanted to know the truth from the one who had been proclaimed a teacher, a Rabbi, the Messiah. For the word had come to him that there was one who performed miracles like no other. The word spread that he was the one who had come to save mankind from the evil of the day. And he wanted to know what he must do to obtain the kingdom of heaven.
Christ told him simply, keep the commandments. He told him that these were the essentials to assure that he would obtain the kingdom. Even though the young man knew of the commandments he was unsure of their importance in helping him open the door to the kingdom of heaven. Christ wanted him to know all that is required so he gave him another commandment to follow. And Jesus said, "Thou shalt not steal."
To steal: to take, without permission, that which does not belong to you. It can take many forms but at its basis it means the same, to take. We see something that we want, something that we desire, and we take it. We steal. We want, we take; we desire, we steal. Christ tells us that we should not steal. He tells us that we should not take that which is not ours, without permission. Yet today we are programmed to want, we are programmed to desire that which we are not able to have. We see the things, the objects of our desires everyday, every minute of our existence. Some of those things are within our reach and some are not. Some are things that we can attain in the future and some are things that we will never be able to have, through our own efforts, unless some fortune of luck passes our way.
Why do we steal? Why do we have to have all that the world presents to us? Why are our desires, our passions fed to encourage us to seek, to find ways to have what is not within our reach? This is the way of the world. This is what we are given from birth to death, a burning passion of worldly desires that drive us to achieve, to seek success, to have that which others have. We follow the carrot on the stick, wanting to reach that goal of what has been given to us as a the measure of success. And yet we are already successful in the eyes of God. We do not have to take. We do not have to steal. We already have all that the world can offer us and more. We are already given the riches of the kingdom only to give them away for the glitz and glamor that death offers in this world.
If we only knew who we are. If we only understood the riches that is already ours. If we could only see the truth of who we are in Christ, we would know the wealth that is ours, a wealth that nothing on this earth could compare. Christ gave us new life. He gave us abundance. He gives us joy and peace, and happiness. He gives us all, simply for the asking and only for believing in him. He gives us the light of life that we may know and he gives us the consolation of the spirit to guide us. And God our Father provides for us, keeps us from harm, protects us. Yet we turn away from the Father and turn to the world for guidance, for love, for protection. We turn to the world and away from God that we may have the things that are dying in the world, the things that are of no value. We are already rich. We are already kings. We are already rulers, and priests, and ministers, and lords. This is the heritage given us from the beginning. Why throw away all that we already have so that we can steal that which is of no value? Find your treasure that is within you and you will know the truth of who you are in Christ. Then you will know that there is nothing in this world that you will want or desire that can compare to what you already have in Christ. "Thou shalt not steal."
Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.
No comments:
Post a Comment