Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube version with images and lyrics from Brian Littrell singing … I Surrender All … poignantly singing of how we, as Christ’s disciples, are called to surrender our all from His providence to invest our time, talents, and treasures for God’s glory.
==============
Highlight Verse[s]: Mark 10:27-28 [NLT] … 27 Jesus looked at them [His Disciples] and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” … 28 Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”
… And Peter’s answer was Jesus’ teaching on what it takes to harvest heavenly rewards … i.e., to be willing to give our all for God’s kingdom.
==============
Highlight Passage [context]: Mark 10:17-31 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus shows the rich young man what it takes to be saved and His disciples what it takes to reap rewards in heaven.
=============
Reference Passage : … Matthew 6:19-21 [NLT] … 19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
… Jesus teaches on what we must do to receive rewards in heaven from our earthly choices.
Reference Passage : … Galatians 6:7-10 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul clearly teaches on what it takes - in terms of earthly sowing - to reap harvests of reward in heaven.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Kirsten Holmberg, uses a relatively recent reference to a financial crisis to illustrate how fickle our worldly and personal investments of time, talents, and treasures can be. The ODB author wrote … In 1995 US stock market investors received record-high returns—on average, a whopping 37.6 percent return on their dollars. Then in 2008 investors lost almost exactly as much: a negative 37.0 percent. The years between had varying returns, causing those with money in the market to wonder—sometimes with fear—what would become of their investment.
What we do in this life with our investment choices, involving our time, talents, and treasures, will, according to the truths expressed in Scripture above, boomerang for us (see photo) and be received in heaven. That’s what Jesus was trying to show His Disciples when He confronted a rich young man who wanted to know what it took to be saved (see highlight passage). The Lord showed the young man, as is sung in the linked song, that it takes the willingness to surrender our all to Jesus to receive His saving grace.
However, beyond that lesson for the young man, Jesus, in this passage, also showed His disciples what He taught in the Sermon on the Mount (see Matt. 6:19-21) and also what Paul would later teach in Galatians 6:7-10. And that is the principle of sowing and reaping … i.e., what we sow here on earth will be harvested in heaven.
So, we must ask ourselves if we’re investing our time, talents, and treasures wisely in our lives now so that we can expect to reap heavenly rewards in glory. And I’ve heard it said that the best place to determine how we’re handling God’s providence now is to look at our calendars and our check books (or online bank statements these days) to see whether what we sow will come back to us with bounteous rewards in heaven.
=============
My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for showing us Your principles of sowing and reaping from Your word.
=============
My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me and do all we can to treat the time, talents, and treasures You’ve given to us as investments now for Heavenly rewards later. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
No comments:
Post a Comment