Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ... Please take the time to take in song and images from from the group, The O’Jays singing For the Love of Money … powerfully singing of how we, as Christians, must avoid falling pray to the very human temptation to pursue a relationship with money as opposed to a deeper, more abiding, relationship with Christ. … And THEN ON TO THIS LINK to hear the group, Hillsong, singing Jesus, You’re All I Need, showing where our priorities as Christians should really be.
... the root of all evil !!!
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Highlight Verse[s]: Ecclesiastes 5:10 [ESV] ... 10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.
… God, thru Solomon’s errors in life, trying to show us how we, as believers in the one true God, must prioritize our pursuits.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Ecclesiastes [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Solomon had learned, later in his life, the futility and fruitlessness of trying to amass wealth in lieu of a deeper relationship with God.
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Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… If we trust God … #1 … and avoid leaning on our own desires, we’ll be able to follow God’s ways a lot more readily.
Reference Passage : … Matthew 6:19-21, 33 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus is very clear on how we must put our relationship with Him as #1, avoiding trying to amass wealth in our lives.
Reference Passage : … 1Timothy 6:10 [ESV] … 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
… Paul, trying to help Timothy and other fellow Christians keep their (our) priorities straight [see photo].
Reference Passage : … Hebrews 13:5 [ESV] … 5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
… The author of Hebrews quotes Jesus on why we should not rely on money since Jesus is all we need.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Winn Collier, tells of a young man who learned thru life that living for the love of money was a fruitless pursuit. … The ODB author wrote: As a young man, Duncan had been afraid of not having enough money, so in his early twenties, he began ambitiously building his future. Climbing the ladder at a prestigious Silicon Valley company, Duncan achieved vast wealth. He had a bulging bank account, a luxury sports car, and a million-dollar California home. He had everything he desired; yet he was profoundly unhappy. “I felt anxious and dissatisfied,” Duncan said. “In fact, wealth can actually make life worse.” Piles of cash didn’t provide friendship, community, or joy—and often brought him only more heartache.
A mentor once told me, “I can tell what your deepest longings are by just looking at your calendar and your bank statement for the past few months.” He knew that how we use our time and treasures would reveal where our heart lies [see Jesus’ words in Matt. 6]. And that’s basically where all of those truths above (from God’s word) direct us, don’t they?
And once you take in the linked songs and meditate deeply on the Scriptures above, I’ll leave it to you and God’s Spirit to work out how these truths might impact your future pursuits. I know that they have certainly caused me to do a course correction.
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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for helping me to remember where my heart lies.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me to set our course towards a deeper, more abiding, relationship with Christ. 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.</ span>
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