An adulterous generation

 An adulterous generation

In the book of James we read,

"You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God."  James 4:4

I live in North America a part of the world where materialism is king. People are encouraged to buy the latest car, the latest smart phone, the latest designer clothing, the big beautiful house with all that goes with it and of course they are trying to get all the money they make.

Now there is nothing wrong with all of these things on their own. There’s nothing wrong with being rich and having the finer things in life.

The apostle Paul tells us,

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." 1 Timothy 6:10.

Riches can pull us away from God. There are many preachers here in north America that say God wants you to be healthy and wealthy. If your not they say you have sin in your life. Nothing could be further from the truth. Preachers that say these things have been lured away from the true gospel message to enrich themselves with the things of this world.

But false preachers aside each person is responsible for themselves. We have to decide where our friendship lies. Is it with God or this world.

So where does your friendship lie?

Please think about it.

Which World

Which world
Jesus quoting Deuteronomy 8:3 said,
“It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’’” Matthew 4:4.
To my way of thinking Jesus and the writer of Deuteronomy is making it clear. Individuals are spiritual beings. We cannot live on the things of this world alone. They will never truly fill that longing in mans heart.
I know a lot of people that buy a new car every few years. Their old one still works well but they like to get a new version every few years. Likewise people especially here in the west like to up grade their electronic devices every few years even if the old one works well. It’s the same with fashion many people are constantly throwing away perfectly good clothing in order to get the latest fashion.
Our materialistic society calls out from every corner telling us in order to feel good and look good we need the latest thing. If we just get the latest thing not only will we impress those around us but it will make us feel good.
Now there is nothing wrong with owning the latest things. The problem comes when we think that will give us lasting happiness and the things of this world is all there is.
Things are just that, inanimate objects, that offer little comfort when things go wrong. You can have all the money you’ve ever wanted. All the material possessions you’ve ever dreamed of, but when hard times come they are of little comfort.
This world, this life we live is fleeting. We live but a handful of years. Then all that we have gained in this world says here while we move on to the next.
One day we will all stand before God. If you don’t believe me you can wait and see. The trouble is at that point it will be too late. We must believe in God in this world in order to enter heaven. The writer of Hebrews telling us.
"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6
The writer telling us,
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."  Hebrews 11:1.
The apostle Paul said,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8,9.
As a Christian I believe that it is through belief in the saving grace that come through Jesus Christ God’s One and Only Son. That we get to heaven. Jesus speaking of himself said,
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son". John 3:16-18.
The choice however is yours. C. S. Lewis wrote,
“If you live for the next world you get this one in the deal; but if you live for this one, you lose them both." C. S. Lewis.
So my question becomes, which world are you living for?
Please think about it.

Choose

Choose
The book of Joshua tells of Joshua giving the Israelites a choice. It states,
“Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.  
But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24: 14,15
This is the same choice we have today.
In our twenty-first century world we have many gods whether we admit it our not. Everything from money, to our job, to what we own, or want to own can become our gods. It just depends on the emphasis we place on these things. After all having wealth, having your dream job, owning or wanting to own a home and nice things is not sinful. They only become sinful if they pull you away from God or cause you to do negative things to those around you.
Jesus warned
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21.  
Where our true treasure, is where our heart lies.
Matthew’s gospel records this,
“Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” 
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” 
“Which ones?” the man inquired. Jesus replied, “ ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,  honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’’” 
“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” 
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.” Matthew 19:16-22.
This young man believed there was a God BUT he put his trust in his wealth not in God. He lacked the faith to give up all he had in this world and trust exclusively in God to provide for him.
Thus my question to you the reader is, if you claim to be a follower of Christ Jesus are you willing if asked by God, to give up all you own and rely entirely on God to provide for you?
Is you treasure in Heaven or on Earth?
Please think about it.