comingjoy
Member
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2008
- Messages
- 102
What I like about both of this story and the one titled Weighted Down or Lifted up is that they go together and that is something new for me. The first one was for someone who had not yet made the decision to receive Christ. This one shows what they had decided and now have to make the choice to continue holding on to Christ or grasping once again to the things of the world.
What Are You Holding On To?
By Barbara Sybil 2-19-2008
Luke 9:25
What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?
Matthew 6:24-25
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
Do Not Worry
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
We say we believe in HIM, We say that we trust Him, but what do our actions say?
When we first receive Christ we hold on with both hands, excited that Jesus has pulled us up and set us on a path like no other. As time goes by, one hand may tend to let go of Christ and reach out for the things of the world. We may start to grasp hold more of our spouse, our children, our career, our house, car or money. At first things may seem to be going well. We don't feel the strain of only hanging onto Christ with one hand. Soon the weight of our wants in the world grows both in size and in weight. The longer we try to hold onto both Christ and our wants, the heavier the load of our wants becomes. We start to feel burdened by the weight and come to a point where we have to decide whether to continue to live for Christ or go after the things of the world.
Sometimes this happens in such a way that we don't even realize that our grip on Christ has slipped. Then one day we let go of Christ and just grasp at the things of the world with both of our hands. We no longer see the need for Christ as being first and foremost in our life. Our wants have consumed us to the point of making us let go of the very thing we really need the most, Our Saviour!
Once we let go of Christ we start to fall. The sad thing is some of us do not realize we are falling. Only when we realize that we are falling, or for some, hitting rock bottom hard, will we be able to to acknowledge the need to let go of the very things that caused us to fall and ultimately reach out again for Christ with both hands.
We cannot hang onto both. Only Christ has the strength to hold onto us and provide for our needs. How long we fall till we hit rock bottom depends on us. We need to first realize we cannot have it both ways, as the weight of our wants and things of the world is not meant for us to carry.
1 Samuel 8:1-22
Israel Asks for a King
1 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges for Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not walk in his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.
4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, "You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead [a] us, such as all the other nations have."
6 But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do."
10 Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, "This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day."
19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles."
21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. 22 The LORD answered, "Listen to them and give them a king."
Then Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Everyone go back to his town."
What Are You Holding On To?
By Barbara Sybil 2-19-2008
Luke 9:25
What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?
Matthew 6:24-25
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
Do Not Worry
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
We say we believe in HIM, We say that we trust Him, but what do our actions say?
When we first receive Christ we hold on with both hands, excited that Jesus has pulled us up and set us on a path like no other. As time goes by, one hand may tend to let go of Christ and reach out for the things of the world. We may start to grasp hold more of our spouse, our children, our career, our house, car or money. At first things may seem to be going well. We don't feel the strain of only hanging onto Christ with one hand. Soon the weight of our wants in the world grows both in size and in weight. The longer we try to hold onto both Christ and our wants, the heavier the load of our wants becomes. We start to feel burdened by the weight and come to a point where we have to decide whether to continue to live for Christ or go after the things of the world.
Sometimes this happens in such a way that we don't even realize that our grip on Christ has slipped. Then one day we let go of Christ and just grasp at the things of the world with both of our hands. We no longer see the need for Christ as being first and foremost in our life. Our wants have consumed us to the point of making us let go of the very thing we really need the most, Our Saviour!
Once we let go of Christ we start to fall. The sad thing is some of us do not realize we are falling. Only when we realize that we are falling, or for some, hitting rock bottom hard, will we be able to to acknowledge the need to let go of the very things that caused us to fall and ultimately reach out again for Christ with both hands.
We cannot hang onto both. Only Christ has the strength to hold onto us and provide for our needs. How long we fall till we hit rock bottom depends on us. We need to first realize we cannot have it both ways, as the weight of our wants and things of the world is not meant for us to carry.
1 Samuel 8:1-22
Israel Asks for a King
1 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges for Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not walk in his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.
4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, "You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead [a] us, such as all the other nations have."
6 But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do."
10 Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, "This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day."
19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles."
21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. 22 The LORD answered, "Listen to them and give them a king."
Then Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Everyone go back to his town."
He is the only one who will never disappoint and never let you down, He is a hope that will always be there and will always care about us. The things of the world are nowhere as amazing as our Lord and Saviour. Praise be to His Name 
