You cannot serve God and money

"No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”  (Luke 16: 13)

What is mammon?  It could be any of the following:  health, family, money, job, tools, food, future.  God is the source of all these.  For most people, mammon means one thing - money.  In the Gospels, there is a contrast between dishonest, tainted wealth and genuine riches.   The Gospel invites us to seek genuine riches which cannot rust or be stolen by thieves.

"I say to the LORD,
you are my Lord,
you are my only good.

They multiply their sorrows
who court other gods.
Blood libations to them I will not pour out,
nor will I take their names upon my lips."  (Psalm 16: 2, 4)

When we serve God alone and not mammon, we abandon ourselves completely to Divine Providence. We practice total detachment from anything that can ensnare our hearts to idols.

What are some of the blessings of financial peace?

1. We avoid pride that tainted wealth brings
2. We depend fully on God for all our provisions
3. We live one day at a time
4. We avoid temptations to gluttony and lust
5. We avoid wasting time window-shopping for what to buy
6. We avoid buying things we do not need

When we serve God and not money, we learn to recognize times and seasons as God's appointments.  We learn to adapt to times and seasons joyfully.

"I know indeed how to live in humble circumstances; I know also how to live with abundance. In every circumstance and in all things I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of living in abundance and of being in need.
I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me."  (Philippians 4: 12 - 13)

God is a proved Helper in trouble

"God is our refuge and our strength,
an ever-present help in distress."  (Psalm 46: 1)

Has God been for me a refuge and ever present help in distress?
To answer the question, I reviewed my life from the period I had the clearest memory (1970) to date (2012)  The answer is resoundingly YES.

God has always been my refuge and ever present help in all types of distress.  He is a well-proved help in trouble. Whether the distress involves family, health, finances, job, tools, food and future.  God is a very reliable Helper.  The amazing thing is that in over half of the period under review, God had always come to my help even when I was outside His law.  He love is not only constant but to very mysterious.

The Supreme Advantage of knowing Jesus

"[But] whatever gains I had, these I have come to consider a loss because of Christ.
More than that, I even consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ"  (Philippians 3: 7 - 8)

But whatever gains I had....:Family, Health, Education, Finance, Property, Job, Food, Friends, I gave up because of the supreme advantage of knowing Christ.  Those forgotten gains gave false confidence.  Knowledge of Christ gave the one thing that is necessary.  The one thing that is necessary is the one thing I need:  the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit reveals to me the person of Jesus, the Healer, the Feeder.  Jesus is all that we need.

There is a tide in the affairs of men.  All times and seasons are divine appointments.  Jesus is passing by today.

God is the source of all inspiration and power

"For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work."  (Philippians 2: 13)

Abba Father, you are the source of all inspiration and power.  You give everything its place in the world and nobody can make it otherwise.  Fill me today with your inspiration.  Let my every work glorify you.  Amen!

The wedding feast of the Lamb is the Eucharistic celebration

"“Blessed is the one who will dine in the kingdom of God.”  (Luke 14: 15)

The dinner is the Church gathered in the Eucharist.

The Amplified Bible has this translation for the above scripture:
"(Happy, fortunate, and to be envied) is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!"

The Eucharistic bread is available for us every single day.  Most of us can dine in the Kingdom of God every day.  Some do this.  But how many feel truly fortunate and to be envied for the privilege of dining in the Kingdom?

"Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb. And he said to me, “These words are true; they come from God.”  (Revelations 19: 9)

The wedding feast of the Lamb is the Eucharistic celebration.  To accept the gift to dine in the Kingdom, the Eucharist, is to accept the ultimate sign of God's favor.

"This I know: God is on my side.
I praise the word of God,
I praise the word of the LORD.
In God I trust, I do not fear.
What can man do to me?"  (Psalm 56: 10 - 12)

The Eucharist is the sign of God's abiding love for us.

Jesus is our peace

"In you O Lord, I have found my peace!" 

O Prince of Peace, you are my peace.  Let me be enveloped completely by your peace.  You promise us the peace which the world cannot understand.  Let your peace cover my family, health, finances, job, tools, food and future.

In you, O Lord, I have found my peace.

Jesus is able to save us always and everywhere

"Therefore, he is always able to save those who approach God through him, since he lives forever to make intercession for them."  (Hebrews 7: 25)

Jesus is always able to save us.  His name is Jesus, Savior.  Jesus says what it is and it does what it says.

He is supremely able to save us always and everywhere  because He is alive and lives forever.  Unlike the frail high priest, king or president, Jesus does not contend with any weakness or death.  He is always fully alive and all-powerful.

When we approach the Father through His Son Jesus Christ, we are assured of hearing and salvation.

Jesus my Savior, I trust in you.