“The Lord says, ‘I will make you wise and show you where to go. I will guide you and watch over you.’” (Psalm 32:8, NCV).
We have been born into a world not of our own making; it is a world full of conflict with many voices demanding our attention. Specific circumstances, including physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and material, shape and influence our lives in almost unlimited ways. And the conflict rages in both the seen and unseen worlds; Ephesians 6:12 tells us, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (NLT). Our world tells us, “Use this specific product, buy this specific brand, accumulate more stuff, desire the best, use your time here, use your talents there.” And all the while, we are consuming. Only God’s Word can give us the hope, power, and guidance we need to make our way through the jungle of activity in this complex world.
It is important to remember that the choices we make now impact greatly how we not only experience life here on earth, but how we will live in eternity. Second Corinthians 5:10 says, “For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body” (NLT). This provides us with enormous opportunity! We need to embrace the fact that life now can be tons of fun when we become Converterlators!
We all know there are foolish ways and wise ways to spend our time, talent, and treasure. We can either consume our resources, using them for perishable pleasure, or use these resources for imperishable treasure. How do we stay focused? Psalm 32:8 tells us, “The Lord says, ‘I will make you wise and show you where to go. I will guide you and watch over you’” (NCV). We need to ask for God’s wisdom!
Only the Word of God can give us a proper perspective. The world system ultimately destroys and will be destroyed itself according to Scripture. Even so, the Bible gives us the counsel we need to conduct ourselves in this difficult world.
The Bible tells us, “Sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it” (Genesis 4:7, NIV). Since the beginning of time, Satan has been seeking to trip people up! It is critical that the resurrection power of Christ be at work in our lives in order to enable us to live the life that God desires for us. As this power grows in our hearts, the spiritual desires to invest our time, talent, and treasure in the kingdom of God will overcome our desires for pursuing perishable things. The lure of the world is constantly with us. We must find a way to recognize when we are being tempted to waste our resources, and then know what to do about it! When we submit to God, the Holy Spirit empowers us to focus on his desires for us.
How much time are you committing to the study of God’s Word in order to be able to make good choices with your time, talent, and treasure?
Converterlators know that only the Word of God can give them a proper perspective.