During the day dreams of your life, have you ever dreamed about "striking it rich?" Winning the lottery.....placing your money on the next MicroSoft, Google, or Apple....finding yourself in the will of an eccentric relative you've forgotten about.....getting rich enough so you will never have an unmet need ever again? This classic thought comes from the musical "Fiddler on the Roof:"
Dear God, you made many, many poor people. I realize, of course, that
it's no great shame to be poor... but it's no great honor, either. So what would have
been the difference if I had... a small fortune?
If I were a rich man,
Daidle deedle daidle
Daidle daidle deedle daidle dum
All day long I'd biddy-biddy-bum
If I were a wealthy man.
I wouldn't have to work hard,
Daidle deedle daidle
Daidle daidle deedle daidle dum
If I were a biddy-biddy rich,
Daidle deedle daidle daidle man.
Hello my friends. We are all very needy people, no matter what our current bank balance might be today or in the future. We all are in desperate need of the Lord and His grace. Rich or poor, we all face the temptation to take control of our lives. This common temptation always leaves us with two choices: to live the Christian life in our own strength or to live the Christian life using God's strength.
This week's Psalms of Discipleship clearly shows us that the Lord's way is much better than ours. If we embrace the poverty He has given us, we will end up much richer than our wildest dreams.
May we learn to embrace our poverty in order to gain Christ's riches,
Denny
Psalms of Discipleship—Principle #24
Life Principles For Those Who Choose To Follow Jesus And Live The Discipled Life
Key Scripture: 5 The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot. 6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me. Psalm 16:5-6
Core Value: Grace
There are two ways to accumulate riches: our way or God’s way. Our way, the way of self, costs us much more than we can pay. Sure, we might be able to collect in the course of our life an abundance of possessions and superficial “honors” and fame and be considered by many people as a “winner” of the rat race. But really, what kind of disciple of Jesus wants to win that kind of race? Our way of gaining riches will always lead to a temporal, decaying outcome. God’s way to riches is far different. It begins and ends with poverty.
"Blessed [i.e., fortunate or prosperous] are the poor [i.e., those who are not arrogant] in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3 (NASB95)
Dallas Willard translates this verse “Blessed are the spiritual zeros—the spiritually bankrupt, deprived and deficient, the spiritual beggars, those without a wisp of ‘religion’—when the kingdom of the heavens comes upon them.” (The Divine Conspiracy, pg. 100)
This is the point: when we renounce the way of legalism, works, and performance and acknowledge our spiritual poverty, we open ourselves to the full benefits of grace. Then, and only then, will we fully appreciate the Lord as the Portion of our inheritance, the Provider of all our needs, the Person who graces us with a beautiful life.
Principle #24 & Personal Application: The quality disciple of Jesus Christ is so blessed because of God’s grace.
• The Lord is the Portion of our inheritance. It is grace that gives us what we do not deserve.
• The Lord is the Provider of all our needs. It is grace that gives us what we need.
• The Lord is the Person who graces us with a beautiful life. It is grace that gives us a life of meaning and beauty.
Reflect & Respond: Some Really Good Questions To Ponder…
What comes to my mind when I think about the ways God has been good to me?
As other people look at my life, can they see evidence of the grace of God at work in me?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for being my Portion; my Provider; and the Person who graces me with a beautiful life. You, Lord Jesus, are the portion of my inheritance and my cup. You, Lord Jesus, are everything to me. May You, Lord Jesus, pour out Your all sufficient grace upon me.
The Essential Core Values Of The Quality Disciple Are…
Grace—Worship—Bible Study—Prayer—Community—Service—Evangelism
Denny Bates & Something New Christian Publishers © 2010 All rights reserved.
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