March 2
Lev 25:47-27:13 | PS 45:1-17 | Prov 10:22 | Mark 10:32-52
In 2016 the World Economic Forum stated that by the year 2030 “You will own nothing and be happy”. Many read these words and find them unthinkable since those who seek control over our lives are the same who seek to reduce the world’s population and want control over you to elevate their own power. They seek their own best, not our best. But we need to understand something as we submit to God, as we accept Jesus as Lord of Lords and King of Kings, we accept the position of bondservant to our God who wants what is best for us. We read in Leviticus 25:23, “The land must never be sold on a permanent basis, for the land belongs to me. You are only foreigners and tenant farmers working for me.“ So, God states the land really belongs to Him. We read in 25:54-55, “If any Israelites have not been bought back by the time the Year of Jubilee arrives, they and their children must be set free at that time. For the people of Israel belong to me. They are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” We read in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” We tend to forget this. As offensive as the statement is by the World Economic Forum, it is our reality if we accept becoming the Bride of Christ, His bondservant.
Jesus illustrates this point further as two of His apostles are seeking special positions in Heaven, as we read in Mark 10:42-45, “So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” In fact, what our greatest desire should be, is to one day hear these words, as spoken in Matthew 25:21, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!” Jesus’ half-brothers James and Jude called themselves bond servants. Many of the apostles in their letters stated the same.
We have a tendency to cling to the things of this world: our homes, our jobs, our retirements, our families. We take ownership of these things, believing we have earned them, worked hard for them, deserving of them. But we can learn much from Corrie Ten Boom who lost everything on this earth due to the Holocaust. She said, “Hold everything in your hands lightly, otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers open.” She also stated "You can never learn that Christ is all you need, until Christ is all you have.". One day our homes will belong to someone else. Our land will belong to someone else as will all of our possessions. When we pass from this earth, our families will move forward, perhaps get married, etc. God will never leave our side and He is all that we need on earth and in eternity. God created everything and it all really belongs to Him, even our self. Peace comes when we finally understand and accept this. Then we can strive for that which is eternal not for that which is temporal.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: