As I ponder tonight about the souls of the people I know and love, I am carried away by emotions of discernment. I am Called and Ordained by Jesus Christ to Proclaiming the Awesome Message of Salvation and Deliverance offered to all mankind, including all I know and love, through the Death, burial and Resurrection of Christ! The discernment came about while pondering Christmas and the mad rush to buy and get more stuff. Jesus gave me this thought by way of the Holy Spirit; “William, there is not enough money or stuff in the World that can fill the vacuum in your heart, That is why I sent the Holy Spirit.” Wow, that was an unexpected proclamation! To a seasoned Christian this proclamation may seem mundane but for someone like me Spectacular! I must share this with everyone. Why seek stuff that is hear today and gone tomorrow? Why not seek Substance that will enrich your life and the lives of those you love? That Substance is the Indwelling Christ! Do you know Him? Do you feel Him moving upon your heart? Do you hear His voice? Does the Holy Spirit speak with your spirit, confirming your are Saved? If you can respond to those questions with an affirmative yes, then you need not this Devotion. If you have not or cannot answer these questions yes, then please read further.
Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” These words from Jesus keep ringing in my ears! Happiness, He says, comes from hungering and thirsting for Righteousness! To be filled with the Holy Spirit is the result of that pursuit! The Holy Spirit is what brings Happiness and Substance into my life, not Material possessions! 1Timothy 6:6 “But godliness with contentment is great gain.7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.” So why do we seek stuff to fill our lives when it shall be gone, soon? Listen to this Wisdom from God’s Word; Ecclesiastes 2:22 “What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun?23 All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless. 24 A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? 26 To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”
Let us not Chase after the wind! Let us find and follow Hard after Christ! Let us seek Him with our whole heart! For He has said you will find! I would like to challenge each of you dear readers to humbly ask God to help you discover His Substance! Take this challenge if you dare. Grab a tablet of paper and right down where you spent your time the previous hour. Do this for a week. This will not be easy, but I can assure you it will show what your Pursuing in your life! Do you want to mature in your Christian faith? Do you want True Joy in your life? Do you really want Happiness? If not, then continue to Chase after the wind!