A professor once told of a student who came into his office asking for advice on what courses to take: I asked him: "What do you expect to be doing after you graduate?" He described a position typical of our graduates. I then asked: "What do you expect your next position will be after that." He replied: "Well, I will probably get a promotion and become a team leader."
"That sounds good", I replied, "and what do you suppose will come after that?" He stated that he never gave it much thought, but was quite certain that he would end up in a middle-management position. I continued to challenge: "... and after that?" The student described a few more possibilities and, running out of options, finally stated: "I guess after that I will retire."
"Then what?" I asked. "Well ... er ... I guess ... I mean ... after I spend some years of retirement ... I guess I will probably die."
"You were very sure of the other plans that you have -- and that's good," I responded, "but only one of these events is a definite certainty, and you don't seem to be very sure of it. Hebrews 9:27 states ... and as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. You would do well to place your emphasis on that which you know to be certain."
This month we want to look at the problems of worldliness and attempt to see what it is doing to our lives, our society and our children. This seemingly innocent preoccupation with wealth and security can steal our very souls.
These bible study questions provide assistance to you in studying and teaching God's word. The answers are quite clear, and they prove that we can have the same understanding as the apostles had by reading what they wrote (Ephesians 3:4). We challenge you to open your bible and establish the truth.
(Mark 12:28-34) Which is the first of all of God's commandments?
(Matthew 7:21) If we put God first, what will we do?
(1 Jn. 5:3.) What does it mean to "love God?"
(2 Tim. 3:16-17.) Where do we find God's will for us?
(2 Jn. 9.) Are we free to go beyond that which has been revealed?
(Rev. 22:16-17.) Are we free to alter the scriptures?
(1 Cor. 4:6.) What is going beyond God's word evidence of?
(Heb. 11:6.) Is believing God's promises part of putting Him first?
(Lk. 13 1-3.) Is repenting of our sins part of putting God first?
(Mt. 10:32.) Is living a life of confession part of putting God first?
(Jn. 3:5.) Is being "born again" part of putting God first?
(Rom. 6:3.) Is the rebirth experienced in baptism? Does this put one into the body of Christ (see 1 Cor. 12:13)?
Jesus recognized that we do not live one-dimensional lives. Secular business is imposed on us by virtue of being human. As an example, the apostle Paul instructed Timothy to teach that "... if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel (1 Tim. 5:8). "Infidels" (unbelievers) are held up here, since generally they do take care of their own.
We have many things that compete for our time and efforts: jobs, friends, entertainment, etc. To give time to these is not wrong, but it can be harmful if we do not put first things first.
As an example, a man might have spent much time taking care of his family and building for their security. He might be quite diligent in investing and obtaining life insurance to be sure that they are taken care of once he is gone. However, the legacy that he will leave will be a very sorrowful one if he has not taken time to attend to his own soul.
Such a man is described in Matthew 19:16f. This man described himself accurately as a decent man, and one who had generally kept God's commandments. But Jesus saw that his problem was in the emphasis that he gave to worldly wealth, and Jesus tested him to see if that was the most important thing in his life. The result: "he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions."
It was right after this that Jesus stated that "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." The context indicates that Jesus was not disallowing the possibility altogether, and later we read of Christians who were relatively wealthy (e.g., 1 Tim. 6:17). What he was saying is that once a person has established a set of priorities in life and lived by them for so many years, only God can rearrange them. Our responsibility is to allow Him to do this.
So we see the wisdom of Solomon as he states (Ecc. 12:1) "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth ..." But even for the old, it is not too late to admit that we have not ordered our lives as Jesus commanded (Mt. 6:33): "Seek ye first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Now is the acceptable time (2 Cor 6:2) -- we have no assurance of tomorrow.
Ye often hear it said . . .
The bible does not apply to us today . . .
But the writer of Hebrews stated (Heb. 13:8):
"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever."
Most of us have seen remarkable changes in our lifestyles just within our own lifetimes: major wars, a depression, a period of sexual "liberation," major industrialization, and a dramatic change in the way that television affects our perception of morality.
Nevertheless, the basic nature of man has not changed from the time of Adam and Eve. Hear the words of the apostle John (1 Jn. 2:16): "For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."
One cannot live in this world today and fail to observe that mankind is subject to exactly the same spiritual forces of darkness that were present in the days of Adam, and those when Jesus walked this earth. The gospel of Jesus Christ is totally independent of the social and economic environment in which we must function. Truth is ageless, and it is the only thing that can make us free (Jn. 8:32).