Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #4 Transitoriness #2 Purity

In the previous chapters we have seen that we are tempted to compare with others in this world. We are easily influenced by others and we come into despair when we hear others brag about their success and their existence without sorrow. In this materialistic world, we see plenty of people who talk highly with praise about their gadgets and who are happy to exhibit their luxury.
The question is whether if we can be satisfied with what we have and if we want to find fulfilment in this life with all what we get, but still have much less than the other like to show.

Our daily Bible reading shows us that we do not need to look for gaudy figures, fops, show-offs, spouts and vain and that we have to make sure not to become jealous. The Word of God should be our greatest treasure which is indispensable in our lives. Scripture shows us that everything is but transitory and that everything is timely and that we can not take anything of it into our grave for our use of in our death. When we die, our life comes to an end and than we are nothing with the earthly treasures. Eventually like everyone will end up to return to dust and ashes. The scriptures counsel us not to worry about the future. Tomorrow will be what it brings and what it will be. The past flies away but we must have knowledge of the past to better understand the present and to look ahead to the future, we do not immediately have an impact on what we have, but sometimes we do have more in the hand than we think.

God gives us the assurance that those who love God and trust in Him should not worry for tomorrow.

Trust, Faith and Prayer

Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #4 Transitoriness

Prosperity and Waiting unto Jehovah God

When we have food and covering, we shall be satisfied with these. But those wishing to be rich fall into trial and a snare, and into many foolish and injurious lusts which plunge men in ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some, by longing for it, have strayed from the belief, and pierced themselves through with many pains. But you, O man of Elohim, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, reverence, belief, love, endurance, meekness. Fight the good fight of the belief, lay hold on everlasting life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession before many witnesses. (1 Timothy 6:8-12 The Scriptures 1998+)

Headlines posted in street-corner window of newspaper office (Brockton Enterprise), Brockton, Massachusetts, December 1940. – Reproduction from color slide. Photographed by Jack Delano.
source: Library of Congress

“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the congregations and on the corners of the streets, to be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. (Matthew 6:5 The Scriptures 1998+)

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. “For where your treasure is, there your heart shall be also. “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, all your body shall be enlightened. “But if your eye is evil,1 all your body shall be darkened. If, then, the light that is within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! Footnote: 1This is a Hebidiom – a good eye means to be generous, while an evil eye means to be stingy. “No one is able to serve two masters, for either he shall hate the one and love the other, or else he shall cleave to the one and despise the other. You are not able to serve Elohim and mammon.1 Footnote: 1Personification of wealth. “Because of this I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you shall eat or drink, or about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than the food and the body more than the clothing? “Look at the birds of the heaven, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into storehouses, yet your heavenly Father does feed them. Are you not worth more than they? “And which of you by worrying is able to add one cubit to his life’s span? “So why do you worry about clothing? Note well the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin, and I say to you that even Shelomoh in all his esteem was not dressed like one of these. “But if Elohim so clothes the grass of the field, which exists today, and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more you, O you of little belief? “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ “For all these the gentiles seek for. And your heavenly Father knows that you need all these. “But seek first the reign of Elohim, and His righteousness, and all these matters shall be added to you. “Do not, then, worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow shall have its own worries. Each day has enough evil of itself. (Matthew 6:19-34 The Scriptures 1998+)

Carefree does not mean doing nothing

That does not mean we just have to take everything as it comes along and do nothing. As the Psalmist implores God to remember the purchased congregation and the redeemed inheritance in his dwelling place of Zion, we do well to remember the same thing and rejoice that we have been chosen to be part of this. For us it should be encouraging that even though the heart is ‘deceitful and desperately wicked’ (Jeremiah 17:9) it can still be viewed as ‘pure’ by God when it is cleansed by the Word. We can ask God to be with us and to give His word to edify and cleanse us.

9 How would a young man cleanse his path. To guard it according to Your word? 10 I have sought You with all my heart; Let me not stray from Your commands! 11 I have treasured up Your word in my heart, That I might not sin against You. 12 Blessed are You, O יהוה {Jehovah}! Teach me Your laws. 13 With my lips I have recounted All the right-rulings of Your mouth. 14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your witnesses, As over all riches. 15 I meditate on Your orders, And regard Your ways. 16 I delight ^{1} myself in Your laws; I do not forget Your word. {Footnote: ¹See also vv. 24, 35, 47, 70, 77, 92, 143, 174, Rom. 7:22.} 17 Do good to Your servant, Let me live and I guard Your word. 18 Open my eyes, that I might see Wonders from Your Torah. (Psalms 119:9-18 The Scriptures 1998+)

Tools to stay pure

With God His word in the Holy Scriptures we are given the tools to keep our way pure. By living according to the Word of God, with our whole heart, really willingly to seek the Almighty Elohim Hashem Jehovah, He shall be willing to guide us so that we do not wander from God His commandments. Our daily bible reading should make us to hide Gods Word in our heart as the biggest treasure, that we might not sin against God.

Like the Psalmist we can ask God in what we could call “a prayer” to teach us His statutes. Speaking or praying to God we can declare all the ordinances with our lips of Gods mouth. Reading in His Words we should rejoice in the way of His testimonies, as much as in all riches. Meditating on God His precepts, considering His and not our ways. By taking God His words at hearth we can delight ourselves in His statutes. Several days, year after year reading the Bible shall make that we will not forget God His Word.

When we than try to live according to those Words of God, obeying His instructions, when we do ask Him to open our eyes, that we may see wondrous things out of the Torah, we shall get to see we shall understand more and more the Ruling and Law of God. Therefore it is not bad to ask God not to hide His commandments from you. When your soul is consumed with longing for Gods ordinances at all times, you shall feel Him close to you, because He will not abandon you.

Request not to be ashamed

We can ask the Elohim to take reproach and contempt away from us, when we have kept His statutes because they are our delight, and our counsellors.

When our soul is laid low in the dust we can ask God to revive us according to His Word. Like the Psalmist who declared his ways, and God answered him, Jehovah shall also answer us, who are willing to be near Him.

When our soul is weary with sorrow we can direct our words to the Almighty to strengthen us according to His Word. We can ask Him to keep us from the way of deceit. God grants us His Torah graciously, when we have chosen the way of truth, and are willing to set Jehovah His ordinances before us.

We may be sure that clinging to the statutes of God instead according the ways of the living majority in the world, God will not disappoint those who love Him and are willing to live according to His commandments. We should run in the path of God His commandments, for He is the Only One who can set our heart free.