Forsaking
All
“Forsake all, and you will find all; relinquish all desire,
and you will find rest.” (“The Imitation
of Christ”, Thomas รก Kempis)
To be strong in faith requires us to forsake worldly riches
and desires. They are of no use in
eternity and often confuse us in this world.
Faith tells us that we must focus on the things of God, but the world
tells us we need a new car or a bigger house. We must make the choice; God or earthly riches. If we
choose God we have to be willing to give up all worldly goods if called to do
so. Choose the ways of the flesh and we
can’t follow God as He desires.
We are typically not expected to walk away from everything
and live a life of abject poverty, though some have. We must, however, be willing to make that
sacrifice should it be required of us.
Without sacrifice, there is no salvation. Unless we are willing to forsake everything
for God we are not worthy of Him.
Our earthly desires are very much the same. Satan places many temptations before us
in his efforts to win our souls. He will
tell us that we can desire earthly fame, fortune and happiness and still serve
God. But he is a liar and the father of
all liars. Our desire is to be that of
serving God in whatever way He asks.
Everything depends upon our attitude toward God and His
gifts. They are blessings meant to lead
us closer to Him. By misusing them they
become the false gods we worship. By
giving all to His will we recognize that all belongs to God. We are simply the steward of the many gifts He
bestows upon us.
We thank
You for Your many blessings.
We offer
all to You and Your will.
Make us
worthy stewards.
Amen
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