Hebrews 13:5-6 ... Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be
content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never
leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is
my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
Exhortation: Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
The problem starts with a strong desire for something on this earth ...
Certainly it is the human way to want things.
But the more we focus on things of the earth, the more trouble we are likely to cause ourselves.
The Bible is God's way of freeing us.
The current heaven and earth will pass away in the judgment of man. All these things we can see with our natural eye will be burned in the fire.
II Peter 3 ... But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. 14Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
The people of the world do not know these things we know. They desire many things of this world. They also desire personal achievements. They have no idea that all these goals will be futile and of no real value in the end. Either they die or the end comes by the judgment spoken of in II Peter 3.
But we who are of God know these things. So we should be guided by them.
And we have the following instruction.
Col. 3 ... If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
5Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 6For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 7In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
8But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
Jesus said it would end like a thief in the night ... a thief strikes when we aren't looking for him.
And what of all these thoughts of tomorrow? Certainly the world plans that way, always planning. But we who are of God are warned not to do this.
Recently I was asleep and was awakened by a strange noise. The cat was beside me and was also awakened. We both were stunned by this noise, having no idea what it was. Finally I realized it was coming from the motor in the blind that covers the glass doors beside the bed. The electricity had gone off and triggered this.
I thought about the day of the Lord and how shocked everyone will be. The heavens will pass with a loud noise. Mt. 24
No one alive on earth at the time will miss the event.
We read there will be signs in the sky before the returning of the Lord. Lk. 21 Signs in the sun, signs in the moon, signs in the stars. We will not have to go outside for these events .... If we are in the house, the noise will catch our attention. It will be like nothing we have ever heard before. Then we can run outside and look! But we who are of God will know what is happening because we know the Bible. The world will have no idea what is going on.
This could happen at any time and all that worrying about tomorrow will end up being fretting over nothing.
Old people won't need a retirement home. We won't have to be concerned over our teeth lasting our lifetime. Money won't matter.
Mt. 6 ... Jesus says ... Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
And another warning from James ...
James 4 ... Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. 16But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
We, who are of God, should not be fretting and planning the way this world does. We have different instructions to guide us.
To bring us back to God's reality and God's way of escape, focus on this:
I Tim. 6 ...But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 9But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts
Do I have food today? Do I have raiment today?
This makes it very simple.