Our love of material things in this world has destroyed familes, and relationships with God. A man or women wants more money to buy bigger home, nicer car, so they up and move thier family to a cess pool city where crime and temptation is around everday just to sit on easy street. Even if it's not in your neighborhood, it's in the schools. Because the love of material things is so great we are willing to put our childern and our spirits on the line. All for something that will be destroyed someday.
If you are a true Christian, you would put as much into worshiping God and studying his word as you did trying to make more money to buy a "nice" lifestyle, we would actually get to know God and understanding his will.
We have to build our pride around us for all to see, we don't want to get caught with an old car in our driveway, or in worn cloths, or wearing the wrong jewlrey. We have to associate with certain people to keep our "good" name. The love we have for ourselves in this world, so the world can say look what a good person they are. The Bibel said we should be humble, and that the meek shall inherit the earth. The people you have to hang out with to earn that reputation, if not Christian, and I mean acting chirstian not someone who goes to chruch on sundays, claiming to be saved and not living in God's will as a Christian then they are not people you would want to associate with. Besides why would you invest "love" in something that wont last? Soon your life will be over, and now it's time to face the Lord Jesus Christ, he dosne't care how much money you had, he will ask how much did you give to help someone else. How many people went hungry, had finiancial troubles and you didn't even offer. You tell him I read your word everyday, he'll ask why did you not pray for understanding of what you read, and how many people did you share with. If you read my word then why did you associate with the people you did if you were not going to bring them to me. If you read my word everyday why did you invest money on earthly things?
Some people love their job to the point to where it effects their worship, they put in so many hours they are just to tired to go to church, or football games, we would rather spend our time supporting a greedy non christian event then worshiping our Lord. Some people like to go out and "dance" at the local clubs, but they don't drink they say. When you put yourself around the enviorment you do not represent your christianity or the Lord. Bars and clubs are a cess pool of sleeze, adultry, lust, immoral people and this is what you choose over a group of friends to study the Bible togeather. Then again you want God to do what for you?
So many people claim to be saved and know they are going to Heaven just because they go to church once in a while or the preacher tell's them they are saved. You must walk in Jesus footsteps, obey the commands of our Lord, and live a life that represents him. We worry so much of what the world thinks of us, how we look to others, and how we have to act. The truth is these same people will be crying from and eturnal pain wishing you would have taught them how you should have lived instead, someday.
Take time with your kids, take the tv and video games away and sit down with them and read stories from the Bible, help them understand what God wants from them. Quit going out to eat and bring the family togeather at the diner table and give thanks for what the Lord has given you. Stive to be perfect in this world, it can't be done but I would rather face my judge knowing I tried then to just go with the flow of the world and the love of things of the world. Let people around you know that you are a child of God, if they mock you or stray away, pray for them. Everyday you can pick up the paper, turn on the news, someone died today, some very young, they got up the same way you did with not even of thought of dying, but now it's too late, there is no asking for forgiveness or repentance. You should be ready at all times as you know not the hour, or your own hour.
