Escaping dead religion. To find Him. (Day 1)

I received a forward today. It was labeled "I agree, it is so!" and had the picture of a big-name evangelist-pastor personality and then a handful of affirmative prosperity statements listed to believe and accept by faith. At the end, it read:

"Very, Very, soon and I say Very, Very, Very soon, GOD is going to do a miracle and lift u up 4 GOOD. Here is a test: if you love God and you're not ashamed of Him, send this to ten people and watch what He does for you tonight. "

This last statement grieved me in my spirit. Since when was serving God about what He does for me, especially about my prosperity? Not to mention the very slight mysticism (forward to 10 people and God will do something amazing tonight for you) -- which may be harmless, yet effectively distracts folks from what God would have them do, which is seeking to know Him. Regardless of what He does or does not give to us, he would have us Know Him above all else.

When Jesus the Christ walked this earth, His teachings were about as far away from prosperity teaching as you can get. Instead of "You will find favor with men", he told his followers, "Men will hate and persecute you... If they hated me, they will hate you too". Instead of "God will give you more and more", Jesus said "In this life you will have trouble, but be happy, because I have overcome the world". Instead of "Trust God for more material blessings in this life", our Saviour taught the masses, "Don't be concerned for what you will eat or drink, or where you will live, or how you will be clothed, for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you."

Jesus was the antithesis of getting ahead in this world. He was homeless, jobless, and sometimes even friendless. Instead of furthering his own causes, he focused solely on doing the will of the Father. He did not seek long life, but voluntarily died a premature death for those he loved. He was often acquainted with loneliness and abandonment. It's no wonder we don't hear much about these realities of Jesus' life and teachings. Truth simply doesn't sell as well.

I wonder what would happen if Christians today took all of their stock out of this world and re-invested it in the kingdom of God... Jesus said, "Don't lay up for yourselves treasures on earth... but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven." What would happen if we became completely content with having our basic needs met, and then focused all the leftover time, energy, and resources on Him and His kingdom?

Lord, give us the grace to be content with what we have, and focus all our efforts on knowing you and on helping others (as you lead) to know you.