..Thou in thy Lifetime...the Wayfarer

Thou in thy Lifetime

1/15/18

Luke 16:19-31

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁹ There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

²⁰ And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

²¹ And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

²² And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

²³ And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

²⁴ And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

²⁵ But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

²⁶ And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

²⁷ Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:

²⁸ For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

²⁹ Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

³⁰ And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

³¹ And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

Reward chosen is the reward received.

This passage, not a parable, but a history given by Christ as a particular example,  is stern reminder of the warning that goes hand in hand with the promise.

No purveyor of "prosperity gospel" seems to remember either this passage, or the instruction left in the Sermon on the mount given by Jesus as repentance for redemption was preached by Him, as the very purpose of His need to come to a headstrong and stubborn nation were revealed through the words of that sermon.

Matthew 6:19-21 King James Version (KJV).

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

Note that the treasure to be sought did not, and does not, lie in the many pleasures offered in their stead that are chosen and promoted by the "prosperity gospel" adherents that promise things not promised by Christ himself and deny those things promised by Him.

The opening passage is descriptive of far too many that seek only to "fare sumptuously" throughout this fleeting moment of God's timeline rather than to fare far more sumptuously  in the timeline of eternity.

The rich man gleaned his reward, both in the timeline he was allotted to experience life, and continues to glean the reward offered by the futility of that life whose sole purpose was himself, without concern for the poverty stricken beggar at his gate for which he begged to come to give relief.

Reward chosen was indeed reward received.

The same applies to the rewards being sought by a people more interested in the moment, more interested in the gluttony, the high of the moment offered by their choice of drug, the faux power held that increases their importance, and wealth among their fellow creatures that remain in need... without ever discerning how temporary those rewards remain until facing the same vast gulf that separates them from the true rewards offered by their Creator through the sacrifice of a Savior, willing to grant those true rewards to any and all willing to accept the terms for their having been offered.

Matthew 7:12-14

King James Version (KJV)

¹² Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

¹³ Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

¹⁴ Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Even as this was being written, it was interrupted by a sales call that called attention to the here and now, a call that ended abruptly when the question was asked as to what was being promoted in lieu of the gospel offered by Christ.

Matthew 6:34

 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.

Reward sought is reward found!

What was promised by Christ is sufficient for eternity, that promised by man remains less than sufficient  once that gulf is faced.

To reap the rewards offered by Christ requires acceptance of the message brought by HIM, preached by HIM from the river Jordan to the cross and continuing to be preached by HIM to those willing to hear that simple message, still so rejected by the seekers of reward that are blinded by the glitter and dazzle of the temporary.

2 Timothy 1:12

¹²For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Amen and amen

the Wayfarer