God’s word tells how mankind can have a better life, but many fail to heed the divine advice.
They want to think they can do it all, by themselves, without help from anyone. Some of these folks say they believe in God, but then they never stop long enough to see what God wants them to do in order to have a good life. This humanistic outlook is not new; men have followed this thought for hundreds of years.
If they would take time to study the Bible, they would see that when mankind has trusted only in man, things have not turned out so well. In the book of Judges, which is thought to be the darkest time in Israelite history, men just did what they thought was best. The result was devastating. In fact, one tribe was almost totally initiated. Mankind always has done better when God’s word was followed. There are some today who think more of physical gain than they do of spiritual gain. As Jesus was concluding what has become known as the “Sermon on the Mount,” he said, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take 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” (Matthew 6:33-34). God knows and understands that man has to have physical things, but he does not want these things to become idols to man. God wants man to provide for himself and his family (1 Timothy 5:8), but some get so caught up in laying up treasures on Earth that they fail to have God in their lives. God is not opposed to men having money, but he does warn against money being the idol of our lives (I Timothy 6:10).
Man needs to believe God. God’s desire is that man put him first in all things and care for our families, but do not let the physical things get in the way of our service and devotion to God. Most everyone is going to have hard times come into their lives. Without God, when everything seems so bleak, there is nowhere to turn. However, with God a person can know there is one who cares and knows the needs of that individual (1 Peter 5:7).
God not only cares for man’s physical well-being; he also cares for man’s spiritual well-being. God has told us in his word how to be saved. We find that those who followed Jesus had to believe that he was the son of God. “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins; for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:24). God’s word tells that there is more to be done: “And the times of this ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30).
We are to have faith in Jesus as the son of God, repent of our sins and then we are to confess the name of Christ as the son of God. “…And he answered and said, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God’” (Acts 8:38). The next thing we see through God’s word is that we are to be baptized for the remission of our sins. “Then Peter said unto them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,’ …” (Acts 2:38).
If this passage is not plain enough, Peter makes it even plainer: “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (I Peter 3:21).
Every person needs to trust in God for the blessings of this life and the blessing of salvation given to man by God.
Keep God first, follow divine advice
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