Fantasy or reality

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

FANTASY OR REALITY

Prov 28:19

19 He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.

NIV

We would surely want to consider that Adam was told he would have to toil the soil all the days of his life and it would be by the sweat of his brow crops would produce food for him. This certainly speaks to the idea that retirement was not a part of the plan of God, but rather of men. Again if we would consider the rich farmer who had such an abundant crop that he had to tear down all his old barns in order to build newer bigger ones in order to store up all his profits and think than he could sit back and retire. We noticed the he was not rich toward God, did not consider God’s plan and the fact his great wealth could be shared with others, God took his life the very night he decided to retire. The idea here in this proverb is that we are to work for our sustenance and we will have a good life. The get rich quick schemes are the fantasies of fools. Perhaps we might even be bold enough to think the storing up of wealth is the fantasies of fools, like the rich farmer, they put their trust in their wealth rather than God and the fact we are to work the land all the days of our lives, therefor no need to store up so we can sit back and take life easy. At least this is how it seems, maybe we have the wrong approach on the way God designed us and his plan for our lives. However there is one more way we could see this proverbs as to working the land. This land could be applied to our spirit. We are to work our spirit, which is to make it grow by being completely connected to the source of all wisdom. Studying the word of God, spending time alone with him, not so much speaking our lists of needs, but listening to his still small voice whispering truths into our spirit. How can we work our spirit when we are oh so busy using our mouth? God gave us two ears but only one mouth, surely he intended us to listen twice as much as we talk. Working our spirit, being one with the Spirit allows him to produce an abundant crop of fruit within us. It takes effort, work, to be one with the Spirit, it requires faith in him to do that which is best in our lives. This is the idea when God gave us his armor to guard every aspect of ourselves. We are told in four different ways to take our stand, to stand then, to stand our ground and when we have done everything, to stand firm. That is something like working our land, our spirit, being a partner with God in the growth of our being so it will produce a great crop. On the opposite side of the coin the one who chases after the fantasies of this world, thinking the world has the answers of life will ultimately be in poverty. Maybe not materially, but certainly spiritually.

Matt 16:24-26

 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?

NIV

It is a fool’s errand to chase after the fantasies of this world, for in doing so he forfeits his soul. Is it possible to be both? No, not at all. God has declared to us we cannot chase after him and after the world. We cannot serve both God and money. We either work the land, or we end up in poverty. We either live for God or we die. He is life, the world is death, how can we experience both wealth and poverty, life and death. It is an either/or not an both/and. Let us work our spirit, let us live our life with God as our master, working our spirit all the days of our lives. Maybe we can retire from physical work, although we doubt that, but we surely can never retire from working our spirit. God said that he started a good work in us and he would complete it.

Phil 1:3-6

3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

NIV

The idea here is that God is working with us in the growth of our spirit, as we are one with him. He will bring it to completion when? When the day Jesus calls us home. That means no retirement from growing in Christ. No retirement from serving our Lord. We cannot just sit back being idle, thinking we have nothing more to do, either in our service to him, or in our growth in the spirit. Let us not look to fantasies, but to the reality of God.