The Place of Prosperity in Our Lives: Part 2 — A ‘Time With God’ Audio Devotion

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“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you…” Isaiah 55:1-3

Transcript

Hello, I’m here to help you put God first in your life by taking time with God each day. I wonder if you have spent some time with God yet today.

Maybe you wonder how you spend time with God. Well, the best way is simply to pray from your heart out loud or silently and let God know that you want to meet with Him.

Open your Bible. It’s good to have a plan for how you’re going to read through the Bible. I personally just take one chapter a day and work my way all the way through the Bible. Some people like to have a little bit from the Old Testament and the New Testament reading each day. The important thing is that you have your Bible open. You’ve expressed to God from your heart that you are listening for his message to you today.

And then even while you’re reading, be responding to God in what he’s saying to you.

Time with God

We’re talking this week about the place of prosperity in our lives, and I want to read a parable to you today from Matthew 25, starting in verse 14. Jesus says,

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For it is just like a man about to go on a journey. Who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. And to one he gave 5 talents. A talent was a certain weight of gold. To another 2 talents and to another 1, each according to his own ability. So some were more able to handle the money and so he gave them more, and he went on his journey.

Immediately the one who had received the 5 talents went and traded with them and gained 5 more talents. In the same manner, the one who had received the 2 talents gained 2 more, but he who received the 1 talent went away and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.

And the one who had received the 5 talents came up and brought 5 more talents, saying, Master, you entrusted 5 talents to me. See, I have gained 5 more talents. His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.

The one also who had received the two talents came up and said, Master, you entrusted me with 2 talents. See, I have gained 2 more talents. His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.

And the one also had received one talent came up and said, Master, I knew you to be a hard man. Reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed, and I was afraid, and I went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.

But his master answered and said to him, You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow, and I gather where I scattered no seed, then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival, I would have received my money back with interest. Therefore, take away the talent from him.

And give it to the one who has the 10 talents, for to every one who has shall more be given, and he shall have an abundance. But from the one who does not have even what he does have will be taken away and cast out the worthless slave into the outer darkness in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Well, there are many lessons in this parable, but the big one is that the money that you have is a gift from God to you.

And it’s a gift that is a stewardship. The money God puts in your hands remains His, and he expects you to use it well for His purposes, so it bears interest for His kingdom. How do you handle the money that God entrusts to you?

You see that if you use your money for God’s purposes to bring about spiritual fruit. God’s response to you will be to enter into the joy of the Lord, the joy of your master.

When you use what God has given you in a way that is pleasing to Him, He blesses you.

And if you don’t, if you’re selfish with what is really God’s, there’ll be no joy and no blessing to come when you meet your master.

I’m John North.

To go deeper in your faith, visit AFCI.com.au.

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