Daily Huddle - Sun Sep 6, 2020 How Important Is It?

Love you all, praying for you.
 
I just love God’s Word – It gives principles, stories, examples, it gives best practices, and reveals foolish habits.  It gives encouragements, and warnings, strengths of character, and character flaws - truth on every page.  In the Bible, we tend to focus on what God says about our relationship with Him, or others… but what about things?  How important is stuff?  God says we are not to desire the things of this world, always wanting to get more… But what about the things you have already?  How important is your room?  Your car?  Your house?  Your yard?  When it comes to the things you own, that God has entrusted to you, to steward, to care for, to maintain…  Do they reflect God, or something else?  Here are some things that God says directly in His Word.  God is a God of order, not disorder.  So with God comes order and peace.  Without God there is disorder.  And with disorder comes every evil practice.  Disorder is the opposite of peace, and God is the God of Peace. One lacking in judgment, someone lacking wisdom, a fool, a foolish person, lives in disorder: weeds everywhere, toys everywhere, clothes everywhere, walls in disrepair - broken down.  God wants you to be faithful with worldly possessions.  He wants His people to be diligent with them, because how they care for God’s stuff – the things God has entrusted to them, reflects Him, and them.  A diligent person prizes his possessions, they are precious to him, prized.  Disorder, chaos, which is a lack of wisdom, will block your way, it’s holding you back! But the path of the diligent is a highway - unhindered, enabling great speed, and further distance with no delays or crashes.  If someone looked at your room, or your car, your house or your yard, would they be drawn to the owner of all these things?  What would it tell them about you, as a steward, a caretaker of another’s possessions?  I’ve seen poor people, but their kids are clean, not trendy, but well dressed, their house is modest, but immaculate, it may be outdated, but it is excellent.  It stands out from the rest.  I remember traveling to Europe as a young man, staying at a youth hostel/bed & breakfast and I’ll never forget, the outside but enclosed staircase to the upstairs apartment was so spotless you could literally eat off the floor.  Old 1970s laminate floors, but there wasn’t even any dirt in the cracks.  I was amazed!   It spoke volumes about the owner.  Some people will say – that’s just a personality trait, as if it was inherent like introvert or extrovert.  No, that’s a value trait, not a personality trait; in truth it’s a moral trait, a wisdom trait.  Some will say, I value relationships more than I value a spotless house.  As if those who live like slobs, unkempt, undisciplined, inconsistent, void of diligence, lacking in wisdom… have better relationships in their life than the ones who practice the excellence of Christ?  God’s Word and nature itself tells you otherwise.  He who walks with the wise grows wise.  Slobs can't have better relationships, because they are not wise.  And God says the wise walk with the wise... not them.  Faithful people attract faithful people, just like the unfaithful attract the unfaithful.  Excellence attracts excellence.  So where in the Bible – does God say these things?  Luke 16:11 – If then you have not been faithful in handling worldly wealth, how can you be trusted with true wealth?  Proverbs 12:27 – The lazy person does not roast his prey, but personal possessions are precious to the diligent.  NLT – Lazy people don’t even cook the game they catch, but the diligent make use of everything they find… but a diligent man prizes his possessions… but the possessions of diligent men are prized… but to a diligent person his wealth is precious.  This Scripture makes a clear contrast between the lazy and the diligent.  It lists one thing that a lazy person does, not all things – lazy people do many things – neglect being one of them… but the diligent keep their possessions in good shape.   Why?  Because they are diligent, because they value them, because they value the One who gave it to them.  They ask God when He wants them to work every day to maintain them, they put it on their PiVAT Weekly and they do the work when it’s time to work.  So their possessions always reflect the One who gave it to them, and in doing so - they reflect their own character.   James 3:16 – For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice.  GNT For where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is also disorder and every kind of evil. (God himself ties envy and selfish ambition to disorder, and in this same Scripture disorder (the opposite of God) is associated with, tied to, every (kind) of evil, every evil practice, every evil deed, every vile deed, every evil work.  These go along with disorder.  Where you have one, you have the other.  Why is diligence in caring for the possessions God has entrusted you with – a big deal to God?  I Corinthians 14:33 – For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people.  For God is not the author of disorder, but of peace, For God is not characterized by disorder but by peace, as in all the churches (houses) of the saints.  God wants everything to be done peacefully and in order, For God is not chaotic, but peaceful, as in all the assemblies of The Holy Ones.  Proverbs 15:19 – The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway.  Those who live in disorder (sluggards, fools, those lacking wisdom and lacking judgment) have many hindrances on their path, but the diligent are unhindered on their way, their way is like a highway.  Proverbs 24:30 – I went past the field of the sluggard, (a slothful man) past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;  (lacking judgment, void of understanding, a foolish man, a lazy fool, the field of a slacker, a stupid lazy person, a senseless person, of one who lacks wisdom…) thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. (broken down)  Does your life reflect God’s Order, and God’s peace?  God’s Wisdom, and the diligence of a Godly man?  Or does your life and possessions reflect disorder and chaos, where you find every evil practice, the laziness of a fool, who lacks judgment, lacks wisdom, and lacks sense?  Why do people live like slobs?  Everything in disorder...  It doesn’t reflect personality, it reflects character.  #1 They have too much stuff – and it requires too much time to maintain.  #2 Their stuff doesn’t have an assigned place where it belongs.  #3 They will leave a room with things not where they belong.  It doesn't bother them.  They lack the wisdom, character and discipline to keep order, so they live in disorder.  Praying that God will reveal what things He wants you to steward, and give you the resolve to give the rest away.  Praying that you will ask God for each item you own – where does it belong?  What is it’s assigned place?  God says the house of the wise is filled with rare and beautiful treasures.  (Not in piles, they are in their proper place, that’s what makes the home beautiful!) It’s what makes it the home of the wise).  And praying that you will gain a Godly discomfort.  That your spirit will become greatly unsettled with disorder – like God’s Spirit is.  That you will never leave a room, without honoring God’s Order – without putting each thing back in the place He assigned, so your house and your car and your yard, and your walls, are the house of the wise. 
 
Love you all,
dad