Thoughts From The Box - "What The 'L'!"

Did you know that the bible tells us to get the 'L' out of here? Damien, you say WHAT?!? Believe me, I said the same thing when I read it for myself. It clearly says get the "L" out of here. OK, please read on and I'll show you where.
Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's Will is-his good, pleasing and perfect Will." How do people know what God's Will is for their lives? They meditate and study the Word of God, which transforms their minds. Don't you see it? When we remove the "L" from the World, we are only left with Word of God.
The Word of God renews our minds so that we are set apart to then be a light to the world.
Sadly, in Matthew 19 starting at the 16th verse we find the story of a young man who just could not get rid of the "L". We catch up to the story as the young man is asking Jesus, "What good thing must I do to get eternal life?" Jesus responds by telling him to follow the commandments, and then he lists a few. "Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal..."
"All these I have kept," the young man quickly replies. "What do I still lack?"
Jesus answers, "If you wish to be complete, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." As soon as the young man hears this, he goes away grieving because he possesses great wealth.
You see, our walk with God is more than following commandments or doing good deeds. We must also set ourselves apart from the world. The interesting thing in this story is that the young rich man knew that he lacked peace even though he had followed the Lord's commandments, and scripture indicates to us that he was essentially what the world considers to be a "good person." But the young man just could not let his worldly possessions go, which kept him from following Christ.
1 John 2:15 says, "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." No one can serve two masters, Matthew 6:24 emphasizes. "Either we hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." Don't get me wrong: Money/wealth is not necessarily bad, even though some people quote the scriptures as saying this. (However, scripture does tell us in I Timothy 6:10, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.")
I'm also not saying that it is impossible for a rich man to enter heaven because Jesus states later in Matthew 19 that, "nothing is impossible for God." However, Jesus is very clear with his disciples,: When and if the time comes that you have a choice, will you follow Christ or the world and its possessions?
I truly believe that the Word of God is a firm foundation for you, a place where you can begin discovering the peace that you might be looking for and that the world is known to lack. In addition, I believe we are to use that Word greatly in our lives, for the benefit of ourselves and others. I endorse the advice from the Book of James where we are told to not merely be hearers of the Word but also doers.
So my friends, getting the "L" out of here, will only leave us the Word of God. And trust me, from my experience that's a great place to start.
Prayer,
Dear God, Thank You for this special day that You have made. Help us continue to follow Your Word daily, and give us the strength to share our light to the world so that others can see Your Word, which is alive and working in us. I ask this in you Son Jesus Christ Name. Amen
Blessings,
Damien K. H. Nash, Founder & CEO
TNGP Publishings, LLC
http://www.tngpublishings.com/
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