You can read in the news of failing economies in various countries, of lack and need everywhere you look. Is that how God created the earth to operate?  Or is it the result of how mankind has made it?  And if it is mankind’s fault, what can be done to remedy the problem?

It is often said, “Put your own house in order”, so let’s start there.  How is it at YOUR house?  Do you have enough, or better yet, MORE than enough for your needs?  Or as someone put it one time, “Every time I manage to make ends meet, one of them moves”?   Think of it; all the creation was made by God.  Since we know God is not broke, seeing He was able to create all this stuff, it is reasonable to assume there is more where that all came from.  And seeing that God created the earth and all things in it, and saw that it was “good”, it is not reasonable to think that God intended mankind to live in poverty, lack, sickness and despair.

Simply stated, WHAT HAPPENED?  How did it come to the state things are in the world today, with war, famine, pestilence, poverty, sickness and so much sadness?  Did God change His mind about how mankind should live?  No, but He left mankind in charge and we are seeing the results all around us.  In fact, when we see pockets of prosperity and blessing anywhere, we think it to be an unusual situation, instead of the default condition that God ordained.

The Lord Jesus gave us a glimpse of days of heaven on earth in Matthew chapter 6:
Mat 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
Mat 6:20  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
Mat 6:21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Mat 6:22  The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
Mat 6:23  But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
Mat 6:24  No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Mat 6:25  Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Mat 6:26  Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Mat 6:27  Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
Mat 6:28  And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
Mat 6:29  And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Mat 6:30  Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Mat 6:31  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
Mat 6:32  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
Mat 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Sadly, here on earth are now thieves, but that is not how God created it to be, so Jesus warned us that if we lay up treasures here on earth, they are subject to theft, plus other things like moths and rust that destroy as well.  Does that mean we shouldn’t accumulate treasure here then?  No, he just told us treasures here are TEMPORARY at best. Come to think of it, WE are temporary as well, and even if we have much earthly treasure, when we die, we can’t take it with us.   (You might be saying, WELL!  If THAT’S the case, I’m not going!!)   Jesus emphasized we should lay up treasure in heaven, where there is NO destruction, so we can keep them forever.  Well, that’s fine, but just exactly what moving company do I hire to move my stuff from here to heaven?  When explorers opened the tombs in the pyramids in Egypt, they found much treasure buried with the Pharoahs, who were trying to take it with them, but apparently those treasures weren’t getting much use, were they?  So, how did that work out?  Not so well.

Jesus said where your treasure is, there your heart is also.  Where is YOUR treasure?  Is it in your earthly possessions which wear out and rust and must be constantly replaced?  If so, you never have rest, because you’re forever working to replace lost treasure.  And if you’re  not working to replace lost treasure, you’re working to get MORE treasure.  You would think that people who have abundance would be the happiest people in the world, but that is not the case, because they’re always worried who is trying to take it from them.

As Jesus said, you can’t serve two masters.  Believe me, I’ve tried and have to admit Jesus was right after all.  Jesus isn’t trying to con me out of my possessions, but rather to help you and me come to a place of the condition spoken of in Hebrews 13:5, Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. That verse says a whole mouthful.  If your confidence is in God and not your stuff or wealth, you have great peace, and especially in the knowledge that God has promised to NEVER leave or forsake you. And if you have that confidence in God, then you can ride the waves of the storms of life and stay afloat.

Even Peter, which walked on the water to go to Jesus, having taken his eyes off of Jesus and looking at the storm and found himself sinking, was only a “Help me Jesus” away from rescue.  Now, before we fault Peter for “looking at the wind boisterous and beginning to sink” as it says, we must consider that he was the only disciple to step out of the boat and walk on the water.  The others stayed in the boat.  And that’s what most of us do in life: we stay in the boat.  In other words, we put our trust in the world’s system, and not in God’s.

Now I’m not telling you I haven’t had to weather a few storms, but never once has the LORD forsaken us, not even ONCE!  According to the world’s thinking, it takes a bunch of courage to step out of the world’s system over into God’s system and trust God to take care of you.  But for me, it wasn’t courage, it was simply trust that God is who He says He is, and that He is good for His Word.  Listen, if I can’t believe Matthew 6:25 through 33 is true, then how can I believe John 3:16, or Romans 10:9, or Psalm 103:2-3? The scriptures are either all true, or all false, and they stand or fall together.  Now, if they are true, and it is impossible for God to lie, then what’s all the fuss about?  All we have to do is believe God and ACT LIKE WE BELIEVE HIM!   “Oh Brother Jerry, you have such an overly simple view of the Bible, it is really MUCH more complicated than that.  After all, you just never know what God is going to do.” Is that right?

Fortunately for me, I ALWAYS KNOW WHAT GOD IS GOING TO DO.  He always does according to His Word and never violates it.  So it all boils down to simply doing what Jesus said in Matthew 6:33;  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. All WHAT things??  All those things I have need of while I’m dwelling on this earth.  EVERYTHING I have need of.  And if what if what I need isn’t here on earth?  Well, I guess God will have to create it, which should be no problem for Him, seeing He created all the rest of the universe…..

And it isn’t just what I need, it’s what YOU and your family needs.  And not just YOUR family, but whosoever on earth will put their trust in God.  All your remaining days on earth could be days of heaven if you would simply do what Jesus said.  After all, shouldn’t He know how the system works, seeing He is the Word, and the worlds were created by Him?  But sadly, few will listen, because their trust is in the world’s system.  But that doesn’t mean YOU can’t put all your trust in God and live in the Kingdom of God right now.  Why wait?  God has the answer for your every problem you will ever face in this life, to bless you and give you peace and victory every time.

Well, to be fair, I have to give the devil some time here too.  He wants you to listen to him so he can “kill, steal, and destroy” everything in your life.  He wants you to live in fear, worry, sickness, sadness, having no hope for today or tomorrow.  Perhaps you’ve tried his system, or are trying it right now and finding it not to your satisfaction?  It’s not too late to put your trust in God.  That doesn’t mean one foot in God’s Kingdom and the other foot in the devil’s kingdom.  Remember, Jesus said, No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

You can’t have it both ways.  Each kingdom works the way it was designed to work without fail.  So I guess the question is, Which kingdom are YOU living in?  If you’re living in lack or fear, let me give you a clue….it isn’t GOD’S Kingdom.  Look at the fruit and decide how you want to live.  If you’re living in the devil’s kingdom and you leave to move to the blessed Kingdom of God life, and you don’t like it there, the devil will be glad to have you back, for he is always looking for another sucker.  But my guess is, once you’ve tasted the goodness of God, you will never leave His side, for there is nothing like living above need.