Reading your Bible for today April 23

April 23: Hebrews 11:24-26

KJV Key Verse: Hebrews 11:25
25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures * of sin for a season;

Devotion:
There seems to be far too many people with the fixation they have to literally die for their God and take as many non-believers with them as they can! That is not what the Bible is teaching us. What is being said is if we should lose our life (not take it) for the cause of Christ and the Gospel, then God would be pleased with what we have done; not pleased we are dead but pleased with what we have achieved in life. Sadly, many people twist these words and believe they have to take a life.

Moses chose to leave the palace where he was brought up and went back to his poorer people so he could live an honest life for God. God made sure Moses stayed alive when all others were being put to death his age. If we think that we can control our own lives in any way that we think is best, then we are effectively saying we know more than God. Unless we are giving in to His will, we are not denying ourselves. If we are willing to work against God just to save our own life, then why should Christ work against everything to save us. We need to make a clean statement that we do love and depend on Him.

What good is it to be the most amazing person here on earth if we are not working towards Christ? What good is it to amass huge riches unless it is for Christ? What good is it to amass huge riches unless we know Christ would have us to do it? When we die, that is the end of our physical life here on earth. We cannot take our riches with us. We cannot say just because we have had such a good life here we need a good life beyond. Everything we work for here should be for God and to make sure our soul should be saved.

Life may be sweet. Death may be bitter. But eternal death is more bitter and eternal life is more sweet. We should not be aiming for a pass mark, just so we can scrape through; instead we should be aiming to pass with honours. Unless we are aiming for best for our souls, we are not doing what Christ would have us do. Moses turned his back on all the wealth of Egypt to follow God’s will.

Points to Ponder:
Are you scared of death?

Why not aim for eternal life with God!