Let us turn over to II Corinthians 4, verse 16. Now this world and universe we are in right now are only temporary. They are not the real or permanent world. Here in II Corinthians 4, we are going to read verses 16 to 18.
We have no reason to have anxiety over this because we share Christ's inheritance, His possessions. He puts these things into our hands.
And I will add to that dignity. The foolish man lacks unrivaled allegiance to God since wealth is his god.
So the Kingdom of God itself is compared to an immense treasure that is worth securing at all costs, as Matthew 13:44 tells us.
The rich man has replaced genuine trust in God, and his reward, that is, treasure in heaven, with worldly riches. He thus breaks the first commandment, You shall have no other gods before Me.
This does not mean that every disciple of Christ must sell all he owns. Instead, the heart should be focused on God, and every possession should be yielded to God, with the result that possessions will be handled as a form of stewardship.
Everything is God's and everything we own is God's, and so we are stewards of it. The path to eternal life lies in turning away from reliance on self-achievements and worldly securities, and instead trusting in Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom.
When this happens, we must - despite how difficult things may seem - hold on to God and His way of life, not letting go even unto death. Despite his many hardships, the apostle Paul relied on God and did not let himself get depressed for very long, if at all. Now look at what he told the Corinthians.
Now flip over to Philippians 4, verse 10. Paul had many reasons to get discouraged. His letters and the book of Acts record many of his unpleasant predicaments, yet he did not let adverse circumstances depress him. After five shipwrecks, he did not let it get to him. I am still bewildered at that one.
